Rap / Hip-Hop

[Crunchy]

So I've got a feeling that there aren't a whole lot of people here who share this aspect of my music tastes, but I'm a pretty big rap fan.

Anyone else?

Who do you like? Opinions on the industry? Any new/upcoming artists we should be aware of? Is Tupac really dead? Who is really the greatest rapper of all time? The best alive? Collaborations or remixes you'd like to see?

[sleeplessdwarf]

Back in the day I was a huge Tupac fan.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i12/sleeplessdwarf/Uploads%20via%20Pixelpipe/img_0827-1.jpg

I was into NWA at the start and Master P was cool till he went mainstream. I think that can be said about most groups rap/rock/punk whatever. DMX is to me the best one still around, but I have decided that I like the sound of Lil Wayne(sp?) He has a different style and I am very much into the hard side of rock as wel as many other types such as classical/blues/gospel. You name it, I have some songs that I like in it. :P

[jayson]

Favorite active rapper - Taleb Kweli

Favorite all time - tough call, probably Chuck D

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

I like rap that most people probably think is cheesy.
Cyprus Hill
Sir Mix-A-Lot
2livecrew

Does Beastie Boys count?

Oh and I really like eminem

[Crunchy]

yes Beastie Boys count. i actually almost clarified that in the opening post.

sleeplessdwarf:

i could talk forever about Lil Wayne. not only is he very unique, he is a great rapper and a lyrical genius. honestly, people who say his lyrics are stupid or that he is not talented just don't understand what he's saying or haven't taken the time to try. if you're just getting your feet wet with his music, let me suggest a few songs --

first of all, Da Drought 3 (mixtape) and Tha Carter III are fantastic. I can practically listen to either one cover to cover, time and time again. now, as far as a sampling of some of my favorite individual tracks at the moment NOT on either album..

-The American Dream

-Yes

-Dick Pleaser

-Pussy Money Weed

-I Feel Like Dying (this one may creep some people out, but it's pretty cool when you're high. if you're into that)

there are so many more good ones but give those a listen if you get a chance.

[Crunchy]

Oh and I really like eminem

i used to be a huge eminem fan and i still really like his older stuff. i'm not so sure i'm sold on his new album yet.. what do you think about it?

[flaggwalkstheline]

havent heard it but I do like eminem
I think american rap right now is kinda stagnant, like hair metal in the 80s
I like NWA, chuck D, Ol dirty bastard (the odb is one of my favorites)
What I've really ben getting into lately is rap from the uk, Jamie T, Dizzie Rascal, Mike Skinner, Lady Sovereign, etc
It just feels fresher than most of our stuff
I am so eager for jamie T's second album
his 1st, Panic prevention absolutely changed the way I think about rap and music in general

[Mad Man]

Well i only admit listening Beastie Boys and even then I try to avoid tagging 'em as rap/hip-hop :wtf:

but overall i won't admit that rap is music and I try to avoid hip-hop - cheers :rock:

[jayson]

The Beastie Boys proudly tag themselves as Rap/Hip-Hop so I have no issue with using it myself. Sure, they have many songs that are outside of that classification (some funk, some rock, some early stuff is punk) but that versatility is what makes them great.

[Crunchy]

Mad Man:

you shouldn't be so opposed to the idea of thinking accepting rap as music. i feel that it's a truly amazing art form if you can find something you like and take the time to appreciate the nuances of the songs and the skillsets it takes to create them. truly a whole different world from that of rock music, and at least equally fascinating.

flaggwalkstheline:

i don't think i've listened to any UK rap artists/groups. in fact, i don't think i'd even considered it up to this point, but i should definitely check some of them out!


has anyone here listened to anthing by Lonely Island? it's Saturday Night Live Guys who formed a hilarious rap group, but they are actually pretty good lyricists. definitely worth a listen.

[Seymour_Glass]

I love the Lonely Island.

And I've been listening to some of the older Eminem singles and enjoying them. I tale a little Weezy on occasion.

[John Blaze]

I like everything, all genre's, all artists, all styles.

right now I'm really into Pitbull, his songs are funny, brutally honest, and infectious.

Calle Ocho has been playing over and over on my mp3 player/phone.

