Outkast - Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

Georgia-bred hip-hop duo Outkast, consisting of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and Andre 3000 (Andre Benjamin), were first signed almost 20 years ago in 1992. This song is the title track off their 1994 debut album, and their reign of trans-genre amazement has been changing the hip-hop game ever since.

Tupac - Keep Ya Head Up

Tupac's heart for those still struggling was apparent in a lot of his music, especially this song. It was released 18 years ago today, in 1993. He samples the beat from Zapp & Roger's "Be Alright" and the chorus is sampled from The Five Stairsteps' "O-o-h Child". It's my favorite song of his, some of the lyrics are just incredible:

I wonder why we take from our women, why we rape our women, do we hate our women? I think it's time to kill for our women, time to heal our women, be real to our women.

Shad - Rose Garden

Canadian hip-hop artist Shad is another intelligent, social-conscious rapper that is breaking stereotypes and changing the game. I found him not long ago and I really dig his style..how many rappers do you know with a Master's degree?

Drake - Fear

One of this year's hottest artists, Drake, turns 25 today. This song is off his So Far Gone EP, I really love the flow, and the lyrics are some pretty deep shit. I love it. Happy birthday Drizzy. OVOXO.

J Dilla - Won't Do

In case you haven't noticed, I really like J Dilla. This song is off the album The Shining, which he was still working on at the time of his death. Friends and family helped complete the album and release it posthumously, and many can be seen in the music video such as Common, Will.I.Am, Black Thought, Frank N Dank, and J Dilla's brother John. Their love and respect is palpable in this video..look at the blimp at 1:57 :)

Common ft. Will.I.Am - I Have A Dream

This duet was featured on the film Freedom Writers and is simply amazing. Common's socially conscious and inspirational lyrics really bring this song to life. Since the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is being dedicated in
Washington D.C.today, I think this is an appropriate tribute. I'll include King's famous speech on the Lincoln Memorial at the bottom as well. Enjoy :)

Kanye West ft. Kid Cudi, Big Sean, Common, Charlie Wilson, Pusha T - Good Friday

Good Friday was released under Kanye West's 'G.O.O.D Friday' series, where he released a new song available for free download every Friday. This track features a myriad of samples, including "Got What I Need" by Freddie Scott, "La Di Da Di" by Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick, "I'll Say It Again" by Sweet Linda Divine, and "Hip-Hop VS Rap" by KRS-One. I'll put a few of them at the bottom :)