Need some good hip-hop

[Jimm O)))]

Lately, I've been getting into some hip-hop (which I never thought would happen) since I started working in a skateshop. It's pretty much the majority of what the owner plays in there.

Anyway, I'm looking for some good underground stuff. Here's some I already listen to, to give you a taste of what I'm looking for:

Dälek (possibly the most creative and interesting hip-hop duo I've come across.)
Jedi Mind Tricks
The Fat Boys
Dr. Octagon/Kool Keith
Group Home
Jurrasic 5
The Roots (select songs)
Necro
Ill Bill
Public Enemy
KRS One
ODDATEEE

On a side note: Dalek's "Eyes to Form Shadows" and Dr. Octagon's "Blue Flowers" are some of the coolest hip-hop songs I've ever heard. Really twisted stuff.

 

[Dem0n0id]

Aesop Rock, MF Doom, De la soul. Thats all I've listened to in the genre along with Dalek's absence.
Not getting along all that well, but i liked whatever I've listened to so far. I might explore some of the one's you have mentioned.(depends on my mood)

 

[SouthernTrendkill]

Well, of course, Immortal Technique is the definition of both "good" and "hip-hop". But that's about all I can give you other than I agree that Aesop Rock is pretty cool.

 

[Satanstoenail]

Some albums I think you'll like:

De La Soul - Stakes Is High & De La Soul is Dead
The Pharcyde - Labcabincalifornia
Def Squad - El Nino
Redman - Dare iz a Dark Side
Gravediggaz - Six Feet Deep
GZA - Liquid Swords
Wu-Tang Clan- Return to the 36 Chambers
Cut Chemist - The Litmus Test

 

[NinjaGeek]

Truceklan - Ministero Dell'Inferno (If you you don't mind 90% of the lyrics being in Italian)
The Avalanches - El Producto EP
Anti Pop Consortium - Shopping Carts Crashing

 

[Killbot]

A lot of American's neglect to notice the British underground hip-hop scene (don't confuse the grime scene), which while different is full of excellent creative artists.
here are a few of my favourites:
Jehst
Micall Parknsun
Task Force
Terra Firma
Klashnekoff
Dubbledge
Braintax
Metabeats

Of course there's plenty of the good stuff across the pond:
Jeru The Damaja
Stetsasonic
Pete Rock
Black Moon
Das Efx
Deltron 3000

 

[Satanstoenail]

Some of that British stuff is ok, couldn't get into it all though. Most Australian hip hop sucks arse. The Australian accent just doesn't work imo.

 

[NinjaGeek]

speaking of accents and what not, whats the best language for hip hop? I'm not big on lyrics, and I've liked the flow of Italian rap much more than most American stuff. So for anyone who's into foreign hip hop, what would you say is the best language (or accent) for it?

 

[Killbot]

I tell you what doesn't work - German, but nobody told them apparantly, there's tonnes of it.

 

[Vimana]

Rage Against The Machine.

speaking of accents and what not, whats the best language for hip hop? I'm not big on lyrics, and I've liked the flow of Italian rap much more than most American stuff. So for anyone who's into foreign hip hop, what would you say is the best language (or accent) for it?

I think Spanish is a good language for it. It fits Rap better than French or Italian, its not as light as either of those languages either. And a lot more words rhyme in it. Except I haven't heard much good Latin American Rap (from the times I went down to South America). The rappers tend to yell and sound kind of retarded. None of it is really too intelligent but I'm sure there is good underground stuff. English sucks imo because not that many words rhyme. Which is why I've found some rappers change the pronunciation of a word to make it rhyme. (Like the word "caddillick" in the song "Throw Some D's). I think Japanese is also a good language because all words end with a vowel or n so lots of words rhyme. Although the Japanese rap I have heard isn't that good.

 

[Mort Divine]

Genelec & Memphis Reigns - Scorpion Circles

I recently came across this album and god damn, one of the best rap albums I've ever heard. It has the dark and raw production style that was more prevalent amongst artists like Wu-Tang (though there is far more goin' on here beat wise than on early Wu-Tang), and the rappin' goin' on is fucking great.

EDIT:

I don't think that any country will ever release rap that is of the same caliber as what the US has put out. There just can't be a non-US Enter the Wu-Tang, Straight Outta Compton, It's A Big Daddy Thing, Liquid Swords, etc. I think this is mostly due to rap being such a massive cultural thing over here - the artists are actually exposed to everything it is about. Not saying that there aren't slummy parts in Europe and Asia and what not - just most of the music put out by foreign rappers tends to be very lacking.

