The Hip-Hop Thread

[Imarevenant]

I've noticed recently that there are quite a few Hip-Hop heads on the GDS boards. And although I frequent some Hip-Hop specific message boards, I've always found that I enjoy the GDS community much more than others, so I figured why not start a thread here where we can discuss new albums, give recommendations and just talk Hip-Hop.



Two questions to get the conversation started:



What are your favorite albums so far this year?

What are your favorite albums ever?

[Imarevenant]

I'll get it started.

Favorite albums of the year:

Brother Ali – Us
Fashawn - Boy Meets World
Torae and Marco Polo – Double Barrel
Mos Def – The Ecstatic
Cunninlynguists – Strange Journey Vol. 1
Elevated Ruffians – The Magnificent Soul LP
P.O.S. – Never Better
J Dilla – Jay Stay Paid
Apathy – Wanna Snuggle?
Freddie Gibbs – MidwestGangstaBoxFrameCadillacMuzik


Favorite albums ever:

Critical Beatdown – Ultramagnetic MC’s
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - Wu-Tang Clan
Criminal Minded – Boogie Down Productions
Dr. Octagonecologyst – Dr. Octagon
Dare Iz a Darkside – Redman
The Album – Latyrx
Midnight Marauders – A Tribe Called Quest
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… - Raekwon
Supreme Clientele – Ghostface Killah
Aquemini - Outkast

[supershot]

So far this year I've loved Superbad by Lil Boosie. He's a great artist and I dont think he gets enough respect. I normally don't "buy" music, I get songs from limewire. His album was an exception.

[MrCanada]

not a big hip hop fan. I like random stuff. The Roots and Lupe Fiasco are okay though. I have friends who love hip hop, and I got into those two for some reason.

[Imarevenant]

Lupe is hit and miss with me. Loved Food & Liquor but absolutely thought The Cool was trash. I mean the lyrics are there but the production was so weak, and the hooks were horrible on every single song. He has Lasers supposed to drop at the end of the year.

If it's more Food and Liquor and less The Cool I'll be very happy.


As for The Roots, can't wait until How I Got Over drops. With them being together on Jimmy Fallon's show I figure they have to have a ton of material to work with. Should be good.

[CapCee]

Most of these newer artists are crap and some of the older good artist are making crappy music to stay relevant. The only two albums I have purchased this year are as follows:
"This Ain't No Mixtape" by Curren$y; Curren$y is actually a former Lil' Wayne protege' who probably realized that he was too much of a true hip hop style lyricist to be associated with those morons and went solo. Dude was on No Limit as a teen before signing with Cash Money. Very unique and clever rhymer, creative and pretty relate-able to most hip hop listeners.
The album name comes from the fact the he dropped something like 8 or 9 quality mixtapes in less than two years if I'm not mistaken. Give this guy a chance. I was sure I would hate him until I actually listened to a few songs.
The second album I paid money for this year is of course Blueprint 3 by the one and only 40-year-old legend. I was a huge Jay-Z fan well before his bandwagon was overflowing. I will be the first to say that he isn't anywhere near as good as he once was, but with the state hip hop is in he's probably still the best doing it.
Most of what I listen to is older, I can't get into these newer, less talented artists such as Drake. I can't wait for a new Lupe album and am looking forward to Jay-Z's new artist J. Cole.

[Imarevenant]

Not a big Curen$y fan, especially that album, that's the one with the Grand Theft Auto inspired cover right?


Sounds like you you'd be interested in a few of the Duck Down albums that were released this year though CapCee. They definitely have that early 90's East Coast vibe whcih by your love for Joe Camel there I'm guessing you were into.

So, check out Salvation by Skyzoo. It's a little more soulful, but definitely has that early 90's East Coast vibe.

And if you at all were into the early 90's Boom Bap style that was prevalent on the East Coast definitely go buy Torae and Marco Polo's Double Barrel. Polo is the king of Boom Bap and Torae pretty much kills every verse. Has been one of my favorites this year, album is just filled with bangers.

[CapCee]

Originally Posted by Imarevenant

Not a big Curen$y fan, especially that album, that's the one with the Grand Theft Auto inspired cover right?


Sounds like you you'd be interested in a few of the Duck Down albums that were released this year though CapCee. They definitely have that early 90's East Coast vibe whcih by your love for Joe Camel there I'm guessing you were into.

So, check out Salvation by Skyzoo. It's a little more soulful, but definitely has that early 90's East Coast vibe.

