"Alternative" Hip-Hop recommendations

[The Groke]

I am having a bit of a hip-hop renaissance of late.

With the exception of Public Enemy, I grew out of my brief fascination with gunz and bitchez a fair few years ago, and put the NWA, Ice T and Onyx rolleyes: ) back on the shelf.

Of late though, I have found myself listening to more hip-hop again - inspired by randomly buying the first two Jurassic Five albums and really getting into them.

I have now got all of the J5 back catalogue and have started acquiring stuff by Aesop Rock, Dilated Peoples, People Under the Stairs, MF Doom (and aliases) and Quasimoto. Oh - I also like the DJ Format/Abdominal stuff I have heard (3 Feet deep) Are the albums worth getting?

Can anyone recommend any other stuff akin to this?

I like the jazzy, the funky, the experimental, the interesting and the weird - Hoez and bling are definitely not welcome.

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

anything on quannum really

 

[twister]

this sort of thread has been done quite a few times before, once in the last month or so. search for 'hip-hop'..

 

[The Groke]

this sort of thread has been done quite a few times before, once in the last month or so. search for 'hip-hop'..

My search must be b0rked then.

Searching for:

hip hop
hip-hop
"hip-hop"
"hiphop"
hiphop

yields no results!

Now I know this is surely wrong, but I am not sure why it 'taint working.

Also: I have now written the word Hip-Hop too many times and it has ceased to mean anything.

 

[The Groke]

anything on quannum really

Just Wiki'd - will check it out.

Are Blackalicious any good then?

I have always avoided them because they have one of the worst names in the history of all music ever.

Makes 'em sound like a TLC/Eternal wanna-be act......

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust. Superb indie-rap (slightly early-90s throwbacky, but exceppent all the same). Much better than the overrated Beastie Boys.

 

[The Groke]

Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust. Superb indie-rap (slightly early-90s throwbacky, but exceppent all the same). Much better than the overrated Beastie Boys.

"Acquiring" now




( Not a huge Beasties fan then?)

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

"Acquiring" now



( Not a huge Beasties fan then?)

I quite like the Beastie Boys, but find them quite repetitive. Sage is similar at times, but a lot more varied.

Mind you, "Sabotage" is quite clearly the best popular music video ever made.

 

[The Groke]

I quite like the Beastie Boys, but find them quite repetitive. Sage is similar at times, but a lot more varied.

Mind you, "Sabotage" is quite clearly the best popular music video ever made.

I will let you know what I think on Sage then!

I love the Beasties, but my favourite album of theirs is Hello Nasty which no-one else I know ever seems to agree with!

Cheers

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Sage gets mixed reviews on Amazon. On the one hand:

This album, as well as his first album Personal Journals, has changed my life. I can't listen to any hip-hop song without comparing it to those of this album and they usually turn out to be on top.
Tracks such as 'Sea Lion' offer you such interesting and unusual beats and lyrics that its hard not wanting to listen to it again as soon as its finished. 'Bridle' is written in pure poetry. Sage's voice acts more as an instrument in this song than anyhting else as his lyrics and beats meld together to give an amazing listening experience.
I would recommend this album to anyone who wants to try something new and 'underground'. The album sits comfortably right next to my hifi and will probably do so for a very long time.

In conclusion: great beats, great rhymes, great songs and great album

p.s. The last song beautifully finishes the album with a mellow country-ish theme.

And on the other, rather more scathing, hand:

After listening to this album i have lost faith in modern hip hop. Sage has no flow, his lyrics may sound meaningful to some but to me they just sound like a jumbled mess. It's this type of hip hop that seems to be spearheading this new wave of backpacker hip hop with it's snobbery of more mainstream and typical hip hop that is destroying the scene. He belongs more in poetry corner, a spoken word show or possibly a sixth-form english language class. This is not good hip hop. Being crap does not automatically make you original and good.
If you hip hop heads want to chekc out some decent, yet still original and good sounding hip hop then try buying 'Black Dialogue' by 'The Perceptionists'or 'The Sagas Of...' by 'Klashnekoff' and also the new 'Rodney P' album 'The Future'

 

[max_freakout]

Definitely check out Cannibal Ox, Madvillain (unless you included that under 'MF Doom aliases'), Raekwon (check his 'vatican' mixtapes they're bangin' ) Cage, Binary star/one-be-lo, emanon, murs, Akrobatik


see what you think

 

[The Groke]

Definitely check out Cannibal Ox, Madvillain (unless you included that under 'MF Doom aliases'), Raekwon (check his 'vatican' mixtapes they're bangin' ) Cage, Binary star/one-be-lo, emanon, murs, Akrobatik


see what you think

Ooh yeah - Cannibal Ox were recommended by someone else too and I have yet to listen to them.....