 

[Manic Ferocity]

Wu-Tang Clan (and all of the members solo shit)
Gravediggaz
Immortal Technique
Jedi Mind Tricks
N.W.A.

 

[NinjaGeek]

I don't think that any country will ever release rap that is of the same caliber as what the US has put out. There just can't be a non-US Enter the Wu-Tang, Straight Outta Compton, It's A Big Daddy Thing, Liquid Swords, etc. I think this is mostly due to rap being such a massive cultural thing over here - the artists are actually exposed to everything it is about. Not saying that there aren't slummy parts in Europe and Asia and what not - just most of the music put out by foreign rappers tends to be very lacking.

Meh this seems a bit silly to me, like saying countries that don't have some good church burnings going on can't put out good black metal. Besides Italy is the home of the original gangsters.

 

[SouthernTrendkill]

Tony Soprano will always whomp those "gangsters" in Italy.

Anyway, I'll never be able to relate to or enjoy any hiphop that is in a different language, unless I learn another language someday. But if well-to-do American white people can make good rap (which they can, sometimes), then I see no reason why people from other places couldn't make great rap. Besides, there's a lot harsher places in the world than harlem and the US. If some motherfucker in Iraq with bombs dropping on his kids had rhyming talent I bet he could make some sick shit. Good music transcends race, class, and locale. That's why one of the most talented rock artists was black (Hendrix), one of most talented rap artists was white (Eminem), some of the best blues guitarists are British (Clapton, Peter Green, Trower), much of the best English-language metal was made by people from non-English speaking countries (take your picks), some of the best thug music was made by people who lived fairly priveleged lives (or so I've heard claimed, about various legendary rappers), and some of the best revolutionary uprising music was made by suburban dudes who otherwise most people would discount the legitimacy of (like Burzum).

 

[Vimana]

^ Agreed. It doesn't really matter where you're from. Environment is kind of irrelevant.

I don't think that any country will ever release rap that is of the same caliber as what the US has put out. There just can't be a non-US Enter the Wu-Tang, Straight Outta Compton, It's A Big Daddy Thing, Liquid Swords, etc. I think this is mostly due to rap being such a massive cultural thing over here - the artists are actually exposed to everything it is about. Not saying that there aren't slummy parts in Europe and Asia and what not - just most of the music put out by foreign rappers tends to be very lacking.

You will have to dig underground. Asian and European Rap is much better than our current (mainstream) Rap. Asia and Europe probably have good undergrounds.

 

[Deicidal]

Try Del Tha Funkee Homosapien & Heiroglyphics

 

[Dead Winter]

Meh this seems a bit silly to me, like saying countries that don't have some good church burnings going on can't put out good black metal. Besides Italy is the home of the original gangsters.

Yes, and now everyone thinks that Italians are like in the Sopranos, which they aren't (unless they're from Naples). I get so sick of people saying "I'm Italian too!!!" and just being some goombah from NYC. Being American and living here, I can safely say that Italian music as a whole is fucking garbage, aside from a few really, really good metal bands like Novembre.

Italian rap is just stupid. Italians invented how music is played, written, spoken, sung, etc. Everything you know about theory and notation and arrangements, you got from Italians...and that was the last thing they invented as far as music is concerned. For the past 200 years, they've just been copying everyone else. Singing in anything besides opera in Italian sounds ridiculous and just plain stupid...the flow of the lyrics are completely thrown off because it doesn't have as many ways to describe something as English does, and it's not ok or accepted to speak Italian in a bad, uneducated way, unlike English in the US or UK. There are just too many words and the language is too rigid to flex into catchy songs or hooks, plus they fucking suck at songwriting. They are some of the greatest instrumentalists I've ever seen in my entire life, but many of them couldn't write a song to save their lives. Every Italian pop song sounds like a douche commercial.

Caparezza is a decent rapper in Italy, and he's the ONLY one who can do it.

Stay away from Italy when it comes to popular music. Metal and classical is fine, but the others fucking suck. They can cook, their women are really hot, and they can play music like almost no one else in the world (as long as it's someone else's, with a few exceptions), but that's about it.

 

[NinjaGeek]

Meh I don't really think anyone is qualified to say that a countries entire music output is garbage, maybe you can judge their pop scene, but from my experience there's too much music everywhere to know about all the music going on in a country. Italy has an underground hip hop scene of some sort.

 

[Mort Divine]

What I was stating was coming from the idea of hip hop being folk music in a sense. A foreign country can never properly recreate another countries folk music - no matter how good it sounds.

 

[Vimana]

Everything you know about theory and notation and arrangements, you got from Italians.

I'm pretty sure the 12 tone music system is from the East.