At this point in my young adult life I pretty much listen to only hip hop. Of course, like anybody else, I listen "to anything except country," but in truth, 90% of the time i'm listening to only rap.
My favorite group is definitely GangStarr and i'm much more inclined to listen to less mainstream rappers. Tribe, Mos Def, Mountain Brothers, Jurassic 5, De La Soul et al. I like the stuff on the radio of course but with those tracks, it's much more to get into a party mood or whatever.
I did use to listen to alternative music alot so sometimes i'll have to gear up Oasis or Nirvana or Green Day just to get that fix. Along those lines, there is no beating the smooth sappy stuff to sing along to so i've got some of that too.
I love Jewel and Alanis Morrisette.
Apparently i completely missed out on the 1980s because whenever an 80s song comes on i'll barely recognize it and won't have any memory of it whatsoever. I blame this on growing up in Taiwan and being not very culturally orientated in my youth. I think the most exposure i have to 80s songs is through karaoking.
I also never listened to stuff like New Order or Pet Shop Boys. In fact, i have no idea who the Pet Shop Boys even are. I don't know if the whole New Wave (is that even right? Or is it New Age?) music phenomenon was a country wide thing or a East Coast thing but i never heard any of that stuff until i came to Michigan.
To answer the eternal question of "music or words," i would have to say music. I have a huge appreciation for lyrics but because i have a mental block whenever i try to remember lyrics, i tend to listen more to the vibe of the song more. Of course when i am intelligent enough to pay attention to the lyrics, i probably appreciate those more.
Some excellent artists: GangStarr, ATCQ, Lucy Pearl, Macy Gray, Ani DiFranco, Jewel, Alanis, Mos Def, Jurassic 5, Common, Mountain Brothers, Missy Elliot, Lauryn Hill, Natalie Merchant, Nelly Furtado, Tupac, Biggie, Dre, Eminem, Outkast, Rakim, Roots, Slick Rick, Sublime, Wyclef.....
