Okay, I have been meaning to make one of these to keep everything in one thread (the Black Milk thread kind of turned into a various hip-hop questions thread). This will be like that thread. I'll throw albums in here that I really like, as well as songs, recommendations, and basically all things hip-hop.

First question for the thread: I have El-P's first album "Fantastic Damage" as well as his most recent, "I'll Sleep When You're Dead." Does anyone know if his records in between are worth checking out? I like his new one a lot and I wasn't sure where to go from that.

Here's some stuff I came across on another website. Enjoy.


1. Stop & Think (Prod. By IG Culture)
2. Fly Prezidente (Prod. By Flying Lotus)
3. Vocal Overload (Prod. By Jneiro Jarel)
4. Touch Em (Prod. By J Rawls)
5. Stop & Think (Prod. By IG Culture) (Instrumental)
6. Fly Prezidente (Prod. By Flying Lotus) (Instrumental)
7. Vocal Overload (Prod. By Jneiro Jarel) (Instrumental)
8. Touch Em (Prod. By J Rawls) (Instrumental)
John Robinson - I Am Not For Sale EP pt. 1 (2008)


1. The Genesis Feat. Renne Neufville (Prod. By Carlos Nino)
2. I Am Not For Sale (Prod. By R Thentic)
3. Don King (Prod. By Flying Lotus)
4. The Author (Prod. By Flying Lotus)
5. The Genesis (Prod. By Carlos Nino) (Instrumental)
6. I Am Not For Sale (Prod. By R Thentic) (Instrumental)
7. Don King (Prod. By Flying Lotus) (Instrumental)
8. The Author (Prod. By Flying Lotus) (Instrumental)
John Robinson - I Am Not For Sale EP pt. 2 (2008)



01.Disko Dave - Intro (Prod. By J Dilla)
02.Bush Babees - The Love Song
03.Buckshot & 9th Wonder - Go All Out
04.Gangstarr (feat. Total) - Discipline
05.Qnc - Repertoire
06.Slum Village (feat. Q-Tip) - Hold Tight (Jay Dee Remix)
07.Caltroit (feat. Phat Kat & Elzhi) - Goatit
08.Madvillain - Accordian
09.Big L - Holdin’ It Down
10.Blu & Exile - So(Ul) Amazing
11.Pete Rock - Take Your Time
12.Adriana Evans - Reality
13.Slum Village - Fall In Love (Remix)
14.Mad Skillz - Move Ya Body
15.Kool G Rap - My Life
16-.Phat Kat - Nasty Ain’t It
17.Awon - Late Night Flights
18.Antagonist - Since You’ve Been Gone (Prod. By The Ologist Of The Better Beat Bureau)
19.Redman - Can’t Wait
20.Black Moon - I Got Cha Opin (Da Beatminerz Remix)
21.Smoothe Da Hustler & Trigger The Gambler - My Crew Can’t Go For That
22.Busta Rhymes (feat. Zhane) - It’s A Party
23.Da Bush Babees - We Run Things (It’s Like That)
24.Bahamadia - Uknowhowedo
25.The Jungle Brothers - On The Road Again (Q-Tip Remix)
26.Busta Rhymes & Greg Nice - You Won’t Tell, I Won’t Tell
27.De La Soul - Itsoweezee
28.The Beatnuts - Let Off A Couple 2
29.Gangstarr - What I’m Here 4
30.Black Attack - Correct Techniques
31.A Tribe Called Quest - 1nce Again (Disko Dave’s Love Movement Remix)
32.Jaylib - The Official
33.J Dilla - Diamonds (Prod. By Nottz)
Disko Dave - The Late Night Flight Mix (2008)


Let's get to work.

As far as El-P, he doesn't really have a whole lot of actual albums besides those two....however....

Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein. That is a MUST LISTEN. It's El-P's production (and he rhymes on a couple joints) with two MC's, Vast Aire and Vordul. It's very spacey and the production is absolute killer. I need to grab my hands on the instrumental version of the album actually.

