And Nine Pound Hammer isn't? ratoonie said:

I cant stand Rap or hip-hop.... it has no place in the Rock & roll world!....Hateful, violent ghetto shit!!!

Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

Total shit.

Ruby Soleil said:

What about Faith No More?

I cant stand Rap or hip-hop.... it has no place in the Rock & roll world!....Hateful, violent ghetto shit!!! Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

Total shit.

Ruby Soleil said:

What about Faith No More?

Total shit. Ruby Soleil said:

What about Faith No More?

Well I guess that would take us into the "rock/rap" thing ala Limp Bizkit and ... errrrrr, other stuff that I can't really think of right now. I remember the Faith No More track "We Care A Lot", though musically I would'nt call any of that stuff Hip-Hop but that's just me.

I do remember buying the soundtrack to the movie Judgement Night. It was pretty cool actually. Rappers doing tracks with rock groups - Ice-T & Slayer, Cypress Hill & Pearl Jam, Boo-Yaa Tribe & Faith No More, De La Soul & Sonic Youth, House Of Pain & Helmet and Sir Mix-a-lot & Mudhoney! The movie sucked though.

I was always suspicious of that rock/rap stuff. You can just imagine all the studio exec's saying, "Well gee, our artists are middleclass white boys... but they are STREET!!! If we get 'em to curse and wear LA Raiders gear we could still tap into the rap world." Rubbing their grubby, corporate little hands together... KER-CHING!!!

What about Faith No More?

I stumbled over hip hop only recently (except for a few things like the first Eminem for a few cent on a flea market, and the first Arrested Develompent from way back than, a great record, but rather hippie music than hip hop, I think), but I really like nearly everything on Anticon Records, and I get really blown away by Dälek, over and over again. Someone once wrote in a magazine, they sound as if the Melvins played hip hop, and that's just that.

Oh, right, and De La Soul, I listened to them, too, and still like them.

So I think there's some pretty good hip hop stuff out there, and loads of shit, just like in rock music or any other genre.

Hey kopper, warlock pinchers are getting back together. They have a show in august and are doin a new album! Denver!!!!

kopper said:

I have a Run DMC record, even though I can't even remember the last time I listened to it. I like Public Enemy a LOT, though, and once in a while I put that (It Takes a Nation of Millions...) on. I also like the Beastie Boys (at least their first few records). That's it, though, unless you consider the Warlock Pinchers rap, which I'm not exactly sure what to call them, but I sure do like 'em. "Where the Hell Is Crispin Glover" and "Morrissey Rides a Cockhorse" are two of my all-time favorite songs.

I highly recommend a movie called Hustle & Flow from 2005. That was written & directed by Craig Brewer who was also responsible for the cooler-than-expected $5 Cover MTV series about the Memphis music scene. Another of his movies that's really good but has nothing to do with rap is Black Snake Moan. I also highly recommend CB4 and Fear of a Black Hat. High Lord Mardy Pune said:

I totally agree with Ixnayray. The chart shit is just that; it's shit. But the kids keep buying into it and record companies like making money.
I like the early gangsta rap N.W.A., Ice T... A lot of people get offended by it but I think the rappers are just telling it like it is. I think the making of any good rapper though is the DJ sitting behind them. Kool Herc and Grand Master Flash were total musical revolutionaries and I think their attitude was totally punk; "fuck it this is how I'm doing it"

You have to remember that the term hip hop refers to the four corners as Hip Hoppers call it: Rappers, DJ's, dancers and Graph Artists. There's a great doco called Scratch which is mainly about DJing but sorta looks at the other three aspects of Hip Hop.

I got to meet Ice T at an in-store he did at the record store I worked at. Cool guy, but I wasn't a big fan of his music. De La Soul was one that I'd forgotten about. They were good, too. Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

While I didn't listen to a lot of Rap music, I liked what I heard between 1985 to about 1990. Mostly Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, LL Cool Jay, I guess a lot of the early Def Jam things. Also liked Ice T and the first NWA record. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one. I only own 3 rap records however and they're all Beastie Boys.

I don't really listen to Hip-Hop anymore... and when I do it would be the old stuff anyway. As for talking about a "solution", well it helps if you address the problem first. And like Rockin' Rod said, artists like Public Enemy and KRS-1 were doing this back in 1987. There are still many political rap artists out there but they have to operate at a more independant level... a guy called Immortal Technique is a more recent one and I have only checked out a few of his tracks but he's a fierce lyricist and extremely political. Worth checking out if you are curious. No major label is going to fund political controversy when they can just as easily fund Eminem to squeeze money out of todays kids.

The good stuff is still out there and I guess you'd have to be a real hardcore fan to know "where it's at", but in the words of my homeboy Danny Glover - "I'm too old for this shit".

