A thread about hiphop...

[Fez]

I thought Rap God was excellent but I didn't like Berzerk at all. I'm not crazy about some of the other MMLP2 songs either "Stronger Than I Was" is just...bad. Really bad.

So Much Better, Brainless and Bad Guy are probably my favorites at the moment.

The verses on So Much Better sound the most like old Eminem out of anything else on the album.

Okay, yeah, I just heard "Stronger Than I was" and its horrible, just horrible. I like most of the other tracks to varying degrees though, except Survival which I really don't, some of them quite a bit. Its not as great as his early stuff, but after one listen it sounds like perfectly competent album, and I like it a lot more than Yeezus (which I absolutely hate). I also like the fact that most of the tracks sound quite different from one another, unlike, say Recovery, where the whole album was basically one continuous thing.

[KiDisaster]

El-P announced on Twitter that there's gonna be a second Run The Jewels (El-P & Killer Mike collab) album coming out next year. If you haven't checked out the first album I strongly suggest that you do, it's a free download I believe.

Here's a song they did with Big Boi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elafeeA3QFE

Okay, yeah, I just heard "Stronger Than I was" and its horrible, just horrible. I like most of the other tracks to varying degrees though, except Survival which I really don't, some of them quite a bit. Its not as great as his early stuff, but after one listen it sounds like perfectly competent album, and I like it a lot more than Yeezus (which I absolutely hate). I also like the fact that most of the tracks sound quite different from one another, unlike, say Recovery, where the whole album was basically one continuous thing.

I honestly think Recovery is a better album overall. I need to listen to MMLP2 a few more times but I dunno, most of the songs just didn't grab me at all.

"Headlights" is probably the most surprising song on the whole album. The Nate Ruess hook works much better than I expected.

[KiDisaster]

EDIT: Didn't mean to double post.

[Fez]

I honestly think Recovery is a better album overall. I need to listen to MMLP2 a few more times but I dunno, most of the songs just didn't grab me at all.

"Headlights" is probably the most surprising song on the whole album. The Nate Ruess hook works much better than I expected.

I think I like MMLP2 more than Recovery; although it might be fairer to just say that I think it has higher highs and lower lows. There's a few really bad songs on it (and I'd almost include Headlights on that list, but I really like Nate Ruess' part), but there's also some stuff that I really like.

Asshole, Berzerk, Rap God, and Brainless are four really strong songs in a row. I also think So Far and Love Game are a lot of fun, and Desperation (from the deluxe edition) is great (although that's mostly thanks to whoever the hell Jamie Commons is).

[andrew_]

Re-listening to Drakes new album Nothing Was The Same, I simply don't understand all the hate for Drake, he makes amazing music, his production backing is unparalleled, his flow is decent and his lyrics are pretty good. He bring a great mix of R&B to his predominantly Hip-Hop album. The best thing about it however is the lack of any YMCMB members on the album. Nothing Was The Same probably ranks in the top 5 Hip-Hop albums of 2013 for me. I used to hate him before I sat down and took the time to listen to his music and form a proper opinion, I highly recommend you do the same, you may be pleasantly surprised.

A couple of highlights include:

Wu-Tang Forever - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wadS0AFcmjA

Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2 Ft Jay Z - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjoLHy-gH_c

[Mr. X]

36 Chambers turns 20 years old tomorrow.

We have it on the turntable right now and are basking in the awesomeness.

[Xray the Enforcer]

Yes. Yes we are. :cheers:

Old Dirty Bastard Live and Uncut!

[Horus Ex Machina]

I don't understand why you're getting so defensive about this. And if you look back to the first post I made on the subject, I specifically said "It's not only because he's white." so I don't know where this "He's only popular because white ppl put him on a pedestal" line is coming from, I never said or implied that.

Anyway, I've made my points. I think it's pretty clear to most people, and clear to Em himself, that being white had a very positive effect on his career. You can disagree with me if you wish I don't really feel like arguing about it anymore.

I'm a black dude and I think that this is a hard argument to make either way. Sure being white might have given him the sales that he got especially later in his career, but gaining the respect of the actual rap community, which he had more of earlier in his career is harder for a white rapper. No other white rapper, not Bubba Sparx, Paul Wall, The Beastie Boys, Mack Miller, or Maclemore had the respect of the rap community that early Eminem did. Now there are a number of reasons why he's lost that respect in latter years, most of which have to do with the fact that his latter work has been awful. Just awful for the most part. But there is also the fact that his credibility with the black community took a hit when Ray Benzino and Source magazine took it upon themselves to attack him after he and Dre backed 50 Cent.

