Hip-Hop/_Gangster Rap/_Indie_Hip-Hop/_Underground11.
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The Roots- The Tipping point. It's true that Philadelphia multi-instrumental hip-hop supergroup The Roots have put out albums of a higher quality then "The Tipping Point"- their majestic 1999 masterwork "Things fall apart" as well as the jazzy, overlooked "Phrenology" and the downright furious "Rising Down"- but for outstanding musicianship, breathtaking lyricism and party-ready Djing, you can't beat this one. With its name taken from a sociological text by author Malcolm Gladwell, "The Tipping Point" still makes it explicitly clear that Black Thought and co. are still righteously indignant at the current social and political state of our fractured, frayed sense of national pride. However, unlike the grim "Game Theory", this record sounds like it's ready to get the party started right after the picket lines clear out. "Guns are drawn" throws some groovy drumbeats from ?uestlove in with some soulful reggae hooks and a punishing bass line while the pointed "Star" finds Black Thought spitting "In Philly, Cincinatti, Los Angeles or Harlem/kids call themselves killers/let the hammers do the talkin'/Don't even know the meaning of life, ain't seen a thing/And you dream of flooding the scenery?" And who said you can't dance to politically conscious hip-hop?
10.
Cannibal Ox- The Cold Vein. One of the most criminally underrated hip-hop acts of the early 90's indie-rap boom, the space-age duo collectively known as Cannibal Ox wax poetic about a poverty-stricken boom of project weirdness- re-imagining the New York backpacker/hip-hop scene as a hallucinatory apocalyptic dream state littered with broken dreams and slinky, goth-tinged funk beats. Rappers Vast Air and Vordul Mega, under the production values of the unmistakable and often impenetrable El-P, trade verses playfully and dexterously, whether painting grim portraits of urban despair in "Iron Galaxy" ("And if there's crack in the basement/Crackheads stand adjacent/Anger displacement/food stamp arrangement/you were a stillborn baby/mother didn't want you but you were still born") or addressing the tumultuous cycle of personal pain and destruction that comes with the break-up of a long-term relationship in the melancholy "The F Word". This is one of those gems that gets mentioned in conversations with "36 Chamers" and "Illmatic" in regards to the New York hip-hop rennaisance, and it's an absolute must for any self-respecting hip-hop head.
9.
People under the stairs- "Or stay tuned". If it's good-natured rhymes coupled with some of the freshest, cleanest beats in the modern hip-hop game, then look no further. This Los-Angeles based crew does what few other indie-based rap groups have been able to pull off in some time- marry a independent-minded, socially-conscious lyrical sensibility with deliciously funky instrumentation without coming off as either preachy or played-out. "The Breakdown" more then lives up to its name with its boisterous, playful rhymes and irresistible keyboard hook and "Acid Rain Drops" with its stoney, laid-back lyrics ("I'm sayin', what else is there to do besides relax/let the problems in your mind become ancient artifacts") and radio-friendly soul beat is destined to bump from block parties and BBQs across the California coast.
8.
Dr. Dre- 2001. Sure, everyone can point to the 1992 masterwork that was the original "Chronic" with its instantly recognizable Southern California drawl, g-funk drones and loops and iconic P-Funk samples...but hasn't that been done to death? "2001", the only record Dre has produced since then (not including the disastrous "Dr. Dre presents...the Aftermath") is a milestone of production values and a hearkening back to a time when West-coast gangsta rap was at the zenith of its creative potential. Dre's choice to use live instrumentation for the majority of tracks instead of samples gives the album a vibe of undeniable authenticity- these tracks don't just bump, they'll put a crater in your speakers. Whether it's the hyper-sexualized r&b of "Xxplosive" or "Still D.R.E." which is as clever, fun and lyrically invigorating as anything off Dre's first album, the doctor brings the thunder here. A slew of guest stars populate the record- Xzibit, Eminem, Mel Man and the unmistakable Snoop Dogg, to name a few- but this is Dre's show through and through. Definitely a contender for best-produced rap record of the 1990's, this one.
7.
