Hip-Hop Purists

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As time goes on I'm finding it harder and harder to convince myself that I like Sir Lucious more than more than MBDTF. I've come back to the latter more often, even if the former's a lot easier to get through. Ughhh
 
Big Boi's record is dope as hell, but I think anyone throwing MBDTF under the bus will look pretty silly decades down the road. This may be reactionary, but I don't think there has been a more significant hip-hop album than MBDTF in a long time, maybe going as far back as Blueprint. It did not necessarily innovate to the degree that it sounds radically unlike everyone else, or even Kanye's previous work, but it united everyone. Can you name me a mainstream album that received more unanimous critical praise in the last decade? Just look at metacritic. It won the Pazz & Jop critics poll by the widest margin in its history, and that's going back to the early 70s.

And by mainstream album, I really do mean mainstream: platinum sales and two big time singles. Even sites like MTV.com ran to its defense when the Grammys snubbed it. Can't exactly call it underground or accuse it of not being influential: within the hip-hop community...the way others talked about it...it was the prevailing example of upping your game within the industry. It's the closest thing they had to Brian Wilson dropping Pet Sounds and leaving minds everywhere completely fucked. Love it or hate it (and I'm not judging the album subjectively here; I'm going by the closest thing I have to observable facts), it's clear that Kanye created something really memorable with MBDTF. So yeah, I mean, I think most of us can agree it's a significant work, and the album isn't so ludicrously overproduced that it will sound like hell decades from now. If anything, such a ridiculously dense record should keep on growing. But hey, maybe I'm the only one who still believes albums can BE significant at this point in music history.
 
Of course, they don't mean all that much. Everyone knows that. It's an awards show. But, still, very surprising that it wasn't nominated.
 
So I have read in a few places that this Shabazz Palaces album will make believers even out of those who do not usually gravitate toward Hip-Hop. Is there any truth in this?
 
I haven't heard it yet, plan to. Raekwon has a new mixtape out too, gonna listen to that in the coming days.

In the meantime though...

When a motherfucker steps out his place
And gets slapped in his motherfuckin face
Just because the motherfucker tried to base
The G.O.D., the G.O.D.

And while I see his whole clique passes by
Motherfuckers think they qualify
And for those niggaz want to try
The G.O.D., the G.O.D.

Yo
I'm not caught up in politics
I'm no black activist on a so-called scholar's dick
I come through with the Wu and drop math
And versatile freestyles bombs and phonographs
and deliver, all things and other in weight
searched to death, on how living things relate
Cause at a young age, I was molded in a religion I relied on
and got caught up in superstition
Scared to split pole, duck black cats
Once in a while, threw salt over my back
But with knowledge of self remove the shell
Made things seemed complicated now small like elves
So turn off the lights light a candle, have a seance
Pull the lid off the Dean Martin scandal
Witches, warlocks, spooks, and holy ghosts
RZA lets defraud the hoax

When a motherfucker steps out his place
And gets slapped in his goddamn face
Just because the nigga buddy tried to base
The G.O.D., the G.O.D.

And while I see his whole clique passes by
Motherfuckers think they qualify
And for those niggaz want to try
The G.O.D., the G.O.D.

We were on the same ship when the slaves were checked
I had to pull your card you was on the top deck
So I plotted my escape, I saw the Thin Line Between Love and Hate
And fast from the hog on the plate
I suffered brutal pains, from whips and chains
Punishments that were set to wash the brain
So look listen observe and also respect this jewel
drawed up, detect and reflect this
light I shine, because my power is refined
through the truth, which manifest through eternal minds
Purified gases and masses the same elements
that helped spark civilization classes
I see brothers quote math plus degrees
Lip professin' ass niggaz can't feed they own seeds

When a nigga steps out his place
And gets slapped in his motherfuckin face
Just because the nigga what he tried to base
Wit' G.O.D., wit' G.O.D.

While I see his whole clique passes by
Motherfuckers think they qualify
And for those niggaz want to try
The G.O.D., the G.O.D.

I mean, fuck. Every time I hear this song I feel like I've gone 10 rounds with Ali. Phenomenal.
 
I actually don't have one, to be honest! Heard it twice, and while the arrangements are unorthodox and the production dry (generally the way I like it, being into east coast underground), not many of the tracks hooked me in. The lyrics stick to the abstract, but I didn't observe the MCs having particularly great flow. I think the album is worth hearing because there isn't much out there like it, but I don't consider that factor to be the greatest in determining quality.

Saw them live as well, and after starting 15 minutes late, they delivered a set more reliant on a laptop than charisma...the dude making the beats kept looking down mid-rhyme, and it was really distracting.
 
Haha, there's better abstract hip-hop out there than Shabazz Palaces that I would feel more comfortable recommending. If you want a comfortable foundation for understanding the depth and variety of hip hop beats, look no further than Madlib's Shades of Blue, which crafts the Blue Note catalog into a beautiful instrumental hip hop album all its own. From there, his work with Madvillain isn't so much the mother of abstract hip-hop as it is the Michael Jordan of it.

Also, Dalek is mindblowing simply for their skill at merging shoegaze, black metal, ambient and hip-hop into one sound.
 
LemonMelon said:
If you want a comfortable foundation for understanding the depth and variety of hip hop beats, look no further than Madlib's Shades of Blue, which crafts the Blue Note catalog into a beautiful instrumental hip hop album all its own.
Click to expand...

See, now this is the sort of thing that would interest me. I'll look into it. I think that the genre has a lot to offer musically, but the lyrical content almost always discourages me.
 
Personally yup I think you'd get a kick out of Outkast's ATLiens. I remember you saying you liked Aquemini, the track, from my DI list, and ATLiens has those sort of slow, hypnotic beats (plus a more grounded, less postural set of lyrics) in spades.
 
Oh, it's ALL like that. And it's one of the longer tracks, if that bothered you at all. The album is like 76 minutes long, but it flies by because every track is baller as hell.

Pete Rock is right up there with RZA, DJ Premier, Kanye and Madlib in my pantheon of great hip-hop producers.
 
Mecca and the Soul Brother seems to be the only available anywhere in the world (Amoeba doesn't even have the other two used!!) so I guess I'll have to buy that and illegally download the others.

Speaking of CL Smooth, he appears on Raekwon's new mixtape, Unexpected Victory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i2z2xAQ5BY

It's pretty good. Definitely a few really good tracks. Mobb Deep and Busta Rhymes also appear. Production's pretty sweet in spots.

Anyone know anything about Jean Grae? Saw her open for Pharaohe Monch who opened for GZA and she was pretty fucking awesome.

Rick Ross' new mixtape also got an 8.2 from p4k. Pretty tempted to check it out.
 
cobl04 said:
Mecca and the Soul Brother seems to be the only available anywhere in the world (Amoeba doesn't even have the other two used!!) so I guess I'll have to buy that and illegally download the others.
Click to expand...

You're doing well picking up the debut, both that and Main Ingredient are dope. As a matter of fact, I might prefer the former.
 
Haven't got around to them yet.

Honestly, I didn't really like the Schoolboy Q record. Don't see myself going back to it. Only liked three or four, the ones with the more chilled, spacier production (Grooveline, My Homie). Lyrics sounded pretty cliche in a lot of parts though I admit I didn't listen to closely.
 
Other than Shimmy Ya and Brooklyn Zoo I find that album completely unlistenable. Actually, I think it's a testament to Rza's ability as a producer that he was able to patch together something semi-coherent out of Dirt Dawg's bullshit ramblings.
 
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