A lot of Skullbrainers listen to Punk Rock. I was wondering who here appreciates good Hip-Hop. Must admit, i don't like much new Hip-Hop (Though I do buy a tiny bit). I've grown up with Hip-Hop being a big part of my life. It all began in the early 80's saving any money i could, so on friday night i could go to the city and buy an import 12" or LP. Started with stuff like: Davy D - One for the Treble, B Boys - Stick up Kid, Fearless Four - Rockin It, Rammellzee vs K-Rob - Beat Bop etc This then moved onto mid- late 80's artists like .. (Golden Age Hip-Hop) Gangstarr, Lord Finesse, Native Tongues (Tribe Called Quest, De La, JB's) King Tee, Marley Marle's Juice Crew, Tuff Crew, PE, Cypress Hill, KMD... Then the Indy boom of the mid to late 90's with artists like... Organized Konfusion, Del & Hierogyphics, PB Wolf & Stones Throw Records, MF Doom, Non-Phixion, Dj Spinna ... Ended up working @ the same record store i bought some of my first records in 83-84. Had that job for just over 9 years (as the Hip-Hop buyer). Not there now though. : ( Over the years working at the store i built a greater appreciation for other music. (Broke out of my purist mentality) I don't take things so seriously anymore but i'm still picky. Also big on 70's Funk, Jazz Rock, Dub, Progressive Rock. This came from diggin' for the samples and beats in Hip-Hop. Any of these artists bring back any memories. What Hip-Hop do you love or hate?
We called it rap in Hawaii when I was growing up. I notice that everyone calls it hip-hop now. What's the reason?
Hip hop is the culture. Rap is the music. Its like people using kaiju the wrong way. I listened to a lot of different stuff and still do...all but Country, Western, and Classical music (except my mom listened to a lot of Classical so growing up, there was really no say in the matter when we were in the car).
into lots of mid 90's stuff and some late 80's, big l will always be my favourite mc of all time. australian hip hop is beyond embarassing.
Cool thread. I'm totally into new school hip-hop... recent stuff from the likes of Mistah Fab, Chip Tha Ripper, Peedi Crakk, Cory Gunz, Charles Hamilton etc has definately blown me away. There's so much quality hip-hop being produced these days it's always sad to see cats only giving props to the old days.
new school stuff always gets neglected. there are still quite a bit of new good shit coming out: quasimoto, atmosphere, micronauts, mad villain, the high & mighty, and pretty much everything related to the eastern conference all-stars and stones throw! some of my all time fav older schoolers are A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, & Del the Funky Homosapien....
PB Wolf & Stones Throw Records, MF Doom, quote] These guys, and really all of Stones Throw, consistently release the best music out there. Madlib and his numerous alter-egos (Lord Quas, Beat Konducta, Yesterdays New Quintet, Jackson Conti) are all phenomenal. If you have any interest in checking out their stuff they also release free podcasts through itunes and their site once or twice a month. Other groups I dig other than the pioneers you listed before are; Heltah Skeltah, Smif n wessun, black moon, LOVE Count Bass D, Old school Too Short and so many more. I had a hip hop filled weekend and loved every second of it.
Alas, I know very little about contemporary hip hop music (sorry bert, I disagree...you're right on hip hop being a cultural movement, but I think that "hip hop music" is a true term and is more encompassing than just "rap".) because I'm stuck on the older stuff. Everything from Grandmaster Flash/Furious Five and Kurtis Blow, to Public Enemy, BDP, and Eric B. and Rakim to Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde, Common, and Nas.
i grew up on beastie boys, tribe called quest, gangstarr, etc. these days sole and aesop are probably my two favs. actually prefer instrumental stuff the most... blockhead, alias, madlib, odd nosdam, & prefuse 73 are some of the best
I guess I am "old school" as those are the only names that I recognize. I grew up listening to Bone Thugs N Harmony. No joke.
if you dig instrumental stuff, you should really check out Mr. Dibs he opened for atmosphere a few years back when i first saw him. intense instrumentals! also, rjd2 is pretty sweet....
Use to be. I still listen to a lot, but haven't picked up a new rap album in quite a while. It's dead again. There'll eventually be another rebirth but right now it's fucking stale - all those "new school" groups were once fresh and original but are now mired in mediocrity after doing the same shit for the past 8 years. Honestly, I think some Top 40 rap is better than the "indie" scene these days. The two labels I liked (SoleSides & Def Jux) haven't put out anything worth listening to in I don't know how long - their first few releases after "the shift" (Solesides >>> Quanum; and Rawkus dissolving and El-P giving birth to Def Jux) were good, but then things got stale real quick. I think rappers only have so much to say - after about 2-3 albums they don't have anything worth talking about anymore. Case in point: Aceyalone. That cat was GREAT on "All Balls Don't Bounce", and "A Book of Human Language" - but all his other solo albums were CRAP. Luckily he also gave us a couple good Freestyle Fellowship albums, one good Haiku d'Etat album and one good A-Team album. Speaking of Australian rap - yeah, that shit sucks! The 2nd A-Team album had 3 or 4 Aussies rapping on it and my god did it make the whole album stink! I think I'm a little bitter - I LOVE rap and hate that it sucks so hard right now.
I can't take too much new rap,but I love all the past anticon stuff and 13 & god stuff like that ..I grew up in and around New Orleans so bounce rap has been beaten into my head for years...I actually got to play a show with sole...that made me so happy
there's been some decent talent in the past decade or so.....buck 65's earlier stuff comes to mind, also roots manuva. (I also have much love for the anticon label)
yea the 13 & god record is great. and thats awesome you got to play with sole! his recent album with the skyrider band is some of his best material imo but i hear you about new rap/hip-hop in general, i just get annoyed
I love good creative hip hop / rap and always have but right now I'm not seeing much that's new that gets me excited. Been revisiting the old Sugar Hill catalogue lately and loving it all over again. Best party music ever. In retrospect it's easy to see how close that sound is to the disco of the immediately preceding years. At the time they seemed so far apart. Lessee ... just a few names off the top of my head of stuff I like ... Edan, OutKast, Native Guns, Cut Chemist, Too Short, Blackalicious, Cee-Lo and his many projects, DOOM of course, Kool Keith and all his personas, Decompoze, DJ Spooky, Sage Francis, The Roots, Andre Nickatina, Thirstin Howl III, Eyedea, Aesop Rock, Subtle, The Coup, Pigeon John, Nitty, Jurassic Five, DJ Logic etc. etc. etc. ... the more creative, the better. I'm partial to west coast but also love Dirty South bounce. As popular genres go, Hip Hop has enjoyed a remarkably long run and evolution. If things are petering out at this point, at least a lot of amazing music that changed things forever was made over three or four decades.
