Rappers' Intelligence

[Rob Banks]

So there's been a lot of talk on message boards lately that this guy Gunplay is a moron. I mean you would think he would like the direction his life was going in and wouldn't do anything to fuck it up, but apparently he's gonna do anything he can do to fuck it up. It's become quite apparent that the dude's gonna get locked up for a while (and it could be years on top of years). I mean six months ago, most of us would've traded our lives for his. Today, I'd rather have my future than his...

So I guess what I'm asking is... Does anyone here have any evidence pertaining to a rappers' intelligence? I'm assuming none of us think Gunplay or Chief Keef are Harvard material, but we're just assuming that by their public perceptions...

But does anyone here have any concrete evidence (maybe degrees from schools or similar honors) of any rappers' intelligence? Any evidence that a rapper isn't exactly book smart?

[Larry2times]

wat

dunno what youre asking here but entertainers do stupid shit. A combination of money & usually having to be a narcissistic person with no life skills who makes terrible choices ion the first place in order to pursue a career that has no stability, for the off chance of a little money, attention and picking up a few sycophants to carry your weed.

What Slick Rick did was way more stupid imo. Pac shot at cops ffs

[Rob Banks]

Yeah, I just brought up the Gunplay thing because I was on another board and a lot of people were calling him a "moron" and a "retard" etc., and admittedly, the guy doesn't strike me as a very smart man. The same way Lil Scrappy doesn't come off as very smart or Chief Keef who can barely speak.

So it got me thinking about really smart rappers and dumb ones. For instance, I read somewhere that Plies was valedictorian at his school. I know Kweli's parents are both professors and his brother teaches at Columbia. Someone told me Defari taught college English somewhere..

I was just curious about how smart some of these dudes were. I'd really love to hear about how dumb a rapper is, but I don't how you'd really be privy to that kind of information. For instance the Gunplay example, or Chief Keef's Jojo tweet, or Lil Boosie, or Max B are just examples of really bad decisions. Like the decision Michael Vick made. But I'm not interested in Michael Vick kind of dumb, I'd rather hear about rappers that are Vince Young kind of dumb.

[Jaz]

So there's been a lot of talk on message boards lately that this guy Gunplay is a moron. I mean you would think he would like the direction his life was going in and wouldn't do anything to fuck it up, but apparently he's gonna do anything he can do to fuck it up. It's become quite apparent that the dude's gonna get locked up for a while (and it could be years on top of years). I mean six months ago, most of us would've traded our lives for his. Today, I'd rather have my future than his...

So I guess what I'm asking is... Does anyone here have any evidence pertaining to a rappers' intelligence? I'm assuming none of us think Gunplay or Chief Keef are Harvard material, but we're just assuming that by their public perceptions...

But does anyone here have any concrete evidence (maybe degrees from schools or similar honors) of any rappers' intelligence? Any evidence that a rapper isn't exactly book smart?

The intelligence quota is in thier names...Gunplay and Chief Keef?...

[Employee]

By all accounts Gunplay is a cocaine addict. A lot of brilliant people snort, a lot of dumb motherfuckers snort. Intelligence isn't the problem (arguably at least); it's that innate ability many people have that tends toward self-destruction. It is easier to break something than it is to preserve, maintain, or improve on it.

[Employee]

Yeah, I just brought up the Gunplay thing because I was on another board and a lot of people were calling him a "moron" and a "retard" etc., and admittedly, the guy doesn't strike me as a very smart man. The same way Lil Scrappy doesn't come off as very smart or Chief Keef who can barely speak.

So it got me thinking about really smart rappers and dumb ones. For instance, I read somewhere that Plies was valedictorian at his school. I know Kweli's parents are both professors and his brother teaches at Columbia. Someone told me Defari taught college English somewhere..

I was just curious about how smart some of these dudes were. I'd really love to hear about how dumb a rapper is, but I don't how you'd really be privy to that kind of information. For instance the Gunplay example, or Chief Keef's Jojo tweet, or Lil Boosie, or Max B are just examples of really bad decisions. Like the decision Michael Vick made. But I'm not interested in Michael Vick kind of dumb, I'd rather hear about rappers that are Vince Young kind of dumb.

