Str8HipHip

So who is this guy Starpower from “The Dugout” that will be selecting conscious rap artists for “The Showdown” music competition on Urbnews?

I am here to tell you:

“If you are what you say you are/ Then have no fear, the camera’s here/ And the microphones, and they wanna’ know…” - “Superstar” (Lupe Fiasco) This pretty much sums up my stance on conscious rappers. Who are “they?” Me, you, us. And what do “they” wanna know? They wanna know if you are what you say you are.

Convince me that you have knowledge of what you rap about, that you believe in it, and that you’re qualified to speak on it. That makes a conscious rapper. Not songs about freeing political prisoners, the rights of indigenous people, or the plight of the black family. Sure, those are prime subjects for some conscious rap; but then again, so is drug dealing, pimping, and violence. A conscious rapper is, first and foremost, aware of the things that define his/her own existence, and his/her ability to make you want to hear whatever the hell he or she is rapping about. If I can barely stay awake while you rap about our broken education system and the Iraq War, then guess what? You aint conscious! Because you aren’t conscious of the fact that you made a song that bores me to tears. Conversely, if you say that you “climax from paper, then ask why is life worth living” (as Nas said on “Succeess,”) you are most definitely a conscious rapper. And not just because of your introspective query on the value of life. More so because you said that you “climax from paper.” Because thought is the basis of consciousness, the ability to provoke thought is the hallmark of conscious rap, and that line made me think, “damn, this nigga really love him some money!” He’s so conscious of his love of the dollar, he bypassed all of the tired proclamations of financial prosperity that come from so many of today’s rappers (”I get money,” “my paper longer than {something really long}”), and came up with an infinitely more intriguing way to relate his passion. That’s consciousness.

DMX’s depression on “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot,” Brand Nubian’s around-the-way righteousness on “One For All,” Raekwon and Ghostface’s “hustler’s last stand” on “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx,” the dirty south’s hustle and struggle as told from the perspective of drug dealer Master P, or from alterna-rappers The Goodie Mob. That’s the consciousness I was raised on. Not self-righteous, preachy artists who scream “Fuck Bush” and then spend the rest of the night trying to, uh, fuck bush. Those cats are only conscious if they let it be known that, while they’re down for the cause, they’re also down for a lot of other things. Like pussy, weed and/or whatever else shows that you’re a real person, with real concerns, and a real ability to make me care.Anything else makes you unconscious, and to be honest, what good are you to the world as an unconscious rapper?

I say all of this to help you understand why I’m qualified to present to you my picks for the top conscious rappers around. My definition of conscious is specific, and my explanation is (hopefully) thorough, but it is also very inclusive. There has been too much exclusion within the conscious rap community. Too much shunning of rappers who don’t fit a certain mold. Conscious rappers are supposed to be more open-minded, yet if you utter the word “bitch” under the wrong circumstances, rock a li’l bling, or admit that you liked Chingy’s “Pullin’ Me Back” (that shit was hot, I don’t care what nobody says!), you have a good chance at being labeled an ignorant, unaware rapper. StarPower knows better, and my views are reflected in my music. Whether it’s police brutality (”Laissez Faire”), the perils of instant gratification (”ClockWork”) or just plain why-you-can’t-fuck-with-me rap (”That’s Problematic”), I do my best to relate my feelings at that exact time, as a (soon-to-be) married rapper/teacher, who lives quite a crazy life.

I’m StarPower, and I approve this message