i usually listen to underground rap but i’ve been on a my first huge classic hip hop binge in a while, at least a few years, and have have been listening to a bunch of ghostface so i’m curious
:MF-SICKO:
Mm...Food
Madvillainy
Take Me To Your Leader
Black Bastards if you're ready for it
Tried to put a mix of genres and older and more contemporary stuff here. Also some of it is more East Coast hardcore or gangsta, some southern or trappy, some more abstract-progressive, some older conscious stuff.
I know old-heads and backpackers like to lament the loss of some mythical artistic integrity, like when book chuds act as if everyone use to be reading Faulkner and Virginia Wolff or whoever, but I genuinely think we're currently seeing a second Golden Age of Hip Hop atm. And dont read reviews especially for contemporary abstract shit. Like it reminds you that music journalists in general have no fucking idea wot theyre listenin to.
- Descendents of Cain - Ka
- Brass - Moor Mother and billy woods
- Beware the Monkey - MIKE
- GUMBO - Pink Siifu
- Jazz Codes - Moor Mother
- Aethiopes - billy woods
- Church - billy woods
- Mach Hommy - Pray for Haiti, Driz Series, Dollar Menu Series, Balens Cho, Kill em all
- Tha God Fahim - Dreams of Medina 2
- Hitler wears Hermès 8 - Westside Gunn
- Illmatic - Nas
- I Told Bessie - Elucid
- Liquid Swords - GZA
- The Infamous - Mobb Deep
- Aquemini and ATliens - Outkast
- Bo Jackson - Boldy James
- The Elephant Man’s Bones - Roc Marciano
- LP - Jpegmafia
- Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest
- Ready to Die - Notorious BIG
- All Eyez on Me - Tupac
- Morning Due - Nappy Nina
- Operation Doomsday - MF DOOM
- Alfredo - Freddie Gibbs
- Mos Def (Yasin Bey) - Black on Both Sides, The Ecstatic
- The Fugees - The Score
- The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
- Common - Resurrection, Like Water for Chocolate, Be
- Kendrick Lamar - all is albums are classics
Some other artists really worth checking:
- Akai Solo (progressive, abstract)
- Fly Anakin (especially his projects with Pink Siifu; progressive, abstract)
- Nappy Nina (progressive, abstract)
- Maassai (progressive, abstract)
- NoName (alternative, progressive, conscious)
- YungMorpheus (progressive-abstract)
- Anklejohn (hardcore and alternative/progressive/abstract)
- Rome Streetz (east coast hardcore)
- Koncept Jackson (beware this is weird)
- Earl Sweatshirt (Doris, Some Rap Songs, I don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside, Feet of Clay, Sick!)
- Vince Staples (cali west coast, mix of alternative-progressive and cali style influences)
- ThreeSixMafia (south)
- Marco Plus (Atlanta, funky trap)
Also atm the Texas scene is very good (check BigxThaPlug or Big Moochie Grape)
UK scene is also poppin so can gives some recs if wanted.
French rap is also pumping, as always, but especially right now.
Bonus: Liz 2 by Armani Caesar if ya wanna feel like a bad bitch
Imma get a list of French and Brit recs but just off the top of my head some Brits I'm been listening to recently are Lord Apex, Samrecs and Jay1.
DJ Screw, a way to listen to a ton of 90s west coast and southern rap on shuffle
Chapter 070 - Endonesia is especially solid IMO. The mixing/flow is amazing. The transition between 1st and 2nd songs kills me every time. Super smooth
DJ Screw, the Houston scene, and chopped and screwed generally are all underappreciated IMO
Is DJ screw underappreciated in the states? Even I know about him here in South Africa, and I'm more of a rock/metal/punk guy. Didn't he literally invent some of the most popular techniques still used today, hence his name?
I just don't see people talk about him enough, but he is definitely influential and well known by artists themselves.
That was actually the first hip hop album/compilation I listened to, pretty good
The Cool by Lupe Fiasco
Piece of Strange by Cunninlyguists
Illmatic by Nas
Uncontrolled Substance by Inspectah Deck
Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous of course
First Born: Overdue (2009) is also a great EP. I always hear a particular video game track in "Tried by 12"...
Death Certificate by Ice Cube.
The Big Badass by Ant Banks.
Why yes, I do have a grey beard.
I had trouble picking which Coup album. I went Genocide & Juice, but Steal This Album is also great. So are all the other ones.
Illmatic, Ready to Die, All Eyez on Me, and Madvillainy can all almost go out without saying. Beyond that...
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing.....
Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs
J Dilla - Donuts
Joey Badass - 1999
The Roots - Things Fall Apart
Quasimoto - The Unseen
Vince Staples - Vince Staples
wiki & hak were a great duo and sport was doing interesting stuff with the sounds too
