After just recently going to The Roots concert here in T-dot, hip-hop is still very much alive, you just need to look in the right places.

Jean Grae is just waiting to blow up, she can kill almost anyone on the mic, male or female.. Peep her "Attack of the attacking things" albums and "Bootleg of the bootleg" EP.

The Roots are still staying strong, best live group in hip-hop. Watch for The Tipping Point on July 13th.

This has actually been a pretty strong year for hip-hop in terms of releases and anticipated releases.

Check out Pete Rock's "Soul Survivor II", love what he bring s to the table, great producer

Kweli is looking strong with his recent Beautiful Mixtape (10 bucks online, can't beat that) and Beautiful Struggle album slated for later this summer

Common's got a new one called "B.E." which should be out in September.

For a bit more of the underground scene, Skillz has a bootleg out, and his punchlines are pretty sick.. Nicolay and Superstition are pretty good as well. I dl/ed Jedi Mind Trick's "Visions of Gandhi", but I couldn't really get into it. Little Brother is worth a look as well.

I don't really like Immortal Technique, I dunno why, I find him sorta 1-dimensional.. Production is weak, and even though his political views are strong, it just gets boring after a while, mix it up..

Canibus might be making a little noise, his 2003 release of "Rip the Jacker" was my fave CD of '03, although there wasn't much to choose from (Poet Laureate II may be one of the best songs ever made)

 

oh, and look for Jay-Z to come out of retirement and rap under the name of Sean Carter on his next album. (It was kind of a symbolic thing)

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by A2DaZ
Now this for the people who love Hip-Hop/Rap music from day one.

 

caddillac grill caddillac thrill
check out the oil that my caddillac spillz

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by A2DaZ
Now this for the people who love Hip-Hop/Rap music from day one.

 

Rap has sucked for quite awhile now.

I never did care for tupac or biggie. The wu-tang clan USED to be good before they did "wu tang forever" and method man and redman were good before they started doing deodorant commercials and movies where they're in "white society".

Give me the old school Black Market Records, Brotha lynch, Mr Doc, etc. All the sacc rappers came unique and were/are 100x better then rappers nowadays (even eminem whos really just biting big L's style)

 

I've got to agree with you on that one...

Well, Hip Hop is definitely not was it was 10 years ago...However I think there is still alot of talent out there.
Biggie was IMO one of the top 3 that we have seen.

Others that are still staying true to Hip Hop,
Wu-Tang for the most part...36 Champers and all of their first solo albums were instant classics..RZA is a top producer...
MF-Doom...Pitch Black...
Roots...
Bootcamp click (Black Moon comes to mind)
Several others....

However I have no liking to all of the mainstream hiphop these days...Jay Z and Ludi for example, just are way over rated, and while I think Eminem has an extreme amount of talent, it looks at though he is going in a negative direction....

 

it's the BS that is going around now. Before it was RAP and it was raw. Then after Puff Daddy and those other clowns came on tv and starting calling it hip hop instead of RAP. What is worse is that not only did they change the name, but they starting calling "hip hop" a way of life... PLEASE! Being a thug or a pimp is a way of life, I can accept that. But, hip hop is not a way of life. It's supposed to be music. I guess sometimes marketing and naming conventions just get carried too far. I guessing that people will get tired of the crappy music and something else will take over. (Hurry up!)

 

I love redman and methond man.... Tical (the orginal) is a great album, and the story behind it is amazing. I liked muddy waters alot, and have to disagree with you on Wu-Tang forever, that album is great. You can just skip over the songs by the Gza when he talks about black shampoo or what ever he talks about.

As for Meth and Red selling out to white society, I dont care, I bought Tical when I was a freshman in high school, it was mindblowing. At the same time I got Keith Murrays first album. Had them both on tape (remember tapes kiddies) and by the time.

I think that at some point in your life, you realize "Damn I got it good" and look around andsee you have your 2.5 kids and a mansion, and a wife, and start to settle down (Ice Cube for example). Did he "sell out"? No he looked in the mirror one day and realized he is no longer the "angry black youth from compton" he is "mr. cube, rich african-american from the suburbs, who was raised in compton."

The strong holds in rap are still here and will be here, (this is a New Yorkers Perspective, so I will leave out alot of west coast rap). the Wu, although MIA; Def Squad, De la Soul, Busta Rymes (I dont care what you say about him, he has his own style, it just happens that little white kids like to "put their hands where his eyes can see." Damn, I'm totally going blank.

I have to say that I was not around when rap started (too young) and I dont reminiss and listen to much to Grand master flash and afrika bambaattaa... when I reminiss I throw in leaders of the new skool or pauls boutique or the original tical. I think its all about where you were rasied and who introduced you to rap, that will mold your opinion of what "true rap" is.

 

Old school? OLD SCHOOL?

Well looky here, I was listening when you children was not even a thought in your fathers loins.

I was listening to Rock Box by Run DMC, the greats like Kurtis Blow, UTFO, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Afrikka Bammbatta and the Soulsonic Force, and I am probably the only one here that know the lyrics to Five Minutes of Funk by Whodini.

So what does that tell you? I am WAY old and have some bad old CD's in my collection!!! I quit listening to hip hop shortly after Arrested Development's second CD. Loved early Ice-T but gangsta rap chased me out. Awful stuff. I still occasionally buy a cd if it is good, Eminem, Snoop or whatever, but it amounts to one CD every couple of years at the most.