Everyone you mentioned has already achieved more success and notoriety than you have. Are you sure you're not self-projecting here, guy?

[JaH BLaZe]

this topics goin in both directions
gods son
got somethin to say about these clowns

[Larry2times]

Not to get tied up in semantics but "smart" and "educated" are hardly the same thing. I dont think Nas is stupid just because he dropped out of school (though thats obv a dumb decision) I heard him interviewed, the often unintentionally hilarious muddled ideas in a good few of his songs, his numerous irl bungles etc. Lupe, Rawse & Canibus are clearly not the brightest either.

Someone like Gucci is more deranged than "dumb", the mush-mouth and accent disguise whats a pretty sharp dude in a lot of ways. Id nearly say the same for Prodigy. Gunplay is a drug addict though yeah and Keef has mitigating circumstances too, being a teenage gang member.

I dunno, this is all a bit vague and tbh some smart dudes just arent able to articulate it well in interviews/their music anyways

[Rob Banks]

Everyone you mentioned has already achieved more success and notoriety than you have. Are you sure you're not self-projecting here, guy?

You think I would rather be in Max B's situation than mine? No disrespect to the dude, but he's got a lot of problems right now. I don't have anything like that on my plate. Success and notoriety? I'd love to be more successful and I don't need notoriety. But I'm in an okay place in my life. It could be better but I don't complain daily.

But I do regular shit in my life. I see my family, I talk to my friends. I go to college, I have a job and a personal life. Just today I went to the store and bought a sandwich--just because I was hungry. I'm watching cable TV right now...

Why would I trade lives with Max B again?

Not to get tied up in semantics but "smart" and "educated" are hardly the same thing. I dont think Nas is stupid just because he dropped out of school (though thats obv a dumb decision) I heard him interviewed, the often unintentionally hilarious muddled ideas in a good few of his songs, his numerous irl bungles etc. Lupe, Rawse & Canibus are clearly not the brightest either.

Someone like Gucci is more deranged than "dumb", the mush-mouth and accent disguise whats a pretty sharp dude in a lot of ways. Id nearly say the same for Prodigy. Gunplay is a drug addict though yeah and Keef has mitigating circumstances too, being a teenage gang member.

I dunno, this is all a bit vague and tbh some smart dudes just arent able to articulate it well in interviews/their music anyways

Larry, I certainly acknowledge the relationship between educated and smart and do not believe the terms are interchangeable. That said, if a rapper got a degree or did a little grad school, I'd be interested to hear about it...

[Dap]

Not to get tied up in semantics but "smart" and "educated" are hardly the same thing. I dont think Nas is stupid just because he dropped out of school (though thats obv a dumb decision) I heard him interviewed, the often unintentionally hilarious muddled ideas in a good few of his songs, his numerous irl bungles etc. Lupe, Rawse & Canibus are clearly not the brightest either.

Someone like Gucci is more deranged than "dumb", the mush-mouth and accent disguise whats a pretty sharp dude in a lot of ways. Id nearly say the same for Prodigy. Gunplay is a drug addict though yeah and Keef has mitigating circumstances too, being a teenage gang member.

I dunno, this is all a bit vague and tbh some smart dudes just arent able to articulate it well in interviews/their music anyways

gucci mane had a scholarship for college

When he graduated Atlanta’s Ronald E. McNair high school in 1998, he got a full scholarship to Georgia Perimeter College. But during his freshman year, he was busted with 90 bags of crack and locked up for three months. He lost his scholarship.

[Gyangsta 4 Life]

I mean six months ago, most of us would've traded our lives for his.

No.

[JaH BLaZe]

Not to get tied up in semantics but "smart" and "educated" are hardly the same thing. I dont think Nas is stupid just because he dropped out of school (though thats obv a dumb decision)

i dont think he regrets missing out on going to college
you understand the bars raised for education now ,
you need advanced degrees, internships most knowledge learned in
school cant be used after the time out of it
bill gates dropped out of school
look where he at now
if he wanted to the man can build a
microsoft castle in the middle of washington with waterdragons in the moat and
charge heads 100 dollars to visit

[Thun]

Shockingly terrible thread.

