Hip-hop & Rap: What Should I Get?
So I’m giving Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III a try. Despite being absolutely gangsta, a few of the tracks have melancholy tones and a certain poetry-reading-style delivery, plus there’s a lot of wordplay.
And so, I’m in the mood to finally add some hip-hop/rap to my library. I’m pretty sure I posted something like this years ago, but who cares!
Currently, I have:
Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool
Notorious B.I.G.’s Life After Death and Ready To Die
So… what else should I get? I’m working on finding Jeru The Damaja (I had him and liked him) and Sage Francis (comes recommended by a friend). Keep in mind I loathe “Baby Got Back,” okay?
Go!
Comments
I tried Lil Wayne and absolutely fucking hated it. I hate how these hipster white boy blogs feel obliged to occasionally pick out some gangster radio bullshit just to seem less white. If you want good hip hop, there’s plenty of good hip hop and so what if mainstream black america doesn’t like it.
Download some Dalek (especially the first EP) and Oddatee from me. Smoke a lot of pot, get falling-down drunk, or sniff some glue or something before listening to them.
Yes it’s shameful that there’s a requirement to mix up genres on year-end lists.
Once I got through the 3 suggested songs, I found nothing else good. I take it all back.
If you were on IM I would send you direct links to some of the most mind blowing hip hop ever. The 90’s was it, man. Early 90’s was the whole jazz and breakbeats thing and it fucking ruled and then late 90’s was all grit and noise and it fucking ruled. I’ve yet to hear any good hip hop in the 00’s that wasn’t just a holdover from the 90s.
Did you grab any Dalek and Odddatee yet? Or maybe it’s Oddateee? There’s three of something in there.
Yeah, it’s Oddateeee. I’m grabbing it, but I can’t listen just yet. I gotta hit the hay for an early wake up.
Also:
- Dj Krush
- DJ Vadim
- Tribe Called Quest and/or Q-Tip
- Tricky
- Dj Spooky
- Souls of Mischief
- Digable Planets
- Pete Rock & CL Smooth
- The Cinematic Orchestra
- Aesop Rock
- El-P
- DJ Shadow
- Blackalicious
- Danger Doom (from 2005!)
- Mr. Lif
I forgot a lot of these came out in 2000-2003 or so. Seemed like a lot longer ago.
Kool Keith, Gillie, certain Cassidy tracks (I’d say mostly after his car crash), and actually if you can still find some Black Rob freestyles they are pretty sweet.
I like many forms of rap/hip-hop but I’ve never been a lil Wayne fan really. In fact his only recent song I sorta like is “A Milli” and it’s only the bass and all the freestyles and artists but Lil Wayne.
Kool Keith is definitely worth checking out (or any of his other monikers).
I just uploaded a 29 track sampler for you to my folder.
Yowzas! Okay, I’ll hit that up for today!
If you’re looking for newer stuff, EmC’s new record is a solid listen, good throwback stuff. The Roots new one isn’t bad either.
I’d also recommend Vaudeville Villain by Viktor Vaughn and Madvillainy by Madvillain if you’re gonna download MF Doom stuff. I liked DangerDoom but its a little heavy on the cheese factor with all the adult swim cross promotion.
Both of Ghostface Killah’s most recent albums are also pretty good.
I always recommend Prefuse 73’s One Word Extinguisher, I think it has some of the most creative hip-hop production of the last decade.
Noted, Steve. I have a ton downloading at home right now. But I will sample what you mentioned on Myspace or something. I remember liking Fishscale actually.
Yeah, but I’ve always felt MF Doom’s beats were very hit or miss. Dangermouse’s, on the other hand, are pretty consistently great. So Adult Swim cross-promotion aside, the Danger Doom album is some of the best stuff he’s done.
Yeah, I can agree with you there, a Doom best of is probably the best option for him since he can be kinda lazy.
I love Danger’s beats don’t mean to knock the music itself on DangerDoom, but for me, I much prefer the dirtier Doom beats on Vaudeville Villain when he does hit. Of the stuff he’s produced himself, I think that’s the most consistent.
Madlib’s stuff on MadVillainy adds a different flavor that I also enjoyed.
But yeah, absolutely grab DangerDoom too.
