I agree with your assessment of Kayne West, knkwzrd. I've heard a few of his songs and they're quite annoying. His style is lower than all the hype that surrounds him makes him out to be. I think his arrogrance just about kills his rep in my eyes.

Honestly, my favorite artist based on lyrics is Nas. I still haven't seen anyone that has topped him.

My favorite group would have to be Do or Die, especially "Picture this" album. I'm a fan of old school hiphop (Pharcyde, etc.) and I can't get enough of it. I do like some mainstream, but I also like the underground artists. Such as Saigon. (Saigon & Nas - War is a good example) Most of the mainstream artists though drive me up the wall...such as Kanye West.

I think I'm reawakening my taste for old school hip hop. I've been on a search for all the stuff I used to listen to. I've found most of it.

I always thought Nas had a good style and I think he shows it off best in Illmatic.

Illmatic reminded me of hiphop somehow. I also liked the "It was written" album. Very nice.

Look for Do or Die! You have to remember "Do you wanna riiiiiide in the back seat of a caddy.." Money Flow, Po Pimpin, Still Po pimpin, and Paper Chase were my favorite tracks. :)

Illmatic is one of my fav. rap album ever!

Just about every day, he's my favorite MC. The creativity and precision in his lyrics never ceases to amaze me.

As for his last album, at first I didn't like it because I listend to it passively. When I went back and actively listend to the lyrics and some of his metaphors I'd rank most of it up there with his best. Stand out songs on The Here After Fire Water, Brooklyn Public, and The Sidewalks. Lyrically the're magnificent.

You didn't like "Braggin' Writes" or "Longevity"? "Braggin' Writes" is my favorite.

Just a general question, does anybody here listen to slightly older hip hop?

That's most of what I listen to hip-hop wise.

I can't listen to older hip-hop because I've found that with the exception of a select few gems, the production values of hip-hop sucked majorly before 1992. It just doesn't sound good to me.

You're right about the production values, but that doesn't really bother me. I have no problem with lo-fi records.

yesterday I bought some tickets for The Roots and DJ Shadow...coming live in montreal for the jazz fest!!! yes!!!!!!

Ill see the Roots for the third time and finally for the first time DJ Shadow..I always wanted to see this dude live...right now im watching the dj shadow live dvd! hehe..

WHAT?! How much are the tickets?! I definitely need to check this shit out!!

Isn't Braggin Writes by Dj Premo and j live?

I listen to real hip-hop (rap,etc) Anything that has a hot ass beat and without a egotistical loser (50 cent) is all good. And yes i listen to the old stuff too.

Ghostface's recent album was pretty good.

Clipse of Doom is sick.

I got both for 90$

As far as I know J-live is known for MC'ing that trick while spinning the records at the same time.

I just got ahold of Common's "Be" and I think it's pretty good. Has anybody else listened to this?

Hell yeah! One of my favorite albums. I wish I were a little bit longer, but then again it's good that it's not stuffed with filler and remixes and interludes and shit.

Favorite tracks are "Faithful", "The Food", and "GO!"

I'm quite fond of "It's Your World", "Be", and "Love Is". I was a little surprised to learn it wasn't as long as I was expecting. I wonder why he did that.

I agree with you on fillers and interludes. They get old after awhile, especially when you have no idea why they're even there and what they mean.

Yeah. I like the album. It's pretty good. Common performed here at my school last week, except I didn't go since I wasn't at the Wizards game. I heard it was awesome as well.

Now, I'm kinda curious, what's your favorite album by x-artist that you just can't see yourself parting with? Mine's would probably be "Things Fall Apart" by The Roots.

I'm actually listening to Gnarls Barkley right now, and it's just so damn REFRESHING. Seriously, get the album, St. Elsewhere. It's awesome.

Also, check out Deltron 3030 (2000) and Dr. Octagonecologyst (1997). The latter, Dr. Octagon, actually has a new CD due out on June 27, I believe, his first under the name since 1997. The single out right now, "Ants", even has help from DJ Dexter of The Avalanches. Download it right now off of my Briefcase! It's under the music folder.

http://briefcase.yahoo.com/zimarooski@sbcglobal.net

I'll check out the album in a few, thanks!

I think my next "I can't do without" album would probably be the one I just got, Common's "Be". Here it is if anybody wants it:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/97zf4t

Reading through this thread I'm surprised more of you haven't taken the initiative and uploaded more albums to the Music Exposure Club. Hip hop (and by that, I mean GOOD hip hop) is becoming a lesser distributed media and most of you are actually putting forth quite some thought into differentiating it from its mainstream media whore of a sister.

Come see us sometime. ;)

Hip-hop is okay as long as it is the jazz pop stella deus of Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, King of Fighters, Capcom vs. SNK, Deus Ex: The Conspiracy, and Metroid Prime. The composer sure knew what he was doing when he made fuchi komas out of "The Longshoreman" and "Vigor Force".

Other than that, since most mainstream music is instrumental rap it sucks just as much as the vocal rap because it's all one beat and uses timbre to make disturbingly poor 'songs' with terrible sound quality and even worse compositions. The only exceptions to the rule I've found have been Sean Paul, DMX, and Mariah Carrey, since they've both figured out how to compose at the highest level and reach 100% in composition and sound quality without being VGM. Mariah Carrey's newest song was all asanoganawa which means she's reached 200% and might as well be composing for a Xenosaga or R-Type game. Sean Paul's "Temperature" was a very fast paced impressionistic arcus that demonstrated some very high level of poetic skills, especially since he bolroxed in Portugese and not English. DMX was all asanoganawa too and has been ever since I first listened to them. If only they'd do more with their songs . . .

Other than that, most hip-hop begs the question for why the 'composer' shouldn't be oppressed.

Anyway, since I've composed Capcom Vs. SNK and it's trip-hop of the most psyched out levels, I know a lot about every kind of music in practically every style since I've been composing most of my life, with just about four new soundtracks composed in the last year.

I'm hoping this post is a rather elaborate joke, but I know I'll be let down.

Sean Paul creates a "fast paced impressionistic arcus"? That's comedy gold, even if we ignore that you made up a word.

Sean Paul, DMX, and Mariah Carey composing at the highest level. Now that I think about it, "What These Bitches Want" and "Keep Your Shit The Hardest" certainly rival Philip Glass in compositional terms.

Not to put down someone who knows a lot about practically every style of music, but "instrumental rap" is oxymoronic.

Seriously though, GTFO.