[JaH BLaZe]

Shockingly terrible thread.

so raise it up thun

[Mindbender Futurama]

Shockingly terrible thread.

so raise it up thun

right?

c'mon bighead college professor: school me somethang

rappers intelligence has NEVER. BEEN. WORSE.

In 1988, Rakim and KRS-One and Chuck D were ACTUALLY the guys that you could listen to more than your father, your teachers and your neighborhood friends to get good guidance and meaningful education in life. a scholar of no lower pedigree than DMX even recently said "rappers are supposed to be teachers."

the addle-brained moppets of today? world sized
what the FLUCK is Rick Ross, French Montana, Boozie, Plies, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, The Game, Nicki Minaj, Tyga, or Kid Cudi gonna teach me? What are they going to do to expand my intelligence?

NAAAAN, N!GGA.

Saigon is actually one of the only new rappers in the last 5 years that still drops jewels the old school way. Talib Kweli and oh yeah ~Homeboy Sandman~ and Kendrick Lamar (occasionally) and Killer Mike and a few others are actually putting CONTENT in their records, like GENUINELY thought-provoking lyricism.

Also, shoutout to Ab-Soul, because he is the only rapper this year that actually said a lyric that made me go " is he talking about?" and I went and researched it and got my god damn skull blown back. When he says "Slaves of monatomic gold" on that song with Black Thought and Talib Kweli =

for the most part these days, many rappers are fucking sociopathic hedonistic ignorant-ass teenagers not worth following the "wisdom" in their music, nor their personal examples in life. There was a time where hip hop could ACTUALLY teach you something. I still quote "Beef" by KRS for fun sometimes in conversations about vegetarianism. That song came out in fuckin like 1992.

and for the record: I still learn things from Nas, even if he's not always philosophically perfect like MR. PROFESSOR ROGER THUN DA HIFFOP SUPERGEEENIOUS LULZ but yeah, Nas yo. The "Untitled" album was full of mind-warping material and "Life is Good" has some contemplative and sophisticated numbers on it. "Daughters" alone goes down for one of the best thinking person's song that hip hop will have in 2012. Besides that, you can play "Bands'll Make Her Dance". (DAT SHIT BUMP DOE)

[Mindbender Futurama]

and Chief Keef vs. Lupe Fiasco is like Pinky vs. The Brain

[david111]

fyi chief keef can speak perfectly fine

[ardamus]

i could've sworn i read somewhere that chief keef has asperger's syndrome. tsb.

[Larry2times]

thread is indeed woeful the next morning but this was jokes:

bill gates dropped out of school
look where he at now

Nas dropping out of middle school=Bill Gates

[step one]

fyi chief keef can speak perfectly fine

[Escobar305]

Smh at listening to rappers over your own father for education in life. U fail at life

[step one]

U fail at life

This from the dude that would quite happily fellate the entire GOOD Music roster

[Escobar305]

step, u still living off that handjob from a euro gent/subway salary? oh

[step one]

step, u still living off that handjob from a euro gent/subway salary? oh

stick to shooting your load over the latest Pusha T snoozefest you rancid jizz mop. Satire and comedy are beyond you.

[Escobar305]

step, u still living off that handjob from a euro gent/subway salary? oh

stick to shooting your load over the latest Pusha T snoozefest you rancid jizz mop. Satire and comedy are beyond you.

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN DJ STEEEEP ONE!!!

[david111]

i could've sworn i read somewhere that chief keef has asperger's syndrome. tsb.

you mean the made-up shit on his wikipedia page?

people don't even know what fucking aspergers is

[sean]

Shockingly terrible thread.

i violently disagree with the shockingly part.

[battlecatmeowstab212]

[JaH BLaZe]

nasty

[LilLeftBrain]

a post to note to never join AOL Chatroom *GucciMane* and challenge poster dap with a trivia-off regarding guccimanes schooling and/or upbringing