Rap Suggestions to Complete Newb? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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Formentera Lady View Drop Down

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Posted: November 03 2010 at 20:03

There was a thread about how 'progressive' hip hop can be with a lot of examples:

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=70996&KW=hip&PN=1

Maybe you can find something interesting there?

Textbook

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Posted: November 03 2010 at 20:06

And don't forget this, from the forum's best poster.

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72311

J-Man

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Posted: November 04 2010 at 15:58

Wow... I absolutely love Enter the Wu-Tang! I listened to the album twice today! Big smile

Check out my YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/user/demiseoftime

WalterDigsTunes View Drop Down

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Posted: November 04 2010 at 16:01

aginor wrote:

the 90s was the best period for rap, so many great artists and so diverse in deliverance todays hip hop farts don't reach the 90s hip hop gods to their knees, 80s was good and the beginning but the real sh**t started in th 90s

Nothing but sh*t in the 90s, I'll grant you that much.

Stick to the 80s, the last great era in music.

Textbook

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Posted: November 04 2010 at 16:03

Well in that case you definitely need to chase up Liquid Swords and so on.

If you like that, I refer you to Mobb Deep, the other gutter/grimey/hardcore act that made big waves at the same time. They're less esoteric than Wu Tang, very hard and dark, but one of the acts that really defined gangster rap.

Their second and third albums, The Infamous and Hell On Earth, are their best albums.

Also, remember to check out the bottom of pg 2 for my post about another hardcore classic that is one of the best sounding hip-hop albums of the 90s, Bone Thugs 'N' Harmony's E1999 Eternal.

Noak

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Posted: November 04 2010 at 16:15

WalterDigsTunes wrote:

[QUOTE=aginor]
Stick to the 80s, the last great era in music.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Wow.

Textbook

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Posted: November 04 2010 at 16:25

A brief moment to also salute Stress by Organized Konfusion, one of the great overlooked rap albums of the 90s. Excellent stuff. Be sure to check out Pharoahe Monch's solo career too.

There's also MOP who are lyrically as dumb as a box of rocks but man DO THEY HAVE ENERGY. I just can't control myself when this comes on:

And here they are teamed up with rap's other most energetic act Busta Rhymes. ENERGY OVERLOAD.

And while we're on the topic of Busta team-ups, here he is with Black Sabbath. No that's not a sample, it's a real collaboration.

J-Man

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Posted: November 04 2010 at 17:01

BTW, this is another question I had. What about the modern, more famous rappers? Like Eminem, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, etc... I don't really like what I've heard from any of them, but I don't know if they've ever released a good album over the years.

Check out my YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/user/demiseoftime

Textbook

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Posted: November 04 2010 at 17:09

Eminem's first three albums are good. He's very funny and creative but you have to have an "anything goes" approach because he's as offensive as he feels like being. After those three albums though, he falls off and hasn't gotten back on.

Snoop is a very important/influential artist but as a lyricist he goes nowhere fast. Doggystyle is a hugely influential album but he's just not very interesting.

50 Cent you can forget about completely. Can't flow, can't write lyrics.

J-Man

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Posted: November 04 2010 at 17:13

^ Thanks buddy. I think right now I'll stick to some of the other suggestions in this thread.

Check out my YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/user/demiseoftime

JROCHA

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Posted: November 04 2010 at 18:23

Some classic albums from the 90's:

93 Til Infinity - Souls of Mischeif

Bizarre Ride Pt.2 - The Pharcyde

Breaking Atoms - Main Source

Ressurection - Common Sense

Jazzmatazz - Guru

Step in the Arena - Gang Starr

Blowout Comb - Digable Planets

A Wolf in Sheeps Clothing - Black Sheep

these are some great hip hop albums from the classic peroid of the 90's, most of these albums are often overlooked. These hip hop artsist display a different brand of hip hop, unlike most of the gangster/thug rap at the time.

Textbook

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Posted: November 04 2010 at 19:10

I'd also like to steer people towards a few other key MCs.

A lot of people give this honour to Rakim but for me the template of the ideal traditional MC is Big Daddy Kane. Great voice, impeccable flow, fresh lyrics. Pity he fell off after his first two albums but his early stuff is great.

Here's Kool G Rap one of the most respected and long lasting gangster rappers there is. Despite having a pronounced lisp he manages to be very hardcore and dignified, no mean feat. It is a mark of the respect the game has for him that one does not make fun of G's lisp and live.

And here's Kurtis Blow, the first rapper to get signed to a major label. He's unspectacular in some ways but a very fun, charismatic guy and this is a classic.

And to complete the history lesson here's Sugarhill Gang with Rapper's Delight from 1979, rap's first hit single. Could the presenter's voice be any more white?

dwill123

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Posted: November 04 2010 at 21:39

"Follow the Leader" - Eric B. & Rakim
"Fear of a Black Planet" - Public Enemy
"Ready to Die" - Notorious B.I.G.

Textbook

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Posted: November 05 2010 at 02:12

Here's the Beatnuts. Lyrically a mixed bag but GREAT production with a fondness for flutes.

J-Man

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Posted: November 05 2010 at 14:17

I may be going to a record store later today... I think I'll bring some of these suggestions with me. Cool

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Matthew T

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Posted: November 05 2010 at 16:15

Ragga and about the best one of the genre I have heard

French and Awesome

Latin and great album

Get the latin ones.......real Barrio stuff

Matt

Textbook

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Posted: November 05 2010 at 20:17

Someone already posted Busta Rhymes' Gimme Some Mo so here's another candidate for one of the greatest hip-hop videos of all time.

BTW, don't forget the Hieroglyphics crew. The most famous member is Del Tha Funkee Homosapien. Here he is ripping it up on the opening epic to Deltron 3030, the track of the same name.

(As background to the lyric, Deltron 3030 is a concept album set in a future dystopian world ruled by a totalitarian government that has banned hip-hop music. The super-powered MC Deltron Zero, created in a military lab, escapes with his beat-making sidekick Dan Tha Automator to spread funkiness to all the people and bring the bad guys down.)

But Del isn't the only one worth checking out. I always thought Pep Love's album The Ascension was unfairly overlooked. Here's a taste, an old favourite of mine, Act Phenom. (The video is some snowboarding stuff, not related. Just listen to the song.)

Icarium

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Posted: November 05 2010 at 20:55

probably a bit to gangsta 4 you man but, a rap suggestion without not even one 2pac suggestion is a crime to hip hop

Im not he's biggest fan, but I can say as much that I admire he's flow, voice and understand he's impact on hip hop

he was a force, a nucular force, and maybe become TO big for some to fast, he and Biggie was (and will be) the two most important forces of hip hop (many rapers are better,), but Pac was a star which probably shined to bright (for some) to early, I morn he'm and Biggie (some times I think about them and gets sad

)

Edited by aginor - November 05 2010 at 20:57

J-Man

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Posted: November 05 2010 at 21:07

Today at the record store, I picked up these two albums:

Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams
Wyclef Jean - Carnival

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Textbook

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Posted: November 05 2010 at 22:14

Carnival is alright but 8 Diagrams, hmm... it's not terrible or anything, in fact some of the MCs (particularly U-God who'd never sounded better) sounded re-energised and on their game but RZA drops the ball on the production, very dull for the most part. (Strangely, a lot of the pre-release tracks that did not make it on to the album are a lot better than what actually did. See if you can Watch Your Mouth.) In fact Raekwon publicly chewed RZA out about the beats on the album being wack and suggested they do the next record without him but I think they've settled it and are working together again now.

See if you can exchange it for Liquid Swords.