I personally think that he's an alltime great rapper. Not close to the best, but in the top 25. Why because it took that type of talent to be considered legit as a white rapper. It took being white to take that legitimacy and make his name into a license to print money, so it can go both ways and in his case it has. I actually do like the Obama comparison bc race might have helped him vote-wise but it's also hurt his perception, and the way that people attack him in others. And it's notable that it took a man of Obama's caliber to overcome the prejudices that have taken down less qualified men.

My point is that [A] you have to be exceptional to be a trail-blazer... being a trailblazer can be an asset... and [C] what makes you a trailblazer also make you vulnerable. Eminem's career and his place in rap history will always be harder to define because of his race. That is, it might have been had he continued to produce albums of the caliber of his first three albums. He's made himself a lot easier to criticize artistically since then. Still he's come right in front of a generation of rappers who will be given a higher status than they deserve so,...

[Horus Ex Machina]

36 Chambers turns 20 years old tomorrow.

We have it on the turntable right now and are basking in the awesomeness.

Can't believe I'm so old that this music that defined my youth is now 2 decades old...

Still waiting for Hip Hop groups to make a comeback. The genre hasn't been the same without the combining flows that you got with Bone, Wu, Goodie, EPMD, Outkast, Black Star, Roots, etc. The closest thing you have to that these days is Odd Future and they're not really a group in the classic sense.

[Horus Ex Machina]

Goodie Mob > Outkast

Goodie Mobs first two were similar to Atliens and Southernplaya

Aquemini is the best thing from either of the groups.

Wow Goodie Mob is better than Outkast? Shame on you Daario, shame on you.

Goodie Mob was the more hardcore faction of the Dungeon Family no doubt about that. And they mixed the right tone of what you wanted out of DF-style hip hop that played a perfect compliment to what Outkast would brink. Outkast was the funk and they were the crunk. But they were also touch and go. They experimented as much as Outkast did with their early albums, but they weren't as consistently good when they did as Outkast was. I literally have trouble finding bad songs on any of Outkast's albums. All of them. I've always wanted Goodie Mob to return and am happy that they're back but now that they are, the reason they didn't have the longevity that Outkast did is really clear to me.

There was some gold on Goodie Mob's new album, classic tracks. And then there were some tracks that I still haven't listened to the whole way through. In fact most of the album was like that. They're great and memorable when they're on it and forgettable on some of the other tracks where it seems like they either didn't try or tried to do something different and it didn't work. It's clear that they had to work harder to make their particular style work than Outkast did. It came more naturally for the Might O. And that wasn't Goodie Mob's fault bc they're talented as hell too. Just not nearly on Andre and Antwan's level.

[Jabronius Maximus]

Listened to MMLP2 a bit more, and frankly it isn't a bad album by any stretch. In fact I think it's his best since Eminem Show (really didn't like recovery or relapse, and curtain call doesn't count).

Also 'Don't Front' is a bonus track, and I think it's better than anything on the album.

[Mark Antony]

Yes. Yes we are. :cheers:

Old Dirty Bastard Live and Uncut!

36 Chambers turns 20 years old tomorrow.

We have it on the turntable right now and are basking in the awesomeness.

:cheers:

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Have to throw out some love for Black Sheep's A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. Amazing album chocked full of fun satirical rhymes. It's kind of sad how quickly these guys fell off the map, given how great their first album was.

Quick sampling of some of my favorite tracks off that disk...

La Menage featuring Q-Tip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRQJZBsAR9g&list=PLA5BACEC26AF7BBD3

U Mean I'm Not? (Possibly the best Gangsta Rap Satire EVAR?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIiVMe9Sq20&list=PL62FD2A486DE5EE58

And it looks like all the others I like have been deleted from YouTube. :bawl:

[KiDisaster]

Re-listening to Drakes new album Nothing Was The Same, I simply don't understand all the hate for Drake, he makes amazing music, his production backing is unparalleled, his flow is decent and his lyrics are pretty good. He bring a great mix of R&B to his predominantly Hip-Hop album. The best thing about it however is the lack of any YMCMB members on the album. Nothing Was The Same probably ranks in the top 5 Hip-Hop albums of 2013 for me. I used to hate him before I sat down and took the time to listen to his music and form a proper opinion, I highly recommend you do the same, you may be pleasantly surprised.

