I feel like modernrap musicoften gets shoved into a box with a narrow lens. A crate where the art form is expected to be grating, bass-heavy beats and stereotypical subject matter designed to make worried parents and overstepping adults wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. But instead of looking at modern rap with the critical eye of the former Parents Music Resource Center, we should be gazing at it with as much critical acclaimas the razor-sharp sensibility and social commentary folk music was known for back in its ’60s heyday.
While the genres look quite different on the surface, it’s the lyrical poetry and sense of vulnerable intention that creates an equal-grounded meeting. Though in a contemporary-oriented world, it feels like rap is the genrewith its fingers the most on the pulse of what’s relevant in today’s society. All the while, not being afraid to show vulnerability and the honesty to not be okay, even amidst blustering in your ear with its chest puffed out.
1Vince Staples, Ramona Park Broke My Heart (2022)
Looking Back At Hometown Sparks
In 2022, Long Beach, California’s ownVince Staples released one of the strongest albums of his career with the drop of his fifth studio album,RamonaPark Broke My Heart. Named in honor of Staples' Ramona Park neighborhood in Long Beach, the record is a simultaneously wired and weary heartbeat about the ups and downs of your hometown. The love, losses, institutional violence, and perils that still appear even afteryou make it out and try to deal with your past.
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Lyrically, Staples is a top-target storyteller who’s only revealed more layers to his writer’s pen as he’s gotten older. One of the best examples of this off ofRamona Park,in my opinion, is easily “When Sparks Fly.” The track isentirely a double-entendre-shaped piecethat makes it initially seem like Staples is talking about the wild chaos of a romantic relationship, only for all the references to actually be about his attachment to a gun. But the gap between the two points is seamless, and it makes for clever bars.
She said, “Baby, keep me closely, love it when you hold me
Know that I’m a real one, I don’t do no ghostin'
I know that you love me, you don’t gotta show me
Off to the world, please, hide me from the police
Everywhere you go, we together, inseparable
You know I’m down for whatever, protective of you
I don’t wanna use protection with you
But the glove’ll keep you safe if you ever get loose
Never put you in a jam, hold whatever for you
When you first shot your shot, I knew you would the one to hit the spot
2Tyler, The Creator, Chromakopia (2024)
A Meditation On Maturity, Life, And Celebrity
It’s been an enjoyable trip watchingTyler, the Creator, grow and evolve as an artist. I’ll admit, I initially couldn’t wrap my head around theintrusive-thought-leaning shock value of his earlier works. But around the time he released 2017’sFlower Boy, Tyler began to also show a sensitive, poetic depth that took off his mask and started to show more of the man breathing beneath. The person that wasn’t all about just pushing the envelope.
Ironically, a mask was a major part of the imagery Tyler employed for the release of his 2024 opus,Chromakopia, which showed his desireto hide from the celebrity-hounding public with the thrashing “Noid.“The anger and fear are palpable in Tyler’s lyrics on “Noid,” which seek to amplify the parasocial overreach of fame culture.
I can’t even buy a home in private
Home invasions got my brothers dyin'
Notice every car that’s drivin' by
I think my neighbors want me dead
I got a cannon underneath the bed
Triple checkin' if I locked the door
I know every creak that’s in the floor
Mtherfcker, I am paranoid, I (Such a—)
Loop around the block, eyes glued to the rearview
Rather double back than regret hearin', “Pew, pew”
But Tyler also does remove the mask onChromakopiato address topics like the struggle to deal with an unwanted pregnancy (“Hey Jane”), indecisiveness over not having the father in his life he resembles so much (“Like Him”), and eventual self-acceptance through the hard life choices (“I Hope You Find Your Way Home”). This spice of variety makesChromakopiaa recent but important entryto the high loft of the modern rap rafters.
3Ab-Soul, Herbert
A Self-Titled Slice Of Center
The great West Coast California rapper Ab-Soul re-emerged after a six-year absence with 2022’sHerbert, which felt like a very on-brand release in the artist’s typical style and approach to hip-hop. And while its mix of musings on both the personal and professional don’t always hit with 100% surefire accuracy,Herbertfinds Ab-Soul using his real name and, as a result,being at one of the most straightforward lyrical points of his career.
I think that’s best exemplified in the mission statement of “Do Better,” which finds Ab-Soul wanting to step up in his place in life and improve at embracing the world around him. Especially when it comes tothe ups and downs of his own mental health, which he addresses in this song with open clarity.
