I still listen to hip hop...

[mickill]

.....along with just about any other genre of music that people think is dead.

Why can't people just take music for what it is? Sometimes it makes you think, sometimes it's just dumb. Sometimes it makes you want to dance, other times it makes you want to start a fight. Rap from 15, 20 years ago was never that superior to the music of today. It was just more consistently good. It was just less buried under piles of garbage. I know that in a lot of ways, the genre may have peaked in the early 90s, but it's unfair to say that the music today just sucks. Period. Plain and simple. Especially if you're not even paying attention to it anymore. People have been declaring rap dead or on the verge of dying from day one.

If someone came out with a song about pickin' boogers tomorrow (if Biz hadn't already) people would bitch about it the same way that they do Grillz. Are Gotta Stay Fly or Sittin Sidewayz really any less "innovative" than the stuff on early Ice T or Eazy E albums? Do you honestly think that Guru is or was a more skilled lyricist/rapper than say Fabolous? He may talk about deeper shit and be backed by one of the best producers ever, but he's hardly a mindblowing emcee. What did EPMD ever rap about that was so unique or groundbreaking? What really really makes E Double or PMD better rappers than 50 or Lloyd Banks. I mean, I definitely prefer the former, but at the same time, I think it's based on equal doses of personal opinion/taste and nostalgia.

You think that the commercial element in hip hop today wasn't present during the new jack swing era? Kid N Play, Kwame, Heavy D, Salt N Pepa etc all dropped some blatantly soft unhip hop albums/singles, yet they're still respected as artists. Didn't LL and Big Daddy Kane do dozens of corny ass love songs apiece? I mean, 80% of Run DMC's songs were about themselves. And how are a lot of the synthetic 808 beats of Mannie Fresh or Lil Jon any less hip hop than those of early Rick Rubin or Dre?

Don't get me wrong, I know what wack shit is when I hear it, but much the same way that a lot of younger people might think that old school is 2Pac and Big (neither of whom were ever really overrated, by the way, just over-sensationalized), a lot of people who should know better think that rap started with an SP1200 and James Brown samples. Don't forget about all the live studio musicians during the Sugar Hill era and the synthetic TR909 beats by Mantronix and whatever.

Rap, from a lyrical standpoint, isn't in any more of a creative drought today than it was in the late 80s/early 90s when acts like The Geto Boys, 2 Live Crew or NWA were competing to see who could be more shocking or offensive. Think about the rampant misogyny, homophobia and racism in songs by Schoolly D, Just Ice and even Brand Nubian, a lot of which are considered classics. What about your own Beastie Boys? What were they ever saying on their first couple of albums that was so enlightening? And when were they at their corniest? Whenever they started trying to drop social commentary, I think. But that's just my personal opinion.

Like I said, I do have my own preferences -- they tend to lean towards the golden era with Slick Rick, Eric B & Rakim and Public Enemy -- but I also recognize the fact that every next generation of musicians is fronted on by the previous one; Melle Mel fronted on KRS, Moe Dee fronted on LL, so on and so forth. True, hip hop is at it's most mainstream today (Let's not forget the 30 million or so albums sold between Hammer and Vanilla Ice in the early 90s, though), but the fact of the matter is that as soon as rap left the street corner and entered the studio, it became less about artistic credibility and more about monetary wealth. Because Rapper's Delight, It's Nasty and The Breaks were still a long way from 36 Chambers or Enta Da Stage.

Bottom line is, there's still a lot of good rap out there if you're a) willing to look a little and b) keep an open mind.

One thing I do have to admit is that most young rappers today are vastly inferior to both their older counterparts and the young rappers of the 80s and 90s. I mean, LL was 16 when he did Rock The Bells; Rakim was about 19 during Paid In Full; Big Daddy Kane was 18 when Raw came out; De La Soul were still in High School when they started working on 3 Feet High & Rising. Today, rappers like Chingy, J Kwon and Bow Wow are given a pass for being "youngsters", when in fact they're around the same age as these legends were at the time, if not older. But that's the only problem I really have here; senior rappers of today like Jay, Ghost and Nas still give those pioneers more than a run for their money.