Aesop Rock- Labor Days. There have been a few talents from Brooklyn-based independent rap label Def Jux to break out into the mainstream- El-P, with his dense, neo-futurist soundscapes and glitchy scratch work; Cage with his rage-fueled heroin raps and harrowing personal anecdotes- but few rappers, Def Jux or not, have managed to produce such a wide range of reactions as that of New York-based crackpot eccentric Aesop Rock. Some claim he's a stark-raving mad lunatic who spouts incomprehensible gibberish disguised as poetry, others claim he's operating on a lyrical level that most plain-spoken hip-hop heads can't even begin to contemplate. Whatever side of the proverbial Ace Rock fence you stand on, it's hard to argue that "Labor Days", his second full-length LP produced by the masterful Blockhead, is as vital, creative and inspired as anything late-90's hip-hop has given us. "Bent Life" is another eerie, metaphor-laden tongue-twister that sounds straight from the "Float" era, while "No Regrets" is a flawlessly told parable of an obsessive young woman chastised by a society for her unwilling devotion to her art. The album's shimmering single "Daylight" finds the man born Ian Bavitz laying some of his most impressively clever puns on wax ("Life's not a bitch/life is a beautiful woman/you only call her a bitch because she won't let you get that pussy") while also managing to sum up the tried-and-true Ace Rock credo- "All I ever wanted to do was pick apart the day/put the pieces back together my way"- fairly succinctly. Count one for this oddball genius, another for Def Jux.
6.
Gza/Genius- Liquid Swords. Whereas fellow Wu-Tang big dogs utilize their larger-than-life personalities to spin their disarmingly verbose rhymes into bonafide ghetto epics- Ghostface as fur-clad black superman, Raekwon as a Staten Island scarface, etc.- the group's oldest and most talented member, Gary Grice better known as "Gza" or "The Genius", prefers to keep his voice and tone at a laconic, low-decibel baritone while letting his tongue-twisting wordplay do the the real work. "Liquid Swords", his first Rza-produced record following the regrettable big-label debut "Words from the Genius", is on par with any banger off of "Enter the 36 Chambers", and it might even be a better album sonically and cohesively. The beats are grim and noirish, with skin-crawling samples from the kung-fu classic "Shogun assassin" dotting the lyrical landscape. Songs like "4th Chamber" prove to be deadly efficient posse tracks, while the lyrically explosive "Labels" finds Gza name-dropping every faceless, soulless record label in the rap game into a pleasurably articulate stew ("Tommy ain't my motherfuckin' boy/when you fake moves on a nigga you employ/so we'll emerge off the set/now ya know, god damn/I show livin' large niggas how to flip a def jam"). The haunting falsetto vocals and streets-is-watching grime that paint the tormented soul of "Cold World" prove a perfect match for Gza's emotionless, intellectualized rhymes and the result is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable rap records in the history of the genre.
5.
Outkast- Stankonia. The collective output of idiosyncratic, Atlanta-bred hip-hop superduo Outkast has seen Big Boi and Andre 3000 incorporate a plethora of different musical and sonic elements into their trademark soul-drenched southern gangsta noise- bass-heavy lowrider g-funk on "ATLiens" and "Aquemeni", spaced-out dream pop on "The Love Below" and ragtime and blues on "Idlewild"- but to this day, they have never been able to top the electrifying sonic zeitgeist that was "Stankonia". "Bombs over Baghdad" flirts with spacey dream pop, rapid-fire southern crunk before finally descending into a ravenous ecstasy of psychedelic guitar soul, while the boys actually manage to produce a playfully misogynist and utterly traditional club anthem with the cheekily titled "We luv deez hoes." "Royal Flush" is a magnetic duo with Raekwon the chef and the irresistible "Mrs. Jackson", a sorrowful account of ill-gotten romance and impending fatherhood, might be Andre and Big's most tender moment. Seriously, what can't these guys do? Make a bad album apparently- "Stankonia" is an indespensibile gem.
4.
Wu-Tang Clan- Enter the 36 Chambers. Shaolin, chessboxing, C.R.E.A.M., wallys, fish scale...no one ever accused the legendary and mysterious Wu-Tang Clan, with their dense, self-made hood slang and cryptic obsessions with and references to criminology, mystical Islam and kung-fu cinema, of being to the point. And yet it is this same uncompromised vision and devotion to their own eccentricities (of which there are no shortage) that has made the nine-man crew the largest and most powerful hip-hop syndicate in the history of the genre. "Enter the 36 Chambers" is where it all started- the creaky strings-and-soul-samples courtesy of the Rza, the tag-team verses, the martial arts bites... it's all here. Classic Wu-Tang bangers like "C.R.E.A.M." and "7th Chamber" haven't aged a bit, while the haunting "Tearz" finds the warbly vocal eruptions of Rza and the hyper-agitated wailings of Ghostface Killah trading verses about horrific urban violence and ill-fated sexual mishaps. "Da mystery of chessboxing" with its eerie beat and raw, rousing rhymes (U-God bellows "Raw I'ma give it to ya/with no trivia/raw like cocaine straight from Bolivia/my hip-hop will rock and shock the nation like the Emancipation Proclamation") is a prime posse cut while the disarmingly goofy "Shame on a nigga" showcases the decidedly bizarre talents of the late, great Russell Jones. Although subsequent Wu LPs such as "Iron Flag" and "8 Diagrams" have suffered under the weight of uneven production, lackluster rhymes and group in-fighting, there is no denying that at one point, Wu-Tang weren't just the most exciting MCs in the game- they did indeed rule the east.