I even had a part of "Toma" on my sig for a while, and no one noticed :P (what i do is unheard of, with these women I'm O.J. - i get away with murder)

[Crunchy]

i've never been a big Pitbull fan.. not sure why he just never appealed to me.

Eminem's old stuff will never get old to me, though. I can never get tired of "Still Don't Give A Fuck", my favorite Em song of all time.

[John Blaze]

my favorite em song of all time is "the way i am", it's just awesome like that. And you need to listen to more pitbull. Culo, Toma, and Calle Ocho especially.

[Crunchy]

by the way, here's a couple newer guys everyone should DEFINITELY check out if they haven't heard them already:

Drake -- this guy is signed to Lil Wayne's label, Young Money Entertainment, and is starting to get a lot of buzz. He has a couple mixtapes and his first album is set to come out this year. he has a lot of talent and appeal, and his lyrics suggest a very intelligent and gifted young man. one of those rappers, like Wayne, who makes you stop and think about what he's saying. Sky is the limit for this dude.

best songs: Successful, Best I Ever Had, Say What's Real.. also, he has the second verse on Every Girl, and it's a very good verse. there's one really good piece of wordplay in that verse, i won't say where. listen to it.


Tha Joker -- signed to Family Ties Entertainment out of Mississpi, this cat is EXTREMELY talented, and he's only 17. If he keeps improving at the rate Lil Wayne did from that age, he will be the best rapper in the business in a few years. I doubt that will happen though, because he's already so polished. His punchlines are championship material, and his flow cuts through beats like a cleaver through hot butter.

best songs: We Do It For Fun Pt. 1, Pt. 2, and Pt. 3.. also, his spityogame.com exclusive Soulja Boy diss (you can find all of them on youtube).

[Crunchy]

my favorite em song of all time is "the way i am", it's just awesome like that. And you need to listen to more pitbull. Culo, Toma, and Calle Ocho especially.

ok, i will check those songs out if you listen to Drake and Tha Joker. i'm especially trying to get the word out on Tha Joker, as he isn't that well known yet and he should be.

[John Blaze]

my favorite em song of all time is "the way i am", it's just awesome like that. And you need to listen to more pitbull. Culo, Toma, and Calle Ocho especially.

ok, i will check those songs out if you listen to Drake and Tha Joker. i'm especially trying to get the word out on Tha Joker, as he isn't that well known yet and he should be.
i'll check it out

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

Oh and I really like eminem

i used to be a huge eminem fan and i still really like his older stuff. i'm not so sure i'm sold on his new album yet.. what do you think about it?

I have not heard his new album.

[Frunobulax]

Cannot stand Eminem or Lil Wayne. Just not my thing. I do like:
NWA
Talib Kweli
MF Doom (and all his aliases)
Madlib
Blackalicious
and a few more

[Frunobulax]

Oh yeah, Lady Sovereign's music makes me ill. She's so drastically sub par compared to Dizzee or even Spank Rock.

[jayson]

I liked Kweli and Mos Def's "Black Star" project a lot too.

[Frunobulax]

That was a great disc. [adult swim]'s Chrome Children series has some awesome tracks. And they're free downloads.

[SigTauGimp]

I'm more of a 90's "gangsta style" fan...I looovveee BT&H(Bone, Thugs, & Harmony)....my favorite group of all time...I liked most artists from both Death Row and Murder Inc...I also like 2LiveCrew a lot, too....even seen them open up for ICP(Back when I was into them) back in 2003...most of the big names of the day, pretty much. (Dre, Snoop, Tupac, B.I.G.)

Now, as for modern day, there really aren't many I dig....50cent's Get Rich Or Die Tryin' I enjoyed quite a bit...Lonely Island is actually pretty good, too...the flow is nice, at any rate. :P

Now, I'm not sure how you'd label them, but I also used to listen to hed(pe) and Bionic Jive quite a bit. If you've heard them, what would you call their genre?

[biomieg]

I have a pretty eclectic taste in music, mostly rock/metal but also a LOT of world music (flamenco, Brazilian music, Indian music etc.), classical, drum'n'bass, and yes, also rap/hiphop.

