Listen to Hip-Hop?

[CBadfeather]

Just browsing the music section I noticed that hip-hop is pretty underrepresented even though we all claim to be pretty objective about the genres we listen to.

I know at least some of us like hip hop - so what are you listening to?

I like sage francis and b. dolan for their ideas and poetic lyrics
mos def is just good even though nothings come out in a while
aesop obviously
mf doom
Nas
Big Sean's mixtapes are pretty good

has anybody heard kendrick lamar yet? next level
http://youtu.be/sBvngg87998

 

[ObliviousGenius]

I'm not a huge music guy in general but I definitely listen to hip-hop.
I mostly listen to Drake (love Trust Issues) and Tyga. And pretty much all the other radio names except Nicki Minaj...ugh and Wiz Khalifa who is terrible. (except On My Level-I just like the beat tho, and weed of course).

I'm listening to Nas- Quiet N****S right now. Btw I'm black.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Aye, aye. I get around. Been out of the underground loop for awhile though(and mainstream too of course), for focusing on other genres.

Alltime favorites:
Aesop Rock
Cannibal Ox (plus some of their Atoms Family stuff)


Not listening to anything currently, last good track I heard was by Drake though.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsqUQmuoGXs"]Drake - Cameras (Take Care) - YouTube[/nomedia]

 

[Agent Intellect]

As of this very minute, I'm listening to Diabolic.

Spoiler

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2r8kBnGtAU"]Diabolic feat. Immortal Technique - Frontlines (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) - YouTube[/nomedia]

Also been listening to Doomtree lately (their new album No Kings).

Spoiler

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWDHxK_HfOw"]Doomtree "Bolt Cutter" Music Video - YouTube[/nomedia]

And I have Face Candy (group with my all time favorite artist Eyedea in it) in my car (improvised music with freestyle lyrics).

Spoiler

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvQ2x9__Pgw"]01. Witness Intimidation - Face Candy - YouTube[/nomedia]

 

[Panopticon]

I highly recommend Prince Paul's A Prince Among Thieves album. One of the best concept albums in any genre. [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw065C5nhYo&feature=bf_prev&list=PL31F29ADBCE1277CC&lf=plpp_video"]Prince Paul - The Pain - YouTube[/nomedia]

 

[Meer]

Objectively, most hip hop is pretty shit.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I highly recommend Prince Paul's A Prince Among Thieves album. One of the best concept albums in any genre. Prince Paul - The Pain - YouTube

definitely. I can vouch for these concept albums:

Spoiler

De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising [1989]
Divine Styler - Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light [1992]
The Goats - Tricks of the Shade [1992]
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… [1995]
Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst [1996]
Fugees - The Score [1996]
Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus [1997]
Company Flow - Little Johnny from the Hospital [1999]
Quasimoto - The Unseen [2000]
Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 [2000]
Dan the Automator - A Much Better Tomorrow [2000]
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein [2001]
Mr. Lif - I Phantom [2002]
El-P - Fantastic Damage [2002]
Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain [2003]
Viktor Vaughn - Venomous Villain [2004]
Madvillain - Madvillainy [2004]
MF DOOM - Mm..Food [2004]
Atma - Beyond the Speed of Mind [2005]
Quasimoto - The Further Adventures of Lord Quas [2005]
Kool Keith & TOMC3 - The Original SoundTrack Album Of Project Polaroid [2006]
Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day [2009]

I Phantom, Deltron 3030, and Tricks of the Shade, have progressive stories, but none of them are quite like Prince Among Thieves. The other albums in the list are different kinds of concept albums - atmospheric production, alter-egos, themes etc.

 

[Agent Intellect]

Objectively, most hip hop is pretty shit.

You make a compelling argument.

