[bubsdaddy]

I realize I am not the target demographic for urban music but I am curious as a it seems to be quite popular with head-fiers. I grew up in the 60's and came of age in the 70's so that is what I am most familiar with. I have been branching out a bit more and need a little guidance on what to listen to that is considered well recorded and interesting in the house, rap, hip hop, etc category. Give me some "starter" suggestions.

 

[Albedo]

A genre I literary have a distaste for or maybe are not that into are Rap/ Hip-Hop, but one band stands clearly out of the else so beat/ rhyme based boredom. Dälek are hands down something quite different, they draw on a very wide base of influences and not just play to death a somewhat cool sample. Some background info. -> http://www.matadorrecords.com/dalek/biography.html
 
T-Electronique from Faust vs. Dälek - Derbe Respect, Alder (2005) -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3fRL5TZv4M
Review of the album -> http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=fvd-dra
 
Paragraphs Relentless from Abandoned Language (2007) -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvM5iVq5Nag
Review of the album -> http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=dal-al
 
2012 (The Pillage) from Gutter Tactics (2009) -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GnTYS-dCu4
Review of the album -> http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12595-gutter-tactics/

 

[tru blu]

Well, to wade into it you might try these to get acclimated to the sound…
 
Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full
 
Digable Planets - Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)
 
The Roots - The Tipping Point
 
 
I mean, I'm a middle-aged man, too, though I've been into hip-hop since the beginning…i.e., the late '70s…

 

[loww]

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest something totally different. I'm not so much talking about hip-hop here, although the same may well be true.
 
You definitely need to feel the music, as well as hear it, to understand the appeal. Dance music was made to be danced to and I think most young people (certainly me and my friends) get into this type of music from hearing it in a club. 
 
So my suggestion would be to find a club night with a good sound system in your town. Turn up at the start and just stand in the middle of the dance floor until the end. 
 
Staying all night, you should get a good range of the genre (or maybe a few genres). With some slower tempo/experimental at the start and end. Then all the bangers and faster music in the middle of the night. 
 
It might seem crazy but there will probably be a few people your own age there, I often see older guys in crowds. There is no better introduction to dance music than the dancefloor. Just make sure you don't end up at a chart and cheese night because you will be sorely disappointed! I would recommend a straight house/deep house event for you, as it gets less musical and more ear piercing from there.

 

[moriez]

Cool that you like to have a go at these genres and happy to give a man some options. Let's see: something easy going, something this day and age..
 
rappin:
the roots - how i got over
jay are - the 1960's jazz revolution again
 
housin:
luomo - the present lover (bit older)
dj sprinkles - midtown 120 blues
 
electronic:
bibio - ambivalence avenue
games - that we can play
 
soul(-jazz):
josé james - blackmagic
charles bradley - no time for dreaming
 
Let me know how this works out for you

 

[scompton]

As someone who is your age or a just a little younger, I'd suggest using Pandora or MOG to listen to new genres and get an idea what you like and don't like without having to purchase anything.  I've really gotten into downtempo and trip hop though those services.  Just start with one of the recommendations here, or with a genre in Pandora, and the services will play similar artists.   One thing I like about MOG is you can download or stream entire albums. 
 
Another place to get recommendation is to look up a genre in allmusic.com

 

[R_burke]

I'm probably a little older than you (56), but I like Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley, Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra, A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets

 

[JadeEast]

 
Nuyorican Soul was a good album put out a few years ago. It's got some very good headphone listening time.

One of my favorite house tracks is by Moodymann.
 
+ eta. For a good exposure to some house music in more of a mix setting the "red bull music academy" streams a number of dj sets. There are some sets from Moodymann, Theo Parish, both DJ/producers I really like, and this one is pretty nice for the style of house dj sets I like.

 

[jreme]

 
 
Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride 2 The Pharcyde
 
Mos Def & Talib Kweli - Blackstar
 
Common - Finding Forever
 
Jay-Z - The Black Album
 
Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers
 
The Roots - How I Got Over
 
Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory

 

[moriez]

You can't go wrong with Guru's Jazzmatazz in the rap section either. Especially Volume 1

 

[Borgbox]

you should come visit us at the Electronic Music Exchange.

 

[Dreaming Of A Better ...]

Quote:

You can't go wrong with Guru's Jazzmatazz in the rap section either. Especially Volume 1

this, also.
 
a Tribe Called Quest (first 4 albums)
Pete Philly & Perquisite - "Mindstate" and "Mystery Repeats")
Q-Tip - Kamaal The Abstract
Shad -  When This Is Over and The Old Prince
ShinSight Trio - Shallow Nights Blurry Moon
Sound Providers - An Evening With The Sound Providers and "Looking Backwards" and "True Indeed"
Nujabes - "Modal Soul" and "Metaphorical Music" and "Hydeout Productions 2nd Collection"
 
all of the above are easy on the ear and from what i remember there's no swearing, etc.
 
if you want to check out some gangsta rap/more aggressive rap/less melodic beats check out some of the albums below
 
Big L - Lifestylez of da poor & dangerous
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-tang (36 Chambers)
Method Man - Tical (from wu-tang clan)
GZA - Liquid Swords(from wu-tang clan)
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ... (from wu-tang clan)
Nas - illmatic
Organized Konfusion -- Stress: The Extinction agenda
Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
Gang Starr - Decade Of Gang starr ( 2cd "best of" compilation)
Outkast - "ATLiens" and "Aquemini"
 
 

 

[Eee Pee]

Early 90's rap was pretty much the peak in my opinion, along with many people my age, which is 36.  Right before the 2Pac et al garbage.
 