Shades stuck to my face, hoodie glued to my head (They will always haunt my dreams)
Hidin' from the same world that made me who I am (The green twins with your eyes)
Depressed, can’t even get out of bed
Too blessed to be so stressed (They will always haunt my dreams)
I do all this shit, just to say, “Get off my d*ck”
Mixed emotions prohibit my focus (The green twins with your eyes)
This what you wanted, what’s wrong with you? You don’t make sense
Feel like I can flip at any moment (They will always haunt my dreams)
Faces playin' and it’s f*ckin' with me
“Doin' drugs was just a war with boredom, but it’s sure to get me.” Lord, forgive me
4Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist, Alfredo (2020)
A Tip Top Hip-Hop Team Up
Seeing noted rapperFreddie Gibbs come together with famed hip-hop producer The Alchemist in 2020 with the albumAlfredowas likematching birthday cake with ice cream:You just had a feeling that the combination was gonna be something special.
And the duo certainly delivered on this tandem LP, which found Gibbs in the pocket of his bag of specialties, delivering bars about the rough sides of his come-up in the world and finding successeven while swimming through drugs and excess. Meanwhile, The Alchemist delivered a suite of sweet rhythms and beats underneath, almost as if to provide some polish against Gibbs' rough rust.
It does the job and adds some extra highlights to some of the heaviness and humanity in Gibbs, like here with “Babies & Fools.” Peanut butter and jelly never had it as goodas a nice portion ofAlfredo.
My first love was football from playin' that Madden sh*t
My second love was hard drugs, weed and this rappin' sh*t
Heard Allah on the nights that I wasn’t havin' sh*t
I say my prayers but I’m rusty as f*ck with Arabic
Lord, take me as I am ‘cause I’m gon’ come as I’m is
I might die twice if I look down and see my mama in tears
I gave her (All of me), uh
But I ain’t gon' never die (All of me), uh
5Rapsody, Please Don’t Cry (2024)
Standing Tall Through Getting Personal
North Carolina rapper Rapsody took her music to the next level on her2024 album,Please Don’t Cry, a 22-track epicfeaturing the likes of Erykah Badu, Lil Wayne, Alex Isley, and even famed actress Phylicia Rashad. The musician said her goal with the LP was to introduce to her fans the person that she is outside of her work as an artist, andPlease Don’t Cryreflected that feeling of getting unflinchingly personal, even if the subjects got hard.
One of the best examples of that on the record is the song"Loose Rocks,” a portrait of Rapsody’s sadness and frustration for a relative with dementia, ending in a bittersweet phone call with that person. Even with as much music as I’ve listened to over the years, it’s hard not to get emotional at lines like these.
Things we go through change us
The new and old me, they feel like strangers
The reality, one day to you I’ll be a stranger
Life ain’t easy wit' these changes
Mentally, I’m barely hanging, but get up again (I get up)
It’s crazy what a hug will do for you and them
Things I said I’d never do, I did over again (I did)
My reality is that I dread the day I walk into the house
And you ask someone who I am
6Earl Sweatshirt, I Don’t Like Sh*t, I Don’t Go Outside (2015)
A Laid Back Struggle’s Mantra
Celebrating its 10th birthday this year, rapperEarl Sweatshirt’s second studio album,I Don’t Like Sh*t, I Don’t Go Outside, still holds that slightly off-center sense of appeal that pretty aptly describes Sweatshirt himself. The artist’s laid-back style and delivery almost work as a contrasting smokescreen to the wayshis lyrics explore battles with mental health, relationships, and general insecurity.
Those separate push-and-pull forces probably make Sweatshirt more of an acquired taste as rappers go, butdespite Sweatshirt’s persistent sense of chill, he still can get his audience up and engaged in the words that are hiding just beneath the surface. Take his song “Mantra” off ofOutside, for instance, which feels like as close as the rapper gets to a head-banging mission statement, with lyrical bars as cold as tundra ice.
You used to say you like violins
And your lifestyle depend on me
And I know it’s nighttime when you get lonely
And tell all your little friends how that b*tch stole me
And despite all the facts that you got phony
You gonna tell them bout the night that you exposed me
For the b*stard I was
And how I probably smashed every b*tch that I passed in the club
And the last couple months was the worst
Cause I smashed all the trust
That I earned in the past couple months
That we had as a couple
My absence, a fuss
Was a problem that we ain’t ever really get to solve
7Doechii, Alligator Bites Never Heal (2024)
The Swamp On The Rise Up
I know I’ve already had plenty of praise for the fresh face ofrapper-on-the-riseDoechii, but her latest mixtape,Alligator Bites Never Heal, still has a hold on me. Between its lyrics, cadences, beats, and overall attitude of empowerment, despite the life setbacks trying to claw you right back down again,it never strays far from my perpetual repeat list.
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You’ve got songs onAlligatorlike “Nissan Altima,” “Boiled Peanuts,” and “Catfish,” of course, but it seems almost impossible not to keep coming back to the big single “Denial Is a River.” Theself-deprecating humor, old-school-meets-new-school flow, and just the aura Doechii unleashes on the track is a stone-cold killer that both resets and raises the map for other female rappers of the genre. All hail the Swamp Princess and lyrics like these.