You just need to listen to it.

The 'collecting the kid' compilation is alright, but I wouldn't say it's anything to go out of your way to hear. I do think Def Jux struggles with depth a bit beyond the big El-P, Cannibal O, Aesop Rock, RJD2, Mr Lif, Company Flow albums and such.

I think the last Cage album might have been on Jux actually, that was good.

Kudos to this.

Those are the only two EL-P albums I have as well. Cannibal Ox = sick. Good call.

Seeing as I mentioned Cage, I might as well post his album before the Def Jux one because it's one of the better rap albums this decade, if not quite in the elite.



Cage - Movies for the blind

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2QAKBPTH

Much appreciated. I'm a big fan of DefJux. I really really like Blockhead's production, he's the man. Aesop Rock is one of my favorite rappers as well. As far as Cage is concerned, I have actually never given him a listen (other than The Weathermen album he did). I'll check this out for sure.

For now, here are Blockhead's masterpieces. He makes my favorite beats. He produces the majority of the songs for Aesop Rock. Check him out if you appreciate Madlib, J. Dilla, The Alchemist, etc. It's a lot more structured and soulful though. Enjoy.


Blockhead - Music By Cavelight


Blockhead - Uncle Tony's Coloring Book

This is supposed to be pretty good. I'll check it out later tonight. Here's a blurb about the dude.



Also, check out for some guest vocals from Why?'s Yoni Wolf.


Alias - Resurgam (2008)

You will have to change the file to .rar after it is finished downloading and the password is speakershock

Raekwon Talks New Mixtape and Cuban Linx 2

One of the best hip-hop albums ever. Brilliance. Co-founder of the Wu-Tang Clan with production entirely by the RZA. Timeless album.


GZA - Liquid Swords (1995)

Really intense, in your face hip-hop that deals with violence (obviously), politics, and a many "wake up" statements. Great production.




Jedi Mind Tricks - Violent By Design

i've been meaning to get Violent By Design on my PC again. Listened to that one a few years ago and that's about it.

Great news on Cuban Linx 2....so excited for that.

Liquid Swords is a must. I was rocking that out in the car this past week.

thanks for the blockhead stuff. i was just about to get into him.

Such a kick ass band.


Ratatat - 9 Beats

Ratatat - Remixes Volume 1 (2004)

1. Ratatat/Brooklyn Zoo — “Intro”
2. Beanie Sigel & Dirt McGirt — “When You Hear That”
3. Missy Elliott — “Hot”
4. Raekwon — ”Smith Bros.”
5. Kanye West — “Get Em High”
6. G-Unit — “Stunt 101”
7. Dizzee Rascal — “Fix Up”
8. Method Man & Buddha Monk of Brooklyn Zoo — “PLO Style”
9. Lazer Life of Brooklyn Zoo — “Freestyle”
10. Raekwon & Ghostface — “Cutting It Up”
11. L.O.X. — “Dirty Ryders”
12. Jay-Z — “Sunshine”
13. Missy Elliott — “Wake Up”
14. Ghostface Killah & Jadakiss — “Run”



Ratatat - Remixes Volume 2 (2007)

1. Young Buck, The Game and Ludacris - Stomp
2. Notorious B.I.G. - Party & Bullshit
3. Jay-Z & Notorious B.I.G. - Allure
4. Z-Ro, Devin the Dude & Juvenile - The Mule
5. Young Buck - Shorty Wanna Ride
6. Beanie Sigel & Jay-Z - Glock Nines
7. Despot - Freestyle
8. Memphis Bleek - Alright
9. Slim Thug, T.I. & Bun-B - Three Kings
10. Young Jeezy & Bun-B - Over Here
11. Kanye West - Diamonds
12. Beans - Freestyle
13. Notorious B.I.G. - Dead Wrong
14. Saigon & U.G.K. - We Gon' Ride