Anyway, I think it's all about balance. The shit I listen to on my headphones may be a lot different from what I'd prefer to hear in the car or at the club. People like Just Blaze and Alchemist kind of have the right idea. They know how to make commercial joints and street shit. And I thought that this (http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/statusainthood/archives/2006/03/a_conversation_1.php) conversation between them was kinda interesting.

And hell yes this is kinda long and drawn out, but I had a lot on my mind. That's my steez, chump.

[Kid Presentable]

Unltimately it's sad that I have to make excuses for liking rap music.

Nice post, btw

[roosta]

Very well said.

[yeahwho]

I think everybody here still listens to hip hop. This is the BBMB. I just find myself listening to less and less recent product.

Slick Rick and CCR were considered "lowkey" in their day....yet they outshine every new band that has come along this past year. If a band is considered "lowkey" today, they don't even get a contract. The RIAA and major labels have effectively killed the goose, when they begin to grasp the 21st century I reckon things will change.

So it's not really a lack of loving the medium, it's a lack of new quality product in the medium.

[cj hood]

yo mic.......just cuz someone drops a cd doesn't mean its worth listening to......you remind me of my friend who buys 15 cds a week, listens to them once and then they sit on a shelf collecting dust....good hiphop today is good cuz its not as bad as the rest of the shit out there......in the 80s most rap cds had zero filler.......today you buy a cd for a single or two.....you don't even know the dj's of most hiphop acts today.....mainly cuz they don't have one.......hiphop is beats, rhymes and scratchin.....anything more or less isn't hiphop!

[Qdrop]

the issue with me is 2 part.
first, the corporate BS:

the thing is....back in the 80's and early 90's....rap was just starting, growing...evolving.
and most importantly...was still underground.
yeah...it started to get commercial as early as the late 80's...
but nothing like we have today: clothing lines, video's being shot before the album is even finished. rappers with thier own cologne. cameo's up the fuckin ass on everything.
hip-hop has become a commercial, complete with focus groups.
record companies (complete with old white men) look at hip hop as a product...and look for certain molds to fill.
we hear these stories now adays about kanye bringing up the Game and shit....
i don't buy it...not on the level they want us to.
it's the executive that make the deals and bring people up in the long run....not the rappers or producers....
and by the time the rapper or producers do have that kinda clout, they've become perfect molds of thier "old white men" predecessors: looking for acts that sell and fit the mold, nothing else.
marketing.

did any of this exist prior to 1999? well sure.
these practices have probably existed since the dawn of the music industry...but at this level?
doubt it.
and until more recently, not with hip hop.
hip hop was so pure when it began because it was underground.
untouched by the corporations.
it was a joke, a fad.
so it was allowed to carve it's own path...bust down the walls on it's own.

now it's the most viable and lucrative genre in music, and corporations have taken the reigns.
hip hop is pop now....the bulk of it anyway.
all major acts go through the corporate approval train.
acts are hand picked and molded...their backstories carefully crafted for street cred....picked as much for thier looks and street cred as thier talent....shit, MORE for thier looks and street cred.
you think 50 and G-unit are selling millions cause of thier mic skills?
come on.

you used to have to find an act that had marketability AND talent...fuck, now all you really need is marketability with the media machine that exists now.
you can MAKE ANYONE into a stud rapper. all it takes is money.

^and that's half the problem i got with HIP HOP today. and it probably contributes to the second: it's just boring.

the days of sampling are all but over. with the prices as high as they are, sampling is fading fast....being replaced by synth drums and effects. the SAME synth drums and effects.

hip hop started with live intruments, progressed to synth and drum machines (and while it all sounded the same, it was still brand new...so it took), then progressed to it's golden era of sampling....and now back to synths and drum machines....except the last part's been done.
there are only so many drum patterns you can have. only so many synth keyboard riffs you can make.
it's hitting a wall.
a creative wall.

so now the game has switched.
they don't sell music with the music...they sell it with the image. with the culture.
it's become a billboard.
no one buys lil wayne because he can flow.
they buy him because of his image...an image they want to emulate.

that's where we are today.
hip hop may not be dead, but we just can't find it.

it's been replaced by corporate shills.

