Firas rediscovers rap Following the actual lyrics of Nas' One Love [youtube link] is a revelation.
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So the active misogyny and the more passive homophobia is annoying, especially when the women on the mic also buy into the gender narratives (how on earth did Eminem get so fiercely misogynistic? Ann Powers who gave him a positive review in the LA Times totally has his number when she says he has a "fundamental mistrust of pleasure and love.")

But I love the braggadocio (Jay-Z on 'Takeover': "We don't believe you, you need more people ... Don't let me do it to you dunny, cause I overdo it!")

Anyway I find the gap between the 'characters' these people play and what they do in real life kinda interesting (50 Cent had a song in 2003 where he sang on the chorus that he's "high all the time" but on his upcoming album he's dissing Young Buck by calling him a junkie: "tell mama he done smoked the TV" (ha)). I like how the dichotomy between the acting and real life is brought to life in some diss tracks:

Joe Budden dissing Ransom ('Ransom Note'):

Everybody's a killer but nobody's dead...
How you a dope boy? Couldn't support your own habit.

And hilariously, Eminem dissing Benzino ('Nail in the Coffin'):

Jesus Christ, if your that much of a gangster, put the mic down
You should be out killin motherfuckers right now
Kill a motherfucker dead, kill'em dead bitch
Shoot'em in the fuckin head, go ahead bitch ...
If you was really sellin coke, well then what the fuck
you stop for dummy? If you slew some crack
you'd make alot more money than you do from rap!