 

[CBadfeather]

+1 Doomtree - P.O.S, Cecil Otter and Sims are awesome i've seen them all live
Drake's good too (kendrick lamar is on the buried alive interlude)

I used to like immortal technique circa volume II but i havent heard much from him since i'll have to check out diabolic

if you like concept albums: the Roots - Undun is good. It's crazy because the narrator dies in the first track

 

[mke2686]

talib kweli, big L, nas, mos def, mobb deep (spent a lot of my childhood in queens), cypress hill, the fugees etc...

 

[Cavallier]

After AI made this thread I started to get into Hip Hop more.

Right now I'm exploring Hip Hop by region. I currently my dirty pleasure is Bad Habitat (out of Portland, Oregon). Very young and not that great yet but still a lot of fun. I'm also really loving Big K.R.I.T. Return Of 4eva out of Mississippi.

 

[Awaken]

In the 90's when it was good. Now, not so much. All of you who named Drake.........sigh....What they do nowadays is not Hip Hop. It is RnB/Pop. The Roots may be the only Hip Hop band that has stayed pretty consistent through the years.

 

[ObliviousGenius]

Honestly, imo all the talk about what's real hip-hop or what not is pointless. I listen to what sounds good. Maybe it's because I have no idea who any of the names you guys are talking about are except the Roots.

 

[Don't mind me]

Hip-Hop is not really my genre of choice, but I enjoy Lupe Fiasco, Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler, the Creator, Kanye West, Childish Gambino and selected Lil Wayne works. I ain't even gonna lie though, the hip-hop song I've listened to the most (possibly most across all genres, honestly) is Zan With That Lean. Never before have I come across a song so enigmatically conducive to being played on repeat for hours on end.

Also, if Rick Ross replaced all his lyrics with Signature Grunts, I'd listen to nothing else. Can't forget Lil B either.

 

[Agent Intellect]

Face Candy doing a Lil' Wayne spoof (all improv):

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JLPKM3w-_w"]Face Candy - Thirteen - YouTube[/nomedia]

 

[Don't mind me]

Face Candy doing a Lil' Wayne spoof (all improv):

Face Candy - Thirteen - YouTube

That sounded more like a T-Pain spoof than anything else, I suspect those dudes (and you, actually) base your perceptions of Wayne almost solely on the chorus of Lollipop.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

In the 90's when it was good. Now, not so much. All of you who named Drake.........sigh....What they do nowadays is not Hip Hop. It is RnB/Pop. The Roots may be the only Hip Hop band that has stayed pretty consistent through the years.

:

Honestly, imo all the talk about what's real hip-hop or what not is pointless. I listen to what sounds good. Maybe it's because I have no idea who any of the names you guys are talking about are except the Roots.

^ agreed

You don't have to pull that card, Awaken, I'm pretty sure most people here aren't mindlessly plugged into mainstream. I love underground hip hop and usually stay away from Drake, I'd even agree with you that he's more RnB/pop, but I always give credit to artists and producers when a song is great for what it is, when it sounds good to me.

Just listen to the music.

 

[Awaken]

:

^ agreed

You don't have to pull that card, Awaken, I'm pretty sure most people here aren't mindlessly plugged into mainstream. I love underground hip hop and usually stay away from Drake, I'd even agree with you that he's more RnB/pop, but I always give credit to artists and producers when a song is great for what it is, when it sounds good to me.

Just listen to the music.

No, I understand. Admittedly, growing up on the East Coast during the 90's pretty much makes it impossible for me to be objective about this. Im not saying I dont like Drake. I actually think he is very talented. My point had nothing to do with whether his music was good or not.

I, however, disagree with your statement. I think most here are mindlessly plugged into mainstream hiphop/pop of today because they lack exposure to any other form.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

No, I understand. Admittedly, growing up on the East Coast during the 90's pretty much makes it impossible for me to be objective about this. Im not saying I dont like Drake. I actually think he is very talented. My point had nothing to do with whether his music was good or not.

I, however, disagree with your statement. I think most here are mindlessly plugged into mainstream hiphop/pop of today because they lack exposure to any other form.

