After I've listened to a lot of rap, I sometimes get confused by regular pop music. "What's with these lyrics? They're not saying anything."

Basically, I'm used to lyrics having meaning; having something to say. Good rappers tell stories, make points, make jokes, inform the listener.

Take this verse from Lupe Fiasco's 'Little Weapon':

I killed another man today,
Shot him in his back as he ran away,
Then I blew up his hut with a hand grenade,
Cut his wife's throat as she put her hands to pray,
Just five more dawgs then we can get a soccer ball,
That's what my commander say,
How Old?
Well I'm like ten, eleven, been fighting since I was like six or seven,
Now I don't know much about where I'm from but I know I strike fear everywhere I come,
Government want me dead so I wear my gun, I really want the rocket launcher but I'm still too young,
This candy give me courage not to fear no one,
To fear no pain, and hear no tongue,
So I hear no screams and I shed no tear,
If I'm in your dreams then your end is near.
Yeah

If you didn't pick it up, it's a song about child soldiers. He follows it up with this:

Cute Smileless, Heartless, violent
Childhood destroyed, devoid of all childish ways,
Can't write their own names or read the words on their own graves
Think you gangster, popped a few rounds,
These kids will come through and murder a whole town,
Then sit back and smoke and watch it burn down,
The grave gets deeper the further we go down

Sure, a lot of rappers have nothing to say. Or what they do say is crap. But if you mainly listen to good rap or hip-hop, you'll get used to hearing interesting things - things that make you think.

Rarely can I actually say that about regular pop music (which I love - don't get me wrong!).

Take this catchy song from my iPod:

I won't tell you that I love you
Kiss or hug you
Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin
I'm not lying I'm just stunnin' with my love-glue-gunning
Just like a chick in the casino
Take your bank before I pay you out
I promise this, promise this
Check this hand cause I'm marvelous

Can't read my,
Can't read my
No he can't read my poker face
(She's got to love nobody)

It's just one out-of-context example from the charts at the moment (and the current no. 1 song is a rap song about how a girl in a strip club is making Flo Rida's head spin 'Right Round'... great song btw!), but you might see what I'm getting at.

Of course, there are examples of good musicians who actually say something with their songs. But I tend to find that they have to be exceptional musicians to pull it off. Otherwise they sound like whiny protesting tools.

Rappers who can have something to say on occasion:
Lupe Fiasco
T.I.
Kanye West
Jay-Z
Lil Wayne
Any number of old school rappers
Any number of underground rappers
Eminem
Common
Some members of Wu-Tang