Thought this would be an interesting thread to start. OK so what do you think are some of the most underrated hip-hop albums ever?
Heres 5 of mine..
Siah and Yeshua Dapoed- The Visualz Anthology Album..Great album..listen to the song 'The Visualz' you'll see what I'm talking about. I think its on youtube.
Jungle Brothers-J Beez wit tha Remedy..Insane album..and supposedly this is how it sounded after it was toned down.
Goats-Tricks of the Shade..From 1992..Two Native American MC and one Italian American MCs. Very good beats and rhymes about prejudice towards native americans amongst other things. Perhaps the most underrated hiphop album ever.
Saafir-Boxcar Sessions-Love this album. Lightsleepers is one of my favourite songs and the video is very fresh too. Parts of the album sound quite dark and weird. This was done just before the Saafir/Hobo Junction vs Casual/Souls of mischief battle.
Main Source-Breakin Atoms..I would say quite alot of people will be familiar with this album but still it sounds so good and still deserves more respect.
Anyway leave a comment if you know these albums or have only listened to them now after reading this and tell me what you think of this list and what you think are the most under rated hip hop albums ever. Anyway peace..
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P fan #1
Joined: Oct '08
Posts: 3,255Posted 17 years ago #I'm still wishing that "Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde" would've blown up as hard as "The Chronic" & "Doggystyle" did in the early 90's... maybe the Pharcyde weren't necessarily underrated, but "gangster rap" made everything look underrated.
"People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm" could've gone farther (although it got MTV airplay, I guess). "Youthful Expression" on that album is one of my favorites. Tribe blew up later, but that early sh!t was niiiice.
The "Intoxicated Demons" EP should've blown up too. -
new cat
Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 21Posted 17 years ago #Junk Science Gran' Dad's Nerve Tonic is real real dope.
Not sure what peoples' perception of Mood's Doom is but I gotta say, that was one of the first hip hop albums I ever got and to this day not a single song has gotten bad or played out. Especially "Nuclear Hip Hop", a young Talib has never sounded better man his flow is amazing on that song.
How about Opio of Hieroglyphic's first album Triangulation Station? That's got some pretty nice tracks on it too. -
7
Joined: Oct '08
Posts: 37Posted 17 years ago #Word Opio can flow man Mind,Body, and Soul is one of my favorite tracks of all time. -
EP
Joined: Aug '05
Posts: 262Posted 17 years ago #Goota throw in De La Soul's Buhloone Mindstate. Everybody's always talking about 3 feet, De La is Dead and Stakes, but not a lot of people mention Buhloone. A lot of people I know who claim to love De La don't even know that album.
I think it's their best album by far, and probably the best thing Prince Paul ever did as a producer. Lyrically, they really came into their own. It wasn't as light and funny as the previous two LPs but also not as serious as the stuff that followed. Really clever sh!t though, the number of double entendres and cultural references they use to make their points... I notice something new every time I listen to it.
I also really dig A Constipated Monkey by Kurious, from 1994. Beatnuts produced about half of it, and SD50s did about 4 tracks. Nobody bought it when it came out but I saw that it had been reissued recently with a couple of bonus tracks, so maybe it has a cult following somewhere now... One of the bonus tracks is called A Mansion and a Yacht, featuring Sadat X and Mike G. I think it was a B-side back in the day but it's dope so pick up the reissue if you can. -
new cat
Joined: Aug '07
Posts: 17Posted 17 years ago #Someone mentioned the "Intoxicated Demons EP". I Agree and add from the Beatnuts catalog "Street Level". Got some play back in the day but alot of heads never even heard of Da Nuts.
Also:
Count Bass D - BegBorrowSteel (personal favorite of mine from Dwight)
(DITC's) O.C. - Starchild (if anyone slept on this go back and hunt it down. you won't be sorry.)
DJ Magic Mike - Magic's Kingdom (mostly only known for his Bass Cds, Mike switch it up a bit on this one and came off with dope results. Not a lyrical genius, but just a solid all around album. His turntable skills are rediculous.)
El Gant - It's Over (back to some hard beats and raw emceeing. this album was a pleasent suprise that i still bump to this day.)
Everlast - Whitey Ford Sings The Blues (I think because of the two singles off this album Ends & What It's Like where Ev is singing that this album got shyed away from by Hip Hop heads but it is very Hip Hop based with madd production by SD50's.)
Masta Ace - A Long Hot Summer (to me this is Ace's most complete work to date. beats, rhymes, concepts. I've told heads not to sleep on this album and that i'd put it up in ranks with The Chronic and other considered classics. )
Prince Paul - Politics of the Business (Prince Paul puts together albums so strangely but it always seems to work and this was Mos Def his closest to normal release. It's so well rounded and has a really dope line up of emcees. All of whom he gets the best out of.)
I also highly agree with:
Kurious - A Constipated Monkey (New Album II Coming Soon)
Main Source-Breakin Atoms
Opio - Triangulation Station
Siah and Yeshua Dapoed- The Visualz Anthology (I was one of the sleepers) -
The Architect
Joined: Feb '05
Posts: 3,618Posted 17 years ago #co-sign Breakin Atoms. although I don't know if it is underrated - I think it's known to be very influential album and overall loved but just more recently less exposed cos it's been out of print for years (though just got a new run in japan i think, maybe US too?)
recently been listening to Antipop Consortium - real experimental leftfield sh!t but v interesting too. Don't hear much talk of em -> check it out -
EP
Joined: Aug '05
Posts: 262Posted 17 years ago #Okay, got a few more on my mind today;
Pete Rock & CL - The Main Ingredient
Personally, I think this LP knocks the shiz out of Mecca. It has two of my favourite loops of all time (In the House and I Get Physical). Pete Rock perfected his sound RIGHT HERE. Peep it.