3.
The Notorious B.I.G.- Ready to die. What is there to say about this grimy hardcore classic that has not been repeated ad nauseam by every hip-hop head on the planet? It's a bona-fide classic and solid evidence that those who proclaim Biggie to be the best MC of his generation, or even of all time, are not spitting the hyperbole that graps headlines in the gangsta rap game. "Warning" vividly and with chilling, knowing detail depicts the torrid business affairs and sleepless night life of a mob boss while "Everyday Struggle" shows us a humbler, more lyrically generous Christopher Wallace rhyming with articulate wit about struggling to support a family in the inner city ("I know how it feel to wake up fucked up/pockets broke as hell, another rock to sell"). "Juicy" and "Big Poppa", with their iconic samples and invigorating verses have gone on to become some of the most recognizable rap singles of the 90's and while the man once known as Frank White may be long gone, his talent, influence and heart live on.
2.
The Clipse- Hell hath no fury. "I done been to the top, I done sipped the juice/and with that being said, bird crumbs will never do" New-York-born MC Malice drawls over a futuristically funky drum-and-keyboard drone on the opening banger to the Clipse's appropriately ferocious new record, "Hell hath no fury", and boy, does he sound like he means it. The coke-pushing, dead-eyed duo from Virginia are back with a potent "yeuchh" after a heap of label troubles following the release of 2002's impressive "Lord Willin", and they have assembled twelve of the Neptune's most eerily infectious beats for what might be the most lean, mean and clean hip-hop album of 2006. The gleefully misanthropic organ-infused death funk of "Momma I'm Sorry" finds Pusha T boasting "I philosophize about glocks and keys/niggas call me young black Socrates" while the sorrowful, soulful slow burn of "Nightmares", the album's closer, morbidly envisions the brothers staring down the barrel of a drug baron's downfall. It's all happily amoral business, figuratively and literally, but with beats and rhymes this sharp and on-point, who can object?
1.
Ghostface Killah- Supreme Clientele. At a time when Wu solo albums were retreating to a stale state of dire formula and lifeless production, the clan's second-most eccentric member (following the un-imitatable Ol' Dirty Bastard) Ghostface Killah dropped a sonic boom on the gangsta rap landscape with "Supreme Clientele"- a rousing, breathlessly clever collage of classic 1970's soul, funk-influenced blaxploitation swagger, jabberwocky stream-of-consciousness lyricism and unfettered charisma. Ghostface's larger-than-life alter ego "Tony Starks" takes on a life of its own on these electrifying 21 tracks- "Apollo Kids", featuring Ghost's old partner in rhyme Raekwon the chef, packs the kind of machine-gun funk and coke-and-bullet-strewn mafioso bluster that recalls the glory days of "Only built 4 cuban linx" while "Child's play" rides an irresistible r&b keyboard hook over verbose, hyper-nostalgic rhymes recalling a childhood spent on the block. "Wu Banga 101" and the gleefully noxious "Buck 50" ("Your weed got more seeds than O.D.B.") are properly rowdy posse cuts with fellow Wu members Method Man, Masta Killa and Gza/Genius spitting killer lyrical darts, and top-notch production from Wu-Tang wizard the Rza (as well as Wu affiliates Juju, Inspectah Deck and Mathematics) make this one of the most polished and accomplished mainstream rap albums of its time.
Honorable mention: Raekwon's "Only built 4 cuban linx"- the pinnacle of the mafia rap movement. Also, Cage's "Hell's winter" which finds a misanthropic white dude rapping about self-mutilation, over-medication and heartbreak with more verve and wit then Eminem ever managed to produce as well as De La Soul's "De la soul is dead"- a radical and defiantly mature turning point for one of backpacker hip-hop's most respected groups. -By Nicholas Laskin, rabbi laskin (University of Santa Cruz, UCSC)
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