@Professor Booty So you asked about Redman and I love him, but it actually kinda brings me to a point that I feel towards a lot of people that are fans of those like Redman. And maybe I'm just waxing poetic on something because idk I just feel like it right now.
Rap is like skateboarding. Just because you can do a 360 hardflip down a set of stairs or a triple kickflip does not mean you should do it nor that it makes you better just because you accomplished something difficult. There is a tight rope that you have to walk in both rap and skateboarding where you can lean into technical prowess while also focusing on style, swagger, and character. Going to be a controversial take because I know many in this sub love guys like it, but dudes like Aesop Rock, immortal technique, Esoteric, Run the Jewels, Eminem post-recovery and others I think fucking suck lmao. Reason being, they lean so much into the "technical prowess" and completely lose sight of the character, the swagger, the steez of rap. Just because you can rap 400 words in a minute does not mean you should, the same way a simple kickflip may look far sharper than a triple kickflip. Look at Wu Tang Clan for an example, Ghost, GZA, and Inspectah Deck I think are the best technical rappers of that group (and I love them), but Meth and ODB are who livens that clique up. It's why I actually dig some of the new wave rap artists because the emphasis on how you present yourself, the aesthetic you build, the sound you create, is far more important to me than if you went and used 5 triple entendres in 5 motherfuckin' bars. It's the same thing with BTBs, you could write the most perfect and beautiful story and format it terribly and it falls on deaf eyes. BattleTank may or may not be the best BTB writer in the technical sense, but the swagger and style and aesthetic he's built adds so much depth to his BTB. I feel this way strongly about rap.
^^^^^^^^My opinion, and not some blanketed verdict on rap, its entertainment, you enjoy what you enjoy !
