All Things Hippity and Hoppity

Originally Posted by Nil

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Anyone who isn't listening to Big K.R.I.T.'s Return of 4Eva album right now is ******* up.

Yeah, I scored the mixtape off datpiff.com. I don't really dig that type of MCing (I think J. Cole is where it's at right now) but the music is insane. Great, great, great, great, GREAT beats.

Also, really digging the new Pusha-T mixtape. It's called I Fear God. Everyone on this thread should have an account here:

http://www.datpiff.com/

Mixtape it up people.

Originally Posted by Nil

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Anyone who isn't listening to Big K.R.I.T.'s Return of 4Eva album right now is ******* up.
Agreed. This album feels like it's the shadow of some really quality Southern hip-hop. A song like OutKast, a song like UGK, a song like Devin the Dude. All that, and something new. Production + rhymes are on point.

Sorry I didn't add anything to Illmatic week. My daughter was born Sunday, and I haven't had any time to listen to the album again or form a coherent thought about, well, anything. I'll just say that Illmatic is a very special album for me, not just because it's the greatest hip-hop lp of all time (which it is), but because I wasthere, living it. I was a college student in NYC, living in Queens and doing the whole underground (before that was a bad thing) hip-hop scene. Illmatic was a watershed moment, and was so brilliant, so complete that Nas has been haunted by it foe the rest of his career. You know the saying, "You have your whole life to make your first album. You have a year to make the second".

I really need to listen again. At this point, the album is so ingrained in my psyche that I can't actually hear it anymore. When an Illmatic track pops up on shuffle, it's practically liminal. It's like breathing. I'm only intermittently aware of it...unless it's "Memory Lane" which I always listen to attentively, mostly trying to find punch-ins. The second verse of that song flows effortlessly, but is insanely difficult to spit. It might actually be one of the toughest verses in all of hip-hop. Far more difficult than Pun's "Dead in the middle of Little Italy/Little did we know that we riddled some middle-men who didn't do diddly" verse.

Originally Posted by pruppert

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Agreed. This album feels like it's the shadow of some really quality Southern hip-hop. A song like OutKast, a song like UGK, a song like Devin the Dude. All that, and something new. Production + rhymes are on point.

See I checked Krit out and that "something new" wasn't enough for me to stick w/it... for me to add a rapper to the 'worth checking for' roster they have to bring something completely new to the table, or at least do a better job of hiding their influences.... when I heard Big Krit I was like 'this is alright but now I want to hear some Aquemini'.... same w/J Cole...

But like, Lupe is obv influenced by Nas & at a point in time was wholly sharking Big... but he brought a level of technical depth, political awareness and cleverness that IMO exceeded Nas + Big at times... plus he eventually grew into having his own flow.... IDK too many of these new dudes just aren't stepping up to the plate IMO, if someone can quickly pick up your influences & you aren't surpassing them (i.e., Nas was obv influenced by Rakim stylistically, but he brought a whole new sound & QB imagery, hence the justification) its not worth checking for IMO....

I love the 90s, Raekwon & Ghostface made me rap... but we can't keep looking back, we have to innovate + move forward....

Nas rapping speed and breath control took a dive over the years... his excellence in that regard on Illmatic was another milestone feature of that album

The imagery was fcking haunting too

The whole second verse of TWIY is like one of my favorite verses of all times w/regard to imagery... and of course he delivered said imagery w/technical brilliance. Such a great album, gonna lift to that today.

Originally Posted by boogaboogabooga

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Also, really digging the new Pusha-T mixtape. It's called I Fear God.

Fear of God actually.

I Fear God would be a good title if Malice ever releases a solo joint. Ugh.

I've never liked a complete Nas album, and unfortunately I think I have to say the same with Illmatic as well. I'm not knocking his flow/style/etc. because technic wise this album is on point... it just doesn't work for me as a whole.

However, the songs I do like on this album I bump hard. This just seems to be a trend with me. For example, 2nd Childhood on "Stillmatic" is one of my favorite songs, but I will never bump Stillmatic in it's entirety. It just doesn't work for me.

I think since we now live in a day and age where there are a lot more rappers, I can pick up an album that is more specialized towards my life. Instead of forcing to relate to a rapper on a song, I can listen to one that has the same thoughts that I do. That's the problem facing a lot of conscientious rappers... they are a lot more hit or miss, while a lot of "simple" concept rappers can get more free passes. For example I bump "Purple Haze" by Cam'ron a lot. I listen to Cam when wildin out. It's a lot easier to get me pumped up for a party with a good beat and fun lyrics, than influence my soul with thought provoking lyrics. So Purple Haze in my books is a 5 star album because it accomplished a simpler task, but completed it well.

That being said, talent is still talent, so this still a good album. I just wanted to explain my criteria for a 5 star album.

Purple Haze might be my favorite rap album of all time... if it's not, I can't think of one to replace it at the moment. I pruned a lot of the filler though. That would be a good album to talk about

I don't really like the Big K.R.I.T. mixtape. I was expecting a lot from him after "Hometown Hero" and "Children of the World".

Originally Posted by Cool The Kid

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Purple Haze might be my favorite rap album of all time... if it's not, I can't think of one to replace it at the moment. I pruned a lot of the filler though. That would be a good album to talk about

I'd be down for this.

Originally Posted by APK

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I'd be down for this.

Purple Haze!! There were 3 or 4 songs that didn't make it that might've pushed it even higher, but this album is classic

Originally Posted by Cool The Kid

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Purple Haze might be my favorite rap album of all time... if it's not, I can't think of one to replace it at the moment. I pruned a lot of the filler though. That would be a good album to talk about

hmm.. I think I like 'Black On Both Sides', 'ATLiens', 'Illmatic', 'The Diary', or 'Low End Theory' better, but you make a good point.

I don't really understand how your favorite rap album can have a lot of filler, but whatever floats your boat I guess.

Our girls is the models, they cooch is the juicest.