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deltron 3030 - del and dan the automator.
method man's tical.
redman's dare is a darkside and muddy waters.
gza's liquid swords.
raekwon's cuban links.
the first two pharcyde albums bizarre ride and labcabincalifornia.
de la soul's stakes is high.

toomanyhelicopters wrote:Superking - Kool Keith was someone i paused on and thought to myself "i've heard the name, but did i hear good or bad?" outside of the misogyny, is the lyrical presentation and/or production exceptional? i can get past weak lyrics or subject matter in the interest of good style. even if somebody is a piece of shit and espouses/promotes shithead politics, if they bring it, style-wise or beats-wise, i'll buy it used, to hear it. the artist won't see a penny of my money, and i can always destroy the album after listening if it's that evil. ;)

The thing about Kool Keith is that his misogyny is kinda...well...silly. His words are nowhere near as crucial to the package as his flow, because he's pretty much crazy, and his lyrics tend to make no linear sense. Observe:

I'm seein robots, passin by, everyday (I'm seein robots!)
You drive in Hollywood, long hair, Buick Regal
License in California, ID's phony not illegal
Livin with roommates, you camp out, with paper plates
Broke Panasonic speakers missin playin Puff and Mase
Clear up yo' acne, girl what yo, how you act B
Call police up, tell them what? How you tried to smack me
I'm movin thorough on the freeway callin you on three way
Watchin my back got your friends all on instant replay
You say you married sewed your weave in, yo where's your ring at?
Interscope records got your demo girl, where you sing at?
Pull out your masters, your DAT's, all you have is cats
Pet little turtles in your bedroom, enough for headroom
Usin your restroom when, company come, that's your best room
I stay the dopest while you party hard, losin focus
Starin in mirrors combin hair, with the kids on welfare
I watch your mailbox like Vietnam guerilla warfare
That's not your real hair, rip credit cards, I don't care
Liposuction, Jenny Craig, is yo' introduction
Volkswagen fog up, your dirty engine Boo smog up
You hit the malls and, with chip phones, makin calls and
I'm audi 5, yeah

The Prime Minister Pete Nice solo album is really good with some porduction by The Beatnuts. Anything by them is also worth getting.

Umm, Black Sheep's first album is classic.

Diamond D "Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop"

Brand Nubian has some classic records.

Justin Warfield "My Field Trip to Planet 9" or something, that's a great hidden gem.

Maybe some early Houdini or Kurtis Blow? UTFO and their battles with The Real Roxanne? I still listen to that stuff.

I "fell off" quite a long time ago.

Schaal wrote:
Justin Warfield "My Field Trip to Planet 9" or something, that's a great hidden gem.

haha, way to dig deep. i forgot all about justin warfield. "field trip to planet 9" was done with prince paul and QDIII. similar to beastie boys, more psychedelic, drug references. not sure how well this album held up over the years.

Jeru the Damaja "Wrath of the Math"
Roots "Things Fall Apart"
Prose & Concepts "Procreations"

Here is my list

GZA - Liquid Swords
this disc packs some of the most eloquent rhymes i have ever heard. RZA's production is the best of his career. If you only buy one Wu-tang album, this is the one you should get. (yes its better than 36 chambers)

Binary Star - Masters of the Universe
this is the best hip hop album that no one seems to have ever heard. I don't know what else to say other than BUY IT immediately!

Deltron 3030 - s/t
Dan the Automator - beats
Kid Koala - tables
Del the funky homosapien - mics

part of me thinks that the automator was just trying to recreate the supergroup status that he had with the dr. octagon project, but really this in some ways trumps the doc oc disc. you already said that your a fan of del so this is a pretty obvious recommendation. I've always been put off by some of his "silly/stupid" lyrics, but on deltron he pretty much stays in his sci-fi techno babble character (yes its a concept album with a story) which actually comes off sounding pretty damn cool.


but yeah as far as kool keith, he would make a great crap/not crap topic(i don't know maybe its been done already). His early work (Ultramagnetic MC's, Doctor Octagon, and some parts of Dr. Dooom) are phenomenal, sublime and deliciously schizophrenic. the rest can only be described as shit.

oh yeah, Kid Koala's Carpal Tunnel Syndrom is a turntable masterpiece.

GZA's Liquid Swords is probably the best Wu Tang solo album (of course, right up there with it, and i'm not meaning to order these, are Raekwon's Only Built For Cuban Linx, Ol' Dirty Bastard's Return to the 36 Chambers, Method Man's Tical (yes, it's good, i promise), Ghostface's Supreme Clientele, and the Gravediggaz's 6 Feet Deep)


6 Feet Deep is a Wu-spinoff concept album about (you guessed it) killin and gravediggin, and it's some of the RZA's best production and MCing

i love the wu tang clan.

Oh yeah, I think ODB's "Return to the 36 Chambers" is the best piece of Wu Tang output, bar none.

Although a derivative of "guns hoes and money" rap, I recommend a guy by the name of TechNine (or TechN9ne), who comes from the epicenter of gangsta rap: Kansas City, MO. Its pretty dark stuff, and his producer is fittingly heavy. Check out the Absolute Power album and Anghellic. For a sense of this guys perspective, read the lyrics to "Real Killer". "Cursed" is amazing as well - its got that Dylan style of going on and on about something for five minutes, then tying everything together with the last line. Unfortunately, hes been making the move to more mainstream gangsta rap audiences in recent years, and in doing so, has lost his unique edge.

Also, I highly recommend the album Ridin Dirty by UGK. It features my favorite rap song of all time "One Day", a song so badass that I learned it, despite the inherent lameness of a white kid playing gangsta rap on an acoustic guitar. The intro/main riff is classic. If anyone out there know it, Ive always wanted to know if it was sampled or not. Its got such a motown vibe that I think it had to have been written 40 years ago.

- Tyler