[lucien]

so i saw blackalicious the other night, i can honestly saw it was the coolest hip hop show i've ever seen.

the gift of gab is ****ing amazing. i don't know what else i can tell you. he's just spectacular. they had lateef the truth speaker as a guest, and i'd never heard of him, but he's damned good too. nothing like the gift of gab though.

i laughed like hell when the gift of gab asked the crowd if anyone smoked the happy weed, got passed a joint from a guy in the front, and had lateef continue the show for a minute while he sparked it up there and then.

anyone else ever see them? what else is good in the same vein? i'm already a fan of common, de la soul, and tribe. am i missing any really good ones?

 

[kerelybonto]

I saw Blackalicious when they opened for The Roots at a show last year. They were just opening, so I didn't get their full show, but I thought they sucked from what I saw and heard. The Roots were much, much better in my opinion.

kerleybonto

 

[lucien]

what sort of stuff do The Roots do?

 

[ChenaynayC]

I'm not familiar with Blackalicious' work, but I do like Common, De La Soul (hope you checked out the 'Trying' track on Bionix), Tribe, and the Roots. You might try:

Bilal - 1st Born Second; laid back; good lyrics.

Bluezeum - Portrait of A Groove and Put your Mind on Hold. Both on Telarc. I discovered them at the WoHT in Chicago. They feature a poet called Adwin Brown. But it's a blues/funk/poetry thing. Check it out.

Wyclef Jean - Carnival. I love how he raps to any kind of music. And the skits in between tracks are hilarious.

Guru Jazzmatazz - StreetSoul. A little Macy Gray, a little Common, a little Mos Def. His Volume II - The New Reality is also nice. It has some old artists like Chaka Khan and Bahamadia as well as jazz artists like Donald Byrd and Freddie Hubbard.

I've heard good things about Gangstarr(sp?) - but haven't checked 'em out yet. And last but not least, for old school rap with a political tilt:

Gil Scott-Heron - Glory (2-CD Import). A good collection of his work over the years and he has a large body of work. He's a poet who reads over music (very good music, lots of percussion and keyboards) and sometimes sings. Often called the godfather of rap. Very political (American of course). Not a great vocal range but a rich voice. Check him out. He's my favorite artist and a lot of his stuff is being remastered.

Well, just a few suggestions . . . .

 

[kerelybonto]

The Roots are similar to Blackalicious, but a lot better, in my opinion. Probably the best instrumental hip-hop out there. They were really good live. They're out of Philly -- if you're ever in the area, you should try to catch a show.

kerelybonto

 

[kerelybonto]

Oops, you're in Australia.

If they tour down there, that'd work too -- it's just that in Philadelphia they're pretty big and it makes for a better show.

kerelybonto

 

[lucien]

excellent - thanks for the recommendations. i'll check each fo them out and let you know what i think...