OK, another shift in draft strategy for me! Ha ha. For whatever reason, I didn't realize I could pick so many hip hop albums by simply slotting them in the "year" categories. So now I'm gonna pick plenty of those, because that's what I know. I was gonna try and overextend myself into other genres, and while I still will make some picks in that vein, who am I kidding. I don't know Led Zeppelin all that well. But I know hip hop. I love hip hop. So I will represent that genre as best I can with my picks, and hopefully open some of you up to some classic LPs you might enjoy.
Might as well start with my favorite album of all time, and one I really should've taken with my 1st round pick just to show how much I love it. Decided not to let it slip any further, with a bunch of hip hop LPs nabbed in the past 20 picks or so.
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The Four Elements select with their 2nd round pick, in the R&B/Soul/Funk/Hip Hop category:
Nas - Illmatic
Tracklisting:
"The Genesis (Intro)" – 1:45
"N.Y. State Of Mind" – 4:54 (Produced by DJ Premier)
"Life's A Bitch" (f/ AZ) – 3:30 (Produced by L.E.S.)
"The World Is Yours" – 4:50 (Produced by Pete Rock)
"Halftime" – 4:20 (Produced by Large Professor)
"Memory Lane (Sittin' In Da Park)" – 4:08 (Produced by DJ Premier)
"One Love" (f/ Q-Tip) – 5:25 (Produced by Q-Tip)
"One Time 4 Your Mind" – 3:18 (Produced by Large Professor)
"Represent" – 4:12 (Produced by DJ Premier)
"It Ain't Hard To Tell" – 3:22 (Produced by Large Professor)
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Everything about this album just works. The cover. The length (relatively short--9 tracks-- for a hip hop record). The list of producers, and their beats. The intro. The seamless quality/unifying sound of the album that so few hip hop LPs have these days. Nas' almost unparalleled rhyming abilities. In one sentence- I think this is the best hip hop album of all time. I listen to it front to back AT LEAST once a month. It's one of those records that's timeless, and has a special quality about it. From Pitchfork:
Quote:
With Nas spitting spools of ghetto philosophy over a tightly sequenced collection of lush instrumentals provided by a dream team of producers (including DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and Large Professor), Illmatic is the meticulously crafted essence of everything that makes hip hop music great; it's practically a sonic strand of the genre's DNA. On the classic "The World Is Yours", Nas self-consciously kicked verses about writing rhymes and wove rhythmic inspiration into his trademark smooth delivery while Pete Rock's debonair rolling piano motifs and steady drum breaks flawlessly captured the indifferent winds of time passing; while on "Life's a Bitch", over a heady instrumental of thick layers of bass, and pensive Rhodes flourishes, Nas reminisced about waking up on his twentieth birthday ("My physical frame is celebrated 'cause I made it"), and finding newfound motivation facing the hardships of life in the projects of Queens ("I switched my motto, instead of sayin' f*** tomorrow, that buck that bought a bottle could've struck the lotto"). Even Nas' arch-enemy Jay-Z couldn't deny the brilliance of Illmatic on his diss track "The Takeover". Maybe he understood, as everyone does, that this was the original blueprint.
I bolded that particular line because I think it's 100% right- if you wanted to give an alien one LP that would best represent hip hop, this is the one.
Ro...how did you become such a fan of hip hop? That is a question born purely of curiosity and nothing more. I know some hip hop fans around here are real touchy if asked something like that.
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
When I see some of these picks and I'm not sure which is the artist and which is the album title.
But that's what is good about this draft - exposure to different stuff. I may not like some of the stuff picked, but at least I can make judgments from a more knowledgeable position after this is done.
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti
Ro...how did you become such a fan of hip hop? That is a question born purely of curiosity and nothing more. I know some hip hop fans around here are real touchy if asked something like that.
I would second that question
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2022 OHL CHAMPIONS
Ro...how did you become such a fan of hip hop? That is a question born purely of curiosity and nothing more. I know some hip hop fans around here are real touchy if asked something like that.
I could see why people might get touchy - implicit in your question is "hip-hop is difficult to like". However, I think you are curious, and trying to appreciate something different - that is the point of this draft.
I could see why people might get touchy - implicit in your question is "hip-hop is difficult to like". However, I think you are curious, and trying to appreciate something different - that is the point of this draft.
Yeah, that's why I wanted to be clear in where my question originated, although I think Ro is probably above that kind of a reaction.
I'll save the rest of my thoughts until Ro gets back to us.
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
With my second pick, I am happy to select in the category of 03-05, the spectacular release, "Arular" from the artist M.I.A.
The album was released in March of 2005 (in the US, it was released a month after in the UK) and was well received by critics.
Before the album was released, she described what she hoped to achieve with this album: "Nobody wants to be dancing to political songs. I wanted to see if I could write songs about something important and make it sound like nothing. And it kind of worked."
It's difficult to explicitly label M.I.A. as one particular style. She tends to fuse a lot of different types of music together: hip hop, electronica, dancehall, punk, funk and reggae. She comes out with very different stuff, so I find it's the kind of music, you either really like or really hate. I think it's fantastic.
