Hip Hop Albums That Don't Suck

So rap and hip hop tend to get a lot of negative attention placed on them by non-rap/hip hop fans.  People who normally listen to rock, country or even classical much of the time can't possibly imagine themselves listening to anything in the lyrically heavily, sample-laden genre that sprang forth from the womb of Grandmaster Flash and the Sugar Hill Gang over twenty-five years ago.  I say to those people who give a cursory denial when asked of their music taste, "Oh, I like a little of everything... except country and rap" that I myself am not an enormous fan of either genre, but like anything, diamonds can most certainly be found in the rough.  I present to you then, a group of hip hop albums that don't suck.  All I ask is that you listen to them before judging.


Blackalicious is without question a phenomenal hip hop group.  Making of the backbone of the Quannuum collective which also includes gentlemen such as Lateef the Truthspeaker and Lyrics Born, Blackalicious are masters of fusing old school funk and R & B with modern, well-thought-out lyrical content.  Blazing Arrow is so far the best of their uniformly excellent albums, any of which would make a good listen.



The real star of this album for me isn't really even Cannibal Ox themselves (although they are no slouches as far as wordsmiths go) but the producer El-P, who's masterful production is definitely the highlight of this recording.  In fact, the backing tracks for The Cold Vein are so well-constructed that they have been released as an instrumental album themselves with El-P receiving primary credit on that one.



The Roots I see as the marijuana equivalent of hip hop (and no, not that their music inspires pot-smoking binges).  What I mean is that they act as a gateway.   Many who wouldn't normally listen to hip hop give The Roots a try because they play all their own live instruments and have a more rock and funk based sound.  This certainly gives them a more mainstream appeal, but at the same time, these guys deserve the attention they receive.  Although lyrically I think they can be a little weak at times, the delivery and the music more than make up for it.  I find Phrenology to be one of their best due to the diversity of music to be found on it.  From the soul inspired "The Seed 2.0" to the driving "Rock You" to the just plain weird "Water', there's something for everyone.  They can also be really catchy, which can be a skill in and of itself.



Dalek is for those outer fringe indie kids who listen to bizarre and abrasive walls of noise like Wolf Eyes and Merzbow.  With dark and foreboding lyrics set to screeching feedback and pulsating atonal fuzz, Dalek is certainly not for everyone.  But any individuals looking for a unique experience in the world of hip hop, they are certainly worth a try.



A Tribe Called Quest was a seminal hip hop group that was among the first to latch onto the great idea of fusing rap with jazz, and they did it with style and intelligence.  The Low End Theory is considered by many to be one of the greatest hip hop records ever made and with good reason.  This album is the antithesis of such modern acts as 50 Cent and The Game and makes for a much more compelling listen.



I can't mention good rap artists without at least a cursory look at the Beastie Boys.  My personal favorite of theirs is the album Check Your Head which like The Roots features live instrumentation.  This album was made in response to a lot of the Beastie Boys' critics that wrote them off as an idiotic party group with no actual musical talent after the release of their highly successful License To Ill.  Highlights include "Gratitude" and the Sly & the Family Stone cover "Something's Got To Give".

There's lots more excellent hip hop out there.  I'm just posting a few highlights worth looking into.  Here are some others you may want to check out that certainly have a lot going for them: El-P's Fantastic Damage, Sage Francis' A Healthy Distrust, The Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde and Labcabincalifornia, The Streets' Original Pirate Material, Company Flow's Funcrusher Plus, Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique and Ill Communication, MF Doom's Mm...Food?, the Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Prince Paul's Prince Among Thieves, Ghostface Killa's Fishscale, Dr. Octagon (a.k.a. Kool Keith)'s Dr. Octagonecologyst, Del the Funky Homosapien's Deltron 3030, and last but not least Mos Def's Black on Both Sides and The New Danger, both of which are absolutely fantastic albums.