This didn't seem appropriate for the other music request thread, so I thought I'd post it here.
My knowledge of the whole Rap/Hip-hop genre is fairly bad. I try to avoid the stuff I hear on the radio, but that's the same for all genres. So I was wondering if there was any really good stuff you guys could suggest.
I've been listening to some Cypress Hill, who are fairly good.
Posted by fil (Member # 5079) on :
I am a lousy Hip Hop fan in that I know what I like and not much beyond that. But cool stuff would STILL be the Beasties (Love their new song) along with The Roots (their Album "Things Fall Apart" was and is one of my favorite CDs of any genre). I also liked Jurassic Five, but I hear they petered out a bit lately.
There. Exhausted my list. Mostly.
fil
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
I don't normally listen to much hip-hop or rap, but I love Wyclef Jean (formally of the Fugees, which is where Lauren Hill came from also).
[ June 01, 2004, 03:39 PM: Message edited by: ludosti ]
Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
quote:But cool stuff would STILL be the Beasties (Love their new song)
Alright! Ben and Val and the rest of the world are such weirdos.
Anyway, yeah. Beastie Boys.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
For some real rap, I'd suggest Dead Prez.
For fun rap, Ludacris has a great voice.
A couple popular songs right now are "Game Over" by lil Flip and "99 Problems" by JayZ (both great songs).
*ponders more*
edit: Some older stuff, try Big Pun - Stil Not a Playa, JayZ - Can I Get A, and even older, some Regulators.
[ June 01, 2004, 03:46 PM: Message edited by: MyrddinFyre ]
Posted by naledge (Member # 392) on :
Jebus,
I definitely start with the Roots. They have a good blend of music and lyrics. I got all their albums, but my favorites will always be their "Do you want more" and "Illadelph Half-Life."
I never thought I encounter someone else that likes Dead Prez on this board...Myr we need to talk sometime
-nal
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
I'm not much of a rap fan usually but I did enjoy The Grey Album (DJ Danger Mouse mixed The Beatles White Album with The Black Album by Jay-Z). It is a bootleg only release though.
I also like a little Blackeyed Peas and of course The Beastie Boys. Sage Francis (solo and with Non-Prophets) is also enjoyable now and then.
You also can't go wrong with Run-DMC.
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
i LOVE outkast. they mix so many different styles of music and their lyrics are really clever. plus they rap about real life, along with humorous or fantastical stories. stankonia and their newest double album, speakerboxxx and the love below, is awesome.
the roots are great. i am not extremely familiar with them, but i really like phrenology and other bits of albums i've heard.
back in high school some skater friends and i were fond of a tribe called quest and juvenille delinquents.
i like N.E.R.D. a lot, and they are from virginia beach, too
older stuff like ice cube and public enemy are always fun times.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
N.E.R.D is freaking awesome. 50 Cent and G-Unit are good...Eminem has brilliant lyrics. Nelly is just plain fun. So is Chingy. Jay-Z I like a bit.
Posted by Jalapenoman (Member # 6575) on :
The words "good stuff" and rap music do not belong in the same sentence. There is a reason why the word rap is found inside of the word "crap." Rhyming, swearing, and spitting while glorifying rape, exploitation of women, murder, and killing cops is not music or social commentary; it is the ranting of the morally and ethically bankrupt.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Actually, I mean it when I say Eminem is brilliant. If you've studied literature and poetry and realize the techniques and things he uses in his lyrics, that is some amazing stuff.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
I really disagree with that. We actually studied rap in one of my english classes in college, and usually the people who take a view like yours haven't really listened to much rap. Rap has a lot more depth to it than talking about violence, etc. Not all of it is like that. I am not a huge fan of rap, but I believe it has definate value.
space opera
edit: I agree with Mack! The techniques he uses are awesome.
[ June 01, 2004, 05:46 PM: Message edited by: Space Opera ]
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
wow, jalapenoman. i would agree with you if that was true of all rap and hip hop, but since it isn't i must contest such a generalized claim. we can link to lyrics, right? one of tupac's most popular songs was an ode to his mother and how much he appreciated her. andre3000 from outkast also has a song about his hardworking mother on his newest album. dracula's wedding, also by andre, is hilarious, witty, and surprising. remember mr. wendell by public enemy? attention for the homeless and forgotten. run to the sun by NERD is about loving a girl with all your heart despite her eminant passing on. it's extremely positive. hip hop abounds with both social commentary and straight up party anthems.
if you look for the bad, you'll find it. if you look for the good, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
i also wanted to add that i am particularly inclined to outkast since a good deal of their lyrics are self deprecating.
Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
quote:The words "good stuff" and rap music do not belong in the same sentence. There is a reason why the word rap is found inside of the word "crap." Rhyming, swearing, and spitting while glorifying rape, exploitation of women, murder, and killing cops is not music or social commentary; it is the ranting of the morally and ethically bankrupt.
First, that is by no means true of all rap. Perhaps "gangsta rap" should never existed, but even then, a lot of songs so labelled had a lot of thought put into them.
