# Any credible white rappers besides the Beastie Boys? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308 "2004-08-30T21:53:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/1 "2004-08-30T21:53:28Z")
Vanilla Ice was the punchline to many a joke in the 80s & 90s, but how did he rate as a rapper? It seems the only white rappers who get any respect are the Beastie Boys and 3rd Bass. I know zip about rap, so can someone fill me in? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/2 "2004-08-30T21:57:12Z")
I don’t know about 3rd Bass, unless they have done other stuff besides Pop Goes the Weasel, which could be entirely true, I just don’t know about it. Of course there’s Eminem. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/3 "2004-08-30T21:58:54Z")
> [@Happy Lendervedder](#): > > Of course there’s Eminem. :smack: Must be a psychological block. I really don’t like Eminem and it’s not because I don’t rap. He just rubs me the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/4 "2004-08-30T22:03:56Z")
In the UK there’s Mike Skinner of The Streets, who has been much lauded by the critics (and even been compared to Dostoyevsky by a professor of English). It’s very very English in an urban stylee: not hip-hop by any means, but it is certainly rap. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/5 "2004-08-30T22:08:11Z")
I was going to say there is this fellow out there named Marshal Mathers (AKA Emenem, AKA Slim Shady, AKA the lead singer of D-12) who is pretty white and raps pretty well. Other than him and the Beastie Boys, you don’t see a lot of straight-up white rappers. There are guys like 3rd Bass, Snow (Informer), Vanilla Ice, who are at best one hit wonders and at worse laughing stocks. There are a lot of white artists who have kind of a rap/rock sound that was big in the late ninties - Kid Rock, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit (good enough to rap alongside the Wu-Tang Clan), Uncle Cracker. There sound and lyrics have a very diferent sound from your traditional gansta’ rap or hip hop though and cannot be considered true “rap”. Interestingly, Vanilla Ice and Kid Rock got their start around the same time. Ice hit it big first with a couple of hits but then all of a sudden became too comercialized and turned into a living joke. It probably set Rocks career as well as white rappers back almost a decade. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/6 "2004-08-30T22:39:16Z")
Man, are you serious? A bunch of my current-favorite rappers are white. [Sole](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0rkcikm0bb39) [Sage Francis](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:7kd2vwbla9ik) [Atmosphere](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:ee8m968ohepc) ^^^(aka [Slug](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:26rj286c053a) ) And of course [The Streets](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:il3zef5k2gf3) And there’s an album in my lifetime top ten albums of all time by a horribly overlooked rapper who called himself [Lucas](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:g9foxqr5ld6e). His [Lucacentric](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:imf3zfd8eh4k) marks the dividing line between two stages of my life. Before, I didn’t like any rap. After, rap became extremely important to me. Then of course there’s the all-time great [MC 900ft Jesus](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:ymf5zfohehak). Then there are some great acts who use a lot of rap style in their music but couldn’t quite be called, exclusively, rappers: [Stereo MCs](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:plz8b5m4tsqs) [Soul Coughing](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:4tjqoayabijm) Right now, Sole, Atmosphere, and Stereo MCs are with me at all times, in my CD wallet. Cannot be got enough of. ---
**Author:** ![gooti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gooti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gooti)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/7 "2004-08-31T01:41:07Z")
I’m black and the first artists that came to mind for me were **Soul Coughing** , **Stero MC’s** , **3[sup]rd[/sup] Bass** and **Eminem** (yes, in that order). ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/8 "2004-08-31T01:53:35Z")
I think it’s a stretch to say Soul Coughing is “rap,” but if Doughty counts, then hell yes, he’s the best there is. The first one I thought of was **Everlast** (formerly from House of Pain). ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/9 "2004-08-31T02:11:17Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > And there’s an album in my lifetime top ten albums of all time by a horribly overlooked rapper who called himself [Lucas](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:g9foxqr5ld6e). His [Lucacentric](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:imf3zfd8eh4k) marks the dividing line between two stages of my life. Before, I didn’t like any rap. After, rap became extremely important to me. I forgot about Lucas! I used to like the song “Lucas With the Lid Off,” but he was a one-hit wonder and faded away. I haven’t even heard the song in years, but it was a good one. And speaking of Everlast, House Of Pain had a colossal hit around 1992 with “Jump Around.” Again, it was their only hit, but it seems to be one of those songs that even people who “hate rap” can dance around to and be excited by. ---
