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I couldn't help noticing that most of us are stuck in the past when it comes to quality hip hop.
Nearly all the recent albums that I've been listening to (De La Soul, Roots Manuva, etc...) aren't remotely new artists. Of the younger crowd, I've only really given Kendrick and Raury a listen, but I'm sure that there are plenty of others that aren't quite as mainstream, so where are the good new MC's?
See my last post in the MCs thread. Buffalo is your answer.
What about drum and bass MC's. Bassman, Felon, Fats, IC3.
What about drum & bass? It was more an observation on our general lack of hip hop knowledge outside of "the golden age"
Jmatlock, I tried listening to Westside Gunn... Apart from the beats and loops, there was neither fluidity or originality. Conway was a little better, but not that much.
I found Vince Staples better personally.
I agree that I'm stuck in the past with my listening but it's not a deliberate thing. I can seem to find new stuff from other genres far easier than I can with hip hop tunes. This should be easier than ever but it doesn't seem to be. Could be it's harder because there is so much low quality product drowning out the more interesting stuff?
Can anyone recommend a podcast, spotify playlist, blog, some other digital format that features all the week's or month's quality hip hop releases?
Ideally I'm looking for the digital version of walking into a specialist record shop and getting the staff to play you everything worthwhile that's been released over the last 7 days.
I'm a big fan of Hip-hop and I'm in the same boat. I found Raury's album quite good, quite a mixture of different styles. I find the mainstream has taken a different path, not one that appeals to me at all. My favourites over the last couple of years have been releases by older artists.
Blackalicious - Imani, DJ Format and Phil Most Chill - The Foremost, Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2 and B Dolan - Kill The Wolf. All great albums, but not by particularly new artists. Personally I can't see what the music press loves so much about Kanye and Kendrick. Would love to hear something new that appeals.
I also am mostly stuck in the past.
However, for a taste of some more recent stuff.
Bishop Nehru
Oddisee
Checkout Redefinition Records. Good stuff there (like k Def).
Sadat X keeps dropping great songs.
Afro(can't think of his full name now but he's down with ra the rugged man).
Off the top of my head.
There are not two better MCs on the world right now that WSG and Conway. Every single bar is a quotable. They are out shining those the grew up idolising. There is a huge amount kid obscure gun/drugs/film/car reference in there so is easy to miss an absolute gem of a line. I could give you 5 bars those guys wrote that would blow anything else people are writing out of the water.
It's hard core Regan era stuff, so an aquired taste maybe. But technically it can't be beaten.
Gucci Mayne.
Joke!
Chance the rapper is decent,
Kendrick lamar good kid mad city is my favourite album for a long time, all genres, new one not so much. Takes a good few listens though
Vince staples
Tyler the creator
That's the more charty 'bigger stuff'
Wsg conway
Some of the best stuff I've heard recently is grime/hip hop crossover like sektion boyz lok arf. Love it!
Agreed with the grime stuff. CASisDEAD is the best UK artist doing it now.
Si Phili's new solo album is worth a check:
Mouse outfit
Essa
There is so much good new hiphop around. I personally prefer UK hiphop nowadays, it seems so much less 'Hollywood'.
I have refrained from posting on the top 10 mc's thread because I would struggle to get it down to ten.
They are out shining those the grew up idolising.
Big claim! I'd better have a listen...
I'm not stuck in the past, I like to listen to new music much more than old, prefer new sounds to familiar ones. I listed new MCs in the thread. Also there's Tyler, as mentioned, johnwayne, Milo, Danny Brown, Hell Razah, Nocando.. loads.
I kinda fell out with a lot of US stuff and really got into lsitening to artists from the local (Glasgow/Scotland) scene. A lot of really great guys doing some increadible stuff without having trying to be american.
Loki and Mog (being MCs)
Mistah Bohze (was in II tone committee back in the day)
What about drum and bass MC's. Bassman, Felon, Fats, IC3.
Conrad
[i]Can anyone recommend a podcast, spotify playlist, blog, some other digital format that features all the week's or month's quality hip hop releases[/i]
Try beatboxradioshow.blogspot.co.uk
DezB - Member
.....Also there's Tyler, as mentioned, johnwayne, Milo, Danny Brown, Hell Razah, Nocando.. loads.
I've been giving So The Flies Don't Come a listen and have come to the conclusion that hip hop still isn't dead. Thanks DezB.
Try beatboxradioshow.blogspot.co.uk
Cheers, I'll give it a crack
I was just thinking, as Golden Rules was playing on my iPod this morning - maybe the reason people are nostalgic about hip-hop artists is because they are still trying to get out of it the same as they did when they were an angry youth...
yeah - Public Enemy, Ice-T/Cube, et al spoke to you with the aggressive guns and hos shite back then, but you're older now, rappers who rap about that stuff can't speak to you in the same way. The stuff jmatlock posted doesn't mean anything to me cos it's all the same kind of samples and voices as back in the 80s/90s, I need something different now, something more mature.
The nearest I get to that stuff is Greenhouse (Blueprint & Illogic) - the anger is there, but they rap more social commentary...
Dunno if I've explained it right, but hope you get my drift!
The stuff jmatlock posted doesn't mean anything to me cos it's all the same kind of samples and voices as back in the 80s/90s
That's just my problem with it. It's not original and I've always preferred hop hop that pushed the boundaries, where rappers let their imagination stretch further than cars, bitches and guns.
This is really good and can be downloaded legally (Youngs Teflon - March Madness)
If people are after social commentary and moral tales as opposed to gangster styling I highly recommend giving Brother Ali, B. Dolan and the Coup a listen. Dolan in particular has some intelligent tracks and is a poet as well as a rapper
Is Conway mentioned above Conway the machine?
Cheers...!
Not new, but this is worth a listen (free download):
https://capaciti.bandcamp.com/album/the-blind-cinema-sessions
What about drum and bass MC's. Bassman, Felon, Fats, IC3.
those dudes are all in their 50's now 😆
anyway for newish hiphop I would say:
Vince Staples is my pick of the bunch at the mo. Absolutely loving his stuff.
Joey Bada$$ is probably the best option for anyone who wants new stuff that sounds 90s. That sounds dismissive but he does pull it off really well
Young Thug is very critically acclaimed and you should check it out, although IMO it's largely on that Deep South / 808s and sizzurp / Gucci Mane vibe which never really did much for me
No-one is doing interesting, fresh, conscious hip-hop better than Kendrick Lamar right now IMO
Danny Brown sounds completely unhinged, can't wait for his album to drop 🙂
...and you have listened to the last Skepta album, right? 😉
??
[i]...and you have listened to the last Skepta album, right?[/i]
It's funny you should mention the Mercury prize winner... cos I just don't like his voice much.... Do like JME though (I think he's his brother?). Might have to give Skepta another try.
doris5000 - MemberNo-one is doing interesting, fresh, conscious hip-hop better than Kendrick Lamar right now IMO
Tried listening to Kendrick's 'Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City' quite a few times when it came out but just could not get into it.