"Alternative" Hip-Hop recommendations

[Wolveryeti]

For alternative hip hop I would suggest:

The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride with the Pharcyde
Roots Manuva - Brand New Second Hand
Wu Tang Clan - The 36 Chambers (just to worship the ODB) - best hip hop album evah
De La Soul - 3 ft high and Rising
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

They are all well good, and I'd be surprised if you were disappointed with any of them.

 

[braindancer]

Not sure if already mentioned but I would also heartily reccomend Sole's 'Selling Live Water' album.

It's the shizzle.

And also his Man's Best Friend album.

It's also the shizzle. It's a bit more fucked up than Selling Live Water.

I would however reccomend seeing him live - saw him last year and he was very poor without the backing of fantastic production.

 

[tangerinedream]

Am really enjoying Bazooka Tooth.

It wasn't until I Wiki'd him that I realised he was a geeky white-boy of Jewish descent!!!

Have a look on a p2p network of yer choice for a tune called Shere-Khan (spelt right though...) - that's my favourite thing of all of his.

(aimed at braindancer too)

 

[stavros]

Wu Tang Clan - The 36 Chambers (just to worship the ODB) - best hip hop album evah

Agree with the last part, but you need the range of flow to get the full effect, from Ghost's hyper-dexterity, through Meth's cool growl, into Dirty's hyperactive yet genius warpedness.

 

[Wolveryeti]

Mmm- I mentioned ODB to justify the eclectic part of the OP, because it is a phenomenally successful album.

Another I just though of - Braintax is really good IMO.

 

[beeboo]

More votes for Blackalicious, RJD2, DJ Format and Deltron.

I'm crap with identifying genres but I'd also chuck in The Herbaliser with that group - am I wrong

 

[kerb]

i reckon herbaliser are in tha group. in fact most of the ninja tunes artists would make alternative, however the more popular it gets does it make it less alternative?

 

[The Groke]

i reckon herbaliser are in tha group. in fact most of the ninja tunes artists would make alternative, however the more popular it gets does it make it less alternative?

Got a bunch of Ninja Tune stuff - including Herbalizer - and I am a big fan of the label and 90% of the output.

I think "Alternative" in my OP doesn't refer necessarily to levels of popularity or only Hip-Hop which is underground and obscure, but it is more about "Hip-Hop with some brains".

Less about Gunz, Hoez, Bling, swinging yer cock and how many "Ft." cross-label artisits you can get to guest on a track, and more about bold and interesting beats, good tunes and samples, funky breaks, off-kilter flow, amusing, intelligent and searching lyrics and those artists who try to innovate a little.

So yeah - Ninja Tune counts - even the popular stuff!



This is a top thread BTW - a really useful resource, so thanks everyone who contributed thus far.

The one problem? You can't bloody find it by searching for Hip-Hop/Hip Hop so unless it is eternally bumped, future Urbanites may not be able to benefit from it!

 

[Gee]

J Rawls has a new album out called The Liquid Chrystal Project and its instrumental, jazzy hip hop and very good it is to. Also J Live has done some superb stuff and from Detroit a group called Diverse. Check them out if you have not already, if you like your hip hop laid back and bitch ho free then you will dig these guys.

 

[Iam]

Diverse is splendid, I really like him. One A.M. is a really good record.

 

[Gee]

Digable Planets back in the day were brilliant, wish they would bring some new stuff out, Nickle bag of funk and 9th Wonder in particular. Jeru the Damaga Da Bitchez is a work of art IMO, sounds dodge with a name like that but if you listen to the lyrics you will know what i mean and as for the music

 

[Iam]

9th Wonder has been partly responsible for some of the best releases in recent years, imo. His album with Buckshot last year, Chemistry, is top.

Jeru is teh

 

[kerb]

Got a bunch of Ninja Tune stuff - including Herbalizer - and I am a big fan of the label and 90% of the output.

I think "Alternative" in my OP doesn't refer necessarily to levels of popularity or only Hip-Hop which is underground and obscure, but it is more about "Hip-Hop with some brains".

Less about Gunz, Hoez, Bling, swinging yer cock and how many "Ft." cross-label artisits you can get to guest on a track, and more about bold and interesting beats, good tunes and samples, funky breaks, off-kilter flow, amusing, intelligent and searching lyrics and those artists who try to innovate a little.

So yeah - Ninja Tune counts - even the popular stuff!