Records that at least try and suggest sollutions would be those by Public Enemy, KRS - 1, or De La Soul but those would be any of their records from between 1987-1991. I guess a lot of those that followed gave up on sollutions and got into the mindset of "every person for themself" and the LIFESTYLE, and how do I get more. I stated I never listened to a lot of rap but that doesn't mean I didn't listen to any and I also read a lot about it mostly just to check up on what's going on.

Didn't deedee have the house of rap? Before he was with gg allin? Didn't he own a tennament block or something? i believe he was really into it and wanted to promote it to the world, but was maybe too early, and also it wasnt grandmaster flash etc.. it was his junkie friends?! Hell i dont know! i dont like it, it seems to have gone nowhere in 30 years. I am quite ignorant on it, but has there ever been an artist who sang about a solution?!+= Spain is varied, u have the chart lovers who all go about bling bling, u have kids under flyovers skateboarding and talking about no cash for glue, u have gitana- gypsies- and u have new world beats... bottom line for me, its all the same, the content has no solution, same breaks, down beat or other, same intros and vocal length, same recordings, like i say i am ignorant, maybe i need to be woken up, i really dont mind an eye opener.. send rants and raves, or indeed requests to what i should hear.. i welcome all.

While I didn't listen to a lot of Rap music, I liked what I heard between 1985 to about 1990. Mostly Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, LL Cool Jay, I guess a lot of the early Def Jam things. Also liked Ice T and the first NWA record. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one. I only own 3 rap records however and they're all Beastie Boys.

Jurassic 5! Listening to 50 cent and saying you like hip hop is like listening to Avril Lavigne and saying you like punk rock.

Sonic Boom 6 do a great ska punk hip hop fusion along with Kingprawn although Kingprawn are no more. The Clash experimented a bit with rap and of course then so did Tim Armstrong, not least with the Transplands.

It's tricky to know exactly where the "urban music" thing wears off I mean Red Hot Chilli Peppers were a punk band that experimented with funk but are now a rock band playing around with funk and rap.

Check out acid jazz, the genre is a generally British jazz hip hop fusion that doesn't have the bullshit of gangster rap and sounds good to chill out to.

I used to listen to a lot of hip-hip/rap back in college like 5-10 years ago. The "pop" stuff always sucked, but at least I could dance to it. But the rap I was most interested in was always the old school stuff like NWA, A Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC, and the like. I'll admit a guilty pleasure of Southern Rap for a few years, but these days, I've basically given up on all rap music.

As for the old-school Beastie Boys, they were definitely a hardcore band. Not very good, but definitely a hardcore band. Then they moved towards hip-hop. However In 1995, they released a hardcore EP for fun. It was called "Aglio e Olio". It commands a decent price on vinyl if you can find it. I've got it on CD, and it pops up on my iPod every now and then. It's a fun listen because it's not that good.

Beastie Boys were always about crossing genres. Check out their 1996 instrumental jazz album, "The In Sound From Way Out" or their 2007 instrumental "The Mix Up".

Another good act out of the early 90s era - Diamond D and the Psychotic Neurotics. Pure, from the source (Bronx) & untouched by mainstream bullshit. Not that gangster either, if you don't go for the NWA thug style...just rapping about regular shit, especially digging in the crates for records. He has interesting sample sources too. But another thing that got me thinking about it is this Mos Def song, which references all these white musicians like Elvis and the Stones vs Nina Simone and James Brown, etc. But mainly because listen to what it turns into around 3:50. Growing up in New York I'm sure the dude was conscious of what was going on with punk music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5H3IV1e1Ew

Well said, Marty. I've seen the SCRATCH documentary 5 or 6 times. I'd go as far as to say it's the best music documentary i've ever seen. It goes into great detail about the whole Hip-Hop culture and I think it's really well made. I was pretty fascinated by the whole turntable-ism genre [Cut Chemist, DJ Shadow, etc.] and how they were turning their turntables into musical instruments. Everyone with an interest in music should check it out. High Lord Mardy Pune said:

I totally agree with Ixnayray. The chart shit is just that; it's shit. But the kids keep buying into it and record companies like making money.
I like the early gangsta rap N.W.A., Ice T... A lot of people get offended by it but I think the rappers are just telling it like it is. I think the making of any good rapper though is the DJ sitting behind them. Kool Herc and Grand Master Flash were total musical revolutionaries and I think their attitude was totally punk; "fuck it this is how I'm doing it"

You have to remember that the term hip hop refers to the four corners as Hip Hoppers call it: Rappers, DJ's, dancers and Graph Artists. There's a great doco called Scratch which is mainly about DJing but sorta looks at the other three aspects of Hip Hop.

I totally agree with Ixnayray. The chart shit is just that; it's shit. But the kids keep buying into it and record companies like making money.
I like the early gangsta rap N.W.A., Ice T... A lot of people get offended by it but I think the rappers are just telling it like it is. I think the making of any good rapper though is the DJ sitting behind them. Kool Herc and Grand Master Flash were total musical revolutionaries and I think their attitude was totally punk; "fuck it this is how I'm doing it"

You have to remember that the term hip hop refers to the four corners as Hip Hoppers call it: Rappers, DJ's, dancers and Graph Artists. There's a great doco called Scratch which is mainly about DJing but sorta looks at the other three aspects of Hip Hop.

