Hip Hop/Rap Fanatics Unite!

[Luke]

kid rock, still trying to be relevant. Fame has certainly gone to his head and has never left.

Always thought he was a nice dude, but I also thought the same of warren sapp.

The confederate flag is so Detroit. Guy should make up his mind if he's from Detroit or Alabama already.

Not to take away from his music credibility (the guy can play almost every rock instrument, and well at that) but hillbillies don't live in a mansion in a secluded gated community.




Good read on Suge:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/featu ... 706?page=9

[stickem]

kid rock, still trying to be relevant. Fame has certainly gone to his head and has never left.

Always thought he was a nice dude, but I also thought the same of warren sapp.

The confederate flag is so Detroit. Guy should make up his mind if he's from Detroit or Alabama already.

Not to take away from his music credibility (the guy can play almost every rock instrument, and well at that) but hillbillies don't live in a mansion in a secluded gated community.




Good read on Suge:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/featu ... 706?page=9

i've been waiting for his bitch ass to have some confederate flag mumbo jumbo come out. yeah he has a house in the most expensive part of town in nashville. oh, and why is he in the rap thread? fuck his punk ass.

[Luke]

I have a sneaking suspicion that DMX actually wants to spend his life in prison.

Not being flippant as some people are so self destructive that they are drawn to the prison lifestyle. These people don't want to do anything, and prison suits them. No bills to pay, no food to cook, only a small space to clean, etc.

Really enjoyed the Ruff Ryder musical campaign in the late 90's, very early 2000's, but as far as quality and commercial success (besides Eve going full on Pop), man, what a downhill slide.

If you haven't watched the entire DMX performance on the Chapelle Show, do so.

[noiseredux]

Really enjoyed the Ruff Ryder musical campaign in the late 90's, very early 2000's, but as far as quality and commercial success (besides Eve going full on Pop), man, what a downhill slide.

Agree to disagree. That whole era of Ruff Ryders, Murder Inc, etc was just awful to me. Like, maybe the worst era of mainstream hip hop I can think of. Even albums put out by dudes I like (Vol. 2 Hard Knock Life comes to mind) sound borderline terrible to me thanks to such influence.

If you haven't watched the entire DMX performance on the Chapelle Show, do so.

Agree to agree. As much as I would say "I'm not a DMX fan" his intensity and energy is amazing in that medley.

[Luke]

Agree to agree. Murder Inc was the worst. I blame Jay-Z as he supported ja rule.

Were Pig Pun and Fat Joe Murder Inc? They cranked out a few hits.

DMX's debut cd sounded great when blared, and it probably holds the record for "most use of a whistle in a rap album". He made good "party rap" music. Not near as good as Naughty by Nature, but the first few intros to a few of his songs would make people in da club go bonkers.

[noiseredux]

um Big Pun and Fat Joe were Terror Squad, but they may have been in w/ the Murder Inc crowd, too. I'm a little blurry on all that as I was never into it.

I agree that DMX's early stuff was def fun though. I can see the appeal.

Ja Rule is horrible. Just not good music at all.

Seriously though, that span of like 97-00 is just brutal. Don't get me wrong, some great albums happened (Aquemini, The Love Movement, Things Fall Apart) but most of it was buried under garbage. I feel like The Blueprint vs. Stillmatic thing (2001) was the shot in the arm that hip hop needed to get out of that crap period. Like or loathe Jay-Z, you gotta give the Nas/Hov beef credit where it's due in that at least an effort in competing with each other caused each to up their lyric game and actually prove something. It drove them to make really good albums to outdo the other. This def pushed all that disposable Murder Inc etc product out of the limelight. The winner was our ears.

[Luke]

Oh yeah, terror squad. I get my fake rap gangs mixed up often. I rarely keep up with labels unless it could prevent the release of an album.

During 2001-2003 I barely ever listened to new rap or hip hop. After "Big Pimpin" (which I like) I was wayyyy more into aphex twin, electronica, and acid jazz (which isn't that good). It may have been To The 5 Boroughs that got me back in the swing of hip hop.

But I certainly took a rap hiatus. Especially during that era of LL and Cannibus beefing.

[noiseredux]

During 2001-2003 I barely ever listened to new rap or hip hop. After "Big Pimpin" (which I like) I was wayyyy more into aphex twin, electronica, and acid jazz (which isn't that good). It may have been To The 5 Boroughs that got me back in the swing of hip hop.

I did mostly the same. I still listened to hip hop in that period, but it was classics and not new stuff. I also listened to a lot of jazz, electronic and noise stuff around then. Also if you don't know my favorite band of all time is Sonic Youth, and spent plenty of time w/ them around this time as they had a brilliant string of records at this time starting w/ NYC Ghosts & Flowers in 2000 and continuing on w/ Murray Street in 2002 - two totally diff and astonishingly great records.

I slowly started getting back into newer stuff mostly because of the indie hip hop stuff emerging (Sage Francis was making noise a stones throw from my house; Anticon, Rhymesayers etc were coming up; MF DOOM and Def Jux were putting out a deluge of brilliance, and so on).

BUT, like you, I'd say that 2004 was the year that I started paying attention to major label hip hop again. The three releases that year that really hit me were Ghostface Killah's The Pretty Toney album, Beasties To The 5 Burroughs and The Roots' The Tipping Point.

[Luke]

Good choice with Sonic Youth.

I still listen to a lot of aphex twin, The Orb, maybe some sneaker pimps and Portishead (which I believe to be friendly trip hop), but that's about it.

Totally went through a period during college where I'd listen to anything one of my girlfriends liked. Hell, I listened to the Weakerthans to "score" my wife (more than a decade ago). But she also loved Screeching Weasels, so that evened the scale a bit.

Always up for listening to something new, but I listened to a huge load of garbage (not the band) while in college. Was also very anti-pop, but I basically caved and listened to the song that my friends would say "I have to hear!". Usually that song would involve Rob Thomas.

One of the many things I love about You Tube is searching for A$AP Rocky* or Kendrick and listening to the suggested links. It really is a great way to explore modern rap.


*Last weekend we had a group just under a dozen hanging out, playing cards while listening to music. After one record was done I asked for requests, and my wife says "Oh! Play that AY-Sap Henry record!".

My neighbors probably heard the burst of our laughter. Of course the running joke of the night was "Asap Henry", but luckily my friends don't take any goof personally.

[TSTR]

Ja Rule mentioned. Obligatory.

IT'S MURDAAAAAAAAAA