After a bit of cross referencing, consulting with friends, and the discovery of artists I had been putting of listening to, I have compiled a comprehensive understanding of what hip-hop whites enjoy.
The majority of input was supplied by young white males with a negro or two weighing in with their expertise of white-favored rappers.
However, I was able to attract two females to chime in.
They did not supply what a "typical suburban" girl might mention
as their favorite rap artist; instead I was given names the like of:
Tech N9ne, Kottonmouth Kings, Kold Kace,
Yelawolf, Big Krit, and Slaughterhouse
- all of which were not mentioned be any male commenter.
The appeal of most of these artists are their gritty nature and material.
While not registering with all of white America,
they speak to those who've been through some grimy shit
and can relate to the struggle of these rappers/rap-rockers.
Slaughterhouse is the only group that seems out of place in this category.
They have more of an against-all-odds hood storyteller kinda vibe,
but no one said there was a formula for what white people liked.
It's only implied.
A consensus among those who answered my call went along these lines:
white people love anything critically acclaimed, especially from an award show.
I have an idea for what they mean;
anything to help reassure me "mainstream" whites
listen to more rap than Flo-Rida, Sam Adams, Nicki Minaj, and Kreayshawn.
[which I already knew to be true].
Outkast received much more attention after Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
won the Grammy's Album of the Year title in 2004.
White people actually knew who Three 6 Mafia was
after "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp"
won Best Original Song at the 76th Academy Awards.
Sure, all artists receive an influx of fans after winning an award.
I got into Esperanza Spalding after she won Best New Artist in 2011 myself.
But no genre of artists sees as big a change in fans than Hip-Hop/Rap.
The hunger for more good rap music lies within most white people
unless they have a conservative vendetta against rap
like I have a liberal vendetta against country.
But that's just good ol' close-mindedness for ya.
When speaking of what rap music white people like,
you can't forget frat boys, bros, and stoners.
If a rapper talks about weed in at least 1/3 of his songs,
you can be sure most of that artist's catalog'll be on their iPods.
In my experience, I've found bros to like anything
with a hard beat, money-cash-hoes lyrics, and/or a completely ratchet rapper.
These artists have included 50 Cent, Lil Wayne,
2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka, and Rick Ross.
Most of these artists are listened to more so for
their amp-ing up ability rather than their lyricality.
But I know plenty of blacks that listen to those type of artists as well,
and I judge them just the same.
For the sake of political correctness,
let's not call the majority of the white guys
who submitted their lists hipsters;
instead, I'll refer to them as white hip-hop heads or WH3s,
because in honesty that's what they are
- at least in this scenario.
The WH3 is not an uncommon creature
but however a forgotten one,
as they tend to lurk in the underground of society.
While this may sound like a hipster to you,
WH3s also recognize several mainstream rap artists
as worthy of their time and illegal downloads.
So what does the WH3 listen to?
A wide variety of artists actually.
They are hip-hop heads. Duh.
Like BH3s, they debate Biggie vs Pac, Jay vs Nas.
They know all the members of the WuTang Clan
(often listing The Rza or Ghostface as their favorite member).
They recognize Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean as members of the Fugees
and not just a crazy chick who dropped one album
and the political/social liaison to Haiti.
They've seen Kanye and Lupe have better days.
They list Frank Ocean under hip-hop after
blogs credited him as the first openly-bi hip-hop artist.
And they know backpack emcees don't like being called backpack emcees.
Among the WH3s I polled,Childish Gambino was listed the most often.
[Eminem being a close second. No surprise there.]
As a number one fan of Mr Glover myself,
I was tickled by that result.
His style of geeky rap-chic mixed with his frequent
"white people problems" and honesty makes him one of the most appealing rappers out now. [...no dickriding]
Other popular rappers with WH3s include
Kendrick Lamar, Mackelmore, and Immortal Technique.
All three of those artists appeal to WH3s in different ways.
Immortal Technique, I understand the least.
But again, this is why I'm not a WH3.
There are a number of rappers that mainstream black listeners aren't enthralled by
but seem to hypnotize a number of WH3s and other white listeners alike.
Tyler the Creator, Das Racist, and Jurassic 5 come to mind first.
It's been said that you'll find a ratio of 20:1 whites to blacks at a Jurassic 5 concert.
I've heard comments from other Afro-Americans that
Tyler is too dark of an artists for them
- the same people that enjoyed Eminem's Kim -
and Das Racist is too off-beat and kooky.
But of all the rap artists misunderstood by blacks and championed by whites,Rhymesayers Entertainment ranks high up on the list.
Stand out artists from the Minneapolis-based label include:
Aesop Rock, Brother Ali, Atmosphere, P.O.S., and MF Doom.
Point blank, this massive collective of artists doesn't interest most black listeners because of their lyrical flow and subject matter that doesn't line up with the hood mentality nor the formulaic prosper into something more message.
There's usually a mix of political undertones or overtones with their music.
Other times, the metaphors are too nerdy or outta left field to keep up with.
They're a group of artists comfortable with their underground nature.
Shit, MF Doom is one of the last artists in the game to wear a mask all the time.
So, why did I feel the need to write this post?
As a negro pointed out,
if a white person asked the reverse of this, they'd be pointed out as racist.
To my defense, a white friend pointed out I was "already a raging racist."
I admit to this, but only jokingly and objectively.
I compiled this list earnestly to see what White America listened to
and was given a list of 70+ rappers (a few joke submissions, albeit).
Because honestly, there's no rapper that doesn't have white fans.
This is the United States, population 314 million with more than 72% being white.
You cannot succeed in this country without appealing to a white market.
Well, I take that back.
You can't succeed on a GRAND scale without appealing to a white market.
White people listen to everything.
When I went to a Big Sean concert at a small venue in Baltimore
right before he blew up, close to half the crowd was white.
If anything, there are artists who don't intrigue black people at all
and they will thrive just swell.
I point your attention back to the Jurassic 5 concert reference.
Moral of the day to take with you into other aspects of life:
at the end of the day, it's not the color of the skin; it's the taste of the character.
Mmmmm. Delicious.
Word.
For your white people liking rap music needs
be sure to check out Manik Music
Don't worry, they rate other music, too.
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