Yeah I really love experimental hip hop and rap. Unlike the current crap that’s on the market like 50 cent, who really IMHO, is not very likable. Kind of same-ole, same-ole to me.
I got to say that I really like Atmosphere. Any one else. Best CD he made is God Loves Ugly. Just great stuff.
Big Pun
Biggy Smalls
Tupac
Eminem
Bone
Bone Thugs and Harmony
Cypress Hill
Ole Dirty Bastard (WuTang)
Snoop
Dre
Jay-Z
Pun was also the shizzy-ho-ho
Shizzy ho-ho huh? I’ll let you pass on that one, haha..
Other acts to look at -
Common
Talib Kweli
Little Brother
Dialated Peoples
SLum Village
B.o.B
88 Keys
Lupe Fiasco
PLanet Asia
Murs
Royce da 5’9
Pacific Division
could go on, but those are def. must listen to’s..
I once say an article by some “expert” who posited that Hip Hop and Rap were really socialization and training for the prison culture. I’ll see if I can find that article again.
I was totally down when Anthrax and Public Enemy teamed up to do Bring on the Noise…
…But then again that was about 20 years ago.
I’ve actually been listening to Ahmad for the last few days. I can’t seem to stop listening to “Back in the Day”. Aside from him, just about anything from '92-'98 is good. some stuff from then until present, but not nearly as much. I will definitely listen to just about anything from:
Rakim
Big Pun
Big L
Scarface
Eminem
Chali 2na
Devin the Dude
DOC
the list goes on…for a little while, at least.
A few no one mentioned that I think are pretty good
ice cube
the game
I did mean experimental as in NON-Mainstream
Hmm… I don’t listen to a ton of hip hop and rap but I like
A Tribe Called Quest
The Pharcyde
The Roots
Lupe Fiasco(some at least)
There’s more I just forget
Nujabes - Metaphorical Music
Blue Scholars - Blue Scholars
All the artists that you listed were mainstream IMO. So I threw in some Ice Cube and Game in there. LA rappers. =)
slick rick, ll cool j, jay-z, wu-tang, ice-t, ice cube, notorious B.I.G., i like 50 cent’s new song. i usually like the older stuff like public enemy.
Ah yes. Slick Rick. I actually did a thing on him in community college. I wish he’d come out with a new album. Also reminds me of other legendary rappers who switched their style up a little to keep up with the new wave of rappers in the 90s and did it VERY well:
Kool G Rap
Big Daddy Kane
Rakim(as mentioned before)
etc…
i grew up listening to rap, tupac imho was the best rapper the world has seen, that guy is the elvis of rap music. although whole album wise nothing comes close to doggystyle.. loved the old skool west coast rap which pretty much stemmed from nwa, when easy, dre and ice cube went there sperate ways, brings back way to many memories of college and smoking green substances when i should have been studiing.. these day i have been listening to a bit of mr. capone-e, some yung joc and rick ross’s mafia music is a good song… just remembered that if u ne1 is a fan of the ultimate fighter series kimbo slice is in the new 1 (you tube if u dont know the guy)