[Guy Incognito]

The thing about hip hop like some other art forms is that it has the power to react to the system - at some point there will be a reaction to all the marketing and bullshit - there has been some already - the truth will out and true hip hop will always be around ( i appreciate its getting harder to find) but with boards like this etc, there will always be a community of real hip hop fans.

[mickill]

yo mic.......just cuz someone drops a cd doesn't mean its worth listening to......you remind me of my friend who buys 15 cds a week, listens to them once and then they sit on a shelf collecting dust....good hiphop today is good cuz its not as bad as the rest of the shit out there......in the 80s most rap cds had zero filler.......today you buy a cd for a single or two.....you don't even know the dj's of most hiphop acts today.....mainly cuz they don't have one.......hiphop is beats, rhymes and scratchin.....anything more or less isn't hiphop!


I don't just buy anything, but I don't not give new rap a chance just because the good shit isn't as widely available or placed right in front of me.

I'd say that 95% of the most heralded classics from the 80's had filler, if not more.

Great Adventures of Slick Rick had A Teenage Love and Let's Get Crazy

Long Live The Kane had I'll Take You There and The Day You're Mine

Straight Outta Compton had Something 2 Dance 2 (and Express Yourself was kinda corny...I mean, c'mon)

Licensed To Ill had Girls (and others in my opinion)

Amerikkka's Most Wanted had The Bomb and few other uninspiring moments.

Even Raising Hell and Nation Of Millions had flaws.

30% of Paid In Full was devoted to weak dj/instrumental tracks. That leaves 7 actual songs with vocals. 2 of which were remixed singles from the year before. That's a grand total of 5 new songs. If an album like that came out today it'd be completely lost. Don't get me wrong, but I'm sure if Jay Z put out an album with 7 songs on it each time, nothing but the best shit possible, and tacked on 3 instrumentals, he could have a string classic on his hands. But I doubt anyone would buy them.

[Qdrop]

Great Adventures of Slick Rick had A Teenage Love and Let's Get Crazy


Licensed To Ill had Girls



dude, i love those tracks.

so innocent and care-free.

[cj hood]

^^^ ditto!!!

don't diss "teenage love"........don't hurt me again!

[mickill]

So Girls and Let's Go Crazy are good songs, but you couldn't find anything on say Fishscale to appreciate? Ya slippin, kids.

[Qdrop]

So Girls and Let's Go Crazy are good songs, but you couldn't find anything on say Fishscale to appreciate? Ya slippin, kids.

i'll probably buy Fishscale....relax, StreetTeam.

[yeahwho]

So Girls and Let's Go Crazy are good songs, but you couldn't find anything on say Fishscale to appreciate? Ya slippin, kids.
I purchased Fishscale on the advice of the BBMB, it is a really cool set of songs, but at one time every other week shit was coming out of Fishscale quality or better.

Maybe I'm just fucked up and too old...but the NYTimes had an article on the rebirth of "Classic Rock" last month and it stated what many of us already have known for years....the 1000+ copies sold each week of Dark Side of the Moon and Led Zep II are being purchased by an overwhelming majority of high school aged kids.

Why?

Because fucking nobody in the year 2006 wants to learn how to play guitar and rock out like John Mayer.

Pretty hard to embrace that tripe.

[Gareth]

i really enjoyed the late 90s/early 00s when the neptunes and timbaland were producing stuff like big pimpin, get ur freak on, oops [oh my], ugly, southern hospitality, holla back [young'n], good stuff...that was fun times plus it sounded fresh.