Well, lack of exposure is expected. What I'm more critical of though is the mainstream mindset which I see as not appreciating general creativity, authenticity, and musical depth, which this place is apparently free from.

Regardless of Drake's RnB tendencies(the pop label is irrelevant), the music is still arguably hip hop, and after much experience with the genre, it becomes clear that hip hop styles have always been flexible. Your position seems to me more of a passing cultural opinion than a real problem with hip hop. The same arguments were brought up in the 90s about 80s hip hop, and the same for 70s hip hop in the 80s.

 

[Jah]

Sage Francis.

Spoiler

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvt062uFnl4"]Sage Francis - Sun vs Moon - YouTube[/nomedia]

Spoiler

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y6I-vMwUHc"]Sage Francis - Narcissist - YouTube[/nomedia]

Spoiler

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiV2stUu5RE"]Sage Francis - Got Up This Morning - YouTube[/nomedia]

 

[CBadfeather]

Im re-posting my link to [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBvngg87998"]KENDRICK LAMAR "RIGAMORTIS": BLOWHIPHOPTV.COM - YouTube[/nomedia] in response to the whole "what they do nowadays is not hip hop" argument. Let's see LL Cool J rap like that and then we can talk

I agree with Big K.R.I.T. Return of 4eva is perfect for driving around to and thinking.

Earl Sweatshirt is a child prodigy but all he uses it for is to get lol youtube comments.

Anyone else tend to judge rappers by their IQ? I started respecting Tupac on a new level after I came across this list of books he studied in prison.

 

[Sema]

These days I have been listening to my favourites e.g Souls of Mischief, Hieroglyphics, Reflection Eternal, A Tribe Called Quest etc and some newcomers like yU, Kendrick Lamar, BIG KRIT, Curren$y etc.

 

[Sanctum]

Kendrick Lamar is by far my favorite modern Rapper. I also listen to Sadistik, MF Doom, Lupe Fiasco, Old school Kanye West, Eminem, Earl Sweatshirt (cant wait until he MATURES), Nas, Common and i saw someone mention drake *sigh* i don't classify him as Hip Hop or rap anymore he's still a talented artist but hes more RnB if anything nowadays, also Ab Soul he is part of TDE, Kendrick Lamar's Crew hes pretty dope

 

[CBadfeather]

After AI made this thread I started to get into Hip Hop more...

lol oops. I didn't know you were supposed to search before you made a post. Props to AI, there's some really good stuff posted over there - I especially like to see Dilla getting recognition and the whole debate over the validity of the genre is basically what I was getting at with this thread; I was just wondering what about intp's made them not mention hip-hop/r&b in the music thread? And I saw this:

I wonder if a lot of people balk at hip-hop and rap in general because of the perceived lack of polish and sophistication? I suppose there's an intimidating culture you have to grapple with in order to really get into hip-hop. I think it's fascinating to be able to analyze a culture just by listening to music.

I think there's a strong cultural element in the syncopated rhythms of hip-hop that don't translate very well. For example, this summer, a couple of my friends from London came to visit and they absolutely could not tolerate hip-hop, but they love house and 2-step (like what i think of as playing endlessly in high end retail stores in the mall) and what was hilarious to me was that they didn't understand the "head bob effect" implied in the music. Like the beat ObliviousGenius mentioned early on: Wiz Khalifa - "On My Level", was just electronic noise to them and I'm guesssing that's what happens on a micro scale here

 

[MizKodomo]

Can't say I hate 50cent and the Roots
and there's something slightly addictive about EVERY RHIANNA SONG EVER MADE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEhy-RXkNo0

 

[Affinity]

Before this thread gets bombarded with more radio garbage...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERQzl4xDpXk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrPmgqfcwE4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBt8QVHzhkc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYKlG5fMxu0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tObr2hDymuU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mt3vZHDiM8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C3DpUZ8ofc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjZN_adJKv8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSszWXkDHa8