In recent years, hip-hop and R&B has skewed towards bottle-poppin’ party anthems, trap hop, and odes to strippers. Is anyone else getting sick of it? Maybe just a little bit? When was the last time conscientious hip-hop topped the singles charts, anyway?

Before you crucify me, I should say that this: I love Waka Flocka Flame, “Bandz A Make Her Dance” is one of my favourite songs of the year, and I think Lex Luger is just as important as Butch Vig. I enjoy getting dumb, going stupid, and “turnt up” as much as the next guy. These types of songs always have and always will have a place in hip-hop. But as these themes saturate the mainstream, it’s almost reassuring to know that some current, popular songs deviate from the mindless trends in mainstream hip-hop.

For me, it’s all about striking a balance. On my playlist, for every five songs about stripper pole acrobatics and moving bricks, I try to include one about responsibility and inner turmoil. Since it can be difficult to find the latter, here are five current hip-hop songs that defy recent mainstream lyrical trends.

Future, “Turn On The Lights”

Lyrical Excerpt: “I wanna tell the world about you just so they can get jealous / And if you see ‘er ‘fore I do tell ‘er I wish that I’ve met ‘er”

While more than a few mainstream rappers seem more concerned with getting hos on the molly than putting a ring on it, Future laments the fact that he has yet to find a good, trustworthy girl. In an auto-tuned warble that makes him sound like an over-emotional digital crow, Atlanta rapper-turned-singer Future puts out the word that he’s looking for a faithful woman who will “keep her promises, and never turn on [him].” When you consider the fact that his other hit boasts about his romantic multitasking skills (“Fucking two bad bitches at the same damn time“), this is a welcome sentimental twist for Future.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, “Thrift Shop” feat. Wanz

Lyrical Excerpt: “I am stunting and flossing and saving my money and I’m hella happy”

Lately, it seems like rappers will readily name drop fashion designers more often than they’ll reference hip-hop forefathers or world leaders. Take, for instance, 2 Chainz; when he dies, he wants to be buried in the Gucci store. If Kanye West made modern hip-hop synonymous with high fashion, maybe Macklemore can usher in a new era where hip-hop embraces the bargain bin. On the breakthrough mega-hit “Thrift Shop,” Macklemore raps about the thrill of the hunt, insisting that it’s possible to be simultaneously fly and frugal. The Seattle rapper seems to be on a path to major commercial success, so we’ll have to check in in a few months and see how much time he spends in Good Will when his bank account is inevitably swollen.

Kid Cudi, “Just What I Am” feat. King Chip

Lyrical Excerpt: “Hm, when it rains it pours, whiskey bottles on the sinks and floors / Everyday to find sane’s a chore, amidst a dream with no exit doors”

Kid Cudi is probably as tortured as mainstream rappers come. Since releasing his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi in 2008, Scott Mescudi’s lyrics have been something of a dark window into his self-doubt, his struggle with instant stardom, and a battle with substance abuse. Even at their most depressing lows, Cudi’s lyrics are refreshingly honest and self aware, and when paired with self-produced genre-blending beats, Cudi crafts a perfect storm of a brutally honest introspective hip-hop banger. Recent single “Just What I Am” is exactly that, as Cudi raps about therapy, anger issues, a fear of fatherhood, and a dependency on the calming effects of marijuana. There’s literally no other mainstream rapper who wears it on his sleeve like Cudi.

Kendrick Lamar, “Swimming Pools (Drank)

Lyrical Excerpt: “Okay, now open your mind up and listen to me Kendrick / I am your conscience, if you do not hear me then you will be history Kendrick”

On first listen, it’s easy to mistake “Swimming Pools” for a party anthem, especially in an age where most other songs on the charts are designed to encourage living in the moment, and idiotic #YOLO levels of inebriation. K-Dot’s relationship with alcohol is murkier than that, and in “Swimming Pools,” Kendrick walks the listener through a sordid personal history with the drink. After roughly one thousand songs about popping bottles all night have conquered the charts, it’s a relief that a song about alcoholism can find such a wide audience.

Big Boi, “She Hates Me” feat. Kid Cudi

Lyrical Excerpt: “Had a couple kids, you can move where I live / I know old ass niggas that’s scared to do what I did”

Big Boi has a talent for effortlessly balancing his more lecherous tendencies with intelligent introspection, and Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumours is no exception. Yes, there is a song on it where the chorus is simply “let me see your tittays,” but VLADR also features a stubborn and self-aware love song in “She Hates Me.” On the Kid Cudi-assisted track, Big Boi bemoans a failed relationship, ultimately admitting his faults and vowing to win his lady back. Now, that’s just downright respectable. Let’s have a little less “pop that pussy bitch” and a little bit more of this on the radio, please.