Second, I dare you to find a single genre that hasn't been guilty of any of those. Even some classical music has some less-than-decent inspirations.
[ June 01, 2004, 06:10 PM: Message edited by: Da_Goat ]
Posted by Damien (Member # 5611) on :
I agree. And Yayoutkast.
Posted by Fitz (Member # 4803) on :
I don't actively seek rap, but I've enjoyed some stuff that I've heard on the radio.
Just recently, I watched Office Space again. Excellent use of rap in the soundtrack. Michael Bolton is hilarious.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I _adore_ NERD. And Murphy Lee's first single was pretty funny, in my opinion...which is biased.
Definitely check out "Game Over." Lil Flip is my hero.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
What the hook gon' be?
Posted by Rappin' Ronnie Reagan (Member # 5626) on :
I love the group Jurassic 5. I have two of their CDs, Power in Numbers and Quality Control.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
I enjoy some rap, and I can see the powerful artristry in Eminem's work (even though it makes me cringe to hear 'Kim'), but I need some rap that has no cussing.
I have a six year old. He rides in the car with me. That is where I listen to most of my music. That's the way it goes.
I love Outkast (wasn't too impressed with the double album, though) and The St. Lunatics (with Nelly), Shaggy is enormous fun.
But the cursing. Sigh. Oh, and the 'n' word, that's what I can't stand. I understand the cultural stuff behind it (to a degree), but I can't have my kid picking that up. You understand.
So, rap mavens, advise me. Curseless (and 'n'less) rap.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Will Smith, pretty much.
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
Jurrasic 5 is one that comes to mind. But i'm going from memory here. I don't think they curse or use the n word too much, if at all. But I'm not 100%. either way, their music is great.
Posted by fil (Member # 5079) on :
quote:Jurrasic 5 is one that comes to mind. But i'm going from memory here. I don't think they curse or use the n word too much, if at all. But I'm not 100%. either way, their music is great.
There is some swearing but not much. The music is mostly about how great Jurrasic 5 are! The brag is a more important part of rap than violence.
fil
Posted by graywolfe (Member # 3852) on :
Other than some previously mentioned, I can add A Tribe Called Quest, who while inconsistent, could be quite amazing and thoroughly original. Another soundtrack w/quality music would be Ghost Dog.
Btw-the first appearance of gangster rap that I can remember was the Colors soundtrack in the spring of '88. Ice-T's album opener, of the same name, seemed to be the opening salvo of ganster rap, and probably it's finest moment as well.
Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
The Beastie Boys don't use the 'n-word' (obviously), and their older albums don't have too much swearing, though there is quite a bit o' sex talk for a 6 year old...
Posted by Strider (Member # 1807) on :
i don't know if i'd want my 6 year old listening to "Girls". Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
Yeah, same here. They've got cooties.
Posted by Stone Manga (Member # 6579) on :
If you're not into straight-up rap sounds, but like story-telling with a bit of rhythm check out Everlast. Formerly of House Of Pain, I think this guy is a good all-round musician with some good stuff to say, with a Hip-Hop flavour to it. Check out the songs "Ends" and "What It's Like".
Posted by Richard Berg (Member # 133) on :
Much, if not most of good hip-hop does not rely on "cussing" to make its point. However, that doesn't make it appropriate for children; the points that they do make often attack gritty issues like racism, AIDS, violence, censorship, drugs, poverty, and so on.
Then again, this advice is for people that think exposing kids to such themes is harmful. I'd argue that Disney movies which distort history, whitewash culture, and promote unrealistic ideals of "love" are more damaging in the long run...
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Everlast did try to make a career _before_ House of Pain...
And augh...out of curiosity, what do you guys think of Black Eyed Peas?
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
they taste kinda earthy.
Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :
Black Eyed Peas are hit or miss. "Let's Get Retarded" and "Where is the Love?" were pretty awesome songs, but the other couple of singles suck.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I like the SOUND of rap, and I appreciate the poetry of it. The gangsta rap is a bit much for me. However, I heard a band at a music festival last year called Little Egypt. I LOVED them. And I love Outkast. At another music festival, I heard a Zydeco band play Hey Ya. It was fun.
[ June 03, 2004, 08:39 PM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
Posted by LargeTuna (Member # 10512) on :
Bringing up a dead topic, but hey I'm a loyal user of the search function before I start my own thread with the exact same title. I'm a kind natured 17 year old who used to only enjoy chill electronica, acoustic, soft alternative, and anything nice, especially that uses cool variations of instruments and compositions. I've become obsessed with hip hip and rap, even gangsta' rap. I'm not sure how it happened, I started with soft stuff like Jurassic 5, Will Smith, Beastie Boys, Kanye West. Now I've moved on to Notirious BIG and Immortal Technique. I'm a music junkie and have always show a pride in knowing all sorts of cool indie bands. My new favorite musician is Nas. It's not even close. I just love old 90's rap music, and enjoy some new stuff, but the oldschool stuff is amazing. I hate some current stuff like Lil' Wayne (he has some great old stuff though) and tons of other artists they play on the radio. It's probably just a phase, but I love old rap music.
anyone else like rap here?
