What underground hip-hop is worth the time?
mannybolone
Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
This is not a rant.Ever since me and my better half moved into our new apt. in S.F., I've been steadily accumulating a pile of promo 12" and LPs in the office/record room - about 15 months worth (and this doesn't even include the four boxes of yet-to-be-filed vinyl I brought over from the last apt. Most of this is "indie"/"underground" hip-hop (since I don't get service from the majors much these days). Wifey's been nudging (read: insisting) me to clean up all the records off the floor and given the long weekend and nothing much else to do, I finally took a few hours out and went through somewhere around 250 pieces of music (almost all hip-hop). This is not the first time I've said this (nor will it be the last) but I really don't know when either 1) I changed or 2) hip-hop changed but 80-90% of what I sifted through doesn't appeal to me. I found so much of it incredibly derivative; it's the same lyrical themes, the same flows, the same production styles being recycled ad nauseum. I'm not saying this to shit on the entire indie/underground genre (if one can even call it that) but despite my desire to really want to connect with more of the songs, to say, "yeah, this stuff is good, I wonder why folks sleep?" I just felt despairing with each toss of a new 12" into the sell pile. This includes both new artists and artists I once was into, which only contributes to my sense of disconnection. I mean, sure, I'm disconnected from the streets and now, apparently, I'm disconnected from everywhere else. I'm not trying to pick a fight here but I would like to know from those who are still invested in this kind of shit to just run down a few indie hip-hop singles that they think are truly outstanding.
Comments
I think it's the recycled beat format, really. I can only listen to so many butchered and re-assembled piano or guitar samples and they all run together to me.
Also, it seems 95% of underground is emo-rap.
Plus, even some songs that have good beats have annoying rappers. I hate to be racist but if I have to hear another nasally whiny white rapper i'm going to puke.
In the end it just all sounds the same to my ears.
I giev kudos to Ugly Duckling, like them.
And I really don't want to pick on 9th Wonder but listening to at least half a dozen different 12"s that he helped produce...I don't understand why people find him so remarkable. His beats sound a dime a dozen and the lo-fi quality of his filtering doesn't help either. This is an old complaint on Soul Strut but every new thing I hear from him just reconfirms the same observation.
Of the stuff I actually did like...despite a wack name, I thought a few of Giant Panda's singles were cool. Same goes for J-Zone, Edan and Insight but notably, those three are all artists who I've liked in the past as well. Of new-new artists, I don't think there was more than a couple that I was willing to keep in the crates.
My fav has gotta be Smurf Syndrome. Cracks me up.
+ co-sign on the 9th wonder hype! it??s a pity that he picked some ruff rhymers ala bootcamp and turn their solo lps into some hippie bullsh.
just my two hundred billions cents. pls no drama.
...the last 12inch that i picked up was "semi official - in the key of life" ...birdcore
he would be the "authority" on this wouldnt he?
I.Self.Divine gets hated on because he's on Rhymesayers but the dude is really awesome.
Acorns
Optimen
Ghost
Mydnite
Hypocondriacs
Pedigree Chumps
Texta
Dirty Diggers
Primeridian
Longevity Crew
Movemeant
Blue Scholars
Yungun
Klashnekoff
Mr Jaes
Reef
Headcase Lads
Greenhouse Effect
Omega One
Splash
Doc Brown
D'Opus & Roshambo
F&D
Lunar Heights
Mic Styles
Sleep
D-Tension
Insight
QNC
Doujah Raze
Pismo
Zion I...etc...
...plenty of good stuff out there.
Not all US stuff...
Competent, but definitely NOT transcendent - and his drum patterns are pretty damn lackluster (and I'm being kind here)... Despite the stigma attached to major label commercial product from revisionist purists, I'm still checking moreso for tracks w/ beats from the likes of Just Blaze et al... And apparently, the imminent Swizz Beatz produced Busta Rhymes (as well as his own solo material) is on some straight NYC classic loop circa early '90s - should be interesting...
A lot of the underground reminds me of the Maximumrockandroll/Punk Planet universe where there are a lot of just plain ASS shit acts all ideologically promoting authenticity[/b] - regardless of the moniker, the stuff still blows/sucks...
Lightheaded, Giant Panda, DJ Alibi, PUTS.
There will be a sticker on the fron of the new P album that says: New People Under The Stairs feat. NO JAZZ LOOPS or SPED UP R&B!!! Awesome.
Problem is, the home recording revolution has taken the 'natural selection' element out of hip hop and has allowed for a proliferation of closet nerds and babies with the financial means to release records to do so. There is no theory, history or understanding in any of thier music and most have nothing to contribute to the culture. Meanwhile the very few dudes who do have something to give get lost in the muck of all the crap coming out or can't afford to get it out in the first place.