[Kid Presentable]

i really enjoyed the late 90s/early 00s when the neptunes and timbaland were producing stuff like big pimpin, get ur freak on, oops [oh my], ugly, southern hospitality, holla back [young'n], good stuff...that was fun times plus it sounded fresh.
Oops WAS a real good time. Truth, bro.

[Nygel]

teenage love was a filler? shit... i own i believe all the albums by slick rick (great adventures, rulers back, behind bars, art of storytelling) and i think that his first cd is the only one that really stands out as great. the others imo are nothing. Fishscale must be really good.. ill check it out...

i still like Dangerdoom though

[ASsman]

Heh, yeah, good work man.

On Fishscale, it's nice to know good hip-hop still being made.

[Gareth]

...how are a lot of the synthetic 808 beats of Mannie Fresh or Lil Jon any less hip hop than those of early Rick Rubin or Dre?

a mannie fresh snare roll is like a treat from god.

[mickill]

^cosigned.

Next time any of you make a funny face because the dj threw on a Dipset track I want you to think back to when you sat here talking about how much you enjoy A Teenage Love.

Also, I don't really personally mind if the music moves backwards or forwards. Just as long as it moves. When it moves backwards, sometimes we get classics like Made You Look, Grindin' and 99 Problems, which easily hang with anything from the golden era. As for moving forward, producers like The Neptunes and Timbaland have done tracks that old school producers never even imagined possible.

And who's to judge who's staying real and who's phony? Supposed "commercial" beatmakers like Mannie still use traditional "tools of the trade" like TR808s, MPCs and SP1200s while rap purists praise dudes like 9th Wonder, who makes his beats on a computer, for taking rap back to its former glory days.

By the way, Q, I do agree that corporate machines can turn just about anybody they want to into the next big thing. How else could you explain Game's success?

[sab0tage]

the thing is....back in the 80's and early 90's....rap was just starting, growing...evolving.
and most importantly...was still underground.
yeah...it started to get commercial as early as the late 80's...
but nothing like we have today: clothing lines, video's being shot before the album is even finished. rappers with thier own cologne. cameo's up the fuckin ass on everything.
hip-hop has become a commercial, complete with focus groups.
record companies (complete with old white men) look at hip hop as a product...and look for certain molds to fill.
we hear these stories now adays about kanye bringing up the Game and shit....
i don't buy it...not on the level they want us to.
it's the executive that make the deals and bring people up in the long run....not the rappers or producers....


This hits the nail on the head for me. The trouble is these days that nearly everything (not talking about just music) new is tainted by exec's influence. Nothing is pure as even the most insignificant product has been tweaked and fine tuned to ensure it appeals to the masses.
When something gets big and more mainstream there is always going to be a lot of crap to sift through as everyone jumps on the band wagon. Off the top of my head I think that 4x4 vehicles are a classic example. There used to be Jeep, Land Rover etc and now you won't find a car manufacturer who doesn't have a 4x4 'offroad' model. The majority are however crap.
There's still a lot of good hip hop out there, but its far outweighed by the amount of crap you have to trawl throught to find it.
Everything is all about marketing and advertising, Bill Hicks had it right.
This is a great thread, its nice to see it has gone 20 posts without it turning into a slagging match - probably set myself up for one now!

[Qdrop]

Also, I don't really personally mind if the music moves backwards or forwards. Just as long as it moves. When it moves backwards, sometimes we get classics like Made You Look, Grindin' and 99 Problems, which easily hang with anything from the golden era. As for moving forward, producers like The Neptunes and Timbaland have done tracks that old school producers never even imagined possible.
yeah, i can agree with you on those points.
Neptunes, timba/missy keep it moving forward.
and primo,justblaze, and few others still hit up some good beats.

i don't wanna say hip hop is completely dead.


By the way, Q, I do agree that corporate machines can turn just about anybody they want to into the next big thing. How else could you explain Game's success? i mean, i think the Game has some flow....but no more than the average hungry wanna-be on the street.
my cousin (on some indie label with no hope of ever getting a break) can flow as good as game.
it definately ain't all about talent.