1. Dedication To The Suckers
2. Dedication To The Suckers (Instrumental)
3. Don’t Nobody Care About Us
4. Don’t Nobody Care About Us (Instrumental)
5. Microphone Master
6. Microphone Master (Instrumental)
7. Big Booties
8. World Premier
Phat Kat - Dedication to the Suckers (2002)

1 Bad Touch Example
2 8 Steps to Perfection
3 Collude/Intrude
4 Blind
5 Silence
6 Legends
7 Lune TNS
8 Help Wanted
9 Population Control
10 Definitive
11 Lencorcism
12 89.9 Detrimental
13 Vital Nerve
14 Tragedy of War (In III Parts)
15 The Fire in Which You Burn
16 Krazy Kings
17 Last Good Sleep
18 Info Kill II
19 Funcrush Scratch
Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus (1997)

EDIT: WTF, rapidshare says this file can only be downloaded 10 times? Last time I use rapidshare...
Hey 11th person to download this - PM me and I'll re-up it.

Pretty much the only two rap albums I've listened to in the last week are Theater of the Mind by Ludacris and The Unseen by Quasimoto. That's most of what I've listened to. They're pretty much exact opposites.

The Ludacris one is great, I think. I even love the token T-Pain song. I don't feel like getting into the whole "is this luda's classic?" discussion, but it's a great album.

And that Quasimoto album is so great. I love all the vocal samples. Like in "Come On Feet," or "Goodmorning Sunshine." And one of my favorite parts of the album is the "but you should try keepin' it right" sample in "Microphone Mathmatics."

It's just so fun and free-flowing and creative. The only other stuff I can think of that was so fun and creative is probably De La Soul.

Is that Jedi Mind Tricks one anything like 'Legacy of blood'? I do enjoy that a bit but I'd enjoy it more if Vinnie wasn't all "KILL FAGZ LOL" every 5 seconds.

Have you listened to The Further Adventures of Lord Quas? Some say it's better, others say it's worse. You decide.


Quasimoto - The Further Adventures of Lord Quas

Yeah, it's not nearly as bad, I don't think. Vinnie Paz isn't my favorite rapper for that particular rapper, but I try to get by the intense, violent lyrics and focus on the beats and guest vocals.



Thanks, man. I'm listening to this now.

Here's a song that just came up on my iTunes shuffle. Forgot how awesome it was. This is Jamie Lidell's "Out Of My System". This is the AmpLive remix featuring Zumbi. Shit's tight. Enjoy.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?wdawyzzewmi

"8 Steps to Perfection" off of that Company Flow album is sick. The beat is wild.

sonic, after reading your initial post alls i came in here to say was that you NEED funcrusher plus. pretty much everything el-p's ever touched (his solo album, assorted def jux projects, etc.) are terrific, but they still pale in comparison to this record. funcrusher is a masterpiece and one of the finest records of the 90s. in fact, i'm gonna put it on right now.

this and dr. octagynecologist are the two most important and essential underground/indie hip hop albums of all time and set the map for the genre.

ahh! my ancient CDR of this record has finally crapped out. thank god i'm going record shopping today...

thank god the doc oc still works. i could quite seriously write a thesis on these two records. good morning somb!

I just wanted to say that Clipse is my favorite rap group. Does that make me an indie hipster? Or do I have good taste in hip hop?

Yeah, I listened to it all the way through earlier this afternoon. It was terrific. I really enjoyed the beats. I'll probably listen to it again later tonight. Thanks for the sincerity though. Also, Dr. Octagonecologyst* is the shit. For anyone that doesn't have it, check it out RIGHT NOW.


Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst


Also, here is an album by CLP. It's called "Supercontinental." I don't know a bunch about them, but this album is fun. It's a lot like Spank Rock, Diplo, Ed Banger Records hip-hop shit. It's good.






CLP - Supercontinental

I like to think you have good taste in hip-hop because they are one of my favorites as well. Although, I guess we could both be indie hipsters, but I don't think that's the case.

listening to kid cudi's mixtape right now for the first time and this is fantastic. better than wale's mixtape, better than rhymefest's mixtape. better than nearly every rap release this year. the production is fantastically organic sounding and there's even a song which samples boh's the funeral.

if you guys haven't heard this, you really owe it to yourself to.


edit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1PohBgoimM


i can't figure out the embed. whatever. check it out. i dare you to not like this shit.

