Music Discussion

[jmt225]

Usually my tried and true playlist, but I've been really getting into Freddie Gibbs lately. I know I'm a few years late for that party, but god damn the dude's good. Big K.R.I.T. is heavy on the regular rotation as well. Kendrick because of course. Dave East is one that's getting slept on a bit. He's a Nas protege and he's got some stellar tracks.

Not much new shit unfortunately. I've poured through Spotify's music discovery shit and all these mumble rappers all sound the god damn same. Future may be the only mumble rapper I can stand. All their beats sound the god damn same too, slow as fuck and only really focusing on the bass. Like after a session of trying to listen to this new blood I gotta go throw some Mac Dre on just to bring my levels back up. I'll take a Lil Wayne track over them at this point. And you know my dislike for Wayne runs fairly deep.

Haha... I knew I'd get a Joe Budden hip-hop head like response from you

Freddie Gibbs is cool. I have a good friend who is a massive fan of his. I like more uptempo stuff so I don't rock with him too much but I definitely get the appeal.

I feel you 100% on the mumble rap, haha. I love good trap beats though, even if most do sound the same.

I'd like to recommend someone to you though if you don't mind. This kid out of Brooklyn named VI Seconds.

He's into a bunch of nerdy shit like us but mixes it in with gangsta rap. I really, really love his stuff.

In fact, there's an entire crew of "Pokemon" rappers that I bet you'd enjoy (Shofu, CTC, Gee Yee, etc.). Geek rap is hitting hard these days lol.

[GuyCompton]

I've been on a kick where in between listening to a lot of country at work, I switch it up with Hip Hop every now and then. I don't know what it is but that and stupid EDM gets me laser focused. I hadn't listened to A$AP Rocky's Long Live A$AP in ages, but did so today and that album is still an absolute banger, so underrated. Near the end of the album, it peaks with three excellent songs in a row with Fuckin Problems, Wild for the Night, and 1Train... That is a solid three track run in a row that almost rivals the best of any recent Drake or Kendrick album.

[JGlass]

I was thinking about the best hip-hop duos of all time today, and so far I've come up with these 4. Keep in mind, I'm talking about HOF level hip-hop duos today, so while I'm sure there are some other really great duos, I'm not sure how many others make the list.

Right off the bat you have Public Enemy. I know Chuck D had a DJ, and Flavor Flav really didn't contribute much to the group lyrically, you can't deny that if you say Public Enemy, most people would know exactly who you're talking about.

I think one of the other most obvious ones is Dre and Snoop. It's just assumed that when one raps, the other one is going to show up eventually. What I think is slightly less obvious, but has produced probably just as many hits as Dre and Snoop is Dre and Eminem. Everyone knows that Dre discovered Eminem, or at least helped him blow up the way he did, and Eminem has never been shy about sticking by Dre through thick and thin in return. Unlike Dre and Snoop, I think Dre and Eminem are equal talents, so magic happens whenever they get together.

Another clear first ballot Hall of Famer is Outkast. Andre 3000 is one of the sharpest minds in hip-hop history in my opinion, and while Big Boi is often remembered as the less talented of the two, he's a fantastic rapper in his own right. Stankonia is one of the best rap albums of all time, and THE best album to come out of the entire South, if not ATL. They remain one of the most uniquely talented rap acts of all time, and I'm happy to hear they occasionally perform together, I'd love to see them live some day.

This may be my most controversial pick, but I think Jay Z and Kanye are clearly HOF material. Kanye provided Jay Z with a lot of great beats before they made Watch the Throne together. Watch the Throne is a phenomenal album combining a certain level of introspection with FUCKING. BANGERS. That album alone I think puts them in the conversation, and their years of work prior on a song by song basis puts them over the top.

After that, I'm not sure there's anybody I can come up with that's a clear cut all-time great. I personally want to say Run The Jewels, Raekwon and Ghostface, and MF Doom and Madlib, but I think I might be personally biased there.

So I guess to sum up my post, my Mount Rushmore of hip-hop duos is...
1) Public Enemy
2) Dre and Snoop (with Eminem's face carved onto the mole on Dre's upper lip, I think he'd be honored right?)
3) OutKast
4) Jay Z and Kanye

Change my mind.

[Big Nick Dudley]

I was thinking about the best hip-hop duos of all time today, and so far I've come up with these 4. Keep in mind, I'm talking about HOF level hip-hop duos today, so while I'm sure there are some other really great duos, I'm not sure how many others make the list.

Right off the bat you have Public Enemy. I know Chuck D had a DJ, and Flavor Flav really didn't contribute much to the group lyrically, you can't deny that if you say Public Enemy, most people would know exactly who you're talking about.

I think one of the other most obvious ones is Dre and Snoop. It's just assumed that when one raps, the other one is going to show up eventually. What I think is slightly less obvious, but has produced probably just as many hits as Dre and Snoop is Dre and Eminem. Everyone knows that Dre discovered Eminem, or at least helped him blow up the way he did, and Eminem has never been shy about sticking by Dre through thick and thin in return. Unlike Dre and Snoop, I think Dre and Eminem are equal talents, so magic happens whenever they get together.

Another clear first ballot Hall of Famer is Outkast. Andre 3000 is one of the sharpest minds in hip-hop history in my opinion, and while Big Boi is often remembered as the less talented of the two, he's a fantastic rapper in his own right. Stankonia is one of the best rap albums of all time, and THE best album to come out of the entire South, if not ATL. They remain one of the most uniquely talented rap acts of all time, and I'm happy to hear they occasionally perform together, I'd love to see them live some day.

This may be my most controversial pick, but I think Jay Z and Kanye are clearly HOF material. Kanye provided Jay Z with a lot of great beats before they made Watch the Throne together. Watch the Throne is a phenomenal album combining a certain level of introspection with FUCKING. BANGERS. That album alone I think puts them in the conversation, and their years of work prior on a song by song basis puts them over the top.

After that, I'm not sure there's anybody I can come up with that's a clear cut all-time great. I personally want to say Run The Jewels, Raekwon and Ghostface, and MF Doom and Madlib, but I think I might be personally biased there.

So I guess to sum up my post, my Mount Rushmore of hip-hop duos is...
1) Public Enemy
2) Dre and Snoop (with Eminem's face carved onto the mole on Dre's upper lip, I think he'd be honored right?)
3) OutKast
4) Jay Z and Kanye

Change my mind.

Eminem and Dr. Dre as well.... which you mentioned. I prefer Eminem/Dre to Snoop, but both were great.

[jmt225]

Being from the south, I'm more impartial to UGK, Boosie & Webbie, 8Ball & MJG, and Clipse.

Remaining unbiased, I definitely think UGK is a top 3 rap duo of all time. They are LEGENDS in the genre. The influence they had on southern hip-hop cannot be overstated.

Also, Mobb Deep is top 3 as well, perhaps battling only Outkast for that #1 spot. I'm not a huge fan of Mobb Deep because I don't like the majority of East Coast beats, but I highly respect and recognize what they did for the NY hip-hop scene.

Plus, Shook Ones Part 2 may be the best rap duo song ever.