I was never a true aficionado so I'm only familiar with the bigger names but back in the day I always got a kick out of Ice T, Ice Cube (and NWA), Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, and later also Busta Rhymes, Mystikal, and Eminem.

[Crunchy]

Oh and I really like eminem

i used to be a huge eminem fan and i still really like his older stuff. i'm not so sure i'm sold on his new album yet.. what do you think about it?

I have not heard his new album.

It's called Relapse. He's releasing a part 2 later this year.

[Crunchy]

Cannot stand Eminem or Lil Wayne. Just not my thing.

You never fail to disappoint me, Fruno.:nope:

[Mad Man]

Mad Man:

you shouldn't be so opposed to the idea of thinking accepting rap as music. i feel that it's a truly amazing art form if you can find something you like and take the time to appreciate the nuances of the songs and the skillsets it takes to create them. truly a whole different world from that of rock music, and at least equally fascinating.


Yeh it's a form of art perhaps but for me it ain't music. Art is a fine word for it but when compared to other genres it's far from being music in my opinion. :)

[Crunchy]

music --

–noun
1. an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.

n.

1. The art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.


a couple definitions of music i found. so i don't really think the fact that rap is music is debatable.

whether or not it's to your tastes is another story. some people just don't enjoy it, and that's fine. i myself dislike screamo and have no desire nor reason to listen to it. to each his own.

[Mad Man]

1. an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.

from that list it only has rhytm :P

I find that everyone can define "music" the way they want... the way they feel it - so yeh there's no point in arguing about it here. :borg:

[Crunchy]

actually, most rap i've heard also contains harmony and melody. rhythm just tends to be the chief and defining element. i'm not aware of any music that contains color :wtf:

not attempting to argue, btw. just discussing :)

[Mad Man]

Hmm usually I can read even more than just color out of music :)

[flaggwalkstheline]

Mad Man:

you shouldn't be so opposed to the idea of thinking accepting rap as music. i feel that it's a truly amazing art form if you can find something you like and take the time to appreciate the nuances of the songs and the skillsets it takes to create them. truly a whole different world from that of rock music, and at least equally fascinating.


Yeh it's a form of art perhaps but for me it ain't music. Art is a fine word for it but when compared to other genres it's far from being music in my opinion. :)

I dont think theres a person alive who could listen to stan by eminem and not be moved

YouTube - Eminem - Stan (UnCut Version)

[jayson]

I dont think theres a person alive who could listen to stan by eminem and not be moved

Does that mean I'm dead? :orely:

[Crunchy]

Stan is a pretty emotional song. a lot of em's stuff is/was.

[candy]

Stan is a pretty emotional song. a lot of em's stuff is/was.

i have to agree with you on this one, i wouldn't class myself as a rap fan. however i do like to listen to eminem as he tends to have harmony and damn good lyrics. must admit stan got a bit repetitive from the air time, but cleaning out my closet is awesome. must also mention lose yourself, which personally i would probabley not class as rap as it had to much flowing music (theres prob a hip name for it but as i am old i dont know:cyclops:)

[Frunobulax]

I'm dead, too, Jayson.

[John Blaze]

Fruno, you just hate anything that's not indie........ :P

as for Em, he's got talent, and wether you like him or not you have to admit that much. Kill You is one of my favorites.

[AlishaRiley]

UK rap, or grime is, in my opinion, much better than the really mainstream American artists.
People like Dizzee Rascal,
Scroobius Pip
Akala
JME

Jezebel, by Dizzee is an awesome song - in fact Boy in Da Corner is an awesome album.
His new material is beyond disappointing, though. :(

[Frunobulax]

True, Alisha. Dizzee's Boy In Da Corner was and remains an amazing disc from top to bottom. Bruno, while I do enjoy indie more, there is such a thing as good mainstream. It's just hard to find in today's world. Eminem is a clever fellow, his music just does nothing for me.

[jayson]

I'm dead, too, Jayson.

Then at least I'm in good company.

[Crunchy]

i think it depends what "mainstream" American artists you mean. if you mean mainstream artists like Soulja Boy.. then yeah i pretty much guarantee you UK stuff is better. most of Soulja Boy's stuff honestly isn't even rap though.

