And wrapping up with MF Doom (working as Metal Fingers)--Presents Special Herbs The Box Set Vol. 0-9 A way to wind down an evening with instrumental tracks like "Passion Flower" and its Arthur Verocai sample:
I haven't heard this in ages, added Nehruvian Doom to my portable player, will listen to it on the drive north
I'm in love with some hip hop instrumentals these days, as well as more down tempo stuff. I found this one lately on YT, from NK Music whom I don't know anything about via a channel with some really good stuff:
Sadly I don't keep up with hip hop as much as I used to, when I had a friend in high school that would always be sending me stuff there was something exciting and infectious about discussing music with someone that shared a similar enthusiasm. These days it's mostly just keeping up with new albums from the groups I know.
Anyone listen to the new Blu & Exile album Miles? Heard nothing but great things about it. Conscious jazz-rap is right up my alley so I'm looking forward to checking it out. Spotify: Miles
I am not certain if it's been mentioned and spun, but I tracked down a copy of The Roots Vinyl Me, Please cut of Phrenology. My best sounding hip hop hands down!
That is such a great album, I have only heard it on CD which is loud, but you can tell it's a fine recording.
I was reorganizing CDs that were in storage and found Wu-Tang Clan - Wu Tang Forever double CD in an empty CD case, just the CDs with no covers. I love this album. So many bangers.
So what did y'all think about the hip-hop albums included and their placement on the revised Top 500 Albums list by Rolling Stone Magazine? There's definitely more of it, that's for sure.. 10. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 15. Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back 17. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 19. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly 22. The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die 27. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) 37. Dr. Dre - The Chronic 43. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory 44. Nas - Illmatic 49. OutKast - Aquemini 50. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 61. Eric B. & Rakin - Paid In Full 64. Outkast - Stankonia 67. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt 70. N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton 74. Kanye West - The College Dropout 93. Missy "Misdemeanor" Elloitt - Supa Dupa Fly 95. Drake - Take Care 103. De La Soul - Three Feet High And Rising 115. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city 117. Kanye West - Late Registration 125. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique 134. Fugees - The Score 145. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP 155. Jay-Z - The Black Album 175. Kenrdrick Lamar - DAMN 176. Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet 179. Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death 187. Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted 192. Beastie Boys - License To Ill 201. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders 204. Kanye West - Graduation 208. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III 209. Run-DMC - Raising Hell 219. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 228. De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead 244. Kanye West - 808 & Heartbreak 246. LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out 261. Beastie Boys - Check Your Head 269. Kanye West - Yeezus 280. 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin' 290. OutKast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below 329. DJ Shadow - Entroducing..... 340. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle 347. GZA - Liquid Swords 352. Eminem - The Slim Shady LP 365. Madvillain - Madvillainy 367. Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late 370. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter II 378. Run-DMC - S/T 386. J Dilla - Donuts 403. Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele 416. The Roots - Things Fall Apart 421. M.I.A. - Arular 432. Usher - Confessions 436. 2Pac - All Eyez on Me 437. Primal Scream - Screamadelica 442. The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness 447. Bad Bunny - X 100pre 459. Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of the Day 470. Juvenile - 400 Degrees 472. SZA - Ctrl 473. Daddy Yankee - Barrio Fino 482. The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde 495. Boys II Men - II
Let me fix that for them. 1.A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory 2.Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet 3.Eric B. & Rakin - Paid In Full 4.GZA - Liquid Swords 5. Nas - Illmatic There are a number of names on that list I am surprised but are nice to see like The Roots, Kid Cudi and The Pharcyde. Also a few on the list I need to check out and revisit, thanks.
What would be just as interesting would be a list of what albums from the old list got kicked out by the new list.
The biggest surprise is obviously that Lauryn Hill's Miseducation is at the very top. It's been on their older lists as well. It's a great album but the greatest hip-hop has to offer? I'm not sure. Also the fact that Missy Elloitt is placed so high. I get that they want more female representation but it seems a bit forced. I'd place Bahamadia's Kollage somewhere on the list if they wanted more female MCs. As for newer rappers, Little Simz and Noname would've been good choices.
Seems like no one's really satisfied. The classic rock fans hate that a lot of the usual suspects have sunk lower or been completely omitted. Fans of other genres never really cared about the list anyway.
I never really liked the original 500 list. Felt like what it was all along - a list designed by a small panel or committee with some editorial oversight inserting what they thought were "important" albums for reasons other than music.
The previous RS500 list was helpful to me during a time when I had limited internet access and a wide curiosity about music (having heard very little beyond MTV / radio). It was a great way to sample genres, suss out what I liked or disliked, and guide for where to go next. I can’t imagine RS fulfilling a similar role for someone now with the ubiquity of the internet and the decline of RS as a cultural touchstone.