???? Is that a sample from Band of Horses? Awesome.

there's another song which samples fifty ways to leave your lover. and a few other recognizable grabs. but this is incredibly cohesive sounding, but with good variation. dude sings and raps equally well. this is an essential 08 release.

Yeah this is really good. Listening now.

even with the blatant samples and dj intros, this feels like an actual album. if i spent money on this, i'd still be totally satisfied.

i mean, band of motherfucking horse. how is this not the token somb rap record of the year?

I think a Seinfeld-sample masterpiece beat Cudi to it. Also, this was probably looked over by most people (including myself). When was this even released? This is good shit, though. That's for sure.

this came out this summer, right around the same time as wale and lil wayne's records. which is why this was overlooked.

but i mean, this samples ratatat also. this whole album is awesome. better than the wale, i'd say, and i love that wale mixtape.

Whoa, I haven't reached the Ratatat sample yet. If that's the case, this album has a shit load of potential.

Yeah, I've heard "Day N Nite" before. This was on Entourage. I knew he sounded familiar. Didn't he also help out with 808's?

last track, it's super sweet. expansive sounding, sensitive and contemplative.

yeah, that's why i figured i'd track this down. liked his backing vocals on 808. i remembered this coming out, but there are too many mixtape rappers out there to keep up with them all. i keep meaning to check out chuckie hamilton, but he puts out like two a month.

Charles Hamilton is sick. I like this mixtape a lot. It's just him rapping over some Dilla beats (super original, I know), but it's chill.



Charles Hamilton - And Then They Played Dilla (2008)

This is one of the catchiest rap songs of the year. I completely forgot about it. I'm going to throw this in that other thread about end of the year greatness.

Kid Cudi - Day N Nite

have you heard anything about novel? i just checked out his new video on nahright and it's corny as all hell, but amazingly effective. chills down my spine like a motherfucker. and then i checked out his remix of amazing, which is also really great.

here's the first song, which features talib and ben folds and somehow isn't a wft?! experience. great shit:


http://videos.onsmash.com/e/9FPf4x55CdcndPD6

"M.G. Jack" is a sick beat from that Alias album I posted. Here's a snippet of the song. It's super catchy.

I was just thinking about posting something about Charles Hamilton.

His latest mixtape, Sonic the Hamilton is some of the most creative rap I've heard this year. The production is a little muddy and I think he tries to fit a little too much in some of the songs, but he's definitely getting better. I sort of lost hope for him, because It's Charles Hamilton was terrible front-to-back, but he got my attention back with Sonic the Hamilton.

Also, I haven't listened to The Further Adventures of Lord Quas yet, but I listened to the Astronaut EP and holy shit, "Lonely Piano" is so great.

You should really check out Further Adventures as soon as possible, it's a great album. I prefer The Unseen, but other days I prefer Further Adventures. "Lonely Piano" is pretty groovy.

Vinnie Paz wishes he could be this violent, menacing and generally awesome. 'Diary of a madman' is the shit.



Gravediggaz - 6 feet deep

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=x0fn79uw

These guys rule. The RZA (The RZArector haha) production is terrific. I also enjoyed their second album, The Pick, the Sickle, and the Shovel, as well. Unfortunately, their next two efforts were complete bullshit. Good group.

wasn't prince paul a part of this?

He was indeed.

awesome. love me some prince paul.

Absolutely. I think Prince Paul and RZA split up the production of the first album. Not sure if he had any verses or not. Constant Elevation reminds me a lot of ODB's solo work.

Jamie Foxx - Number One (feat. Lil' Wayne)(Produced by Just Blaze)

http://www.zshare.net/audio/5172852100a53c6d/

I'm not a fan of r'n'b by any means, but this beat is pretty smooth. I like Just Blaze a lot.