My taste in Hip-Hop has been pretty limited. I really only listen to Houston rappers. I want to expand my horizons a bit. I want some recommendations of upcoming or underground artists or just artists that are under-appreciated. Just some parameters: No "crunk" Atlanta music. I want some good New York, Bay Area, etc. artists. Also I want the focus of the music to be lyrics. Suggest away. Thank you in advance.
Off the top of my head Cyne Andre Nickatina Binary Star Living Legends <- Check out their individual members also Atmosphere Hieroglyphics Immortal Technique Jedi Mind Tricks Tech N9ne Pharcyde Talib Kweli Mos Def Deltron 3030 Jurassic 5 De la Soul Gorillaz I recommend checking out Cyne and Living Legends first, as they're my favorite.
I'll just shoot names and their respective albums that you should check out: Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor Nujabes - Hydeout Productions 2nd Collection Little Brother - The Listening AZ - The Format Foreign Exchange - Connected Gang Starr - Moment of Truth Nas - Illmatic Mos Def - The New Danger The Roots - Things Fall Apart Common - Like Water for Chocolate Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory Outkast - ATLiens
Kid Cudi has a pretty nasty mixtape if you like smoking and stuff like that its great music to get high too (did i just say that?)
I agree on Kid Cudi. And give The Cool Kids a shot, they actually have a free online mixtape right now: http://coolxkids.com/
Theres 2 directions you can go in. You go backwards or forwards. Backwards being the classics and pioneers. Those number in the 100s, since they cover 3 decades, and most album sales will direct you about what to check out. Forwards, at least to me, is familiarizing yourself with the newer names or underground names that are in the rise. I think its more entertaining since there are so many names out there, one better than the next, and its like a hunt. Houston meaning Rapalot? Or newer like aztec or devin the dude, whom I havent listened to yet but I heard Waiting to inhale is really good. From what Ive listened to, I am lyrically impressed with: Cool Calm Pete - lost Living Legends, in particular Murs and Grouch Little Brother - Getback Lupe - Food&Liquor, his other albums suck Drake - good mixtape, in the same "fashion rap" vein as Lupe Kanye and Wayne. Wale - Mixtape about nothing, though a bit too much seinfeld soundbites Atmosphere - Life gives you Lemons Blackalicious - craft, but honestly all 3 are good nicolay & kay - timeline elzhi - europass rhymefest - blue collar Still undecided on A kid named cudi, though the chiddy bang remix of day n nite is damn good.
Artifacts Bustin' Mellonz Jamal Butter Verses Black Rob Camp Lo Def 1 (UK artist) Overlord X (UK artist) Pharoah Monch Nino (of PKO) Redman Royce da 5'9" Steady B
If you want some real good hip hop, Rice Radio has a show on Tuesday nights dedicated to the world of underground hip hop. I think it's called the "Vinyl Frontier". It comes on at 10 PM (Houston time). Stream it here: http://bang.rice.edu/listen.shtml It's amazingly good. Anyways... Dilated Peoples People Under the Stairs Jedi Mind Tricks ... to get you started.
some older unappreciated stuff ras kass cannibus (1st album) aceyalone freestyle fellowhip chino xl lyricist lounge vol 1 blackstar as far as the newer stuff i agree with the reccomendation of immortal technique and jedi mind tricks, the last T I album made me a fan if you havent heard that give that a listen, also not too old but not too new dj muggs v gza the genius think differently music wu tang meets inde music the executioners
Drake - "So Far Gone" mixtape. You may have heard his single "Best I Ever Had" on the radio and what not... it's a good song, but I think the other tracks on his mixtape are better. He's a half Jewish, half Black dude from CANADA that acts on a little kid's show, so you don't expect much from him. Surprisingly he has a Houston/southern influece in his music.... (check out "November 18th" - if you love Houston music, you'll love this song... background beat is a screwed sample of "Knockin Pictures Off Your Wall". "Uptown" with Bun-B and Lil Wayne is my favorite.)
I'll try not to plug this everywhere I go, but it looks like allot of you guys in this thread are right on par with our musical tastes....so here I go.... Houston Sports Rapp Saturday Nights 10p-Midnight 1560am The Game Concept:Music meets Sports and everything in between. <div> <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" height="25" width="210" align="middle"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="never" /> <param name="allowNetworking" value="internal" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://houstonsportsrapp.podbean.com/mf/play/v5js2r/SportsRapp05-30-09-podcast.mp3&autoStart=no" /> <param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> <param name="quality" value="high" /> <embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="never" allowNetworking="internal" src="http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://houstonsportsrapp.podbean.com/mf/play/v5js2r/SportsRapp05-30-09-podcast.mp3&autoStart=no" height="25" width="210" align="middle" wmode="transparent" quality="high" /> </object> We just kicked it off two weeks ago. DJ Remix (of www.houstonhiphop.com) on the live mix during the show. May I also suggest "RappersIKnow.com"...its a site started by a Rice grad who was here studying, and moved to NYC and now works at Hot 97 (NY's biggest HipHop station)....and was force fed commercial rap, so he decided to spotlight the Texas underground scene, and in particular the many artists he met while living in Houston. Good music, and lots of free music. Peep it out.
