By Shaun Booth

Staff Writer

If only Dante, Shakespeare, Frost, Hughes, or Eliot would have had some phat beats to lay down under their flow of rhymes, the world might be a different place. Obviously, their language and ideas were able to stand on their own; many of today's poets, however, do have a musical structure beneath their layer of rhymes and word play. Let's be honest: I wouldn't even consider half of the artists in rap today poets, but there are several talents in the genre that have been neglected up until this point, due to the stereotypes that go with the music.

Next Wednesday this will change when the rap duo Outkast is nominated for Album of the Year (for their 2001 release ``Stankonia'') and Record of the Year (for their 2001 single ``Ms. Jackson'') at the Grammy Awards. It is the first time an African American rap group will be recognized in either category

This begs the question, what is rap's place today in the music industry? If rappers are no longer offending the high-brow music critics, but rather gaining their praise, are they losing the appeal that they once had to their target audience? I do not believe so. I think the recent praise that several rappers are receiving from traditionally anti-rap corners of the music industry simply reveals the potential that the style of music presents, when put in the right hands.

While rap's origin is rooted in political and social commentary, in the past decade rappers have become comfortable and successful with their image in the media. So why work hard to make songs that matter when you can rap about your Escalades, ice and women and sell millions of albums? It seems at times that the hip-hop culture has become larger than the music itself.

Some rap artists seem comfortable with playing to the suburban stereotype of inner city life. ``Hey Johnny, look at that big scary black man, he seems so angry yelling those rhymes, but he sure is entertaining.'' Playing to the young, ignorant white kid's perception of the ghettos of America, rap has drawn in a huge white following that has substantially boosted sales over the last decade. Once these songs of the cliché gangster lifestyle leave dance clubs and 1000-watt stereo systems, however, they do not stand up on their own lyrical legs.

For those music fans that see through the gangster persona that such a great number of rappers emulate, there has been a movement away from the gangster rap industry and the pop rap that MTV feeds today's youth. Groundbreaking groups such as A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, The Roots, Wu Tang Clan, and now the more commercially successful group Outkast are bringing different approaches to the construction of rap music.

A Tribe Called Quest started the movement in 1991, at the same time that the gangster rap groups started seeing the success of their early albums. They used jazzy grooves to rap over, in order to create a smooth, flowing lyrical style.

The Roots are the first and only rap group to play with a full band that includes a drummer, bassist, keyboard player, vocal percussionist, and of course the rhyme producer. They are able to fulfill their musical vision to a greater extent than those rap artists that rely on digital effects or studio musicians. Another benefit to having a full band is that the translation to a live show is seamless.

This, combined with their improvisational freestyle flows of rhyme, is what makes The Roots the most popular live rap show in the world. Something needs to bring the audience out to the show, and make a difference from listening to the perfectly tweaked sound of the studio.

Another group known for their freestyle raps on stage is the Wu Tang Clan. They conduct their freestyles on stage in a ``battle format.'' The battle format means that one rapper follows the other, trying to better the last man's rhymes, in this nine-man group led by Method Man and RZA. Wu Tang Clan has built a worldwide fan base over the past ten years with their adrenaline-driven concerts. They are also slowly gaining more and more commercial acceptance with raw lyrics over danceable beats, an example being their 2000 hit single ``Gravel Pit.''

The king of rags-to-riches is Outkast, the group that did start out as an underground sensation and has catapulted themselves into the company of U2 and Bob Dylan with a nomination for this year's Album of the Year. They are nominated for their fourth album, ``Stankonia.''

Outkast, the group formed by Dre and Big Boi, takes pride in not sampling music as so many of their peers often do. Their beats vary on each and every track, right from the first single, ``Bombs Over Baghdad,'' which the group was inspired to make after visiting London clubs. The London house music fits in well with the theme of the song: judgement day; the song thumps along at the frantic pace of the apocalypse.

Outkast shows their sensitive side in the song ``Ms. Jackson,'' which is up for Record of the Year, as they apologize to their ``baby's mama's mama'' for the pain which they caused her daughter. Part of the appeal of Outkast is their originality, and their ability to change drastically from one track to the next.

Although Outkast has been and will continue to be heavily marketed by their label, Arista, somehow listeners feel as though they discover that Outkast and the music are their own, because they can not be pigeon-holed into a subcatergory of the rap genre. Outkast is the total rap package: they have solid, original music with perfectly executed lyrics at a broad range of speeds. Now that Outkast has chosen to evolve beyond the limited boundaries of rap music, will their peers follow? If I had to guess, I would say no.

While there have been some extraordinary talents in the gangster rap business, such as Nas, Gang Starr, and Tupac Shakur just to name a few, the jump to experimental music is one that is difficult to make. It seems as though there are two camps in the rap industry today: the camp that is in search of radio airplay and success on the charts, and the camp that is willing to push the envelope to create in a limitless atmosphere and hope that album sales will come as a byproduct of a quality CD.

Rap has already extended far beyond its roots. While many artists are still copying the quality material of others, it is the innovators in rap that will take the music deep into this century.

While you may not have heard some of the artists' work mentioned here, it is the urban music of today that will last. Just ask your parents how much radio play Pink Floyd got in their early experimental years. Stations then opted for a safer REO Speedwagon. However, Pink Floyd slowly gained a huge following by performing amazing concerts.

History does repeat it self. You may not believe it now, but you will when your kids ask you if you ever saw The Roots in concert.