But Lil Wayne, Eminem, Andre 3000 (i'd consider him mainstream), T.I., Kanye West, Jay-Z ... it's hard to get better than those guys.

[Mad Man]

I dont think theres a person alive who could listen to stan by eminem and not be moved


I'm dead :(

[AlishaRiley]

I have to give you kudos on Andre 3000. :wub:
Not only is he awesome, but he's ridiculously hot.
T.I is really, really not my thing, but I like Kanye, I have to say.

The more I hear from Eminem, though, the less I like him. He started off good - nay, in fact, he started off amazing. But now, it just seems a little bland, IMO.

[Brice]

Eminem started out great. I think he undeniably had talent. I think the problem now though is he's let himself grow stale. He's found his little niche and stays there.

T.I. I find astoundingly unimpressive. Anybody could have made his music...including me...including you.

Kanye, I think has done some things good, but the vast majority to me is just mediocre.

Lil Wayne does nothing for me...oh, that's not true...he makes me want to turn the music off, so there's that I guess.

JAY-Z was once good and now I think he's just riding along on his past successes.

Andre 3,000, I have to agree is awesome.

The only UK rap I've heard is Lady Sovereign and she may just possibly win awards for being the least talented person on the planet. She is fucking abysmal. She can not even hope to strive for the stellar heights of mediocrity. To summarize this is a woman who shouldn't even sing alone in the shower. She shouldn't even be allowed to listen to the radio. Otherwise....she's allright.

Now Soulja' Boy, he is the culmination and emodiment of thousands of years of music history. People this is where all of music has been leading to and what every musician has aspired for. Ok, yeah, I just made myself sick saying that. :lol:

[Darkthoughts]

I like the collaboration track from The Ordinary Boys and Lady Sov, but bless her, she is a total chav! :lol:

As far as Eminem goes, he used up all his good material on The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP and now he's just rapping about utter bollocks and it shows. I don't wish for him to have to relive all the stuff that made him an angry young man, which is what lent so much power and dark humour to those albums - but I really don't feel like he's anything more than a novelty rapper without that.

I'm not very au fait with any current rap artists. I like random tracks, but mostly to be found in my cd/cassette collection are The Beastie Boys, The Pharcyde, KRS1/Boogie Down Productions, Young MC, Jurassic 5, London Posse and Rob's Ice Cube and NWA collections :D

[Brice]

Ok, you just listed a lot of the rap I like.

Em just needs someone to whip his ass, take his all his shit from him, and send his ass back to the trailer park. Then he can be a good rapper again.

Lady Sovereign has/can/will never do anything good IMO.

[jayson]

Em just needs someone to whip his ass, take his all his shit from him, and send his ass back to the trailer park. Then he can be a good rapper again.

Is there a sign-up sheet for that job or can I just go ahead and do it? :evil:

Brice, have you listened to any of Talib Kweli's stuff? I think you might like it.

[Brice]

I have not. Before this thread I don't know that I'd even heard of him.

You can join up. I'm already on my way there. :dance: I consider it my contribution to society.

[jayson]

Yes, kicking his ass should be considered a public service.

[flaggwalkstheline]

I'm putting a jamie T video up so u peoples can know what I mean when I say Hes the freakin best!
YouTube - Jamie T - Salvador Live

YouTube - Jamie T - Ike & Tina (Live at Cookys)

YouTube - Jamie T. - Operation

[Frunobulax]

Yes, kicking his ass should be considered a public service.

Dibs on his MPC and rack mount gear! I also think that I'll take the feet when we throw him into his trailer.

[jayson]

Just so long as one of us disables his voice box I'll be happy. :evil:

[Frunobulax]

Sounds like a plan to me!

[Darkthoughts]

Oh and I forgot to mention...Goldie Lookin Chain :lol:

YouTube - Goldie Lookin Chain - Guns don't kill people

[Crunchy]

I have a friend that raps and makes beats (he went to school for music production) and I got him to agree to let me on a song with him for his mixtape. :nana:

I've already got my verse written.. just waiting to record.

[AlishaRiley]

OMG LISA! GOLDIE LOOKIN' CHAIN! :lol: