Guide to Music - Hip Hop

Daigomi

South Africa4316 Posts

August 31 2008 14:48 GMT

Hip hop, a genre of music that we all like to associate with Eminem and music videos of guys trying to look hardcore with lots of girls in bikinis dancing with them. I'll say this outright, hip hop was one of the most difficult genres for me to get into, not because the music bothered me, but because it seemed almost fundamentally commercial. The lyrics seemed to be all about either how good the rapper is, or otherwise was aimed purely at selling albums. Furthermore, being a white boy brought up on rock music, hip hop was always the "other" music that was looked down upon.

So, why am I writing a guide about hip hop then? Because like all genres of music, if you put some effort into you can learn to appreciate and love the genre. Hip hop artists, even some of the most popular artists, are highly passionate about their music, and there's a reason for it. Their music is about more than just selling records, it's about making a name for yourself and putting back into the community.

There are definitely some strange conventions in hip hop, like talking big, dissing your rivals, having overtly erotic songs, and so forth. I don't claim to know the root of these conventions, however, what I do know is that these are almost purely conventions, like writing in iambic pentametre was for Pope. These conventions serve as a medium, and, rather than being taken seriously, are almost playful in that each artist looks for new and interesting ways to blow their own horns or write sexual lyrics.

Something else that's important in hip hop that often gets ignored is the production of an album. Yes, its the rapper that gets the credit, but the tone of a song is almost always set by the production of it, and its only when the production of a track and the vocals over it synthsesise perfectly that we get an epic track. So, let's get to the albums!

1. Cyne - Time Being

Track Listing

One of the most beautiful albums in hip hop, ever. Laid back spoken lyrics with some of the purest electronic sounds over it, including chimes and beautiful vocal samples. Cyne is a political hip hop group, which, although I can appreciate, isn't generally my favourite genre of hip hop. However, Cyne brings a whole new side to political hip hop.

The lyrics are generally concerned with emprovement and empowerment, as well as social commentary. Rhymes are smooth, and nothing seems out of place or forced. There are two emcees, both with different and identifiable styles, and two producers whose collaborations are absolutely stunning. The clarity of some of the backing tracks are astounding, with beautiful electronic sounds coming dominating each track. A song which I feel obliged to mention here that is by cyne but not on the album, is Automation remixed by Four Tet. For those interested in electronic music, the name Four Tet will be synonomous with beautiful melodies, and Four Tet does the same thing for Cyne.

My two favourite tracks on the album are Nothing's Sacred and First Person. Nothing's Sacred uses an almost ephmeral vocal sample to form the melody, which, combined with some high intensity vocals makes the track stand out beautifully. In contrast, First Person tells the history of the emcees, with gentle melodies in the background supporting the vocals which provide the main melody in a very soulful way.

2. Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth

Track Listing

Brother Ali is everything that Cyne isn't. He's not specifically concerned politically, he's angry, and he's going to tell you about it. At first listen Brother Ali comes across as slightly raw, or unrefined, but the more you listen to the album, the more you learn to appreciate the mastery of Brother Ali.

The music is fairly simplistic. The samples are well chosen, and the music always enhances the music. However, there are rarely any interesting contrasts, the music almost always tells the exact same story as the vocals. This allows Brother Ali to truly stand out, as he goes from enraged and enpassioned to eerily quiet and subtle from song to song, and each time he changes in mood, so does the listener.

My favourite track on the album is undoubtably Here. The track consists of a repetitive "are you here to confuse me" sample used as a chorus, with a basic beat in the background, but over that Brother Ali produces one of the most lyrically stunning raps I've heard so far. After Here, all tracks can hold their own, with perhaps my second favourite song being the opener Whatcha Got which sets the tone for the rest of the album impeccably.

3. Blue Scholars - Bayani

Track Listing

I was stuck deciding whether this album or the Cyne one would be my favourite hip hop album. Brother Ali was definitely my second favourite album, but either Bayani or Time Being would be my first. In the end I chose Cyne because it was the first album which made me appreciate hip hop.

Why do I bring this up? Because the albums are very similar. Perhaps not musically, but the feeling you get from both, and the lyrical themes of both albums are very similar. Blue Scholars are a political hip hop duo, with songs like Bring them Back Home, Opening Salvo and The Distance being outright political comments. However, they mix it up with some personal and motivational tracks like Ordinary Guys and Still got Love which makes the album both grand in its scope, and personal in its closeness.

