Growing up, I was not allowed to listen to Hip Hop/Rap at all. Therefore, I don't have a true appreciation for a lot of the music that guys on CA reference because I didn't grow up in that culture. I grew up with old school R&B and that was about all the music I ever knew until about late elementary school, when I discovered Brandy. I don't fully remember how I discovered her. I just know it was around the time that The Boy Is Mine and Cinderella came out. I watched Cinderella the night it came on, so I know I knew about her before then, but Cinderella signed the deal. My question is where should I start to get an appreciation for Hip Hop?
You should start by listening to the golden age of Hip-Hop, which is the late 80s and early 90s. I really enjoyed listening to Ready to Die by Biggie, Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z, and Illmatic by Nas to name a few (90s records). Some of the 80s ones are from artists like Eric B. & Rakim and Sugarhill Gang. As for the 90s records I mentioned, those artists told some amazing stories on those records. That is why they touched people so much.
