My answers are quite similar. First, I miss the diversity of styles, and in particular the concept that hip hop could just be fun and about the music itself. In the 80s and early 90s, there were artists / groups that achieved commercial success without
being subsumed by concepts such as guns, b!tches, and benjamins - Digital Underground, De La Soul, Das EFX, A Tribe Called Quest, Biz Markie, Slick Rick, 3rd Bass, D Nice, etc.
Next, I miss the respect afforded to the lyrical masters that defined hip hop as an art form - Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, KRS One, Kool Moe Dee - I am skeptical that these artists could have achieved the same level of success today. |
You are right! I was a Big Daddy Kane fan. I also like groups like Souls of Mischief and the Hieroglyphics. They were not consumed with the material things of life. It wasn't just the hits it was the songs in between. Kane had a song called "set it off"where he had a line that said "e e e e even if I stutter I'm Gonna still come off". He put a stutter in his rhyme. Witty. I missed the King Kong type confidence and energy in the music and rhymes.
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Remember when rappers would have impromptu competitions against each other? Whoever had the best wordplay and rhythm could disrespect the other guy off the stage.
And the crowd would go crazy.
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I miss the story telling, or the themes some of these guys came up with. I miss How different everyone sounded, and how each rapper had their own personality. Nowadays they seem to all sound the same, and it is so commercialized now. Rappers aren't even from the hood anymore( which doesn't really matter), but don't rap about it, if you know nothing about it. |
"Rappers aren't even from the hood anymore"
They weren't 25 years ago. Remember Vanilla Ice.
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@souljasmooth. You are so right they are funny looking posers. Look at a group called Black violin. Go to YouTube and look at the video to the song "Brandenburg" They are classically trained hip hop violinists. I don't know how to put links in the thread. If you do post a link so people can watch. The video is hilarious. It's perfect for the thread.
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calvin, you can post a link the old fashioned way by a copy and paste of the web address.
The new Audiogon link button is located past the Quote ( " ) icon
at the end of the row. Above the comments window.
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taters, your obviously familiar with some rap
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Every time I think about hip hop or rap I put on a Sarah Vaughn album and the pain goes away. |
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Souljasmooth,
I just know Vanilla Ice.
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@souljasmooth the cool part about my taste is that I can listen to jazz and hip hop back to back. I have giant black and white framed photos of Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington on my walls. Then I have hip hop inspired artwork by the artist Justin Bua in another room. Great contrast. You should look him up. Remember T.R.O.Y by Pete rock and cl smooth. Jazzy hip hop. Classic.
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@lowrider57 how are you. Did you look at Brandenburg?
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calvinj,
Black Violin is really great Hip Hop. It's inventive and breaks free from the modern Hip Hop formula.
I really like the song "A Flat," but the "Brandenburg" video is so good. After poking fun at a typical audience, there's a great message in there about the lack of diversity in Classical music, specifically in the major orchestras.
As a frequent symphony attendee, the lack of colour is very obvious, yet in conservatory recitals, I see many super talented African-American musicians.
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Dont push me cause im close to the edge...huh huh huh ha |
How about the song planet rock. The beat was amazing |
Public Enemy, "when I get to Arizona " has great PRAT! |
I miss when people just made comments about the lyrics and it wasn't so commercialized. It's gotten to the point where some people hate the current content. Some people hate it because it isn't what it was. Some people hate it because they don't understand the culture. That also why I loved it so much. It was defiant and didn't care about acceptance. Told stories from so many points of view. |
Despite what most believe, rap lyrics are about survival and being trapped in the game! Check out Tupac "Trapped" |
For the record back when the "old school" was new music I never liked it. Now years later I can appreciate the lyrical poetry and the fact that it's got a good beat. Some of it is even well recorded. I know it's not esoteric enough, but I like what I like and no apologies.
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@gshepardbuster thanks. It's all about enjoying the music. Some guy will never get it. However, it wasn't meant for them in the first place.
