"backpack rapper" is a phrase usually given to a young aspiring musician who's lyrics are deep and dictate life experiences, often his own, or those of a social group to which he feels a strong association. The iconic "backpack" is literal, referring to the backpack in which many aspiring rappers carry as they travel. In urban settings many young musicians focus on the meaning of their raps, and tend to not bloat with pop cultural references. Many mainstream "pop" rappers brag about success, money, social status, material possessions, and how "tough" they are/how little the safety/well-being of others are to them. A pop rapper may write an entire track bragging about how much bling or swagger they have and how no one can compete. Whereas a backpack rapper may choose to focus on the injustice that he experiences or how his undesirable financial position makes daily life challenging. Many listeners relate to a backpack rapper and can compare the lyrics to their own situation. The backpack itself, refers to the actual backpack that's often carried by this type of musician as they navigate the urban sprawl via public transportation, and may contain CD's, music players, a notebook and pens for writing music. All though this is a common situation, it's a stereotype, as not ALL young inner city kids who ride the subway carry a backpack and write music. As well as, not all "backpack rappers" actually carry a backpack, are black, or even live in a big city.

Cassiday AKA Da Hustler, real name Barry Adrian Reese, also known as the King of Philidelphia.

He is considered the greatest rapper out there under 26 years old.

Barry started taking rap music seriously in 1996, in junior highschool. He rap battled for fun, but then turned to the streets for economic reasons. He rap battled a local friend on the phili radio station 103.9, and was crowned champion. After that, he would win battles weekly. The 103.9 host Cipher Zulu signed him with a deal for a few songs and a demo, but did not ammount to anything other then studio expeirence.

One year later he was in a barber shop with swizz beats father, and he wanted cassidy to rap for him.
He was only 16 years old at this time, a junior in highschool, but the next thing he knew he was traveling to new york with Shizz Lansky and Cal Akbar and were signed in a group called the Ruff Ryders.

After that Swizz beats created songs with cassidy, and they have created about 25 songs together now. Swizz helped him rap to beats better, but cassidy had made his rep by battling, but he learned a better sense to rhyme and beats.

Cassidy's rap name became Da Hustler, and he was the king of philidelphia. But in 2005, he was charged with murder that took place in his neighborhood. He claimed that he was innocent. The charge was on april 15, shooting of a 22 year old man.

According to police Barry Reese and two other men were armed with .45 and .40 caliper pistols and 9mm pistols, ...

Legendary underground Bay Area rapper hailing from the infamous 200 Block housing projects on Randolph Street in the Lakeview district of San Francisco, California. He is arguably one of the best rappers/producers to ever come out of San Francisco and the entire Bay Area. He is a pioneer of the San Francisco rap scene along with other legends including RBL Posse, Rappin' 4-Tay, IMP and JT the Bigga Figga. He raps about the harsh realities of the dark side of the San Francisco landscape, like a West Coast Prodigy of Mobb Deep or a West Coast Buckshot from Black Moon circa 1993. Despite all of the corny stereotypes about Frisco, Cellski accurately portrayed his side of town in the City by the Bay as a drug-infested place full of poverty, gangs, guns, murder, crime and violence. Most of his songs are about hustling, selling dope and surviving in the grimey streets of Frisco. His first album, Mr. Predictor (1995), is a Bay Area West Coast hip hop classic. He has also produced tracks for fellow Lakeview rappers UNLV, Young Ed and IMP. Two of his songs were featured on Master P's classic and commercially successful West Coast Bad Boyz Vol. I & II Compilations ("Stressed Out" and "Roll Yo Vogues" respectively). Like most underground independent Bay Area rappers who aren't signed to major record labels, his music is largely unheard of outside of Northern California and the West Coast.

When a man of poor taste, carries a 30 pack of Busch Light, or lesser quality beer, on his shoulder like a stereotypical 1980's rapper/break dancer.

The most realistic of all urban fiction books. The story revolves around Winter Santiaga, the daughter of a prominent drug dealer in their Brooklyn neighborhood. Her mother had her when she was fourteen, and she has three other sisters, Mercedes, Lexus and Porsche.

Winter runs the town, or so she would like to think. She is in love with one of her daddy's workers, Midnight, but he never pays her any mind even tho any other guy would kill to get a piece of that. Then suddenly, on her 16th birthday, her dad announces that they will be moving to a mansion in Long Island. The family doesn't complain but inside they are all upset, especially since he has forbidden any of them to set foot back in Brooklyn after they leave. However once they get to the mansion they are so excited they don't care they hav e left their family and friends behind.

Ricky (Winter's father) has actually left Brooklyn because he knew that an up-and-coming rival gang, the Young Heads, were threatening to harm his family. Unfortunately they track him down because when he and his wife are driving to the dealership to get Winter's mother a Benz for her birthday, one of the Young Heads shoots Mrs Santiaga in the face. She survives, but the disfigurement causes her to almost lose her mind, because her life revolves around vanity.

One night, Winter tells her parents she is going to a college party, when in fact she is sneaking back to Brooklyn to party with her friends. She takes her mom's Benz and pa...

Actually IS one of the best artists out there. Controversial, non conformist and sends out the right message. Along with authors such as Bill Cooper, he tries to move the people to take a stand against all that is wrong and corrupt with this world.

And for all of you saying Big L is better, I wouldnt expect you to appreciate something as deep as Immortal Technique when you listen to such shallow lyrics as Big L. You are the people who I.M. tries to get through to, the media runs your life, and you aspire to be alongside those who glamourise all the shit thats wrong with this world.

Shame on you.
And only white guys love him? What a sweeping statement to make. You're very wrong there. It's mostly intelligent people, and people that want to stand up and make a fuckin difference to this world, and the people who KNOW whats going on, who want knowledge and dont want to be opressed anymore that appreciate him.