Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Wait! I have more recommendations...
I just read a request on Begging to Differ to suggest a CD to be bought and reviewed. I posted the following:
But then I realized I had tons of recommendations! Instead of annoying him with multiple comments, I thought I'd fulfill my need to blab here. So here are my "If you're going to buy one album" suggestions (we'll ignore that I suggest lots of albums instead of "one album").
N.E.R.D. {In Search Of...} One of the few albums I can listen to over and over and over. Its catchy but not the least bit pop-y. It thrashes without being hardcore. The lyrics mix the angst of a teenager with the sexual antics of, well, a teenager. You can almost feel Pharrell's cool factor. (side note: don't miss them in concert either. side note II: there new album Fly or Die is mellower but with more interesting lyrics.)
Kanye West {College Dropout} One of the best albums of the year. It may need an appreciation of hip hop to truely feel its greatness. He walks the line between backpack rap (a mix of underground and consciousness rap with an emphasis on skills, lyrics and beats) and the bling bling world of pop rap. He has some of the best lines you wouldn't hear from any other rapper (well, maybe OutKast) and he does it all over interesting yet mainstream beats that have served to get him a lot of airplay. His breakout hit was a song about his near fatal car-accident, which he made while his mouth was still wired shut!
Tricky {Maxinique} He has since verred off coarse but this is his first solo offer after leaving Massive Attack. Deep, eerie, haunting, intense and dark. A mix of electronica and rock with hip hop influence. His remake of Public Enemy's Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos may be one of the best covers ever. The rest of the lyrics are haunting, when you can depict their meaning.
OutKast {Love Below/Speakerboxxx} The winner of Best Album this past year, its an amazing double album. Andre 3000 and Big Boi (the duo who make up OutKast) each went out on their own to make record and this leaves the two albums distinct yet related. Again, like Kanye, the appreciation is even heightened if you know what went before (see Stankonia next). This album, especially Andre's side which contains almost no rap, is at the same time an unguessable departure from their previous stuff yet completely unsurprising coming from them.
OutKast {Stankonia} OutKast started as a respectable sourthern rap group and moved into more complex, unique beats often straying into the avant-guard (at least so far as rap would allow). Over these beats, there lyrics were wide ranging, crazy and hittin'. You won't find another rap album like this (except, perhaps, their own previous effort Aquemini). This should have been the first album to win the Best Album grammy, unfortunately it came a year before the Academy was ready to break that barrier.
I highly recommend N.E.R.D. If you haven't heard their first one, In Search Of..., check out that one. Its not as laid back as the new one which makes it fun. The lyrics and music are an enjoyable mix of angst and hedonism. But the newest one, Fly or Die, is mellower if you're into that and the lyrics are a bit more interesting.
but that said, you can't go wrong w/ the Kweli recommendation above (I also have a tid bit about the new Kanye West on my site but I think to appreciate it being the album of the year you have to really know hip hop)
but that said, you can't go wrong w/ the Kweli recommendation above (I also have a tid bit about the new Kanye West on my site but I think to appreciate it being the album of the year you have to really know hip hop)
But then I realized I had tons of recommendations! Instead of annoying him with multiple comments, I thought I'd fulfill my need to blab here. So here are my "If you're going to buy one album" suggestions (we'll ignore that I suggest lots of albums instead of "one album").
N.E.R.D. {In Search Of...} One of the few albums I can listen to over and over and over. Its catchy but not the least bit pop-y. It thrashes without being hardcore. The lyrics mix the angst of a teenager with the sexual antics of, well, a teenager. You can almost feel Pharrell's cool factor. (side note: don't miss them in concert either. side note II: there new album Fly or Die is mellower but with more interesting lyrics.)
Kanye West {College Dropout} One of the best albums of the year. It may need an appreciation of hip hop to truely feel its greatness. He walks the line between backpack rap (a mix of underground and consciousness rap with an emphasis on skills, lyrics and beats) and the bling bling world of pop rap. He has some of the best lines you wouldn't hear from any other rapper (well, maybe OutKast) and he does it all over interesting yet mainstream beats that have served to get him a lot of airplay. His breakout hit was a song about his near fatal car-accident, which he made while his mouth was still wired shut!
Tricky {Maxinique} He has since verred off coarse but this is his first solo offer after leaving Massive Attack. Deep, eerie, haunting, intense and dark. A mix of electronica and rock with hip hop influence. His remake of Public Enemy's Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos may be one of the best covers ever. The rest of the lyrics are haunting, when you can depict their meaning.
OutKast {Love Below/Speakerboxxx} The winner of Best Album this past year, its an amazing double album. Andre 3000 and Big Boi (the duo who make up OutKast) each went out on their own to make record and this leaves the two albums distinct yet related. Again, like Kanye, the appreciation is even heightened if you know what went before (see Stankonia next). This album, especially Andre's side which contains almost no rap, is at the same time an unguessable departure from their previous stuff yet completely unsurprising coming from them.
OutKast {Stankonia} OutKast started as a respectable sourthern rap group and moved into more complex, unique beats often straying into the avant-guard (at least so far as rap would allow). Over these beats, there lyrics were wide ranging, crazy and hittin'. You won't find another rap album like this (except, perhaps, their own previous effort Aquemini). This should have been the first album to win the Best Album grammy, unfortunately it came a year before the Academy was ready to break that barrier.
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