I didnt used to listen to rap but my friend's got me hooked on public enemy and wu-tang. Anybody got recommendations for good old school and freestyle/underground. Anything besides radio crap.
Ich bin eingeschaltet bumsen du auf dein die Wirbelsäule.
Oh yeah. There is so much rap garbage out there, but about 5% of it is off the charts. Here are a few favorites, offhand.
Outkast - Stankonia or Aquemini. Can't go wrong with either of these. Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele - The best solo CD from any of the Wu-Tang family. Dr. Dre - 2001 Dr. Octagon
A lot of people with otherwise good taste (in my opinion) absolutely love the underground rap scene that includes Latyrx, which is DJ Shadow's boys, Aceyalone, Blacklicous (however the hell you spell it), and Jurassic 5. I personally can not stand any of these guys, no matter how hard I try. I seem to be in the minority, so you may dig them.
Older stuff: Any of the first 3 Tribe Called Quest CDs. Some of the best music ever. The first 2 De La Soul. Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick NWA - Straight Outta Compton The Diabolical Biz Markie Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle
If you download music, check out the Geto Boys, Too Short, Method Man, Eric B. & Rakim, and Missy Elliot, see if you dig any of them.
This is by no means a complete list, but a good place to start. I stand firmly by the first 5 CD's I listed, though. Just remember, when all else fails, put on Peter Piper by Run DMC, and crank that shit up. In fact, I think I'll do that this very moment. Happy jamming.
You must find and listen to "Raising Hell" by Run-DMC, this is the "The Godfather" of Hip hop. An absolute masterpiece. I can remember the day I bought this in 1986. Even at 10 years old I understood how good this tape was.
I always tell me people to check out early Fat Boys stuff, before all the wipe out and twist crap. Even early Fresh Prince. LL Cool J was unbelievable when he was 16. Eric B and Rakim "Paid In Full" is a good one to check out too. Rakim is considered the best MC ever by some. MC Shan was good, Jungle brothers too. And dont miss early NWA, Too Short or Ice-T.
If you want to go back further. the early 80's had Kurtis Blow and Grandmaster Flash. Of course Rappers Delight is considered the first true hot hip hop song. But the 86-89 is considered the golden age of hip hop. And thats where all my memories come from.
Dont discount the 90's though. All the radio artists did have a time when they were broke and hungry and putting out their best stuff. Pick up Jay-Z or Nas' first cds. ANYTHING that the Notorious B.I.G. ever spit a lyric on, is worth having. He was the greatest ever IMO.Of course theres 2Pac and early Snoop and Dre. Throw in OutKast too. Wu-Tang is good but avoid anything they made post 1997, except Ghostface Killah. I also like lesser known guys like Mobb Deep or GangStarr.
I dont really know too much underground stuff to be honest. Partly because I really dont know how to define whats underground and what isnt. Theyre are a million Mix-Tapes you can find out there with hot underground artists on them. You just got to look. The Net is overrun with them.
When a chicken in this neighborhood gets angry, it will chase you down...
Kool Keith's Black Elvis Lost in Space, highly recommended. I think I might like it more than his Dr. Octagon business. Deltron 3030 is also good along those lines.
Also check out A Tribe Called Quest. They put out an anthology a couple years ago that makes a good place to start. I liked the Q-Tip solo album too, but I think it's geared toward the laaaaadies.
Quannum MCs (Blackalicious, Latyrx etc.) are all fab and I do enjoy that Jurassic 5, but I doubt that's what you're looking for right now.
The only thing I enjoy more than doing the crossword puzzle is actually finishing it.
I would also like to add that nobody should discount the first three Beastie Boys CDs - all very different, all extremely influential on both rock and rap artists. The fact that Licensce to Ill was on the first time I smoked weed, and Check Your Head the first time I had sex might not hurt my strong affections for either CD.
In any case, anybody in their mid-20's and older can probably remember trying to rap "My Adidias" or "Brass Monkey" on the playground, thinking we had never heard anything this good before.
OK, I'll shut up before I get all nostalgic for parachute pants and breakdanceing competitions.
Oh yeah - Check out the movie CB4 for a hilarious perspective on the rise of gangsta rap/
I second the motion for DIgital Underground. Highly underrated, since Humpty Dance made them a fortune, but there was a real flow to thier rhymes, and any group where Tupac was involved cant be all that bad.
Beastie boys Check your Head, and Pauls boutique are thier two best, IMO, but everybody loves License to Ill.