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calvinj, you and I listen to some of the same stuff outside rap. I especially like that you're into Lightning Hopkins, I think he was amazing (I was lucky enough to hear him live in the early 70's). We've mentioned "The Revolution Will not be Televised" before. That's a track, IMO, with some good and interesting music in the mix. Can you point me in the direction of two or three rap or hip-hop tracks that might interest me similarly or catch my ear? I tried one suggestion earlier today that didn't drive my monkey wild. Had a decent chorus, I'll say that. My jazz leanings run from Satchmo to Mahavishnu, so I don't mind something adventurous if it's out there. Thanks for your time.
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"Ain't no half steppin" Big Daddy Kane
2. We got the Jazz - A tribe called quest
3. You must love me - jay z
4. Keep rising to the top - Doug E. Fresh
5. Summertime- will smith and dj jazzy jeff
6. Set it off - Big daddy Kane
7. Keep your head up - 2 pac
8. The ghetto - Too Short
9. King of Rock - Run DMC
10. Hold it Now - beastie boys
11. One love - Whodini
12. Heavy D- Girls they love me
13. Rock The Bells - LL cool J
14. Jazzmatazz - Guru
15. T.R.O.Y - Pete Rock and cle smooth.
16. Running away - Pharcyde
17. Rapper's Delight - Sugarhill Gang.
18. Liberation - outkast
19. spottieoddiedopaliscious - outkast.
Start there. Will get you more jazzy hip hop on next list. |
@tostadosunidos there's the starter list. Some of you might dig. Some of it you won't but I love lot's of different kinds of music. I'm deep into jazz, blues and r&b. Lightnin Hopkins is something I grew up on. Riding with my Grandpa in the Cadillac listening to a Lightnin Hopkins on a blues 8 track tape in his car on our way to get a chopped beef sandwich Sonny Bryan's Bar B Q. |
No. 5,7,10,17 good choices, the others are unfamiliar but prolly good too. |
Whoa, that's a lot of tracks, thanks. I'll jump in ASAP.
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@tostadosunidos what do you think? |
calvinj, at first I was wishing you had listed fewer tracks but now I'm glad you went beyond three. I've listened to the first five. Didn't care for the first one much at all. Second one (if I have this right) had an interesting backing but it sounded like a loop which I didn't care for (reminded me of Philip Glass, not in a good way). Jay Z was way more interesting, getting more in the direction I was hoping to go. Will have to give that more listens to see if it really grabs me or not. But #4 and #5 had me grooving, esp. Will Smith. That must have been a big hit but somehow it was under my radar whenever it was released. Summertime has some great stuff going on and it a great groove, looking forward to giving it another spin. Definitely want to hear Doug E. again, too. Unfortunately it's been a busy week but I did get the one session two nights ago. Listened to each of the first five all the way through, one time, undistracted, with decent phones (AKG 701Q through a tube amp). More later, and thanks again.
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I did that to narrow it down.
Try 15, 16, 18, 19. Probably more of your style |
Hey, I didn't post for a while. I'm glad it all died down. To each his own. Soundtracks to your life will not be the same for everyone. Enjoy the music or the noise coming out of your speakers.
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nice list calvinj, I would add Tribe called quest and the jungle brothers to the list also. |
whoops I see you already have the tribe called quest on your list |
The Hip Hop or Hip Pop I hear nowadays I miss the grittiness, rawness and lyrical creativity. I also miss the Jazz, and Blues sampling that was done before. Guru's JazzMaTazz album is one that comes to mind. |
Yes me too. It's so singy songy with weak hooks and low vocabulary. Lost the wittiness and wordplay |
Most there are some guys who still do it but few now. I listen to my jazz now and a little hip hop. Doesn't stimulate the brain like it used to
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Nothing is not something. Can't miss what you never knew |
As Big Pun would say "Go That Away"👇🏿⬇️🔙🎵
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Ever since hip-hop was hijacked by the thugs, the quality of the music has suffered to the point where I mostly ignore it. It lost its originality a long time ago. The only cats that made their ghetto ghost stories palatable were Biggie, Tupac, and Wu Tang. If Tupac, Biggie, and Big Pun hadn’t died, Jay-Z would never have blown up the way he did. There would have been no room for him among those three.
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Well I respect Jay Z. Lyrically a great. However, I wish they the artist kept that first album hunger. I wish things weren't so commercialized. I get sick of the mindless fake thugging. I miss the wordplay. The intelligent rappers.
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