What Is Conscious Hip Hop?

(ThyBlackMan.com) Sub-genres are hard to define because they usually appear organically, derived by the fans of the music. They are nuanced in subtle ways that make a big difference to the insiders. To the uninitiated, the manifestation of a sub-genre can pose a good question, “what’s the difference?”

Instead of being too cool for school and saying something like, “You just don’t get it man,” I’m going help define the nuances in a sub-genre that is near and dear to me, conscious hip hop. To those of you who are unfamiliar with conscious hip hop, this article will help you identify and (hopefully) fall in love with it.

To give structure to my definition, I’m going to describe conscious hip hop by two main characteristics and a bonus one. The two main characteristics of conscious hip hop are content and quality. The bonus trait is truthiness, (I’ll let you know why it’s a bonus trait later on). Without further ado, let’s delve into what conscious hip hop is all about. Read More