Recommended Hip-Hop/Rap music (#1 - #10)
Hip-Hop/Rap
- Alternative Hip Hop
- Bass Music
- Beat Tape
- British Rap
- Chopped and Screwed
- Comedy Rap
- Dirty South
- East Coast
- G-Funk
- Gangsta Rap
- Hardcore Rap
- Hip Hop
- Horrorcore
- Hyphy
- Instrumental Hip-Hop
- Jazz-Rap
- Latin Rap
- Nerdcore
- Old-School Rap
- Party Rap
- Political Rap
- Pop-Rap
- Rap
- Reggaeton
- Southern Style
- Spiritual Rap
- Street Rap
- Trip Hop
- Turntablism
- Underground Rap
- West Coast Rap
N.Y.C. AKA NEVER YET CONTESTED: ... In Retrospect
In hip hop, you can always take it back to the essence. All you need is a thick beat laced with some potent lyrics, and the sound is bound to resonate with true fans. No matter what you've heard, those fans are still out there, and this Brooklyn-bred MC knows it. Wisely skipping the oft-obligatory intro, he jumps knee-deep into the rhyme pool on "Who I Be," an 808-driven track that thumps, rings some bells, and allows ample room for the man to let us know what he's about, and what he came to do. Don't worry, he's not here to sermonize ("I'm not a preacher, but a brother who knows...," he says on "Probable Cause"), but if you want to listen, he's got some ideas. "Wake Up" gets deeper into the conscious aspects of his style, urging folks to take a hard look around. The rest of the disc is the follow-through of these opening statements, getting specific on the downside of television ("Boob Tube"), the blurring effects of drinking ("Intoxication"), and the harsh realities of the streets ("21"). It's serious business, but he balances things out with "Clap for Me," a golden-era style party anthem that keeps it partially old school, but completely relevant. It makes for a great balance, a great track, and one more reason why this is such a great album.
CD price: $9.99 / MP3 price: $9.99
XPERIENCE: Soultree
After "Intro (Prayer)," the pensive and calculated preamble that kicks off this dark but ear-grabbing blend of thick beats and dense raps, the focus that drives this affair becomes clear: "Let my words be the vessel to the threshold of your mind," Xperience urges on "Wrekon," offering both insight into his game plan and the route he needs to take to get there. Fusing a laid back style with subject matter that is anything but, these are songs that demand an investment from your ears and your mind. The beats make it easy; the words pose a challenge. A spiritual undertone rides through the 15 tracks, like you're watching the journey of a man who's fed up with contradictions searching for answers that might not even be there. But he's trying, and it's the struggle that's so intriguing. This is serious business, but his valiant wordplay and knack for diction and timing keep it from ever getting bogged down. Plus, he's not afraid to let loose. On "Two to Tango," the beat bounces a bit, echoing the uplifting vibe of the cut, and "The People's Anthem" works a bit of soul into the mix, making a smooth chaser for the ambitious lyrics that are laid on top. Strong-willed and potent with the words, this is hip hop that strives to open up your mind.
CD price: $11.00 / MP3 price: $11.00
SENZ OF DEPTH: Boundary Waters
Crafting an album full of hip hop instrumentals is a challenge: without lyrics to crash in and dominate the sound, the producer is left with plenty of space to fill, a feat made even harder given that he's flexing skills in a genre of music that often relies on repetition for it's immediate appeal. Where many have failed, California producer Senz of Depth succeeds, packing a completely unexpected arsenal of instruments and sounds into a collection of songs that can be taken one by one, or just as easily swallowed whole in its smooth-flowing entirety. The key here is variety. Leaving out the loops and refrains, each song undulates and moves, while still finding ways to sink into grooves and not lose track of the underlying progression. Mixing live instruments with synths, it's often hard to tell exactly where some of these sounds originate, and that's precisely what makes it so much fun to listen to. These are tracks that thrive on intricacy, as Senz takes the basics of hip hop, shatters any presupposed definition of what he should be doing, and just runs with what feels right. It'll keep you guessing, and it's guaranteed to keep you coming back to make sure you caught it all. Give yourself some time, it'll take a while.
CD price: $7.00 / MP3 price: $5.00
SONICBLOOM: Paradigm Lift
The Bay Area has always been a hub for a diverse gathering of hip hop faithfuls, and while the scene is too often renowned for its party raps that are proud to be lacking in substance, there's never a shortage of artists that represent the flip side of that coin. This group of MCs from The Bay aren't interested in dumbing down their sound for anybody, but that doesn't mean they don't want you to have some fun. When the first (post-intro) track "Firewalk" thumps in with a dense and Moog-y bass rumbling and the invitation to "Move Yourself," it's ostensibly as club-ready as you can get. But as the vibe moves forward, both through this song and the 16 that follow, it's easy to see that these cats aren't consumed with simply throwing their hands up. "Eye of the Hurricane" gets serious, contemplating and trying to contain frustrations that bubble up from simply trying to take it day by day: "How long can we keep on living this way?/ What can I do as one man to make a change?" The beats keep it intelligent and thought provoking as well, adding just as much diversity as the messages that they're the backbone for. Whether you're feeling up, down, pensive or carefree, this is a record that should help you ease into a perspective that makes you feel right.
