B.o.B. - Strange Clouds

Well if you guessin' it's me, you guessed correctly
I just stay with a stallion, you would swear I was an equestrian
And um, I'mma hit her with that pipe, call that Nancy Kerrigan
Stay on the greenest greens, call us vegetarians
You be on that minor league, but we smoke professionally
I do my job exceptionally, on point like a decimal is

Lest I be accused of catering exclusively to the backpack crowd, here's a mainstream banger from North Carolina rapper B.o.B. This is a surprisingly hard track, considering it's by the same dude that did the syrupy Nothin' on You (not to mention the insufferable Airplanes).

J-Live - No Time To Waste

Be not just said but heard, not just heard but seen
Not just seen but felt, behind your "nah means"
Be substance, beyond your "um, like, ya knows"
Let's see your wise words form this constant flow
Be proof at the show, show proof of life
Captivate minds, eliminate strife
Decimate the trife like check but not mate
Real kings move with ease; we block, move and take
The best food for thought; we grill like the Foreman
Build, upon blueprints, designs endurin'

While this track sounds distinctively old school, its message couldn't be more timely.  These days, it apparently doesn't go without saying that rappers are supposed to be skilled, creative lyricists. J-Live pushes back, with a track that sounds more like a religious edict than a rap song. His only commandment?  Step your game up.

This isn't a requiem for hip hop; it's a call to arms. J-Live isn't calling for idle remembrance; he's calling for a renaissance.

Plots to destroy your culture, give orders
See the self hate and doubt get deported
Beyond your borders, belay the orders
Delays and setbacks get drawn and quartered
Teach the lambs to repel that slaughter
Teach the horses to drink that water
Teach to build or destroy like mortar
And like muscle tissues get torn
Let's grow from these lessons stronger than before

Jay Rock - M.O.N.E.Y.

Motivated by money
Money is mesmerizing
Many are murdered for it
While mayhem is exercising
Mighty as Morpheus
And it might pay your mortgages
Plus the morgue got some more of it
That embalming fluid merges through your muscles
...
Operation for evil, it's obvious for attack
Obedience is a must, but it's hard to obey
When your optics ain't seeing no opportunities pay

I'll admit it: I'm not really feelin' the R&B-heavy production here. But lyrically, this song is a tour de force. We've all heard that money is the root of all evil; if you needed any convincing, Jay Rock'll explain it to you in uncompromisingly gritty (not to mention alliterative) detail.

Okay, you might not often find yourself in the mood to listen to a track this dark, but you have to admire Jay Rock's exemplary wordplay.

Phonte - The Good Fight

I know it's not sane, but yo, I'm just sayin'
Everybody prays for the day they see the light
But the light at the end of the tunnel is a train
Five dollar gas, and poverty rates
Are rising much higher than your hourly rates
So if you thinkin' 'bout quittin' you should probably wait
'Cause everybody gotta do a fuckin' job that they hate
"Go and live out your dreams!"
That's what they tellin'
Fam' in my ear all day and they yellin':
"Keep it real 'Te, and don't ever sell out!"
But how the fuck you sell out when ain't nobody sellin'?

Far from inspiring, but undeniably real.

Lil Wayne - Mega Man

Young Money, man, we got this shit by a landslide
Boy, I send them bloods at your ass like a tampon
Uptown shit, wet the whole party
Weezy gon' ball, ball like Steve Harvey
The heater I'm a tuck her, Tucker like Dolores
That's my word, word like thesaurus
I don't see no future in your frontin', I be stuntin' hard
Rap game dependent on me like a bungee cord
Fear nobody but God almighty
Shoot that motherfucker 'til I get arthritis
I'm a beast, I'm a ass, I'm ahead of my class
I'm a diamond in the rough like a baby in the trash
I don't talk it, I live it, I paint a picture vivid
And them pistols popping like they sitting in a skillet

This ain't 6 Foot 7 Foot, but it does give a taste of what makes Wayne an exhilarating listen: frenetic, free-association rhymes; bizarre, outrageous metaphors; and an extraterrestrial-frogman voice that sounds just a little unbalanced.