And if you at all were into the early 90's Boom Bap style that was prevalent on the East Coast definitely go buy Torae and Marco Polo's Double Barrel. Polo is the king of Boom Bap and Torae pretty much kills every verse. Has been one of my favorites this year, album is just filled with bangers.

LOL @ Joe Camel, Hov looks JUST like a camel. I guess you could say I am a fan of the MID to LATE 90's thing, seeing as my opinion of the 2 greatest rappers ever are Biggie and Jay. I bang a lot of Mobb Deep from their work between '94 and '01

[Tha Black Phenom]

Mos Def's The Ecstatic was awesome, first album I've heard from the guy and made me fall in love with him. I mean I'd hear about him all the time but never really checked him out.

I'm a man on both sides. I like mainstream and underground alike, west coast and east coast, alternative hip-hop and gangsta hip-hop, etc, it always goes either way. This year... uh, I haven't focused much on the albums. I pretty much picked up a deal of Ecstatic, Relapse and had a bit of a gander at Blueprint 3 but that's it. Might have a listen at Brother Ali's album, another one that I like.

I'm probably biased but I'm not sure The Cool was that bad. I'd skip some tracks on there, but some of them are def worth a listen. Gold Watch and Hip-Hop Saved My Life among others. But yeah, F&L was solid and one of my fav tracks of all time is Hurt Me Soul. For some reason, there's only live versions of it on Youtube. Either way, I love Lupe and I hope Lasers knocks it out the ballpark.

Not a fan of Drake either

[Remianen]

I don't think I've shelled out for anything specific this year besides Rick Ross's 'Deeper than Rap' (and I only got that one for 'Maybach Music II').

All time, yikes! That list is kinda long

Raising Hell - Run DMC (mainly because it was the first album (cassette, actually) I bought with my own money)
R U Still Down? (remember me) - 2Pac
Me Against The World - 2Pac
Let's Get Ready & Tarantula - Mystikal
No More Mr Nice Guy - Gang Starr
Paid in Full, Don't Sweat the Technique, Follow the Leader - Eric B & Rakim
Ready to Die, Life After Death (especially 'Dead Wrong'), and Born Again ('I Love the Dough', 'Notorious Thugs') - The Notorious B.I.G
All of Trick Daddy's albums
Trauma - DJ Quik
BlaQKout - DJ Quik & Kurupt (primarily for 'F**k Yall' and because I'm a huge Puff Johnson fan)
400 Degreez - Juvenile
The Real Testament, Definition of Real, Da REAList - Plies
Listenn...the Album, We Global, We the Best - DJ Khaled

Honestly, this list would be too long. Just glancing at my iPod Hip Hop albums category, shows me 87 and since I tend to buy complete albums and not single tracks, I'd have to say at least 60 of those are complete albums. As a rule, I don't put stuff on my iPod unless I want to hear it often. My tastes run so widely, I even have De La Soul on there. And people are always putting me up on stuff as I get around (like last year when my stepmother's nephews put me on Plies). So the list always grows.

[Imarevenant]

Originally Posted by Tha Black Phenom

Mos Def's The Ecstatic was awesome, first album I've heard from the guy and made me fall in love with him. I mean I'd hear about him all the time but never really checked him out.

Mos's album was a complete surprise. Black on Both Sides was a classic and is still something I listen to regularly but since then with The New Danger and True Magic it really seemed that Mos lost the ability to record a decent album anymore. I was expecting more of the same when I threw Ecstatic on and was blown away. Hopefully he's righted his ship.

Originally Posted by Remianen

Honestly, this list would be too long. Just glancing at my iPod Hip Hop albums category, shows me 87 and since I tend to buy complete albums and not single tracks, I'd have to say at least 60 of those are complete albums. As a rule, I don't put stuff on my iPod unless I want to hear it often. My tastes run so widely, I even have De La Soul on there. And people are always putting me up on stuff as I get around (like last year when my stepmother's nephews put me on Plies). So the list always grows.

I hear you, I limited mine to 10 cuz I could have gone all day listing albums. Like you I never buy single songs, its either the whole album or nothing pretty much lol.

And my list of albums is pretty ridiculous at this point as well. I have about 80Gigs of just Hip-Hop on my computer right now, with about 3 boxes of CD's I've yet to rip to my comp. just because I'm too lazy to right now lol. For my birthday I'm getting a second 400 Gig hard drive that I'm already planning to just become my designated music drive.


Anyway, this week looks pretty weak as far as new releases go. Tech N9ne and Swollen Members albums are ok, but nothing special. Actually I rather dislike the Swollen Members album.

Hopefully the Snowgoons album is pretty good but I haven't given it a listen yet.