A couple of highlights include:

Wu-Tang Forever - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wadS0AFcmjA

Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2 Ft Jay Z - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjoLHy-gH_c

I agree, I think Drake gets way too much hate for seemingly no reason. In terms of mega-huge rappers at the moment he's one of very few talented ones, but I guess the amount of people who worship him like he's one of the best of all time can do a lot to ruin someone's view of his music. I thought Nothing Was The Same was a pretty solid album overall, though I liked Take Care more.

"Tuscan Leather", "The Motion" and "Furthest Thing" are my favorite songs on the album.

36 Chambers turns 20 years old tomorrow.

We have it on the turntable right now and are basking in the awesomeness.

Going to be playing this album all night tonight.

"Midnight Marauders" also turns 20 years old today.

[Horus Ex Machina]

I agree, I think Drake gets way too much hate for seemingly no reason. In terms of mega-huge rappers at the moment he's one of very few talented ones, but I guess the amount of people who worship him like he's one of the best of all time can do a lot to ruin someone's view of his music. I thought Nothing Was The Same was a pretty solid album overall, though I liked Take Care more.

I guess what makes me reactive to hearing about him is that modern fans can't put him or Wayne in perspective. I admit having listened to Li'l Wayne in the past alot more than Drake and having liked some of his music. But the way kids talk about him or Drake it's like they believe that these are all-time great rappers and I'm not really buying that. I think that's hurt the way I listen to them bc I can't help it, but I'm not just listening to their music, I'm simultaneously measuring them against the standard of some of the best that I'm familiar with. I argued at length about this with my nephew when he was on break from college. Perhaps I'm biased but even alot of his generation will say that hip hop has lost something. The biggest problem being that many rappers, including Drake, bite off one another's style way too much and don't do enough to differentiate themselves. This is a byproduct of so many rappers using the same producers. Kanye's great bc he produces most of his own music and ends up sounding more original.

It's also coupled with the rappers who don't make it these days yet make amazing music that won't ever be heard, the fact that hip hop is seemingly the only genre of music that has very little nostalgia or veneration for previous eras no matter how good they were. And that's possibly a product of the fact that older rappers are nowhere near as active in music as older rock stars etc. Snoop's return as Snoop Lion is actually a rare thing. There's also no such thing as a station devoted to older hip hop music like you see in other genres. So it's hard for perspective to be built. Fans of other forms of music understand exactly where modern performers fit into the grand scheme bc they're more familiar with it. But young fans today, while they're familiar with the music and might even listen to them from time to time, aren't as knowledgeable about even the music being put out 5 years ago in hip hop.

So now that we're in a bit of a generational rut, it's annoying that ppl who only listen to modern rap can't even grasp the concept of why someone like me might think the genre has become a bit generic.

[Summah]

Tupac (and Biggie too) are still pretty venerated, maybe not by fans who were too young, but by rappers themselves, also Rakim.

[Ramsay B.]

snip

Well said, I see myself doing the same thing. I don't care for Lil Wayne or Drake and hearing younger people talk them up just annoys me and I definitely compare their stuff to the likes of a Biggie or Gang Starr. IMO i just grew up in the best era of hip-hop and nothing can compare to it.

Throw in the fact that a guy like Apathy, who could lyrically destroy anyone of these popular guys, probably isn't heard of by 99% of those fans makes me laugh.

Also, I have Sirius satellite radio and they do have an old school rap station called Backspin that plays 90's and before, it's pretty good.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Throw in the fact that a guy like Apathy, who could lyrically destroy anyone of these popular guys, probably isn't heard of by 99% of those fans makes me laugh.

Also, I have Sirius satellite radio and they do have an old school rap station called Backspin that plays 90's and before, it's pretty good.

Old School trumps so hard it's not even funny. Maybe I'm just old, but it seems like it has been ages since I heard a new joint that can compare favorably to even mediocre old school.

[DaarioKnowsBest]

I think USA slacking in hip hop, best stuff I hear is from Europe and Middle East.

I can't understand Arabic but that shit sound pretty hard.

[KiDisaster]

Hip-hop has absolutely become more generic, at least in the mainstream. People hyping Drake and Wayne up as "all time greats" ruining it for people was exactly my point. I don't compare them to the all time greats though, I just enjoy the music for what it is. I don't like Wayne at all, I think Drake is pretty decent though.