Posted by Launchywiggin (Member # 9116) on :
Yeah, LT. I like rap. Luda, Snoop, Eminem, Mos Def. I can get down with just about anything that's got a good beat and some interesting loops.
The thing about it is--I rarely listen to hip-hop or rap on purpose. Sure, if it's playing, I'll enjoy it, but if I have free time to listen to music, I tend to gravitate towards other genres.
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
Kind of weird seeing all those names again.
--j_k
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
How has no one mentioned T.I.? and I second The Roots, Common has had some good songs, I only know one Nappy Roots song but it showed alot of talent.
Oh and ofcourse, Easy-E
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Launchywiggin: Yeah, LT. I like rap. Luda, Snoop, Eminem, Mos Def. I can get down with just about anything that's got a good beat and some interesting loops.
The thing about it is--I rarely listen to hip-hop or rap on purpose. Sure, if it's playing, I'll enjoy it, but if I have free time to listen to music, I tend to gravitate towards other genres.
What he said. I'd also recommend Rage Against The Machine's cover of "Microphone Fiend." Actually almost everything they've written.
我同意。 我也有一個建議， 聼 ｒａｇｅ A 345;ｇａｉｎｓｔ ｔｈｅ ｍａｃｈｉｎｅ 的那個 割 “ｍｉｃｒｏｐｈｏｎｅｆｉｅｎｄ＂ 事實 9978;他們所唱的歌都牛鼻了。
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
If you haven't checked out K'naan you are missing out. He is from Somalia and spent some time in New York before settling in Toronto. His two albums are both excellent.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
Dead Prez! Dead Prez!
Posted by SoaPiNuReYe (Member # 9144) on :
Freddie Gibbs is the next Biggie Smalls imo (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=freddie+gibbs+the+labels+tryin+to+kill+me+download&aq=2&oq=freddie+gibbs+the+lab&aqi=g5) (he puts his mixtapes up online for free so don't feel bad for downloading a couple) here's an article from the New Yorker about him (and the fall of Jay-Z) http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2009/10/26/091026crmu_music_frerejones?currentPage=all Dizzee Rascal's Boy In Da Corner was easily one of the best albums of the past decade. (and its the highest rated debut album on Metacritic.com) Raekwon's Only Built For Cuban Linx II was probably the best cd to come out last year (if you think that MPP was overrated, which it was). Fashawn's cd Boy Meets World was another great underground release from last year. As was Blu & Exile's Below The Heavens from the year before. Mos Def's album The Ecstatic was another great cd from last year, and yes it actually has him rapping on it this time. Madvillainy from MF Doom and Madlib is another landmark album from the past decade. Binary Star's album Masters of the Universe and One Be Lo's album S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. are widely considered underground classics and they have that old school vibe to them so I'm sure that you'll love them. Clipse's second album Hell Hath No Fury is another modern day masterpiece (think a 2006 version of Mobb Deep's The Infamous, which if you haven't listened to you should). Its great that you like old school hip hop man, I got into that stuff when I was your age too (only a couple of years ago) and I think that a person who likes old school hip hop is definitely a person worth getting to know. as for old school hip hop I suggest you delve into some of the deeper cuts from the mid to late 90's. That was the golden age. Big L- Put It On (One of the greatest ever, too bad he died young.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBrzEVJwYFg O.C.-Time's Up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzyaaMUCpWs
I also second K'naan. He's not the greatest lyricist but he's a great songwriter and he has great charisma on the mic. His last album was pretty good. Also I'm glad you don't like Lil' Wayne. He's garbage. EDIT: I'm also kind've curious as to what indie stuff you listen to because I'm always looking for more music (I've got 10K in my iTunes and counting.)
Posted by LargeTuna (Member # 10512) on :
but my favorite bands off the top of my head: the first one is my most fav band ever. Mr Hudson & The Library (not to be confused with Mr Hudson) Metric LCD Soundsystem Calvin Harris (brittish electropop) The Cat Empire (funky australian band) Thomas Dutronc (he's a french jack johnson) Jack Penate (check out his CD everything is new. one of the best CD's of the past 5 years IMO) GoodBooks Justice Arctic Monkeys Nas
Posted by SoaPiNuReYe (Member # 9144) on :
You should check out: Death From Above 1979 The Gossip Broken Social Scene (Emily Haines from Metric is in this band, as is Fiest and Jimmy Shaw). Fleet Foxes Deerhunter Ride Cansei De Ser Sexy Vampire Weekend Fool's Gold Phoenix Peter Bjorn & John The Avalanches
Posted by LargeTuna (Member # 10512) on :
I'll check them out. of those the only ones I allready listen to are: Death from above1979 Broken social scene CSS Vampire Weekend Phoenix PB & J (lol great abbreviation)
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The brag is a more important part of rap than violence. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)