I liked some NWA, Cypress Hill and Wu Tang Clan.

Yeah definitely. I dig Dilated Peoples too. The RZA is probably the most original producer [Hip-Hop wise] working today. Kool Keith as well. Some great choices. Marty Shane, Pacifiction Records said:

Before Dee Dee King... The Original Wrapper!

I dig some underground hip hop with sci-fi, spy, retro themes like Deltron 3030, Kool Keith, Arsonists, Dilated Peoples, Bobby Digital a.k.a Rza. This stuff has more of the feel of the The Golden Age stuff that Ixnay mentioned than the mainstream garbage.

Wow, I totally forgot about Dee Dee King. I have that one, too, and I really dig "Brooklyn Babe": Pacifiction Records said:

Before Dee Dee King... The Original Wrapper!

I dig some underground hip hop with sci-fi, spy, retro themes like Deltron 3030, Kool Keith, Arsonists, Dilated Peoples, Bobby Digital a.k.a Rza.

Before Dee Dee King... The Original Wrapper!

I dig some underground hip hop with sci-fi, spy, retro themes like Deltron 3030, Kool Keith, Arsonists, Dilated Peoples, Bobby Digital a.k.a Rza. This stuff has more of the feel of the The Golden Age stuff that Ixnay mentioned than the mainstream garbage.

I've been to some great gigs in my time but Public Enemy & Run DMC was probably the best thing i've ever seen. Public Enemy albums in general have a lot of great production and are always worth checking out. I'd say they are "beyond" Hip-Hop, they're almost in a genre of their very own. kopper said:

I have a Run DMC record, even though I can't even remember the last time I listened to it. I like Public Enemy a LOT, though, and once in a while I put that (It Takes a Nation of Millions...) on. I also like the Beastie Boys (at least their first few records). That's it, though, unless you consider the Warlock Pinchers rap, which I'm not exactly sure what to call them, but I sure do like 'em. "Where the Hell Is Crispin Glover" and "Morrissey Rides a Cockhorse" are two of my all-time favorite songs.

I have a Run DMC record, even though I can't even remember the last time I listened to it. I like Public Enemy a LOT, though, and once in a while I put that (It Takes a Nation of Millions...) on. I also like the Beastie Boys (at least their first few records). That's it, though, unless you consider the Warlock Pinchers rap, which I'm not exactly sure what to call them, but I sure do like 'em. "Where the Hell Is Crispin Glover" and "Morrissey Rides a Cockhorse" are two of my all-time favorite songs.

I listened to a LOT of Hip-Hop between 1987-1992 which is considered the "golden era" of that scene. This was before most major labels figured out the formula and saturated the music market with all the fake commercial gangster rap that still makes more money than anything else to this day.

Back then it wasn't about misogyny and violence. There were many artists out there who were very innovative - The Beastie Boys were the best of the bunch. You had artist's like Public Enemy, The Jungle Brothers, Gang Starr, Paris, The Pharcyde, Boogie Down Productions. You also had artist's like Ice-T who was like a Hip-Hop version of pulp writer Iceberg Slim [it's also how he chose his name]. His lyrics and stories were hilarious. He's collaborated with Jello Biafra, Slayer and Perry Farrell. If you ever get the chance, check him and Jello Biafra out on The Oprah Winfrey Show. There were some other great lyricists like Big Daddy Kane [who did a great track with Rudy Ray Moore], Guru and Rakim.

All of these artists were experimenting and forming something that was completely new and fresh at the time. Hip-Hop was considered the "Punk Music" of the 1980's due to it's DIY ethic. You have to remember how bad the music scene was in the 1980's...

So I can honestly say Hip-Hop has had a very positive influence on me, personally. It opened my eyes and ears because of it's use of sampling other music and i'd also say that in a weird way it's influenced me as a podcaster. Hip-Hop artists would sample James Brown and AC/DC... and sometimes in the same song. It showed me how you can mix things up, come up with something and make it work. Heck, I even snuck in a Prince Paul [producer of De La Soul and DJ from Stetsasonic] track on one of my shows and I doubt anyone even noticed.

I think the problem is that most people who criticise Hip-Hop probably never got to listen to the real hardcore underground stuff. They're really talking about the stuff that dominates the charts. Eminem, Dr. Dre, etc. It's like someone slagging off Garage because they've heard The Hives and Jet.

By the way, I went to a Bad Brains gig once and their support act was a Hip-Hop group called The Goats. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five supported The Clash. PWEI supported Public Enemy when I saw them. I guess everything's linked when you think about it.

Oh, and check out The Beastie Boys "Paul's Boutique" album, produced by The Dust Brothers who did the Fight Club Soundtrack.