[roosta]

whilst i dont go along with the whole hip-hop is dead thing....things like "Laffy Taffy" make me dispair....thank God Ghost called them on it.....

[Ally Al]

when did hip hop die ? I missed that memo

i for one don't understand why so many people complain about current hip hop. There's more choice than there ever was. There's good hip hop in the mainstream and there's plenty of good underground hip hop about. I personally still listen to hip hop every day and i don't ever remember a time when i've thought i'm sick of this, hop hop is dead.

I'm all for the innovations of timbo and the neptunes (sa ra will be added to this list in the future, you'll see) etc etc, and my head still nods whenever i hear a good primo beat

producers currently rocking my world 9th wonder (does that make me a purist Mick ? :) ), just blaze, doom, madlib, mathematics, ayatollah, pete rock, khrysis, dave west, dangermouse the list goes on. All these people are making good sample based hip hop so i don't believe that part of the art form is on the way out either

I want to add to the above statement that it still makes me sad that dilla died. Dude was a fucking genius. I've been fortunate enough to get a file with all the songs he sampled on donuts, he was amazing really. A real real loss

hip is alive i tell you, ALLLIIIIVVVE !!

[sab0tage]

things like "Laffy Taffy" make me dispair

never a truer word spoken

[Lex Diamonds]

For me, it's about the artist's attitude towards hip hop. People like 50 Cent who start beefs for publicity and keep going on about how they rap for the money and women just don't seem like good/talented people to me. People who are in it because they have a new style or vision or want to spread a real message (I think there were more of them before all the heavy commercialisation shit that seemed to pop up in the mid-90s) to me are far preferable to the posturing MTV types who are just trying to replicate them.

[PaddyBoy]

I agree hip-hop's not dead, but its changed drastically over the years. QDrop made the best points in this thread, business execs have taken over and many rappers model themselves to fit a certain role/image that suits i.e whatever makes a lotta dolla. I remember reading something funny once about 50 Cent, if gay rap sold, he'd have made 'Get Dick Or Die Tryin". Its true.

There are so many boring MC's with nothing to say, lacking charisma. I like the Mitchell Brothers from the Uk, there are many better rappers with a better flow maybe, but the M Brothers say what they wanna say in a more interesting and funny way.

Where's the variety these day? Where are the hip-hop crews gone, MC/DJ combo's? Who the fuck are all these people buying Chingy records?!

[Ally Al]

[QUOTE=PaddyBoy]I agree hip-hop's not dead, but its changed drastically over the years. QDrop made the best points in this thread, business execs have taken over and many rappers model themselves to fit a certain role/image that suits i.e whatever makes a lotta dolla. I remember reading something funny once about 50 Cent, if gay rap sold, he'd have made 'Get Dick Or Die Tryin". Its true.


LOL

thing is though, hop hop already has a massive gay following. you never heard of homo thugs ? A lot of dudes come out of prison and carry on with that prison love they've been having. They live that thug lifestyle only difference is they're getting a little bum action to. Check ruff ryders, it's all about my dogs, love my dogs etc but bitches ain't shit. Gangs of dudes shirts off in their videos, thats what it's all about son. Homo thugs. LL is another one, yeah i'm sure the ladies love cool james but i'll bet he gets a lot of lad love to. Always flexing them pecs, little tach, very suspect if you ask me. Eminem and 50 just the same, massive gay following

[SobaViolence]

i've always loved the art v. commerce debate...


music means different things to different people. some think it should just be background noise, some see it as entertainment, personally, i see it as a quasi-religious force...

it's all opinion so everyone is wrong, and we're all right.

as long as you love it, that is all that matters.