I don't hate on dudes who hate hip hop nowadays, but it isn't all bad. Just mostly.
We're keeping you on the Tres mailing list
huge co-sign...although the good stuff will always come through sooner or later...btw, Noonen is really dope, I can totally relate to that song, hehe...
Thes, I am going to have to take an opposite stance on your comment. I agree with you that the advancements and cost effectiveness of new home recording technology has allowed the marketplace to be flooded with a disproportional amount of WACK-HOP; now since anyone with a PC hooked up to the internet now has their own virtual label spewing out Gar-bage. But where I differ on your thoughts is consider that the technological advancements have shifted the paradigm thus new practices need to be established to set your work of art apart from the rest of the bullsh!te floating around. So the way Hip Hop has operated in the past is effectively dead like the dino and the way quality Hip Hop is disseminated through masses needs to evolve into a new beast. The scary part of all this is if no one is creative enough to find new way to present their quality music, Hip Hop could die out and be wiped away from the popular music just as big band Jazz and Blues were in there day. In short today proliferation of wackness should push Hip Hop Innovators to develop the next new way to present their quality music. ???Survival of the Fittest??? instead of ???Natural Selection.???
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EditDatDeejaY
Man, as bad as all this stuff is, there's a whole other level of shit far worse that most of you are priviledged for not ever having been exposed to... the kids at the local college record store will try to play this shit for me, it will always be the worst thing I've ever heard- basically indie rock fused with backpack rap... I blame Anticon for the whole mess, credit them with creating the worst genre of music since numetal...
Odub- haven't a lot of the underground rap records you enjoyed in previous years not held up to the test of time either? I thought I rememebered you saying you were getting rid of a bunch of the late 90s stuff too...
Oh, I'm sure there's TONS in my collection that need to be sold off to some Japanese collectors who might appreciate them better. I was filing some records and I realized...I own like...seven Jigmastas 12"s. That's probably at least six too many.
This dude is good.
dope indies right now:
OKAI and AYATOLAH
PLANET ASIA
SELF SCIENTIFIC is by far the best underground shit in years
STRONG ARM STEADY
http://www.soundchron.com
But, remember that, from an audio stance, Protools is to Audio what Flourescent lighting is to light. And for most hip hop fans, they can count the number of "classics" that came out on 2 hands since 1996. This was also around the time analog recording tape was pretty much being effectively 'retired' and Pro Tools was on the rise. Listen to how hip hop changed. Dudes were cutting and pasting choruses and editing verses in a way that took out the live and raw sentiments that could only be captured in the balls out nature of tape, ie. if you can't rap it live, it ain't getting recorded.
I'm just saying that it took money, intent and dedication to get in a big studio and pump out some tracks. It usually took part of being in a scene or a crew to get the money up to do so. And at least, even if it was ass, it sounded good because it came out of something more then a Dell computer with an Mbox.
This is all of course just my humble 2 cents, I gotta break out and get to work but I'm jsut saying: Natural Selection in that none of these dudes have to get on stage in LA in 96 and get booed and heckled like Atban Clan did at unity.
If they did, the natural selection of humiliation might dead thier whole shit before they even get a chance to put out a record. Actually, none of these dudes even have to shake hands with someone remotely the likes of say, Phill. 98 cents left for the rest and I'm out. peace.
And that's the double truth, ruth.
Hey,
I TOTALLY agree with Thes, O-Dubble, and Grafwritah. The death of the "chitlin' circuit" has killed the quality of music. Back then, cats had to pay their dues by performing in relative obscurity. In the process, they honed their craft until it was ready to be recorded. When cats finally signed a deal, they were seasoned and knew what they were doing. Now with the bedroom producer/artist era, dudes with some dough can put out half-baked wack shit without grinding to work out the kinks. The result is the underground rap "doodie" we hear today. The same argument can be made for R&B too. Bring back the chitlin' circuit.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
SELF SCIENTIFIC is by far the best underground shit in years
http://www.soundchron.com
That album is very dope. I don't think it sounds like a "indie" record though. Beats are incredible and just as important the SOUND is major label quality. Khalil and Chase really did their thing. Hopefully people will support it.
I definitely agree with what you said about Pro Tools - cats cutting and pasting choruses requires much less skill and dedication. IMO its too easy for any half-assed wannabe to record music these days, and every fan thinks they can put out a 12". if you recorded to tape and it took mad cake you would have prepared like your life depended on it, and some soul searching would have weeded out many who would realize they're just not there yet.
now all these kids/fans who aren't serious at all record music and throw it out there just to say they did it, and I think its ruining the marketplace. people like O-dub gotta sift thru 100's of records for hours. we're oversaturated. Natural selection is definitely missing, and yes pro-tools and live performance are to blame.