On 2016’s ‘We Will Not’, he abandons the tales of street life and delivers a call for unity and a stance against police brutality and self-genocide. These Conscious rappers have politcal influence with their intriguing songs, albums, and cover art. Over a smooth DJ Swish groove, the hook is beautifully blatant in its simplicity, repeating “Fuck Donald Trump” over and over. The Kung Fu Kenny channels the spirit and energy of Public Enemy on 2015’s ‘The Blacker The Berry’. Here are some of the best socially charged rap songs of the new millennium. Political Hip-Hop Sometime in the late 80s, conscious hip-hop was replaced by the edgier and more profane gangster rap which dominated not only hip-hop as a genre, but popular culture for the next 20-plus years. This means no new threads or posts can be created This means no new threads or posts can be created New Hip-Hop 2019! TI once again balances intelligence with the bitter realities of the community that he comes from.Jay Z is reported to have written ‘Spiritual’ in response to the shootings by law enforcement of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, which occurred within days of each other. The Long Beach rapper also speaks about gentrification and racial division on the self-produced track. Most conscious rap songs contain positive, uplifting messages, often delivered over smooth, ear-grabbing beats. Released on July 7th, after the back-to-back murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police, Jay Z’s “Spiritual” is actually around two years old. Features 20 Songs Bringing Conscious Hip-Hop Back. Conscious Rap vs. Scarface Soundtrack | Narc Scarface, a.k.a. Hip-hop has always been politically charged, but with racial and social divisions becoming ever more fractured, conscious hip-hop is making a return. The song is currently unreleased, but it’s being performed live on the tour and it takes aim at Donald Trump.“16 Shots” comes from Chicago’s massively popular Save Money crew, which finds both Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa in its ranks, not to mention buzz-worthy up-and-comers Joey Purp and Towkio. On ‘Friends’, rapper and singer J Cole takes aim at the new vice plaguing modern hip-hop: opioids and the accompanying “Xanax rap” that glorifies it. The urgent calls for unity, community pride and political awareness were replaced with regional pride, tales of drugs and gang life, and misogyny. ‘Be Free’ finds Cole at his most emotional state over the sparse piano-driven track and even samples of a news report about the shooting.The self-proclaimed “King Of The South” has always possessed the uncanny ability to combine the gritty realities of street life with a positive and many times uplifting message for the listeners who are able to decipher. Themes of conscious hip hop include Afrocentricity, religion, aversion to crime and violence, culture, the economy, or depictions of the struggles of ordinary people. A fter powerful albums from Kendrick Lamar, Run The Jewels and J. Cole lit the fire, sociopolitical, conscious rap music has made a comeback. Evoking the slogan “Hands up, don’t shoot” that “Animals” is perhaps the strongest moment on Dr. Dre’s 2015 Dr. Dre, who seldom uses his mic time as a platform to make a political statement, threatens Rapper Joe Budden took things a step further by commandeering Bey’s instrumental into arguably the most comprehensive lyrical dissertation about police killings thus far, name dropping Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. 5. The term "nation-conscious rap" has been used to more specifically describe hip hop music with strong political messages and themes.