I love Hip-Hop. I’m a white boy, but I know when a beat is fresh or not. When it comes to Mainstream, Jay-Z rules, and Lil Wayne can suck it (no-homo). However, Soulja Boy, T-Pain, Flo-Rida, and even 50-Cent have taken it upon themselves to suck the life out of hip-hop. It’s lifeless, nothing but whips, niggas this, bitches, drugs, liquor, killing folk, nigga that, no-homo’s, killing folks, chains, gold, bling… all wrapped into a hastily drawn beat meant to get people dancing.

WHO THE FUCK DANCES TO HIP HOP LIKE IT’S THE ELECTRIC SLIDE?

American Idiots. Shit, it’s not our fault… We’ve been fed the mainstream soup so much that we don’t know when the recipe changed. I agree, music should evolve, but not for sake of the rhyme.

All is not lost however, you just have to find your hip-hop elsewhere. Where? Get your headphones, and click through the jump, we are going to Europe.

Pato Pooh

Chilean born, and in his mid 20’s, Pato Pooh has been working hard at blowing up the Stockholm Hip-Hop scene. Despite being fluent in Swedish, Pato raps in English without having to cut off the last few letters of a word like we do in America (I suppose it’s hard to find words that rhyme with “gun”). He’s teamed up with his buddy Adam Tensta for one hell of a single, “Follow Me.” The video is dope as hell, and as you’ll see, no guns, no nudity, just 8-bit retro fun.

http://patopooh.com

Adam Tensta

Speaking of Mr. Tensta… He doesn’t disappoint ever, and makes a serious stand to show you can rap without drugs or violence. Once again, Swedish speaking, English rapping. Born Adam Momodou Eriksson Taal, he changed his name to represent the village of Tensta, a projects/slum on the outskirts of Stockholm.  He grew up with out his father (who was a heroin addict,  better off I suppose), but cherishes his mother who worked hard to raise him right. He even put his mom in one of his music videos; what other rapper does that, with respect? Check out “DopeBoy,” which features another hot artist you’ll rarely hear anywhere but packs a serious flow: Eboi

Adam Tensta at JustRhymes

Teki Tek

I love, love, love Teki Latex. He’s not from Sweden, and he doesn’t rap in English (well, not enough to count), but he’s one of the illest French hip-hop artists/producer/DJ’s out there. When Teki Teki “>freestyles, I can’t understand a word he says, but he’s like the Italian born, French rhyming equivalent of Twista, just loads cooler. Cofounder of the indie electronic and Hip-Hop label Institubes, Teki has had his hand in it all. When he’s not being a producer, you can see him rolling with the French Hip-Hop electronic group TTC. Here’s “Travailler,” which is essentially, “I like to work.” French folk. Oh yea, I’d do Teki in a heart beat.

Teki on MySpace