Random Music Talk CXXIII: Cilantro Lover's Club

[LemonMelon]

Kanye and Kendrick have dominated this decade for me, but We Got It From Here and Pinata (just missed the list) are the two albums that come closest to matching their best work. Both exceptional for totally different reasons. Tribe engages me more emotionally, so their album gets the nod.

 

[Hewson]

http://www.u2interference.com/forums/f221/hip-hop-talk-ii-216119.html

 

[Hewson]

dp

 

[cobl04]

Shut up Laz

 

[kabigon]

There's three posts left in the shuttlecock thread for someone to think of a new laz-free title

 

[Hewson]

Summer of Laz has a nice ring to it.

 

[DaveC]

i have the best thread title in interference history ready to go.

 

[Hewson]

i have the best thread title in interference history ready to go.

 

[lazarus]

Thought I was the only one who thought Late Registration was Kanye’s second best.

Also, no way in hell is that Tribe reunion album better than at least two of their classics, namely the debut and Low End Theory.

I also question any list of 10 that fails to include It Takes A Nation Of Millions... or Fear Of A Black Planet.

 

[LemonMelon]

I love Tribe's entire discography, but the political and personal intensity of WGIFH is immense and meaningful. It is going to take some time to people to place that album in the canon but it really is something special and inspired, the culmination of a legendary career.

Never have been a Public Enemy fan. I've tried, even seen them live, but their sound just doesn't work for me over the course of an entire album.

 

[lazarus]

Fair enough; I haven’t spent as much time with it. Certainly isn’t as pleasurable for me on a surface level.

I’m by no means a hip hop expert and can’t even call myself a huge fan, but this is a rough list in no particular order.

Fear of a Black Planet
MBDTF
Ice Cube - The Predator or Death Certificate
GZA/Genius - Liquid Swords
Tribe - Low End Theory
Jay-Z - The Blueprint
Late Registration
The Roots - Things Fall Apart
OutKast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Paul’s Boutique (I prefer Check Your Head but hard to label it as hip hop)

 

[cobl04]

Liquid Swords is the second best Wu album I reckon.

One of my fav hip-hop songs ever:

 

[lazarus]

I could easily switch that with 36 Chambers, or even the underrated Wu-Tang Forever. Hard to not put anything with Method Man on my list.

 

[DaveC]

speaking of criminally underrated hip hop songs:

 

[cobl04]

In what world is that underrated, let alone criminally underrated, haha

 

[DaveC]

in "dave is home from the bar and listening to rap videos" world.

 

[lazarus]

Tickets for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds at the Forum are going for as low as $20 before fees.

It's upper level seating but might be hard to pass that up.

 

[cobl04]

Have you seen him recently?

The fact that you even post that you might consider it makes me so mad. Just fucking go. They're in the top 0.1% of live artists right now.

 

[iron yuppie]

Yeah Nick Cave is a fucking beast right now. You've got to get on that.

 

[martha]

It's way too big a venue for them/him, but it'll be a great show.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[kabigon]

For $20 a show I'd see Nick Cave 10 times

 

[lazarus]

1. I saw them at the Hollywood Bowl for Dig Lazarus Dig, and was right next to the stage when they played Coachella 5 years ago.

2. I don't give much of a shit about live music anymore.

That's why it's not an instant purchase for me.

 

[cobl04]

I know about #2, but I can categorically tell you you're an idiot if you don't go. NC+TBS' last two albums are the best of their whole career imo, and the live shows are some of the most menacing, intense, transcendent shows I've ever seen.

 

[Axver]

2. I don't give much of a shit about live music anymore.

I hope to god this never happens to me.

simpsons-itll-happen-to-you.gif

 

[Hewson]

I hope to god this never happens to me.

simpsons-itll-happen-to-you.gif

Spoiler

Hasn't happened to me yet

 

[lazarus]

I know about #2, but I can categorically tell you you're an idiot if you don't go. NC+TBS' last two albums are the best of their whole career imo, and the live shows are some of the most menacing, intense, transcendent shows I've ever seen.

As I said, I’ve seen them twice already, so I’m aware of the band’s power. And in better venues (Hollywood Bowl) or with closer views. Unlike you, I don’t prefer the recent material compared to earlier works.

Prince played almost two weeks of $20 shows at The Forum, and the reason I only went once was because of the hassle of getting there, paying a lot for parking, etc.

It’s definitely something weighing heavily on my decision.

 

[LemonMelon]

Laz, I picked up tickets to Liz Phair at the Ace Hotel. She's playing a lot of old stuff lately. THAT'S a show you might be interested in.

 

[lazarus]

Ehh, I saw her at least 7 times during the Guyville to Whitechocolatespaceegg period, not much interest in watching her do it 25 years later.

If she gets off her ass and releases that album with Ryan Adams, that might be worth going to a show for.

 

[namkcuR]

Surprised no one had any Tupac or Eminem on those hip-hop lists. I haven't listened to nearly as much hip-hop as some of you(trying to catch up though), but Tupac is one of the most legendary hip-hop artists of all time, and Eminem has put out some of the biggest hip-hop hits of the last 20 years.

Recently got into Tupac's "Me Against The World", killer record.

 

[cobl04]

Tupac is a king for sure but I don't think he really ever released any bona fide classic records that stack up front to back. But maybe I'll re-listen to a few to check in on that. I would argue that he's more of a singles artist, like if you stacked up his best 20 tracks he'd just about beat anyone, but not sure it ever translated over a full album.

As for Eminem, what album would you put up? Again, lots of big hits, but no albums stack up if you ask me. Only has three good albums, Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers are both stacked with great songs but also hamstrung by a ton of idiotic skits and needlessly homophobic and misogynistic lyrics that bring it down as a whole. The Eminem Show I'd argue is probably his best but it still doesn't stack up as an album and also starts going a bit too commercial in sound imo. Again, another artist whose best-of would be all-time, but it doesn't translate over a whole record.