[M.C. Guevera]

I'm just sick and tired of every mainstream rapper having to be a gangsta rapper, rapping about the hood, wearing expensive jewelry, and having the SAME DAMN VIDEOS over and over again. There seems to be no more variety in the mainstream. In the old days, you had N.W.A., but you also had Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys, Biz Markie, Kid N' Play, Salt N' Pepa, Heavy D. Let's even add Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer onto the list. Now it seems every rapper has to be cut from the same mold to the point that I'm getting confused as to which rapper belongs to what label and what group. Why is it like this? Is it the rich corporate executives fault? And if it's them, why are they doing this? Don't they remember the days when mainstream rap was filled with artists rapping about a variety of topics? Why must everyone be a thug or a gangsta now?

I don't mean to hate on current rap. It has it's flaws but it's not god awful and I don't believe hip hop is dead. I do like Jay-Z, I do like Eminem, OutKast, Ludacris, and Kanye West. But 9 times out of 10 on any given day, I'm listening to Paul's Boutique and downloading every Eric B and Rakim song I can instead of listening to The College Dropout or Chicken And Beer. I can't help it, I find alot of hip hop from the "glory years" if you will to be better than the stuff that's out today, especially better than anything 50 Cent has put out ever.

[Kid Presentable]

The thing is that Albums and Artists are products, and products all die.

Look at the Beasties. The commercially viable, critically acclaimed Beasties are dead. But we still have The Beastie Boys as an entity. So it's got to be about artists showing enough skill to 'die' and carry on anew, as well as the younger bloods being good enough to be more than just the next logical step.

Another obvious one is Rakim. The Microphone Fiend is dead, and all he's really been able to achieve in the last few years is talking about the modern industry.
Hip-hop killing it's legends like this won't kill hip-hop per se, it will just place a much greater onus on the artists to either bounce back or move on and forget it. At the same time, it relieves the pressure on young uns to be better; they really just need to be newer in some cases (eg Nelly KRS beef).

BUt yeah, I'm wondering where it all went. 2000-2003 had so much promise with all those timbo and Neptunes beats (among others) heralding a new age in hip-hop. Not only were they a new sound, but they offered new context to legends like Busta, or ams like Bubba Sparxx. Could this movement have already 'died'?

[M.C. Guevera]

The thing is that Albums and Artists are products, and products all die.

Look at the Beasties. The commercially viable, critically acclaimed Beasties are dead. But we still have The Beastie Boys as an entity.

Wait what? Even though To The 5 Boroughs wasn't a classic, it still got some good reviews and went to #1 on the Billboard 200 so I think the Beastie Boys are still commercially viable and critcially acclaimed.

A better example would be Public Enemy. They haven't had a hit album in over 10 years. Alot of people say they fell off hard starting with Muse Sic N' Hour Mess Age. They are still together, and are still releasing albums but none of the albums make an impact on the charts.

I think the Beasties have some life left in them.

[Kid Presentable]

Wait what? Even though To The 5 Boroughs wasn't a classic, it still got some good reviews and went to #1 on the Billboard 200 so I think the Beastie Boys are still commercially viable and critcially acclaimed.

A better example would be Public Enemy. They haven't had a hit album in over 10 years. Alot of people say they fell off hard starting with Muse Sic N' Hour Mess Age. They are still together, and are still releasing albums but none of the albums make an impact on the charts.

I think the Beasties have some life left in them.
I didn't want this to be a talk about the Beastie Boys; but compare their penetration of culture (not only hip-hop) in 1992-99 to what 2004 showed us.
Some good reviews and a number one spot or two AFTER they had influenced a generation and a half of listeners, while a good stab, does not compare to the things they were hailed as in the 90's. They are dead in terms of that definitive identity, what remains to be seen is whether or not this new identity can provide the goods.

And that is the challenge faced by any producers of goods that die out.

[ASsman]

Heh.

[Ally Al]

hip hop has lost its underground appeal ...once made for the streets and your rides , now has to be in the clubs and 106 and Park.

all this crunk /jiggy junk coming from the south is just horrible..the funk element in the music is gone.

the shits for kids and radio now.

big difference.

