They aren't though. I can't think of anyone mainstream who fits this paradigm. Closest we get to consciousness is shyt like "Trayvon Martin Im never missin my target".
I dont see a conscious wave resurging either. nikkas aint trying to hear that shyt (even tho they really need to). This generation is complacent and comfy as fukk. U look at the social/living conditions of the childhood of someone like KRS-1 vs pretty much any mainstream artist today, its pretty obvious to see why there is such a gulf in substance/passion/artistry. The hood is still kind of rough, but u dont have a whole borough burning up. And the places that are fukked up (i.e. Camden) don't have the cultures of music and creativity that places like 80s NYC, 90s LA, 00s ATL etc have. Plus people are kind of tired of hearing the same hood stories over and over and over again. Plus a lot of the problems we are facing are very nuanced. They aren't as straightforward as the shyt dudes like KRS and NWA were rapping about. But I dont think rappers have the understanding or creativity to rap abotu them effectively.
To keep it 100% funky I think rap music as an artform, culture and instrument of social change has just run its course. Also I think we have completely abandoned the idea of celebrating real black excellence. Jay raps that shyt but then brags about basically being cool by white hipster standards. Thats prob another thread though.
