The 10s have seen the rise of mumble-rap, emo-rap, and other hip-hop mutations that often hardly feature rapping at all. But old-school lyrical wizards are still major players, newly sensitive to an increasingly volatile world order. Kendrick Lamar’s torrents of tightly controlled syllables are fueled by fragmented identity and social unrest. Ka shares a wuxia fixation with Wu-Tang Clan, but uses it as a guide to becoming a positive influence and community leader. Run The Jewels are mostly here to talk shit, a skill at which they have no peers.