That would include, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Digable Planets, Freestyle Fellowship, Guru's Jazzmatazz (and Gang Starr), Pharcyde, The Roots (early stuff) and Souls To Mischief.  I'm likely forgetting a few.  Realize the topics they had to talk about then are no where near what they talk about today, which is a good thing in my opinion.  

 
Today, almost what?  20 years later, I can still listen to them, it had an intellect unlike what I've heard from the late 90s and so on up to today's junk.
 
 

 

[Questhate]

 

@Eee Pee -- Yikes at lumping in 2Pac with the "garbage" in hip-hop! There is a very short list of MCs in the history of hip-hop that embody his innate knack for language that allows him to transmit such emotional range in his lyrics. Add that to his very musical delivery and I'd boldly claim he's a top ten MC ever. Plus, at the end of his career he began getting really good at multi-syllables that seems to awe the nerd rap crowd. Say what you want about his hypocracy, or his values, he was undoubtedly an extremely talented voice in the history of hip-hop. 
 
Quote:

Early 90's rap was pretty much the peak in my opinion, along with many people my age, which is 36.  Right before the 2Pac et al garbage.
 
That would include, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Digable Planets, Freestyle Fellowship, Guru's Jazzmatazz (and Gang Starr), Pharcyde, The Roots (early stuff) and Souls To Mischief.  I'm likely forgetting a few.  Realize the topics they had to talk about then are no where near what they talk about today, which is a good thing in my opinion.  

 
Today, almost what?  20 years later, I can still listen to them, it had an intellect unlike what I've heard from the late 90s and so on up to today's junk.
 
 

 

I agree with this. Many people call '87-'88 the golden era of hip-hop, but I'd consider '93-'94 to be much stronger. You had a second-generation of young, hungry MCs that built upon the foundation that the likes of Rakim, Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One created in the late 80's. From the late 80's to the mid-90s, hip-hop really enjoyed a fertile creative period, as it was in its adolescence. I personally think the fall of creativity can be traced to about the late-90's after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and huge corporations began buying up all of the local radio stations and monopolizing the playlists nationwide. You start losing regional aesthetics in favor of stripped-down manufactured pop music that appeals to the lowest common denominator. The dumbing down of modern music after the late-90s extends beyond hip-hop and into modern pop music as a whole (but that's another topic). Couple that with the fact that labels began really cracking down on sampling because of a few individuals too lazy to use sampling in a creative manner (*cough* P-Diddy *cough*), and you really cripple the creative process of hip-hop at that point.
 
I'm not saying there wasn't great hip-hop after 1997, in fact the monopolization of nationwide radio saw a very creatively potent underground backlash in the late-90s with the likes of Rawkus Records, Def Jex, Stones Throw, Rhymesayers, etc. Even throughout the 2000's, the rise of the internet as a means of distribution and a forum to communicate, kept creativity afloat. Even in today's age, some great hip-hop are still springing up, like LA's fantastic scene right now (Blu, Fashawn, Odd Future, Pacific Division). However, no one can argue that the quality across the board doesn't even come close to the quality of music two decades ago. 
 
If you are to start anywhere in hip-hop, I'd focus on the decade between '88 and '97 as your starting point. Dreaming Of A Better... listed some of my absolute favorite albums so far, and some bonafide must-listen classics. When I have more time, I'll stop ranting and start doing more recommending in this thread. 
 

 

[Questhate]

 
Quote:

Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full
 
Digable Planets - Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)
 
The Roots - The Tipping Point
 

 
Quote:

Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride 2 The Pharcyde
 
Mos Def & Talib Kweli - Blackstar
 
Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers
 
Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory

 
Quote:

a Tribe Called Quest (first 3 albums)
 
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-tang (36 Chambers)
GZA - Liquid Swords(from wu-tang clan)
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ... (from wu-tang clan)
Nas - illmatic
Organized Konfusion -- Stress: The Extinction agenda
Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
Gang Starr - Decade Of Gang starr ( 2cd "best of" compilation)
Outkast - "ATLiens" and "Aquemini"
 
 

These are all essential albums, in my opinion.
 
I deleted some of these lists, because some albums like Big L's, The Roots' How I Got Over, Common's Finding Forever, etc. are very good albums, but not necessarily essential.