[i effin rule]

I'm pretty selective with what rap and hip hop I listen to.


Tupac is the greatest rapper of all time as far as I'm concerned.
I absolutely love P.O.S.
Atmosphere
Ugly Duckling
I enjoy most Nas and Jay Z, but generally don't go out of my to listen.
Benefit's "If I Owned a Midget" is awesome
I have a soft spot for The Notorious BIG
Run DMC obviously


That is all I've got off the top of my head.

[Shmoe]

I'll admit I'm not the most in-depth hip-hop listener of all time, but I love good rap and good hip-hop, which is why I'll comment.

I agree with everybody saying Mos Def's The Ecstatic this year. Gave it a listen, phe-f'n-nominal. Really enjoyed it. Also, due to this thread, I began to check out Curren$y and I have to say, I like the kid, good tracks, good lyrics, laid back hip-hop.

I'm big on Nas at the moment, forgot about him but then he performed for Rockcorps in London this year which I caught on TV, and immediatly went and listened to Illmatic. Sick album.

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg are possibly my favourite two rappers/hip-hop artists of all time. They've just got it down tight, any track with those two on I get excited about. The Chronic is my favourite hip-hop album, I gotta say. 2001 was sick as well. I never got into either Tupac or Biggie, although I do like a few of Pac's bigger tunes, same with B.I.G.

The Blueprint 3 is damn good, but not as good as I expected. I hate Rihanna, so the lead single kind of killed my anticipation. Luckily, Empire State Of Mind is a massive track, Already Home, So Ambitious, mostly great tracks. Good to have Jay Z back on this kind of form. My favourite of his since Black Album (another all time great.)

People probably know this, and I'll probably get a lot of hate for this. But Weezy, god damn. I love Weezy, I think the guy is awesome. His voice, his quite frankly bat-s*** crazy persona, his flow, his metaphors, his creativity, the way he branches out. Lil Wayne is a true rap superstar of the modern day, but one who if you listen to Tha Carter III, didn't really sell out, he just refined his approach. But still, I like most of Wayne's stuff, and when he collaborates with an artist, he's often the highlight of the song.

Oh, and T.I, I 100% love T.I's music. His flow, his lyrics, they're always cool and actually refer to something. Trap Muzik, King and T.I. vs. T.I.P are all albums I've listened too over and over again. And how can you not love something as G as 24's?

This is a great thread.

[Stennick]

Tupac was a hypocrite. He had Thug Life tatted oh his stomach but the guy wasn't a thug. He never even got arrested until AFTER he became "famous".

He represented the west coast or whatever it was and I understand thats were he lived at the time but he was born and raised on the east coast.

He had tracks like 'Wonder why they call you bitch" and "Dear Mamma" and "Keep Ya Head up" then he'd put out a track like "Bomb First" where he'd try to be on some real gangsta ****.

I understand that the same can be said about Fifty Cent he's the richest guy in rap and he's talking about putting red dots on someone's head. I get that but two things with that one Fifty is panned for it by hip hop fans. Two Pac was supposed to be "different" he was supposed to be the man with a message. He was the man with a message its just the message varied from track to track.

I like a lot of Pac's tracks "Brenda's got a baby" along with the others I mentioned and so many more. Its just the man was flat out nuts sometimes. I have no idea what made him start acting the way that led to his death but when you run your mouth like he was. At the end nobody could shut him up he was attacking anybody that looked cross eyed at him. Hip Hop wasn't the business it is today. Back then you really were still rollin wit killas that would put you in the ground for a few grand.

[Remianen]

Originally Posted by Stennick

Tupac was a hypocrite. He had Thug Life tatted oh his stomach but the guy wasn't a thug. He never even got arrested until AFTER he became "famous".

I don't get this line of thinking. By all accounts, I was just short of Black Satan when I was younger but my record is clean as the proverbial whistle (though I do know what San Bruno and Quentin look like from the inside. Record don't say that though ). In fact, the man who controlled 80% of the product in Brooklyn in the late 80s to mid 90s (and still has a good chunk of it today), has a clean record here (got an assault beef in Jamaica though). Are you only a 'thug' if you've got a rap sheet? Do you have to have spent time inside to actually know what's going on in the very streets you frequent?

Originally Posted by Stennick

He had tracks like 'Wonder why they call you bitch" and "Dear Mamma" and "Keep Ya Head up" then he'd put out a track like "Bomb First" where he'd try to be on some real gangsta ****.