Compared with Cyne, Blue Scholars focus more on lyrics, and some of verses will astound you with the perfect rhymes, and sustained rhymes, as line after line flows perfectly into the next. This doesn't mean that the production isn't top notch, however. The production keeps the music interesting, and often provides a beautiful coutnerpoint to the lyrics. Songs to listen to are: Ordinary Guy and The Distance, but honestly, any song on the album can take your breath away.

4. CunninLynguists - Dirty Acres

Track Listing

This album stands apart as a very well crafted album. It combines slow, soulful tracks with fast paced, aggressive tracks, and a few party songs thrown in between. The group isn't divided into emcees and producers, but rather the two steady members of CunninLynguists both produce and rap on the album. This seems to work for the lynguists, with each member brining his own side to the album, making it wonderfully diverse.

The production is also interesting and diverse, and seems to differ from track to track. On songs like K.K.K.Y. a vocal sample provides a stunning melody while some aggressive beats and vocals move the track along. In contrast, tracks like Gun has an acoustic guitar doing the melody, with the beats being sparse, and the chorus sung by the members, in contrast to the usual agressive rap style.

This album thus stands out as an album of many diverse songs, with all songs working out great. On some songs you'll think you're listening to a Jedi Mind Trickstrack, while others are closer to Anthony Hamilton than they are to hip hop. I can't pick any favourite tracks from this album, as it all depends on my mood.

5. Kanye West - Late Registration

So after four reasonably underground artists, I decide to end it with Mr West. And there's a reason for that: I love him. I mentioned in the begining that much of hip hop can be seen as a lyrical game, and Kanye West epitomizes that. His lyrics are fun while clever at the same time. You've never heard any artist name-drop as many fashion brands, or talk as big, or make as many clever though unnecessary references. And that's what great about Kanye, he has fun with his music.

Along with that you have Kanye, a producer rather than emcee by profession, doing the production. It doesn't matter which track you pick up, the music will always be interesting and fitting. The production differs from bluesy feeling songs like Drive Slowly to the upbeat, popish Celebration. And as a producer, Kanye has made many contacts with all the biggest men in the business, and on this album you he reaps the benefits, with guest appearances from Lupe Fiasco, Jamie Foxx, Common, Nas, Jay-z, and Consequence.

Choosing a favourite song is quite difficult, but I love Gold Digger which harkens back to old african-american work songs and folk songs. Yet the lyrics are amusingly modern, with a constant stream of references, from Louis Vuitton, to Usher and Busta Rhymes, to BMW. Another song I love is Diamonds from Sierra Leone, sampling the chorus from Diamons are Forever, the production, and the invariably clever lyrics, epitomize what makes Kanye West so entertaining.

Other Albums

Hilltop Hoods - The Hard Road - Australian hip hop, pure party music made interesting with some very clever lyrics. Did I mention they all have Aussie accents?

RJD2 - Getting Jukie Wid it Volume 2 - RJD2 is one of the best producers, and he graces us with collections of his productions occasionally. It features my favourite new artists like Copywrite, Diverse, and Cannibal Ox.

Common - Finding Forever - No list would be complete without the mac daddy of hip hop on it. His newest album, while not perfect, has some really good tracks on it.

You guys might notice that most of these albums are fairly new. Most popular genres evolve very rapidly, and music that was revolutionary ten years ago sounds stale to the untrained ear. Because of this, I think that its important to stay up to date in contemporary genres like hip hop and indie. This doesn't mean that old hip hop can't be appreciated, it just cannot be appreciated as instinctively.

I really hope that you guys try out some of these albums. They're all amazing. Also, let me know of any other albums you think I should have included!

Spenguin

Australia3316 Posts

August 31 2008 14:53 GMT

No other Aussie Hip Hop other than Hilltop Hoods who I find are boring.

Bliss N Eso
Muph N Plutonic

Don't ask about the spelling or the "N"'s

I liked Kanye West's "Graduation" album though.

Cheers Daigomi!

EDIT: For Daigomi

Daigomi

South Africa4316 Posts

August 31 2008 14:55 GMT

I do like Graduation as well, Late Registration is just more consistent for me. Graudation has a few damn annoying tracks on it! And Hilltop Hoods don't suck, they're tons of fun, and quite clever at it.

Spenguin

Australia3316 Posts

August 31 2008 14:59 GMT

But of all the artists, and there are quite a lot of them, you had to pick them

Daigomi

South Africa4316 Posts

August 31 2008 15:02 GMT

Obviously I could have picked more plain hip hop, I generally use the "Other Albums" to list albums that have something slightly different about them. In any case, there aren't that many albums that I think are consistently good. Lots of artists have a few amazing tracks, and then a few very boring tracks. Hilltop Hoods, if not consistently mind blowing, are consistently fun, that's why I chose them.