EPMD - Business As Usual
Whenever I DJ I always open with I'm Mad and ususally throw in Manslaughter (another of my favourite samples). A lot of people think of this as EPMD's worst album. I have this sh!t in a frame of my studio wall. Nuff said.
Cypress Hill - Temples of Boom
I kinda feel like this got overlooked because it followed two of the most influential hip hop albums there will ever be. Essentially, it adds little in terms of breaking new ground, but the style is more focussed and it defines the sound Muggs is known for. Everybody Must Get Stoned is one of my favourite tunes.
Ultramagnetic MCs - Funk Your Head Up
Everyone knows Critical Beatdown is a masterpiece, but nobody seems to know FYHU or The Four Horsemen (their third LP). This sh!t is just crazy! You Ain't Real is the high point... For some reason the LP only has a sh!tty version of Poppa Large, not the badass Beatminerz remix... (I have the 12" of that sucker on my studio wall too)
Gravediggaz - Niggamortis / 6 Feet Deep
Prince Paul and Rza. Nuff said. Pick up the UK version (called Niggamortis) if you can, it has an extra track which is dope.
Goodie Mob - Soul Food
I love all the early Organized Noize stuff - check out the first two OutKast albums too. This LP has more soul (in the broadest sense of the word) than any other hip hop LP I can think of.
Group Home - Livin' Proof
One of Premier's finest moments. Not the best MCs in the world but the whole album is pretty dope if you can overlook that.
Onyx - All We Got Iz Us
Deep, grimey beats and a far more considered tone lyrically. I used to have this tape in my walkman back in '95 on the bus to school. Felt like a badass, ha ha.
Also, check out all the early (pre '96) DITC stuff. Some of the side projects got missed - Mic Geronimo's first LP, OC's Word Life. The latter featured a few tracks with Organized Konfusion. Check out their first two LPs too - stone cold classics.
That's all I got for now... -
P fan #1
Joined: Apr '09
Posts: 1,137Posted 17 years ago #I don't know if this counts, but
Also....
Pharcyde--Labcabincalifornia. Everyone just listens to the first LP, Dilla's production is in point.
Soul Position--8 Million Stories. Great hip-hop out of Columbus Ohio, Blueprint on rhymes and RJD2 on beats.
Y Society--Travel At Your Own Pace. Damu and Insight straight kill it. -
EP
Joined: Aug '05
Posts: 262Posted 17 years ago #trenchmc said: I don't know if this counts, but
Pharcyde--Labcabincalifornia. Everyone just listens to the first LP, Dilla's production is in point.
Oh for DAMN sure, can't believe I missed that, was thinking of it when I made the list in my head driving home the other day. Labcabin is a class album. Also sits in a frame on my studio wall. -
new cat
Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 21Posted 17 years ago #JK93 said:
Pete Rock & CL - The Main Ingredient
Personally, I think this LP knocks the shiz out of Mecca. It has two of my favourite loops of all time (In the House and I Get Physical). Pete Rock perfected his sound RIGHT HERE. Peep it.
Gravediggaz - Niggamortis / 6 Feet Deep
Prince Paul and Rza. Nuff said. Pick up the UK version (called Niggamortis) if you can, it has an extra track which is dope.
Couldn't agree with you more on those man. I always liked the Main Ingredient better, and those two tracks are by far my favorites on that album, as well as In The Flesch...Baby Pa is the man. Gravediggaz is just a great all around concept album, that really works the whole time. -
7
Joined: Nov '09
Posts: 34Posted 16 years ago #JK93 said: Pete Rock & CL - The Main Ingredient
Personally, I think this LP knocks the shiz out of Mecca. It has two of my favourite loops of all time (In the House and I Get Physical). Pete Rock perfected his sound RIGHT HERE. Peep it.
The best Hip Hop record of all time.
Production and Lyrics are Flawless. -
LP
Joined: Jun '05
Posts: 428Posted 16 years ago #Pete Rock & CL - The Main Ingredient
Personally, I think this LP knocks the shiz out of Mecca. It has two of my favourite loops of all time (In the House and I Get Physical). Pete Rock perfected his sound RIGHT HERE. Peep it.
The best Hip Hop record of all time.
Production and Lyrics are Flawless.
Word. One of my all time favourite albums. Saw them do a sold out show recently in London. Was completely sick. CL particularly impressed me with his stage presence and was a really dope performer. They were however a bit shakey on some rhymes..understandable though as some of the songs they did were obviously 15 + years old! That's longevity! Hi Hats are mad loud on TMI LP haha.. -
LP
Joined: Jun '05
Posts: 428Posted 16 years ago #Ye man, I'm not sure about a new album though but they did a europe tour. You aint hear yoyo? Aren't you in the big smoke at the moment?
At one point in the show Pete was like yo..I want like 5 seconds silence for my man michael jackson... I was right near Skinnyman, and the dude shouts out.. Man a peodaphile!!! like real loud while everyone's quiet. Then Pete was like awww maaan get that dude out of here!
As for gangstarr.. as always they aint finished til preem says they are but a new album aint gona happen.. and I heard somewhere guru made some comment saying primo is a pop producer. crazy.
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