A Different Rap

Here's a fun and interesting look back at an article from 1993 on Arrested Development from Ebony Magazine.  Reading the following quote made me wonder when the term "conscious" rap made it on the scene and if this use of the term by Speech pre-dated that:

What distinguishes Arrested Development from other rap groups is their positive, family-oriented themes, a welcome departure from the misogynistic and violent lyrics of controversial hard-core rap acts. "We call ourselves a conscious hip-hop group. Conscious basically meaning trying to be aware of what we can change," says Speech, Arrested Development's charismatic lead singer, rapper and producers,who smiles frequently and gives friendly hugs to everybody, males and females.