Plexa

Aotearoa39261 Posts

August 31 2008 15:16 GMT

while im not into hiphop persay, i can appreciate talent where i see it. And indeed, all the above artists i can say that i appreciate their talents in their chosen genre. Good shit sir

JWD

United States12607 Posts

August 31 2008 15:55 GMT

I just bought the Blue Scholars album, I hope it's good! I'm trying to expand my musical horizons by getting some real hip-hop instead of the typical shit you hear on the radio 24/7.

ctang

China74 Posts

August 31 2008 16:06 GMT

hip hop and rap are different.

clazziquai

6685 Posts

August 31 2008 16:28 GMT

Cunninlynguists are SOOOOOOOOOOO good. I love 616 Rewind - my favorite song by them or it could also be Dying Nation :D

Daigomi

South Africa4316 Posts

August 31 2008 16:32 GMT

#10

On September 01 2008 01:06 ctang wrote:
hip hop and rap are different.

Yes they are, rapping is the act of speaking on a hip hop album. However, there is not "rap" genre, and you'll see all the biggest "rappers" consider themselves to be hip hop. For example, Nas has an album "Hip Hop is Dead", not "Rap is dead", because rap isn't a style of music. Just to quote from wikipedia:

"Rapping (also known as emceeing, MCing, spitting, or just rhyming) is the rhythmic spoken delivery of rhymes, wordplay, and poetry, one of the elements of hip hop music and culture."

"When hip hop music first emerged, it was based around DJs who created rhythmic beats by looping breaks (smalls portions of songs emphasizing a percussive pattern) on two turntables. This was later accompanied by "rapping" (a rhythmic style of chanting). An original form of dancing, and particular styles of dress, arose among followers of this new music. These elements experienced considerable refinement and development over the course of the history of the culture."

It's a misconception that there is a genre of music called "rap".

DhakhaR

United Kingdom721 Posts

August 31 2008 16:34 GMT

#11

On September 01 2008 01:28 clazziquai wrote:
Cunninlynguists are SOOOOOOOOOOO good. I love 616 Rewind - my favorite song by them or it could also be Dying Nation :D

616 rewind is a sick tune. celph titled has an epic verse.

"kill an unborn baby and you still couldn't de-fetus" :D

BroOd

Austin10833 Posts

August 31 2008 16:35 GMT

#12

I think my favorite hip-hop album is:

Danger Mouse & Jemini - Ghetto Pop Life

It's just so damn fun to listen to, with DM's amazing production.

EDIT: The Mouse and the Mask with MF Doom is pretty amazing as well.

Daigomi

South Africa4316 Posts

August 31 2008 16:48 GMT

#13

Thanks Brood, I'll get the Danger Mouse. I'm not as big an MF Doom fan though. I have his albums, but they're just too underproduced for my tastes in general. The music never seems to suit his style, and just seems tacked on at the end. That said, his rapping is awesome though, just wish he could do more songs with reasonable producers. Vauderville Villain is his only album I regularly listen to, because the whole album is produced by "external" producers so to speak.

Anyway, will give the Danger Mouse albums ago, I loved what he did with Gnarls Barkley.

Insane Lane

United States397 Posts

August 31 2008 16:54 GMT

#14

imo, College Dropout is the best Kanye West album. But to each his own. Some of these artists I definitely need to check out! (Hilltop Hoods for sure)

Thanks a lot!

Daigomi

South Africa4316 Posts

August 31 2008 17:51 GMT

#15

On September 01 2008 01:54 Insane Lane wrote:
imo, College Dropout is the best Kanye West album. But to each his own. Some of these artists I definitely need to check out! (Hilltop Hoods for sure)

Thanks a lot!

I'll give College Dropout a listen again. I have listened to it a fair deal, but I've always almost intuitively prefered Late Registration, so I'll have to give College Dropout a proper listen. Let me know what you think if you get any of the albums!

ChezGod

United States590 Posts

August 31 2008 18:09 GMT

#16

Gza is my favorite MC

HehawHehaw

Angola79 Posts

August 31 2008 18:11 GMT

#17

guide? widen your horizons young one.

Daigomi

South Africa4316 Posts

August 31 2008 18:21 GMT

#18

On September 01 2008 03:11 HehawHehaw wrote:
guide? widen your horizons young one.

http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=77469

I'm honestly not going to start every single blog post stating "this is not a definitive guide, simply my opinion bla bla bla". But could you please expand what you meant with your comment?