When I see some of these picks and I'm not sure which is the artist and which is the album title.
But that's what is good about this draft - exposure to different stuff. I may not like some of the stuff picked, but at least I can make judgments from a more knowledgeable position after this is done.
I am in the same boat, out of all albums picked in Round 1 and 2, the only albums I have are Veruca Salt (full discography) and Heart (ditto), plus a couple of Nirvana and Guns n Roses songs. And that Urge Overkill Uma Thurman song. That's it. Pretty much the same story as with the first Music draft.
With my second pick, I am happy to select in the category of 03-05, the spectacular release, "Arular" from the artist M.I.A.
I look forward to hearing peoples thoughts on her music and style. Hopefully, it was worth the wait, Peter12.
Love it EG - a phenonemal talent IMO. I like Bucky Done Gun the most.
London
Quiet down I need to make a sound
New York
Quiet down I need to make a sound
Kingston
Quiet down I need to make a sound
Brazil
Quiet I need to make sound
Love it EG - a phenonemal talent IMO. I like Bucky Done Gun the most.
London Quiet down I need to make a sound New York Quiet down I need to make a sound Kingston Quiet down I need to make a sound Brazil Quiet I need to make sound
I'm armed and I'm equal, more fun for the people...
Well then, for you...
That was the first song of hers I had ever heard, and the first time I heard it, I was watching Much and that video came on. I so fiercely hated it. About a week later, I heard it again and absolutely loved it.
I find her music tends to illicit strong reactions, good or bad.
My favourite is probably Bingo. The beat/bass are so dirty. I love it. I would lose it if I were to ever hear it played in a club.
What's up with Youtube? I am watching the video on the site, but here it says unavailable.
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-Elle-
Last edited by Eastern Girl; 11-17-2008 at 01:33 PM.
Reason: Youtube vid was no longer available
Ro...how did you become such a fan of hip hop? That is a question born purely of curiosity and nothing more. I know some hip hop fans around here are real touchy if asked something like that.
Yeah, not touchy at all. Although I do feel like I need to justify why I like the genre sometimes, and feel that's kind of sad. But not at all unwarranted. A lot of the mainstream stuff is truly awful, and I can't condone or even try to identify with some of the messages and ideals much of that music stands for.
But how did I grow to love hip hop so much. Hmmmm. I just kind of fell into it I guess. I don't think there's any question that when I first discovered it, I was enthralled by the imagery, the swagger, and definitely the violent/bad-ass nature of the stuff I listened to at the time (Cypress Hill - Black Sunday, Dr. Dre - The Chronic, etc.). I also grew up listening to, via Mom and Dad, a lot of Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Commodores- the popular R&B/soul music of the 1970's/80's- so I suppose I had an affinity for some of the samples used in hip hop beats even if I wasn't aware of it then. They didn't to listen to any hard rock or even stuff like Pink Floyd or Zeppelin like some of my friends' parents did, and I didn't have any older siblings handing me Sex Pistols or The Clash tapes. Just never listened to alot of rock.
But now that I think about it, those albums I mentioned weren't even close to the first hip hop records I discovered. The first I guess was stuff like MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince- pop rap. I remember being drawn to the beats, and eventually, finding great pleasure in memorizing and breaking down the lyrics. Trying to understand the slang, learning to appreciate the cadence, breath control, stuff like that.
And it just went from there I guess. I could be wrong, but I don't imagine there aren't many 10-14 year olds who start out right from the beginning listening to The Shins or The Flaming Lips or Wolf Parade or any number of bands that show up on troutman's "best of" lists. My guess is they start out listening to pop/mainstream stuff, and just continue to seek out stuff that they like. As they grow older and experience more and more music, they become more discerning and critical of what they're listening to, and start "digging in the crates" (to use a hip hop phrase) to find, well, better music.
So yeah, it went from Vanilla Ice to Dr. Dre - The Chronic to A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Maruaders to Dilated Peoples - The Platform to Louis Logic - Misery Loves Company. Some evolution there, I suppose, although I can still get down with some of the more mainstream stuff if I disregard the lyrics and just groove to the beat, lol.
More to the point, I imagine some people would appreciate me addressing the question "why does an upper-middle class white kid from the suburbs like hip hop so much?" First of all, I don't pretend to understand what it means to be poor, or live in the projects, or "the black experience," or anything like that. But hip hop isn't necessarily all about that. There are plenty of artists who are "keepin' it real" so to speak, and rhyme about more universal topics and have a more positive message.
