political hip hop

[Iam]

The usage of "conscious" in this instance isn't mine as such (me, I call it Hip Hop), but is simply how an awful lot of non-mainstream hip hop is (often incorrectly) labelled. Often, anything not in the public eye is automatically assumed to be "alternative", usually by those who haven't heard it.

The most recent Mos Def album was ok, but that's yer lot.

 

[kained&able]

mos defs latest wasn't great but i belive that was more to do with recored company bolokcs rather then him wanting to a film star. Hopefully he will be back on raukus recoreds as they have just relaunched and then can get back to his best. He had no marketing for it, no promotion and even no artwork. I think i read somewhere hes planning on releasing another one well soon to compinate though

I get confused with him as to whats a mix tape and whats an album swear he has a lot more then three though(if thats wat you were saying im not sure)

Dangerous mix cd is pretty sweet as are we are hip hop and mos realest.

if you like your blackstar kidz in the hall might be well worth a download. They are getting a lot of hype at the minute and called the new blackstar haven't heard more then one song though but am downlaoding it(finally!!!) now.

dave

 

[llantwit]

Emcee Lynx is OK - political, although sometimes sounds so political you think it's self parody (like his rap about the haymarket martyrs ).
Free online:
http://emceelynx.circlealpha.com/

 

[Iam]

Three Mos Def solo albums, by the way -

Black on Both Sides
The New Danger
True Magic

 

[kained&able]

fuck me only three thats madness. i have 200 odd mos def songs over 12 13 discs of his(and blackstar). The man has produced bare mixtapes.


dave

 

[Iam]

And most of those are better than a lot of the stuff that's wound up on the last two records. Weird, eh?

 

[kained&able]

the difference in creative control between whatever indie label the mixtapes go on and geffen recoreds i guess.

black on both was on rackus i think and thus decent.

oh and kidz in the hall are cool.


dave

 

[Iam]

Yeah, very possibly that.

I think the mixtapes represent a change in the way artists release music to their fans (based more on word of mouth, or the internet to spread, and not the usual mtv/radio/press coverage), away from major label control, and if it does look like a trend I don't think I'd be too disappointed. There's been some amazing quality stuff floating about in the last few years away from the "releases"...

 

[Athos]

Krs-1

 

[stavros]

oh and yeah in the US rap is the 2nd biggest selling genre, behind country(silly yanks and various urban types!) but its starting to sell a lot less. Even the likes of jay -z/nas are struggling to go platinium. Sales are really dropping off at the moment.

Isn't that an industry-wide trend though, with the growth of digital networking?

 

[kained&able]

Umm from what i understand(off mates on music courses) hip hop is dropping off a lot more quickly then anything else but then hip hop was massively a couple of years ago so tis to be expected. who know basicly. Very few rock artists have sold well for a long time.


dave

 

[jjuice]

Sarah Jones - the revolution will not happen between these thighs. Right on sister

 

[Steeleye]

Cheers for all the excellent recommendations. My mate has only recently got into this stuff, so I got her 2 Dead Prez albums which she fucking loved.

Must say, i was pretty impressed too. Can't argue with what those boys have to say. Plus they give revolutionary love to their mums in the liner notes, which I think is nice.

 

[top_biller]

Buy her Revolutionary But Gangsta by Dead Prez

Good choice

 

[Barking_Mad]

I third or fourth the Immortal Technique stuff - some really mindblowing lyrics. Dance With the Devil being the case in point.

 

[Iam]

Probably too late to be of any use now, but Terror Firma, by The Reavers.

 

[The_Reverend_M]

Sarah Jones - the revolution will not happen between these thighs. Right on sister

Tune

 

[ICB]

Paris - esp early stuff like The Devil Made Me Do It and Sleeping With The Enemy

He wrote a tune about assassinating George Bush mk1 and has got an economics degree FFS

blows everything else away

also The Last Poets