I haven’t really read a damn thing anybody’s said her so far, but here are my picks of things I consistently listen to that I think are good or fun or both.
Ghostface Killa – Fishscale, Ironman, Bulletproof Wallets, Supreme Clientele
Nas – Illmatic
Clipse – Hell hath no fury
Digable Planets – Blowout comb
The Judgement Night Soundtrack
Killer Mike – I pledge allegiance to the grind
MF Doom – MF Dope, Food
B.i.g. – Ready to die
Platic Little – She’s Mature
Talib Kweli – Ear Drum, Quality
Wu Tang – Chronicles Chapter II, Enter the Wu-Tang, Wu Tang Forever, 8 Diagrams
Mos Def-Black On Both Sides is really good. You should get it. Mos def. Any Public Enemy albums are pretty sweet as well.
Looks like Digable Planets is a must.
They are absolutely a must.
Public Enemy – It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back
Boogie Down Production – By All Means Necessary
De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising
Tribe Called Quest – People’s Instinctive Travels and/or Low End Theory
Eric B and Rakim – Paid In Full
EPMD – Strictly Business
Wu Tang Clan – Wu Tang Forever
Yeah, I third the Digable Planets motion. And mos def. and most of these picks!
And Black Star! I can’t believe I forgot! Self-titled effort by Mos Def and Talib. Probably my favorite hip hop album of all time.
My final tally:
- Aesop Rock – Labor Days and None Shall Pass
- Blackalicious – A2G EP (I HAVE to get more of this guy)
- Cannibal Ox – The Cold Vein
- Dälek – Negor Necro Nekros EP
- Dead Prez – Let’s Get Free
- Digable Planets – Blowout Comb (LOVE the jazz fusion)
- El-P – I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead
- The Fugees – The Score
- Ghostface Killah – Fishscale and Supreme Clientele
- GZA – Liquid Swords
- Jeru The Damaja – Divine Design and Wrath Of The Math
- Lupe Fiasco – The Cool
- Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death and Ready To Die
- Oddateee – Steely Darkglasses
- Outkast – Stankonia
- Sage Francis – Personal Journals
- A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders and The Low End Theory (these guys are one of a kind)
- Wu-Tang Clan – Enter The Wu-Tang (love the large group dynamic)
There are A LOT of songs coming up in shuffle that I dig. I intend to grab up more of the suggested albums in time.
I officially deem this AskTheScrabbled a success!!!
my boy rza’s new cd is good.
he signed your titty.
John said:he signed yo titty.
I fixed it for you.
Also, dont listen to the Dalek album on shuffle. It’s an album in the truest sense of the word. Listen to it like an album. It’s better that way.
Here’s the list of Must Haves
1. Most Def – Black on both sides
2. K-OS – Exit, Atlantis Sounds for disco
3. Ohmega Watts – Watts Happening
Also, have you given the Flobots a try beyond that No Handlebars song? They’re FANTASTIC!
Some mentioned the Flobots to me in the real world just the other day but their description wasn’t enticing to me. Nor was their rendition of the song.
I will have to get the Watts Happening album on pun alone.
Well, they’re kind of a political hip-hop but with a strings section. I’m a sucker for strings, so I really like their sound. I’d give them a try. Check out “The Rhythm Method” if you’re not down to indulge fully. I’ll see if I can figure out this FTP thing out and put some out. I make no promises.
Julia said:Here’s the list of Must Haves
Also, have you given the Flobots a try beyond that No Handlebars song? They’re FANTASTIC!
you must be joking. jonathan, you’ll like one hook in the song because it sounds like cake. then, you’ll wish you were dead.
they have ONE shitty viola and ONE corny trumpet solo.
christina said:they have ONE shitty viola and ONE corny trumpet solo.
You talkin’ ‘bout the Flobots? Don’t worry, I had no intention of listening to them. Now I really don’t want to.
I said that someone mentioned that song to me before, and it didn’t sound good.
Wait, Christina, are Flobots the dudes who do that god-awful linkin park meets cake bullshit we kept hearing in Ohio? That was one of the worst things I’ve ever heard.
yep, that’s them. we heard them in the music diner.
WORST. SONG. EVER.
Ooooook.. Some K-OS and Ohmega Watts goodness up on the FTP site in my file. Enjoy!