CD price: $9.99 / MP3 price: $9.99
DOWN LO & DEPLOI: In Our World
SoCal lyricism meets Minnesota funk on this collaboration, which splices together two distinct flavors to generate some hard-hitting hip hop and intricate grooves. While this is ostensibly move-the-crowd party music, the complexity of both the words and the instrumentation bumps it up to levels that surpass that generalization, leaving the listener with plenty to take in, process, and feel. Deploi's flow is rugged but on point, dialing in with the rhythm section and often accenting their offbeats with his verbal barbs. When he stops to catch his breath, the band steps up, digging deeper into the heart of the groove and throwing the spotlight on some of the individual instruments. "Expander" showcases some fierce guitar soloing, while the horns on "Party Joint" are huge, taking over the track (in the best way) and creating a fantastic celebratory anthem. To top it off, the production and recording quality are top notch, so you know that when that kick drum kicks and the bass digs down deep, you're going to feel it. And you're going to like it.
CD price: $13.97 / MP3 price: $13.97
D. ALLIE: The Cooperative
This Michigan MC thrives on taking the high road, checking pretense at the door and kicking rhymes that never need to fall back on posturing to get the knowledge across. He calls his style "organic hip hop," and it ends up being a fairly solid summation of his flow, lyrical content, and especially the beats he laces. There's solid grooves that feature a looser feel than a lot of hip hop, lending themselves easily to his laid back style of speak and unassuming but effective matter-of-factness with the lyrics. The words are spread thick and chosen carefully, keeping the songs pressing on and the filler to a minimum. This is a cat who loves music, almost to the point of being protective. On "Description of A Fool," he pokes fun at the loud-mouthed bling enthusiasts who are a dime a dozen in the rap game today, warning that hip hop is in "a state where everybody's getting so self centered." He's got the remedy for it, and she shouldn't have any trouble finding plenty of real hip hop fans that are right there with him.
Recommended if you like Public Enemy, The Roots.CD price: $7.00 / MP3 price: $5.00
AQUABATICS: Analog Transmission
Upon first listen, the tracks laid down by this Richmond, VA six piece sound like straight up, solid, hard hitting hip hop. Delve a little deeper, and wha- are those live drums? They are. And they lay the grooves that the rest of the group sinks into, taking the music in funk and jazz driven directions that work perfectly for the two lyrically ambitious MC's. Balancing out the traditional hip hop side of things, the songs are peppered with slick cuts on the turntable, adding a sometimes gritty juxtaposition to the smooth bass lines and the more mellow guitar riffs. It's a group effort, and through the 11 tracks, you can see how comfortable the collective is in challenging themselves with content, both lyrically and musically. "Rule of Thumb" starts off with an unassuming acoustic progression, and eventually builds into a tight groove that matches the intensity of the lyrics. "Fallen" is a great song to end the album with, riding a tight funk rock feel with cuts all over it, keeping the MC's working until it segues into a loose breakdown at the end. It's tough to pull of great live band hip hop, but these guys make it happen.
CD price: $12.97
SIRAH AND DJ HOPPA: Clean Windows Dirty Floors
Somewhere between an EP and an LP, the 8 song proper debut from this NY raised/LA transplanted MC is lean on filler and stacked with lyrics that don't waste a word. With a B-Girl from the Bronx swagger that can't help but add additional punch to her already aggressive delivery, Sirah flushes out the tracks, compacting syllables and squeezing thoughts on top of each other, all while constantly maintaining focus on the concept and the flow. The tracks are dense, laced with urgent, true-school grooves that complement her style perfectly. The lyrics here are honest, told from a fairly unique perspective, and filled with a strength that is often fueled by contempt. On "MC," she laments the thinly veiled sexism in hip hop from an artist's perspective, and then takes it a step further on "Stop With The Advice." "I'm not doing you, I'm doing me," she rails in response to nonchalant criticisms of her look and style. In a rap landscape filled with cookie-cutter MC's, it's always great to hear an artist whose main focus is to remain true to herself.
Recommended if you like Lauryn Hill, Bahamadia.CD price: $9.99 / MP3 price: $9.99
7EVEN:THIRTY: Star: The Seven Thirty Experience
Thematically, if you had to sum it up quick, this is hip hop that is spaced out beyond belief. Lyrically abstract and musically dense, these songs make a serious attempt at convincing the listener that this cat is from another planet. But, when the grooves kick in and the beats start knocking on your eardrums, it becomes clear that he has one foot firmly planted on the ground. Busting out beats that somehow toe the line between ethereal and slightly grimy, any preconceived notions of what's coming on the next track have to be tossed out the window within minutes of this 21 song disc kicking into gear. Lyrically, he's got the goods to keep 'em guessing as well. While a track like "Flesh Eating Brane Kreature" is on the surface about, well, a creature from space with a taste for skull innards, when you peel back the layers it becomes a metaphor for some mind blowing musical abilities. With additional abstract lyricism for days, a knack for well-placed melody, and the ability to craft a song that doesn't get too hook heavy or repetitive, this is one that you can plan on spending some serious time with.
CD price: $10.99 / MP3 price: $10.99
STRANGER DAY: Strangers Die Everyday
"It's a mixture of feel, touch, and what's really real." On "Elevate & Escalate," the third track on this half hour barrage of rock-solid lyricism, this underground MC gets going and gains momentum like he's never going to quit, spitting bar after bar and relentlessly pushing the track forward. Intricate and dense, these 9 songs embody what goes on the mind of a real MC, an artist whose motivation envelopes him to the point where the lyrical content ends up echoing that same creative drive. The beats here match his voice perfectly, spilling out thick and dark, but containing enough bounce factor to keep heads nodding along. While a lot of modern hip hop relies on hook heavy song construction that just ends up increasing the fluff, SD takes the high road and kicks lengthy verses that run circles around themselves, constantly coercing the listener to keep a finger poised near the rewind button. The word "underground" gets tossed around a lot lately, but this is a rapper that can wear that brand proudly. You could call it abstract, you could call it alt, but you should probably just call it intelligent and worth checking out.
Recommended if you like The Roots, Atmosphere.CD price: $12.00 / MP3 price: $12.00