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The Streets has been around for several years now, but I just heard about him through my roommate. His birth name is Mike Skinner, and that's how I'll be referring to him because using "The Streets" as a singular noun reads weirdly to me. The album I've mostly listened to is A Grand Don't Come for Free.
He's unlike anything I've heard before. The beats are simple and laid back and very listenable. Skinner's flow is...strange. His verses feel like they *almost* can't find a downbeat. The choruses tend to more closely resemble what's normally thought of as rap. Its like something between poetry and storytelling in intonation.
That's appropriate though, because what Skinner does is tell stories. The subject matter ranges from the mundane (a to-do list that he fails to accomplish) to the angsty (his girl left him) but is successful because of his skill in painting a compelling picture. Other voices in his songs are often used as supporting characters.
If you're a fan of hip hop (or even if you're not) give this a try.
posted
I probably do need to listen to more hip hop. I've been trying to teach myself the guitar, so most of what I've been listening to lately has been acoustic songs I can try and learn.
If you've any suggestions, I'd love to hear em. My tastes usually run towards J5, Outkast, Mos Def & Talib, those types of things. I'm open to new sounds.
quote:British people rapping sounds funny. Though, Australian rappers are funnier.
Ever hear Korean or Japanese rap?
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Hmmm what would help me give suggestions is what your tastes *don't* run towards. I am having a hard time finding a commonality between what you mentioned
edit: let's pretend that's all proper English, I'm half asleep as I post!
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I'm willing to give most things a listen. Anything that wouldn't be on MTV or BET would probably be cool. Most gangster stuff just annoys me. I've given most mainstream stuff a listen though, so no need to tell me that The Roots are awesome (for example). Posts: 2907 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Maybe you should try Binary Star or One Be Lo . They are very similiar to Mos and Kweli, but with much more laid back beats. One Be Lo's album SONOGRAM is still one of my favorite CDs ever.
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Rocketship is good if you want to hear some nice battle raps with a nonstop flow. Also E.T., Oggie, and Used 2 Be Fly.
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Ah, we used to play The Streets a lot a few years back at the comic shop I worked at. I enjoy the British rapping...ever hear Lady Sovereign? She's so tiny and rude, but another case of a UK accent working out just fine for hip hop.
Japanese rap is fun
Now french and swedish rap, that's just ridiculous.
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Ok and just list of guys you might like better, all a little more "normal": Tribe Called Quest, The Roots (are amazing), Brother Ali, Sage Francis, Wu Tang Clan, Atmosphere, Cannibal Ox, Classified, Blackalicious, Dilated Peoples, Moka Only, Sole
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I've heard of both Lady Sovereign and Sage Francis, though only in passing. I'll be sure to check 'em both out.
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Dr. Octagon's Dr. Octagonecologyst was a great album too. I thought you guys would like to hear this as well: The Roots' latest single from 'Rising Down' (Beware Black Thought says the n-word at least a billion times in this song for some reason.)
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And thanks for the Roots link, I had no idea they had an album coming out soon! Exciting, I'd like to hear more!
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