At the risk of overstating things, Lil Wayne might just save mainstream hip hop. It's not just that he was breath of fresh air at a time when the industry had become stagnant. If you look at the arc of his career, the more lyrical (and, let's face it, weird) he got, the more popular he became. That's something I'm sure other rappers noticed. Let's hope they act on it.

Evidence - You

Players don't die, we try our luck at other tables
And when I lose, I learn, I'm still winning major
I jump forward then back and through the missin' stages
A perfect day to make a perfect entrance
A perfect sentence? I can't perfect, but
I just keep pushing pencils, no fake trace stencils
Do it all by hand so they have respect

This new track from the Dilated Peoples frontman isn't groundbreaking, but it does feature some smart, well-crafted lyrics and more than a few slick turns of phrase.  Overall, a solid track.

Tyler the Creator - Yonkers

I'm clocking three past six and going postal
This the revenge of the dicks
That's nine cocks that cock nines
This ain't no V-Tech shit or Columbine
But after bowling, I went home for some damn Adventure Time
I slipped myself some pink Xannies
And danced around the house in all-over print panties
...
I'm an overachiever, so how about I start a team of leaders
And pick up Stevie Wonder to be the wide receiver?
Green paper, gold teeth and pregnant golden retrievers -- all I want
Fuck money, diamonds and bitches -- don't need them

I know that this song is a significant departure, thematically, from most of the songs I've posted here.  But conscious rappers don't have a monopoly on lyricism. You can find poetry in the pure as well as the profane.

This isn't the most offensive, violent or weird song from Tyler the Creator and his erstwhile obscure rap collective Odd Future (it is a lot more, uh, accessible than some of the others, though). Obviously, this kind of music is not for everyone. I'm not even sure it's for me. But it is at least interesting... which is a lot more than I can say for most of what they play on the radio.

Ski Beats (ft. Mos Def) - Cream of the Planet

The mind's so powerful
It ain't long for your dreams
It's surrounding you
Caution, caution
Careful, careful
A whole lotta fun but it ain't that simple
The mathmatic, Asiatic, black magic
Rap captains stay active, free captives
Baby, what's happenin?
Listen, life is fantastic
Beautiful and tragic
Plain, classic
Long as I'm alive I'mma never stop rappin'
It's honest work for honest bastards
Made in Manhattan, raised outta Brooklyn
It ain't shit that you can do but keep looking
Shook, cause they all crooks
My hands keep clean even off the books

Like sipping a martini, listening to this song instills a sense of tranquility. Something about the effortless flow and the impossibly chill beat makes me feel like I shouldn't even sing along. So I just listen; even after it's over, I sit for a moment, in silence... 

Masta Ace - I Refuse

Y'all can hear me now; yeah, I know you could
And confidence rings through when you know you're good
And greatness is defined by the length of time
That one man can stand with the strength of nine
And smile into the face of adversity
And then say this ain't as bad as the worst can be
That's when you know you're the cream of the crop
Way back when you was young, you would dream of the top
Schemin', scopin', hopin'
Knowin' that a lane is open
'Cause when you're forced to eat your words
That's the same as chokin'
So you strive to set the bar higher
Intoxicatin' heat -- hotter than a car fire
And when the rubber meet the road
Like a car tire
You'll be on top, and sharper than barbed wire

Be confident. Keep your skills sharp. And always stay hungry. Platitudinous? Perhaps. But Masta Ace makes it sound so profound.

And yes, my excerpts are usually shorter, but paring down this poetry was just too tall a task.  Enjoy!

De La Soul - Oodles of Os

Oodles and oodles of O's, you know
You get 'em from my sister
You get 'em from my bro
All I is is man, and once an embryo
Am I solid gold? I don't cast a glow
Yes, I guess it's reflex
Some have no control
I'd rather let a laughter
And tally, off I go
Canoeing up the river or out into the O
You just know we're not
So not play the role 

Here's another old school track for you.

I confess I have no idea what this song is about, but art needn't be understood to be enjoyed. What I do know is that the lighthearted wordplay and overall goofiness make the song fun to listen to.  It reminds me of how De La Soul later criticized gangsta rap for being joyless (among other things).  While I think gangsta rap has a lot of offer in its own right, suffice it to say that they don't really make rap quite like this any more.