I love Hip Hop. I find most other Audiogon persons posting on this subject are very negatively slanted toward this genre (and it appears rarely have been exposed to the music if at all), given the sophmoric answers I see all the time.
Hip Hop was the best selling genre in the last 20 years. Rock and Jazz are a mere fraction of its sales. Beyond its commercial success, it has also developed a sophisticated market that constantly pushes it to mutate. I think the most intelligent music magazine OF ANY GENRE is Wax Poetics, which over 38 editions has showcased Afro-centric rap music and hip hop (as well as R & B, Soul, Reggae and Jazz). It is the best written magazine we have.
As with any genre, there will always be "artists" that are so derivative and mainstream that they become an afterthought down the road. Rap and Hip Hop have had a high percentage of "one hit wonders." However, it has also produced artists of great depth. I believe that these selected artists and titles will give you a rich and tempered view of sonically arresting music that will stay fresh to your ears:
From England, I can highly recommend The Streets (A grand don't come for free) and Roots Manuva (Awfully Deep).
From New York, the Beatie Boys (Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head), Eric B. and Rakim (Paid in Full), KRS-One (A Retrospective), Kurtis Blow (Kurtis Blow), LL Cool J (Radio),Lauren Hill (The Miseducation), the Notorious B.I.G.(Life After Death), Run DMC (Run DMC) defined the essential East Coast Hip Hop Sound. Public Enemy had the best album of 1989 with "It Takes a Million" which married potical and social commentary. Other artists I can recommend are the Wu Tang Clan and Jay-Z from the outer neighborhoods of NYC.
The Roots are one of the best live instrument bands from Philly.
From the South, I can highly recommend the production of Timbaland, especially with Justin Timberlake and Missy Elliot (So addictive; Under Construction). I can also recommend Spank Rock and OutKast from Atlanta.
Chicago has produced Kanye West (808 and the Heartbreak) and Common. Detroit produced Eminem, who was the best selling artist last decade.
Los Angeles has spawned the Black Eye Peas, A Tribe Called Quest (The Love Movement), Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube.
Try these and tell me what you think. Be open to new sounds and you will be rewarded.
Hip Hop was the best selling genre in the last 20 years. Rock and Jazz are a mere fraction of its sales. Beyond its commercial success, it has also developed a sophisticated market that constantly pushes it to mutate. I think the most intelligent music magazine OF ANY GENRE is Wax Poetics, which over 38 editions has showcased Afro-centric rap music and hip hop (as well as R & B, Soul, Reggae and Jazz). It is the best written magazine we have.
As with any genre, there will always be "artists" that are so derivative and mainstream that they become an afterthought down the road. Rap and Hip Hop have had a high percentage of "one hit wonders." However, it has also produced artists of great depth. I believe that these selected artists and titles will give you a rich and tempered view of sonically arresting music that will stay fresh to your ears:
From England, I can highly recommend The Streets (A grand don't come for free) and Roots Manuva (Awfully Deep).
From New York, the Beatie Boys (Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head), Eric B. and Rakim (Paid in Full), KRS-One (A Retrospective), Kurtis Blow (Kurtis Blow), LL Cool J (Radio),Lauren Hill (The Miseducation), the Notorious B.I.G.(Life After Death), Run DMC (Run DMC) defined the essential East Coast Hip Hop Sound. Public Enemy had the best album of 1989 with "It Takes a Million" which married potical and social commentary. Other artists I can recommend are the Wu Tang Clan and Jay-Z from the outer neighborhoods of NYC.
The Roots are one of the best live instrument bands from Philly.
From the South, I can highly recommend the production of Timbaland, especially with Justin Timberlake and Missy Elliot (So addictive; Under Construction). I can also recommend Spank Rock and OutKast from Atlanta.
Chicago has produced Kanye West (808 and the Heartbreak) and Common. Detroit produced Eminem, who was the best selling artist last decade.
Los Angeles has spawned the Black Eye Peas, A Tribe Called Quest (The Love Movement), Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Ice Cube.
Try these and tell me what you think. Be open to new sounds and you will be rewarded.