This is a top thread BTW - a really useful resource, so thanks everyone who contributed thus far.

The one problem? You can't bloody find it by searching for Hip-Hop/Hip Hop so unless it is eternally bumped, future Urbanites may not be able to benefit from it!

yeah. think i used the word alternative out of context in this case, however its defintately increasing in popularity.

i'd say that this is hip-hop whereas the other stuff like 50cent Dre, Eminem etc is in another genre derived from hip-hop which is GangstA rap.

Ooh. yeah great list btw.

And Ugly Duckling, from L.A also are a great group. Kind of cartoony in a quirky way. Introduckling (which i think is the debut) should always brings a smile to the face.

 

[kained&able]

hurrah! dialted peoples are playign jazz cafe on november the 5th and looks like i'm going!

get in!


dave

 

[shijima]

my personal fav hip hop act at the moment has to be DJ Format with D'sissive and Abdominal.

 

[waverunner]

hurrah! dialted peoples are playign jazz cafe on november the 5th and looks like i'm going!

get in!


dave

Really want to go... have to hunt for people who like em.

 

[The Groke]

Really want to go... have to hunt for people who like em.

If you wanna lend me the airfare, I will go with you!

 

[roney]

try 2-pac - he da da real thing(!) whether we know it or not!
blackalicious is great -

roots..

 

[waverunner]

If you wanna lend me the airfare, I will go with you!

If I was a rich girl......

Fraid I found someone closer to home (i.e. down the road) who's willing to come along

 

[The Groke]

If I was a rich girl......

Fraid I found someone closer to home (i.e. down the road) who's willing to come along

Bugger - next time?

try 2-pac - he da da real thing(!)

Well, the thread went five whole pages before the first Wrong Answer.....

Had to happen sooner or later I suppose.

Tupac Shakur = Music for deaf people.

Never has there been such inexplicable and undeserved posthumous interest in an "artist".

 

[Iam]

Y'know, you could do a whole lot worse than having a listen to this, which I hope the Urb concerned doesn't mind me posting. Loads of good shit on these shows. It may not all be entirely to your tastes, but it should definitely help with some sound ideas for hot thangs - plenty of these - to check out.

 

[Abjekt]

Bloody hell, thanks dude!

Doomtree is my current absolute love in hip hop. It's a collective from Minneapolis with rappers and producers. There's a female rapper too. So here's their names:

POS is a more punk influenced rapper
Sims is pretty politically charged [but not in a I'M RIGHT YOU'RE WRONG Immortal Technique way]
Cecil Otter is more offbeat stuff
Mike Mictlan is kinda harder rappy hip hop
And Dessa [the female] just has the MOST beautiful voice ever. And can rap really well too!

 

[Nixon]

roots manuva?

 

[The Groke]

roots manuva?

Always good.

 

[stavros]

Re. 2Pac, I only really know "California Love" (which is great but mainly due to Dre), but he seems to be yet another person who sells shitloads of records on account of being dead. Record companies do have this habit of marketing anyone who's passed away young as being some higher being, regardless of their quality (see also Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, Notorious BIG, etc).

 

[kained&able]

Umm but all the people you have listed are quality. A lot of people wouldn't know about them if they hadn't died (biggie in paticular)but that doesn't discount thier talent, and 2pac didn't really cross over untill changes, but he was quality had so many decent tunes and something to say. He is one of the gretest mcs of all time.


dave

 

[Abjekt]

A lot of people wouldn't know about them if they hadn't died (biggie in paticular)

I dunno about that. I think a lot of people knew him when Life After Death came out.

Regardless, he's one of, if not the, best rappers ever. Tupac is crap.

 

[kained&able]

see don't really give a fuck if you like 2pac or not. But not realising what he did to break down the colour divide in hip hop and what he did for hip hop and the black community is just ignorent.

He is one of the most importent hip hop acts of all time.


dave

 

[Abjekt]

I'm not quite sure where you're getting this attitude from mate. He might have done something to break down a colour divide, I never made a comment on that. I'm making a comment on his ability to rap, which, in my opinion [whether you give a fuck or not], is limited.

 

[Iam]

Fight, fight!

Right, I dunno what you're smoking davey boy, but it seems to have put you into battle mode. Get yer mics and throwdown!

We had a thread on this the other week, and I said the same then...

Tupac's legend is that of Tupac the Outlaw, not Tupac the rapper.

Biggie was a way better mic handler.