First and foremost, I love the wordplay. There's nothing better than listening to a track you've heard dozens of times and thinking about a lyric/phrase a different way or finally cluing in on a pun/meatphor/simile. Some of the best rappers are true poets and wordsmiths, and are unbelievably complex/witty/smart with their rhymes. Any range of listening experience is possible, from having a visceral visual picture painted for you, or coming along on an epic journey, or wandering inside the mind of somebody/something. I've always felt that although traditional singing hits the listener in a different way, and the above reactions are certainly not exclusive to one genre of music, there's only so much you can say in one verse if you sing it. With a hip hop track like N.Y. State Of Mind from Illmatic there's just so much substance, so much to take in and absorb. So many words, sentences, phrases. Nowadays a lot of it is wasted or unnecessary or negative or stupid, but don't kid yourself, there's been awful hip hop since the mid 80's- it's all about seeking out quality music.
I also love the braggadocio, the swagger, the "battle" aspect all great lyricists have. But it's different than it was when I was younger- as you grow older, you're not shocked/drawn-in by cuss words or gun talk or the "n word" or whatever anymore, and songs full of that kind of stuff aren't calling out to you like they were when you were a know-nothing 11 year old dufus thinking he's being a rebel. Now it's on a more intellectual level- something more clever than just name- or brand-dropping or simply boasting about how much cash/women/Patron/blah blah blah you got. I'm a pretty mild mannered, calm guy, so maybe sub consciously I feed into this aspect of the hip hop music I enjoy. A little testosterone, a little escapism, taking some pleasure in vicariously "destroying a wack rapper" with an exceptional diss or ill line.
Turntablism also plays a role too. I bought two Technics 1200's in high school and grew to learn and appreciate the role of the DJ in hip hop, and the amazing skill turntablists have. Anytime you start digging a little deeper into a particualr genre, I'm sure you discover more and more independent stuff you like, and learn to appreciate and seek out the best that genre has to offer. And with the way I was able to manipulate records, create my own drum breaks, blend songs together, and scratch lines I liked, I did just that. The music just speaks to me man. Much like the way people talk about guitars hitting them aurally in a special way, a nice little sample, chopped up over a breakbeat puts a smile on my face and a kink in my neck!
Illmatic is an interesting album because although it's quintessential east-coast "boom-bap" (an era in hip hop I immersed myself in and will always associate with "true" hip hop music) record, meaning there's plenty of "project/crime/drugs/bitches" talk, it's combined with brilliant and diverse lyricism that helps those topics become more universal (pain/struggle/strife/hope/friendship) and you are also able to appreciate them from a more analytical, almost English major-like aspect. And the beats are timeless- representative of that era for sure, but also full of soul samples and scratched-up classic hip hop quotables and kickin' drums and all that other good stuff classic mid 90's hip hop is full of.
It's one of those albums that helped me to think "hey, this hip hop stuff has more to it than some people think." And that, in turn, sent me down the path of discovering fulfilling hip hop music and not disposable crap.
Last edited by Ro; 11-17-2008 at 03:08 PM.
The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Ro For This Useful Post:
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti
Exactly what I was looking for in an answer. An actual answer!
Interesting that you attribute some of the appeal to your parents playing a lot of Motown stuff for you as a kid. I enjoy pretty much all of that too (I'm not going to get specific, we are in the middle of a draft here!) but the music I was exposed to by my parents was country. Nothing more except the odd Simon and Garfunkel throw in by Dad. I HATED it. For a long, long time. When I was in my early 20's I started to gain an appreciation for some of it, as evidenced with my first pick in the draft. My Dad played the hell out of Red Headed Stranger and I thought it was torture when I was 9, but now that 3 decades have passed, I appreciate the album (and the artist frankly) for how absolutely genius they are. However, I am NOT a country fan...at least I wouldn't classify myself as one. There are certainly country artists I like, mostly from bygone eras, but not enough to consider country my favorite.
You also mentioned pop radio as an influence. I was lucky enough to begin to listen to music on my own when pop radio was actually, for the most part, dominated by rock. What we would label classic rock bands now were receiving the majority of radio play back then. I guess that's where my adoration for rock began.
There is some hip hop (rap really) out there that I like, but I certainly haven't been exposed to the variety you have. I may get on that pick rather soon just so I don't run out of options.
Bottom line, it doesn't speak to me like it does to you....and that's just fine! Thanks again for the reply. I think we all appreciate that kind of insight into someone's tast in anything.
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
That really is the type of answer I was hoping to read from Dis’s question. I myself am 100% ignorant when it comes to Hip Hop, I remember a wee bit of it from the 80’s but very little.
If someone asked me how I became a fan of blues (blues guitar) I doubt I could give the quality answer you did.
__________________ 2018 OHL CHAMPIONS
2022 OHL CHAMPIONS
I'm not sure why that happens (copyright?). Another version of the video might work fine.
That, and sometimes if embedding is disabled you get that.
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti
If someone asked me how I became a fan of blues (blues guitar) I doubt I could give the quality answer you did.
No problem fellas, and thanks. I was gonna go with "I just like what I like," but after reading over what I wrote I'm surprised and happy I was able to convey why "I like what I like!"
But that sentence is true- sometimes people just start off on a certain course, and that's what they know, what they enjoy, what they want. For me, at least musically, rap and hip hop have always been a huge part of my life and perhaps it just as easily could have been country or house or jazz under different circumstances. Who knows.