Ah, so being a 'gangsta' rapper basically means you can't record anything but g-****, yes? I don't think any of the members of NWA got that memo. In fact, the seminal album 'Straight Outta Compton' (you know, the one always credited with 'putting gangsta rap on the map' had such ditties as 'Express Yourself' and 'Something 2 Dance 2'. Hmm, now that I think about it, none of the 116 (ish ) members of Wu-Tang got the memo either. Game must be soft too since he's actually thanked his mother for not aborting him ('Hate It or Love It'). Wow, now that I think about it, nobody's a g since even famous g songs have positive messages in them ('Nuthin' But A G Thang', 'Mind Playin' Tricks on Me') and those were recorded before the current trend of doing a few songs specifically for radio airplay or for release as a single.

Originally Posted by Stennick

I understand that the same can be said about Fifty Cent he's the richest guy in rap and he's talking about putting red dots on someone's head. I get that but two things with that one Fifty is panned for it by hip hop fans. Two Pac was supposed to be "different" he was supposed to be the man with a message. He was the man with a message its just the message varied from track to track.

As it should. Tell me, what happened to all the artists who only recorded 'message' songs? Where's Arrested Development? De La Soul? Gang Starr? Boogie Down Productions? Heck, you could film an entire season of 'Where Are They Now?' on those artists. The key is to get the message out without beating people over the head with it. People generally don't like to pay you money so you can preach to them. That's why versatility is important.

As for what made him start acting a certain way, you'll find that people's attitudes toward you change when you "come up". Hands start getting poked out in your direction, for seemingly no reason other than the fact that they think you have it. Ask Hammer. So after losing a few people you thought were friends, you start to get a bit paranoid and trust issues develop. He went off the deep end at Death Row because it was the first time in his life that he had been surrounded by people whose best interests were served by him staying on top. Everybody on Death Row could cross over with Pac's help. Heck, even people not on Death Row (Richie Rich, for example) could cross over with Pac's help. Plus, he had to start living the image. 50 is similar now in the same respect (it's in Dre's and Em's best interest to keep him strong. Lloyd Banks isn't a particularly remarkable lyricist but look how he sells with 50 in his corner).

Originally Posted by Stennick

I like a lot of Pac's tracks "Brenda's got a baby" along with the others I mentioned and so many more. Its just the man was flat out nuts sometimes. I have no idea what made him start acting the way that led to his death but when you run your mouth like he was. At the end nobody could shut him up he was attacking anybody that looked cross eyed at him. Hip Hop wasn't the business it is today. Back then you really were still rollin wit killas that would put you in the ground for a few grand.

That's because back then, all people could hope and wish for were Mercedes and BMWs. No one even knew what a Bentley or Maybach was and if you asked them what a 'Silver Cloud' or 'Silver Ghost' or 'Flying Spur' was, they'd look at you like you were crazy. That hasn't been the case since the suburbs got a hold of hip hop. Once the money scaled up, people got smarter about how they handled themselves. Nobody wants to end up like Cassidy or Shyne or Mystikal. You can't floss while you're inside and people start to forget who you even are after a while. So maintaining contact has to be done at arm's length (backstage passes to a show, addition to the local entourage, etc) or you catch beefs for simply existing in the same space or for 'not intervening' when some dude catches a beatdown in your general vicinity (ask Snoop). I think Dr Dre's song 'Been There, Done That' kinda explains the change really well.

And honestly, if 'hip hop fans' are panning 50, let them keep on. Every time he sends a 'Bal' text to his bank, he'll see just how much that panning is worth. People hate on 50 because the core hip hop community still has the same ol' 'Crabs in a bucket' mentality they had 20 years ago. Same reason people hate on Weezy. Same reason people hated on Hov. Same reason people hated on RAKIM, way back when (and Eric B was still moving product when they recorded their first two albums).

Stennick, I only said all that to perhaps illustrate the fact that EVERY rapper is a hypocrite. "Do what you gotta do to get by" but they surely don't want anyone to get by at their expense (like, oh I dunno, boosting their car or breaking into their house). Kinda part of being 'human'. Pac spoke about reality. Just because that's not all he spoke about, doesn't detract from the fact that it is/was reality. Honestly, you couldn't have grown up a child of an active, out in the open Black Panther and have a stable childhood in a "nice" neighborhood. The fact that he didn't get arrested for doing what he did doesn't harm his credibility. I know of a few people who have killed but haven't done a single hour behind bars.

And Shmoe, no hate here. I love Weezy, he's so freakin' random, it's nuts. He gets phrases from the ether or something ("I'm sh*ttin' on your boys, I need a Alka Seltzer sammich'). He's fun to listen to. Nothing heavy, just fun.