(n)[/QUOTE]

thats just a generalisation though. Your talking about mainstream hip hop. Fair enough there's more of it than there used to be but if you don't dig it ignore it. There's prolly more indie labels now than there's ever been and plenty of top quality hip hop being made

maybe hip hop was always for the kids, you've just grown up man. I'm 34 now but b-boy till i die son

[ASsman]

You'd be on his dick. And not 50's.

[ASsman]

I better get that shit, so that I can listen to it in my ride. The cracking noise of a cd under my front wheel.

[ggirlballa]

wut about that "hyphy" thing thats goin on?:confused:

[ericlee]

Most of the hip hop I've listened to is off the radio, only when I get burnt out on my cd's. No matter how burnt out on them I get, it only takes 15 minutes of radio time to get unburnt.

Maybe I'm being biased on the little I do hear but it all sounds the same to me. It's all about their personal possesions and money.

Shit that us here in the real working world will never in their dreams be able to acquire. You know, I want all of it too and can guarentee I've worked harder than they ever have and yet, I've got a mortgage to pay, monthly child support to pay. I even went out of the country to clear some dept.

Why do I want to listen and bask in their "accomplishments?" Should that influence me to go ahead and buy their cds just to hear them brag a some more off of my hard earned money?

This may not be the exact words I heard from 50 during an interview but, he said something along the lines of he doesn't care about the fans just as long as there's his money. Sure, every artist isn't doing what they're doing for the fun of it or enjoyment. They're earning their money as well but they're not blatantly giving their supporters a big fuck you, just give me money.

One thing I can respect about the Beasties is the fact that can rock the mic wearing flannels and other attire they've acquired from thrift stores. They've done their share of bragging but it's nothing near as far as alot of these other trendy hip hop artists do nowadays. Alot of things they rap about is off the wall but it's well researched. Things and people that I've never heard of and it actually makes me do a little research on some of the stuff they write to find it's fairly interesting.

Just look at this mb. Yeah, I'm ignorant of politics but you know what? How many recent hip hop artists out there even have such a section? They've probably got a grillz section. Great, more stuff that I and many others can't afford. Also on the political section, some very well edjucated people intervein with each others with impressive views.

I would like to take some time out and listen to alot of these other hip hop artists as mentioned in this thread. I know I've been neglecting myself from them. I want a good reason to break my bias on what I'm hearing on the radio nowadays.

[skinnybutphat]

Rap sucks now because there are too many guyz with "lil'" in their name, and they are always yelling at me in commercials.

I get confuzed eazily.

[mickill]

I think there are more 'Youngs' than 'Lils', no?

[adam_f]

Ever since Bow Wow dropped the 'Lil' I lost all respect for him.

[Rhymezilla]

Some examples of good hip hop...

Fort Minor, Apathy, Celph Titled, Open Mic, 7L & Esoteric, Styles of beyond, Lupe Fiasco to name afew. Ap, Styles of Beyond & Lupe are all undergrounders about to break into the mainstream

[ericlee]

Some examples of good hip hop...

Fort Minor, Apathy, Celph Titled, Open Mic, 7L & Esoteric, Styles of beyond, Lupe Fiasco to name afew. Ap, Styles of Beyond & Lupe are all undergrounders about to break into the mainstream

Hey thanks for that bro(y) I'm gonna give them a looksie.

Groups that need to produce more hip hop to me are like Tribe called quest(even though they're pretty much non existant), De la Soul, Digable Planets.

Hey Mike, sorry to kinda fuck the thread up but, that's just how I feel as a working man with little media knowledge of hip hop.

[Auton]

fort minor's gay

[Gareth]

i was at this thing last night and the dj was dropping songs like that rihanna tainted love song, bow wow 'fresh azimiz' and cornball swizzy shit like 'like that' and 'bring em out'
in the environment, these kinda songs can't be fucked with.

[wrongwayandugg]

I think the Beasties have some life left in them.

Hell yeah, they do. Absolutely no doubt.

[ASsman]

ok honestly.

hows Paul Walls Cd?

is it worth buying or no..?


:D
Yeh, used.