Slick Rick, Doug E Fresh, LL Cool J, Fresh Prince, Run DMC (GODFATHERS!) Kool Moe Dee, and the Hammer cd that was out BEFORE the "cant touch this" shit, are all recommended, by me at least. And, I liked the House of Pain CD as well.
I like Deltron3030, The Pharcyde, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, Souls of Mischief (a/k/a The Hieroglyphics), EPMD, Too $hort, Big L, OC, J-Zone (not to be confused with Jay-Z), Princess Supastar, Sonny Carson, DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince (because you can actually understand what he's saying, and possibly even relate to some of it;... I'm not into the new Will Smith stuff very much), Queen Latifa, A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, Atmosphere, MF Doom, The Arsonists, Blackalicious, Latryx, DJ Shadow, Cibo Matto, Black Eyed Peas, Rah Digga, Aesop Rock, Slug, Eyedea and Abilities, The Ugly Ducklings, older KRS-1... take your pick
oh, and also Yo-Yo, DITC, Da Brat, Nineh Cherry, Paris, E-40 (a/k/a Charlie Hustle), High and Mighty (H&M), Talib Kweli, Black Star, Royce da 5-9, Def Squad (Keith Murray, Red Man, Eric Sermon), Anticon, Jedi Mind Tricks, The Digable Planets, The Roots, Morplay, MC Maasen, Southern Asylum.. they are all pretty good underground and/or old school rap artists
best, soce, the elemental wizard
(edited by socetew on 7.10.02 2352) How serious is serious?
Yeah, the Roots own you. And don't forget, if you wanna get truly old-school, the Treacherous 3 and Grandmaster Flash. And I will admit to liking some of the Nappy Roots stuff.
"You can save the planet, I'll save your seat"- Uncle Kracker, Better Days "Confucious say: Man with hand in pocket feel cocky all day!"- Crank Yankers
I think he was trying to qualify his statement there, and lend more weight to the two rap-related things he did like.
-Jag
With poison running through your veins, and death marching solemnly towards you, heroic acts become more of a necessity as you see your time dwindling.
Vanquishing your enemies, making amends to those you have wronged, and leaving words of love and kindness for those around you become second nature as your own mortality looms
However, true strength lies not in these last desperate acts, but in the actions of one who has to get out of bed the next day and face the consequences of doing that which you believe is right.
The "big four" of modern rap is always a good place to start. Here's a short list:
Notorious BIG- Ready To Die Jay Z- Reasonable Doubt Nas- Illmatic Tupac- Me Against The World
Pick these up without hesitation.
Any Tribe album besides "The Love Movement" is fantastic Ditto for every Beastie Boys album (pick up License to Ill for history, Paul's Boutique for pure listening bliss)
I disagree with the reccomendation of "Supreme Clientele" as the best of the Wu solo projects; Gza's "Liquid Swords" is one of the top five rap albums of all time without question.
For a west coast vibe, pick up Snoop's "Doggystyle" and Dre's "Chronic". Maybe add some Heiroglyphics, Del's solo albums, and Xibit's first release.
I know it's hard to reccomend him, but Eminem's first album "Infinite" is amazing in terms of flow. It's impossible to find, so try to download it.
(edited by Kidbrooklyn on 8.10.02 0619) Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery. -Malcom X
I dunno.. I found "Infinite" to be kind of depressing, cuz Em sounds like a wuss. Mainly because the beats are so terrible in comparison to when Dre started producing him. But I did like the song "Jealousy Woes" a good amount, and at least he doesn't rap about his wife, daughter and mother on "Infinite".. it's like a history lesson.
and for what it's worth.. I enjoyed The Love Movement, as well as post '97 Wu Tang (although I haven't gotten Iron Flag, but I do like Uzi and Back in the Game). Some of their songs are crap, but others are incredibly tight. Don't sleep on this.
I would HIGHLY recommend the soundtrack to "Office Space". It's really the perfect primer for underground rap and otherwise.
Many of the artists mentioned here (with special mention of Kool Keith and the Geto Boys) are on this album. It's a very nice sampling of what's out there and it got me hooked!
Well. I didnt expect that much of a response. Enjoyable surprise though. Let's see what rap I do have. Cypress Hill "Black Sunday", LL Cool J "All World"(a greatist hit's comp.), PE "It takes a nation of millions" and "Fear of a Black Planet" and Eminem's first L.P. Got some P-Funk and early RHCP for my funk fix. Going to Record Exchange friday to look for cheap cd's.
Ich bin eingeschaltet bumsen du auf dein die Wirbelsäule.
Sorry, this is a different guy. He's got a very... distinctive voice and style. Though he is cool enough to count Tom Waits and Dr. John among his friends, so there's that.