There are a lot of good songs all over hip hop these days. At no point in the history of hip hop have "conscious rappers" ever dominated. But as you age, nostalgia goggles tend to filter out the tripe and idealize the good. As it is, you have the greatest varianceof what it means to be a mainstream rapper going on these days. And if the mainstream isn't offering you what you want, it's easier than ever to find it and connect with other people who are into it.
Public Enemy, X-Clan, Brand Nubians, Kwame (first album), Common, Poor Righteous Teachers, Arrested Development, CL Smooth, Guru, Bahamadia were all more or less “Conscious Rappers”. Many of those did somewhat dominate, some like Arrested Development, was due to cross over appeal (Remember EPMD’s “Crossover”?) But the Gangsta Rap and Materialistic Rap was pushed more. I think Chuck D did a vid on how these genres were marketed to the white middle class, as it sold this fantasy of black angst and struggle. This sold more than Conscious Rap, because the white kids aren’t going to buy music about black folks talking positive about each other.
