The Philosophy of Hip-Hop

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“Hip-hop is a lot of things,” Scott Woods writes on LEVEL, “but the least discussed of all its facets is how it operates as a philosophy.” Here is the philosophical analysis of rappers you didn’t know you needed, but absolutely do:

The music of hip-hop is loaded with as many ethical questions as it is moral imperatives, and the bulk of its practitioners adhere to at least one personal philosophy. (Rap has very few Dadaists.) In fact, the work and statements of some of our favorite rappers line up quite comfortably alongside philosophy’s greatest — and most notorious — minds.

Read all about how Lil Wayne is to Friedrich Nietzsche as Jay-Z is to Ayn Rand:

The Striking Similarities Between These Rappers and Ancient Philosophers