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After all those years of terrible, sexist gangsta rap, it really was refreshing to hear someone like Jay-Z come to the fore with lyrics that were closer in spirit to what NYC hip-hop had been about pre-gangsta war.
A lot of folks don't love Vol.2 Hard Knock Life, and it is indeed not his best work, but it has one of his best ever singles with the title track. When I heard that beat and that sample I was hooked, but it may have been the following lyric that made me take notice the most:
"I rap for chicks wishin, they didn't have to strip to pay tuition"
Still embryonic though he was, Jay had a conscience, and mixed it with a more "classy" kind of gangsterism. Plus the music was buoyant and evergizing, not flat and dull like Dre's shit.
I don't think I actually started to really ENJOY "west side" and g-funk-centric mainstream rap music until Kendrick came out. Good Kid, TPAB and even Section.80 are all SO, so, sosososo SO much better than anything from the Death Row era. Plus, you can love Kendrick's music without feeling like you're supporting a fucking terrible human being, because just a downright lovely dude.
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