“Platinum” record this, viral record that
I’m makin' so much money, I’m all over the net
I’m movin' so fast, no time to process
And no, I’m not in a gang but I’m always on set
Wrist watch, drip drop, labels want the TikToks, now I’m makin' TikTok music, what the f*ck?
I need cleanse, need a detox, but we ain’t got time to stop, the charts need us
(And they do)
Fast forward, me 2023
I’m stackin' lots of cheese and makin' money
My grass is really green, and honestly
I can’t even f*ckin' cap no more, this is a really dark time for me
I’m going through a lot
8D2x, The Hunger Era (2024)
Indie Rap Stays Hungry
A rising figure in the Chicago rap scene, D2x’sThe Hunger Eraembraces all the fury and tenacious fight of the underdog, creating his own Cinderella story all the way to the top of the heap. Made amidst the type of comic book backdrop that’d make MF DOOM proud with a sweeping flow reminiscent of Jay-Z,The Hunger Erahas a swaggering starvation from D2x to show he has plenty to prove and is putting the rap game on notice.
Andthe lyrics inThe Hunger Eracertainly back up this endgame for the Thanos of these bars, showing not just a confidence to get there but an earnest transparency that makes you want to root for D2x. The opening lines of “FIRE,” set against a Jimi Hendrix sample and a thundering beat, make you wanna cheer this guy on to victory.
I’m on fire
I got a motor for desire
A burning passion to succeed this madness and I’m tired
I’m tired of being tried
Man I’m the full package
What these rappers underline, take a look into my mind
The come-up, I’m one of one, flowing from a loaded gun
I’m about to blow up, I’m going on a cold run
9NxWorries, Yes Lawd! (2016)
A Duo With Suede Interior
The debut project from rapper/singer/songwriter Anderson .Paak and producer Knxwledge in 2016 entitledYes Lawd!under the Nxworries name might have been nearly as hotly anticipated as the team-up of Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist. One, a hyper-talented musician on the rise, and the other, a producer of equal caliber, and they certainly delivered with all the brashsoul, R&B, rap, funk, and flex that two young musicians could have.
Yes Lawd!has plenty of heart, for sure, but it’s thatassertive, in-control persona that puts listeners at attention.Tracks like the almost cocky aura of “Suede” just make you wanna drive a classic car, wear an eye-popping suit, roll all the windows down, and get these lyrics to blast as loudly as possible.
Smoother than a mtherfcker
Suede on the inside
Candy paint, candy paint
I ain’t gotta tell you what the rims look like
Look, I’m gripping wood like a mtherfcker
She ask me, can her friend ride?
Kelly wanna have a drink
And shorty wanna pop pills all night
Look, don’t be f*cking with my tape deck
You gon' listen to this Marvin
You gon' listen to this Bloodstone
Oh, y’all n*ggas want that Barry White?
Well, I don’t really f*ck with that right there
That could make a n*gga act up right there
Well, go and get your rocks off, boo
Nah, nah, nah
(I don’t really do all that, but it’s more for you)
I’m far from a p*mp, but I’m close to you
You f*cking with an old soul, twice removed
10Schoolboy Q, Blue Lips (2024)
This Rapper Keeps Leveling Up
WhenSchoolboy Q officially unveiled his sixth studio album,Blue Lips,in 2024, it felt like the veteran California rapper born in West Germany wasonly evolving to get better at his art at this stage. While still continuing to knock out banger songs like “Pop,” “Thank God 4 Me,” and “Yeern 101,” it was the vulnerability between the lines that really popped off the page ofBlue Lips.
Songs like “Blueslides” and “Germany ‘86” showed that Q could not only attack his rap lines with unfettered vigor but could alsodemonstrate his contemplative side and knack for the weightier side of reminiscing. “Germany ‘86” really shows off that vulnerable side as Q looks back at his past growing up rough and his mother’s time in the military in these lyrics.
I feel leveled, I’m good
My head better, I’m straight
My mom stayed workin’ late
She taught me how to be great
My superhero’s a woman
You know she served for this country
Sent her back to the hoovers
Left her son for the shooters
We in the streets playin’ catch
I guess we comin' up next, uh
I guess we comin' up next
I guess we growin' up stressed
By ten years we was thirty
Watchin' your homie get stretched
Watchin' your homie get x’ed out
And bleed through his flesh
I feel leveled, I’m straight
My head better, I’m good
My babysitter knew I had the strap on contact
My dog beat life, didn’t snitch and I’m proud of that
He finally came home, gon' ball again, all of that
