“Oldies” rap wasn’t what I needed to force myself to enjoy, I already enjoyed it. The two most prominent artists in my playlist are Mos Def and Nate Dogg.
The rap that I needed to force myself to like is the new stuff, and I’ve definitely found things to enjoy that are new. But at the same time, I’ve found a lot of lyrically uninspired garbage, yet I still find myself listening to it.
Don’t think I’ve listened to anything new since J5’s last track came out years ago, and the disappointing Event 2 by Deltron 3030. I deliberately avoid most artists I hear about in the media, as the radio/MTV version of hip-hop hasn’t been a version I’ve enjoyed since the early 90s. That said, it has also been a long time since I’ve searched out any newer stuff. Any suggestions you may have (not the lyrically uninspired garbage you mention obviously) would be welcomed.
After a quick Google search, here are some rappers I have heard of but never (knowingly) listened to:
Jay Z
Kanye West
Drake
Lil Wayne
Kendrick Lamar
Nicki Minaj
J. Cole
50 Cent
Puff Daddy/Diddy whatever
DMX
Ludacris
Wiz Khalifa
Fat Joe
Young Jeezy
Lupe Fiasco
Big Pun
Quite a few “popular rappers” in the the search I’ve never heard of too.