[coolvij]

I like the roots, but am a relative "newbie" at rap - care to give me recs?

I like strong beats, but they shouldn't be simply BOOM BOOM BOOM like p. diddy.

I could care less if there is cussing - IF there is a message behind it. Pointless swearing is just dumb.

I prefer voices that are low and deep to shrill high voices......

 

[freethetree]

Binary Star, MOP, Gangstarr, Athletic Mic League, etc. Real Music. **** pop rap. Most of these mainstream "rappers" now adays dont even know what hip-hop is. Or they used to know and forgot. Lots of people dont respect rap. And for good reason. The rap music most people hear is usually ********. If you want real hip-hop you usually gotta look to the underground. Some commercial rap is pretty good. But chances are if you heard it on the radio, or saw it on TV, its fake as fake can be.

 

[MacDEF]

Coolvij, check out any album by A Tribe Called Quest for some great rap. I have four of their albums and they're simply one of the best all-around rap groups ever.

For ultra-political rap, Paris's "The Devil Made Me Do It" is one of the hardest-hitting albums I've heard. Of course, Public Enemy is as good as it gets, especially "It Takes A Nation Of Millions..." and "Fear Of A Black Planet." The beats and music are amazing... it's like "Wall of Sound" for rap.

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's Mecca and the Soul Brother is also a great album. The single "T.R.O.Y." is one of my favorite rap tracks of all time.

Queen Latifah's "Black Reign" is probably my favorite beginning-to-end female rap album.

For a nice retrospective, get Run-D.M.C.'s "Together Forever" greatest hits album.

For "fun" rap, nobody can touch LL Cool J

Not a lot of substance, but better beats and vocals than any of the junk around today. He also has a greatest hits album (I think it was called "All World").

On the lighter side, I also really like PM Dawn. They're definitely pop-rap, but at least they're creative, and many of their songs are really catchy. I also like the fact that when they sample, they often bring the original artist onboard to do vocals, etc.

There's a LOT of good stuff out there; these are just some suggestions.

 

[dhwilkin]

What about Salt 'N Pepper and/or En Vogue? Again, more flash than substance usually, but a few songs were pretty meaningful. Thinking of "Heaven and Hell" and "Free Your Mind".

I also really like US3 - Hand on the Torch, though they may be more acid jazz than straight rap.

 

[mc whak]

Quote:

Originally posted by neil Another hip-hop group I enjoy is Massive Attack. They do a lot of work with outside artists that guest appear on song as singers, but their core group stuff with rap is pretty smooth. Some might categorize them as rap trip-hop because their background beats and sounds on some of their tracks is pretty laid back, but they've definitely got some soul. Album I recommend is definitely Mezzanine.

Damn right.

I also agree with MacDEF, Tribe is pretty much the shiznit.

 

[coolvij]

thanx for the recs......u kno, u gotta have some rap once in a while......sorta like, u need to have good ol' ellington-style swing once in a while. Both can be exceedingly annoying in large doses - but refreshingly enjoyable in smaller portions, IMO.

 

[blastoff]

Talib Kweli and Hi Tek - Relection Eternal, good album, anyone else listen to it?

 

[KR...]

Quote:

I was afraid that I would get a cynical response from an audiophile site. I am proud of y'all

Don't be too proud, it's an unwritten rule not to say anything bad about someone's taste and their listening habbits.

 

[freethetree]

Kweli is the ****. One of the realest MCs ever.

 

[coolvij]

KR: It's too bad he missed out on the precedent setting Britney thread, eh?

 

[KR...]

Quote:

KR: It's too bad he missed out on the precedent setting Britney thread, eh?

The rule was put into place after that one. Anyway, carry on gentle fellows.

 

[stymie miasma]

I don't really listen to a lot of rap, but I have been enjoying Cannibal Ox "The Cold Vein" (Def Jux). A few more rap acts to consider are Senational, Dalek and the Anti Pop Consortium, although I have only heard little snipets of these but from what I have heard from like-minded friends, they are worth a listen.

Also, have a listen to Techno Animal's "Brotherhood of the Bomb" and "Dead Man's Curse" (both on Matador) as well as Ice's "Bad Blood" for some interesting, left-of-centre, mutant hiphop/rap.

www.defjux.net
www.wordsound.com
www.matadorrecords.com/techno_animal/

 

[Vertigo-1]

This is pretty cool...I used to be into rap, but with the way it's been going pretty downhill for exactly the reasons MacDEF mentioned, I totally stopped even bothering with it. But some of these suggestions are definitely stuff I intend to go out on a tandem and check out, such as A Tribe Called Quest. Should be interesting getting back into some rap.

 

[Tuberoller]

I have never been a big fan of rap music and usually stumble across it when I find my daughter has been using my equipment.I gotta say I love Mos Def.This guy actually has something to say and does it well.He is obviously an accomplished poet and a very talented rapper.I hear he is a very good musician as well.I listened to one of his Cds and I can actually hear real instruments,some drum machines,but mostly horns, strings,and a lot a percussive instruments.If all rap were this good I would give it more of a listen.

I once met Ice-Cube when I was serving.He was a very intelligent and articulate guy and did not fit my preconcieved notion of what these guys might be like.I also met Garth Brooks and Tom Clancy during that same tour and they were both complete idiots,they wanted to pose with us with our weapons and excluded anyone from the pictures who was'nt armed,my opinions of both these guys still suffers to this day.

On the bad side of Rap are rappers like Nelly,if I ever meet that guy I'd like to kick his ass.What a nit-wit.

 

[Audio-Me]

Well this is a good kick in the mouth, I thought I was the only audio freak out there that enjoyed good hiphop and rap.

Here's my list of favorite artists and albums:

Nate Dogg - Music & Me (and every other song he features in)
Mos Def - big player in VA Lyricist Lounge 2 (also a top cameo)
Ja Rule - Pain Is Love
Warren G - Take A Look Over Your Shoulder
Outkast - Aquemini
Tribe Called Quest - all their albums are fun rhyme books =P
Jurassic 5 - party music =)
Snoop Dogg - hehe, he the man
DMX - The Great Depression
Tupac - um, legend, need I say more?

Musically, I don't particularly like the old school beats, I listen to a lot of the original artists for the lyrical content: Rakim, EPMD, Public Enemy, Def Squad, Notorious B.I.G., Naughty By Nature, there's more but I don't listen to old school very often anymore...

Sadly, there are too many ******** posers who call themselves artists. Most of them are rip offs of other artists, or just another jar of jelly on the bandwagon to profit off the pop/rap craze. The noise cramped filler albums that these morons dish out are not considered music to me, they're just cheap entertainment for the billions of people with bad taste in music.