I have a couple of Madvillain tracks, but no whole albums.....so yeah I kind of inculded that under "MF Doom".

Will take a look at the others too.

Cheers!

 

[max_freakout]

Ooh yeah - Cannibal Ox were recommended by someone else too and I have yet to listen to them.....

I only just discovered what all the fuss was about with Cannibal Ox, i downloaded a track called 'b-boy's alpha' it's incredible


Check out MF Grimm also if you like MF Doom....

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

Just Wiki'd - will check it out.

Are Blackalicious any good then?

I have always avoided them because they have one of the worst names in the history of all music ever.

Makes 'em sound like a TLC/Eternal wanna-be act......

are blackalicious good nah there not good at all just like sex is not good and being blown to within an inch of your life isn't good...

 

[May Kasahara]

Oh - I also like the DJ Format/Abdominal stuff I have heard (3 Feet deep) Are the albums worth getting?

Yes, definitely - really likeable, danceable, intelligent hip-hop.

Check out Dalek if you like things a bit more dark and grumbly (which I do).

 

[kained&able]

jedi mind tricks, army of pharoahs. mos def, blackstar, talib kweli.

dave

 

[g force]

Ghostface Killah - "Fishscale" is brilliant.

Mos Def, Roots, and Jeru the Damaja would be similar-ish to J5

 

[mtbskalover]

like ive said before, i grew up listening to punk and rock so came to hipity hop from a strange angle.

if you love j5 then you HAVE TO CHECK OUT:
sweatshop union, from canada! the "thing about it" is one hell of a classic song.

also:
aim (ambient, but cool)
rjd2
cut chemist (oe of j5's dj's i think)
**dj nu-mark (one of j5's dj's, nice re-mix albums
roots manuva?
**madlib- tones of good funky,souly, hiphop stuff
pharcyde
souls of mischeif
**transplants- blend of hip-hop with a ska and punk influence.

 

[Dr. Furface]

cLOUDDEAD

 

[hiccup]

Foreign Beggars

 

[perplexis]

Second loads of the recommendations above (especially Dalek, they are the absolute nads)
Anticon Records really do it for me-
Passage, Odd Nosdam, Why?, Sole, Jel, Alias, DoseOne and their various inter-collaborations...
Check out 13 & God for an awesome progressive hip-hop collaboration (Themselves working with The Notwist)
TTC (French guys on Big Dada) are doing it for me at the moment in a big way, I can't recommend them highly enough, their production is amazing and the flow is phat (their lyrics are hot shit as well but being mostly in French that's probably not so relevant)...

 

[Iam]

jedi mind tricks

Imo, Vinnie Paz is one of the weakest MCs recording.

"Masters of the Universe" by Binary Star has just had a re-release this year, absolutely essential listening.

If you like J5, see if you should really check out the Athletic Mic League... if you can find them.

 

[The Groke]

Blimey!

Thats loads to be getting on with - thanks!

mtbskalover: I have Roots Manuva and Pharcyde already too - just forgot to mention!

 

[The Groke]

Foreign Beggars

"Bukkake Ski Trip"

 

[mtbskalover]

Foreign Beggars

lets go!

 

[Iam]

Character Traits

 

[ck]

Ty has a new album coming out soon.

Dilla , Dilla , Dilla !

Dabrye

sign up to the Stones throw podcast ; there is a fantastic "Turkish Funk" mix on there by Egon at the moment ; talk about keeping an open mind !

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Groke, try using the www.pandora.com site... you can put in the names of one of the people mentioned on this thread, it will play them, then play other similar artists...

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Just listening to some Dalek now. Very good, almost industrial rap.

 

[Pigeon]

Has anyone said "Mr Lif"?

If not, "Mr Lif".