**Author:** ![gooti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gooti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gooti)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/10 "2004-08-31T02:19:02Z")
Totally forgot about **HOP**. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![NoPretentiousCodename](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/82dd89/32.png) [@NoPretentiousCodename](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoPretentiousCodename)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/11 "2004-08-31T02:37:47Z")
M.C. Chris? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/12 "2004-08-31T02:57:15Z")
> [@NoPretentiousCodename](#): > > M.C. Chris? 😃 (White) Debbie from Sealab can’t be wrong. _Cruisin’ Mos Espa, in my Delorean…_ ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/13 "2004-08-31T03:02:48Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > And speaking of Everlast, House Of Pain had a colossal hit around 1992 with “Jump Around.” Again, it was their only hit, but it seems to be one of those songs that even people who “hate rap” can dance around to and be excited by. I think “Shamrocks and Shenanigans” hit pretty big, too. (It’s the “Boom shalock-lock boom” one). It’s got the best white-boy rap lyrics outside of the Beastie Boys: _You get me down, punk, get off my dick, You make me sick, like strawberry Quik_ and _I kicks the flava, like Steven King writes horror, If I was a Jew then I’d light a menorah_ ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/14 "2004-08-31T08:16:30Z")
How about the Bloodhound Gang? They’re sort of a rap/rock blend, but Jimmy Pop has plenty of mic skill. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/15 "2004-08-31T12:59:29Z")
Further on the rock/rap sound is Linkin Park - there’s a lot of rap interspersed with the heavy guitars and angst, but I likes 'em. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/16 "2004-08-31T13:25:16Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > There are a lot of white artists who have kind of a rap/rock sound that was big in the late ninties - Kid Rock, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit (good enough to rap alongside the Wu-Tang Clan), Uncle Cracker. There sound and lyrics have a very diferent sound from your traditional gansta’ rap or hip hop though and cannot be considered true “rap”. You so forgot the first rock/rappers, Anthrax. They later teamed up with Public Enemy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ryanbobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ryanbobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryanbobo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/17 "2004-08-31T13:45:20Z")
What about [G. Love](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47F1ED947AB7F20D68B3E4ACBBB71FD5B8E13AEAE162F5E58DDBC3D068E027BFD5EFA8B92E3A527EB35A7E02DA5450DD3CAEA1AF5D66238378EEEB61145&sql=11:myfm96bo3ep1)? Not hip hop by any means, but definitely a lot of rap in there, especially if you catch him live (which I recommend). ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/18 "2004-08-31T13:56:31Z")
> [@ryanbobo](#): > > What about [G. Love](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47F1ED947AB7F20D68B3E4ACBBB71FD5B8E13AEAE162F5E58DDBC3D068E027BFD5EFA8B92E3A527EB35A7E02DA5450DD3CAEA1AF5D66238378EEEB61145&sql=11:myfm96bo3ep1)? Not hip hop by any means, but definitely a lot of rap in there, especially if you catch him live (which I recommend). Damn, I should’ve mentioned G. Love and Special Sauce. I’m a big fan, and saw them live in concert twice. G. Love has a smooth, lyrical flow that could put a lot of the more mainstream rappers to shame, and the music is excellent. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/19 "2004-08-31T14:04:37Z")
What about Will Smith? I know that he’s more focused on his acting career of late, but still, back in the day… ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308/20 "2004-08-31T17:25:25Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > What about Will Smith? I know that he’s more focused on his acting career of late, but still, back in the day… Whoa. I know that he is totally mainstream and doesn’t cuss on his records and all that…but are you callin’ the man white!!! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-credible-white-rappers-besides-the-beastie-boys/262308.md?page=2)