hmm, im kinda scared to post this to the whole list, but its sorta slow
lately, aside from tshirt stuff, and ive gotten feedback from people that saw
that i listed the rza and method man albums on the bottom of my email, so ill
give it a go. amen to BLACKSTAR. im pretty indie rock(uggh), but i truly
believe that the most innovative music coming out nowadays is hip hop. the
blackstar album "mos def and talb kweli are blackstar" is hands down my
favorite album of the year.
if you think hip hop is just the stuff you see on mtv, then youre wrong.
i got into a big conversation about this today with coworkers. basically this
one guy was like "rap sucks, theyre all niggers. theres no musical talent
involved". so i fucking went nuts, not only cos of the musical statement but
because hes a fucking racist.
most hip hop is more musical (im trying to think of a better term) than almost
anything youll hear on your average alternative rock station. which is what
this guy listens to. basically he only hears whats on mtv and half that stuff
is crappy R&B. he was dissing the whole musical genre/culture known as hip
hop, without even hearing anything that actually constitutes real hip hop.
theres a difference between ignorance and stupidity. but he exemplified both
at the same time. hes ignorant to hip hop, but he was just plain stupid for
the fact that he was putting it down as a whole when really didnt know that
much about it. his statements were pretty fucked up, but i tried my best not
to get beet red and explode, so i just explained some stuff to him.
but anyway, i think alot of people share his views, and its unfortunate.
theres so much good hip hop out there to listen to, and hip hop shows are so
much damn fun, and love and equality is most definately a huge focus in the
hip hop community(as far as shows). ive only been to a few in the last couple
of months, and ive missed a shitload. here in ny, theres a lot going on in
terms of hip hop.
they were some my all time fav shows tho...krs one at tramps, beastie boys/krs
one at nassau colliseum, a tribe called quest at towson university in md., run
dmc/non phixion at tramps, blackstar at s.o.b.s, black anger(k records) at
tramps, and just last week, blackstar/a tribe called quest at hammerstein
ballroom.
ok, im realizing this is getting really long, but that argument i had
today is fresh in my mind. i just want everyone to know how much good hip hop
is out there.
as far indie hip hop, theres alot, but ive just been getting into most of it
lately so...
theres a label called rawkus recordings in nyc. thats the label that
BLACKSTAR is on, as well solo MOS DEF stuff, solo TALIB KWELI stuff, COMPANY
FLOW, SIR MENELIK, SHABAAM SAHDEEQ, MEDINA GREEN, and much more as well as the
lyricist lounge compilation. basically anything on this label is really,
really good. some other indie stuff is the the X-ECUTIONERS(aka the X-
MEN), who are an amazing, amazing turntablist group. DJ SPOOKY, and MIXMASTER
MIKE. all three of them are on asphodel records. then theres NON PHIXION and
the ARSONISTS(the arsonists are now signed to matador, interesting). and
indie for the most part, KOOL KEITH(aka DR OCTAGON, formerly of the
ultramagnetic mcs).
my other favorite rap duo, besides blackstar, but very different than, is
MOBB DEEP. theyre amazing MCs. im telling you, they paint pictures with their
words, albeit violent pictures. and produce some of the tightest, most evil
music in hip hop. their albums have a bunch of wu tang guest spots too.
NAS is really incredible too, especially his first album, he got a little
glossier on his second. "phone tap" from the FIRM album on which he appears,
is one my favorite songs, im sure some people have heard that before.
as far as "concious rap" goes, groups/mcs with alot to say as well as
crazy tracks are CHANNEL LIVE and JERU THE DAMAJA. if you like blackstar you
probably like stuff like this.
of course theres the WU TANG CLAN. everyone should know them and know
how amazing RZA is. i could go on forever about wu tang and all the solo
albums, method man, genius, raekwon, odb, ghostface, cappadonna, but. and
theres a whole family of wu tang off shoots as well: SUNZ OF MAN, GRAVEDIGGAZ,
KILLARMY, and theres some decent stuff on the wu tang killer bees comp. and
theres bunch of other crazy producers besides rza in the wu family.
ok, ill end this with a bunch of stuff im sure people have atleast heard
of...
A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, DE LA SOUL, JUNGLE BROTHERS. they all came out in the
late eighties and pretty much pioneered the whole nonviolent hip hop thang.
KRS ONE/BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTIONS: krs one is one my favs, he too paints pretty
amazing pictures with his words. this man has so damn much to say, and hes
truly brilliant, a hip hop scholar if you may. and he moves a crowd like no
one else.
GANG STARR: GURU is the smoothest mc with his monotone, and always has
something interesting to say. DJ PREMIER is the best dj/producer ever! hes
by far the most musical. he also plays drums, bass and keyboards. hes also
produced stuff for krs one, jeru the damaja, and nas.
its late and im getting tired so, ill leave with a short list of other
classic rap acts: PUBLIC ENEMY, RAKIM (eric b. and rakim), EPMD, RUN DMC.
if you actually read this, thanks. especially for listening to my rant
about that argument. if anyone wants to talk hip hop, or anything else drop
me a line.
xo brian
