Nas: Illmatic - Best Hip-Hop lp of all time?

[Ian Townsend]

I can write my knowledge of Hip Hop on the back of a postage stamp and I've never investigated it beyond enjoying late 90s stuff like Jay Z - The Blueprint, Notorious BIG -RU Ready To Die etc etc.

I bloody love that easy-listening style Nujabes track Lady Brown that yukayazi posted in the Face Melter thread...is there any other stuff like that I could find cheaply? Checked Discogs and the vinyl 12" of that Nujabe appears to be v. Expensive. Can anyone recommend any other Hip Hop / Rap that's as easy on the ear? (other than MC Mello who I really like).

Also, I have no clue as to how it was compiled, but About. com has a Top 100 Hip Hip lps ever (http://rap.about.com/od/toppicks/ss/Top100RapAlbums_10.htm)list (sigh) and puts Nas -Illmatic at number one. I don't know it excepting the 'cover' Elzhi lp I checked out and like last week.

Is Nas a deserving number one or is this like those Rock Canons where there's an awful lot of mediocre 'hmmmm' in the list?:p


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38HmE7fuE1w


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjqTiQhOgU8

[mr sayers]

The first three 'a Tribe Called Quest' LP's might fit the bill, easy on my ears anyway -


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNZNGmdRdmk


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCxFL5od9D0&feature=related

Also might like 'UMC's', more native tongues type stuff -


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X4uZqxcwSU


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqDV2m-r4Ro

Let me know how you get on with the above and if like them I can recommend plenty more stuff.:cool:

[Ian Townsend]

Thanks for those Craig. :) All easy enough on the ear for me and I particularly like the UMC's. Have you got any recommendations that heavily sample orchestra / choirs / voices? I really liked the downtempo tracks on Notorious BIG's RU Ready To Die that had strings on (and the one that samples Bobby Caldwell's My Flame of course!). I guess what i'm really searching for is something that samples late 60s / early 70s Sunshine Pop type stuff. I was blown away on Sunday by some Bergen White and Mark Eric that Sie Fly played me and the orchestral parts of those songs would sound great looped. (Someone / somewhere must've done it!)

I know you weren't involved in the early VG+ Swaps so you probably didn't hear the comp by an old member called 'United States Of Audio.' It's not full of orchestral samples or anything but it was the first Hip Hop comp I really enjoyed. He mixed lesser known stuff with poppier stuff like Saturday Night Roller Skating Jam. Loved that. I'll find it later and post up the tracklist.

Cheers for the recommendations!

Here's the MC Mello I played at Byker Groove last year. I know Haydn and Davey were pleased to hear it...:)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9cE_ODWDXs

[mr sayers]

This sort of thing Ian mate, great moody use of the strings off Hawaii 5 O soundtrack -


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=falp3jzyOOQ

Also love this for the Axelrod sample -


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fszAH5aP54

[feenix]

Also, I have no clue as to how it was compiled, but About. com has a Top 100 Hip Hip lps ever (http://rap.about.com/od/toppicks/ss/Top100RapAlbums_10.htm)list (sigh) and puts Nas -Illmatic at number one. I don't know it excepting the 'cover' Elzhi lp I checked out and like last week.

List is cool but Hip Hop is about great great tracks and that chart has holes where shizz like this should be.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHaa_tPGmOs

[feenix]

...and PE and NWA were only the tip of the iceberg.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaUzIwwr5iM

[feenix]

And no chart has BEEF. :D Evidence kickin' Em! :cool:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX4Sp8ZS2j4&feature=related

[Mr Munch]

Have you got any recommendations that heavily sample orchestra / choirs / voices?


If its orchestral/easy samples your after, you cant go too far wrong with Lewis Parker:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP_psOCSP6Y

He also did an album with John Robinson which was only a limited release so may be hard to find but is worth the search (i had to make do wit a dodgy download :rolleyes:):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKYXrShEXG0

[Old School Tramp]

Illmatic actually features one of my top ten tracks, "The World Is Yours" is a great Pete Rock (who can do no wrong in my eyes) production, the lyrics are amazing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5PnuIRnJW8&ob=av2e

[Old School Tramp]

On a similar tip Blackstar's "Respiration" is brill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeTnog5RRQo&ob=av2e

[Old School Tramp]

More!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csPam9gdM8M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C99iG4HoO1c

[Old School Tramp]

A couple of years ago I started trying to seek out tracks that used classical samples in hip hop, & the list ended up being pretty short, but Deltron 3030 "3030" still blows my mind, gives me goose bumps everytime I hear it, no other track builds like this in hip hop, just pure genius.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7_jbluF0qo&feature=related