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Rebel Just For Kicks

@azirafaile / azirafaile.tumblr.com

Migratory Old Man Fandom | currently The Terror & OFMD | she/her 26 | + esoteric nerd shit
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azirafaile
jkrockin
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afloweroutofstone
Anonymous asked:

As someone who grew up living under a rock in the early 2000s and was completely lost on what hip-hop and rap was good until earlier this year I would absolutely support a crash course playlist

afloweroutofstone answered:

Best listened to on shuffle. Very NSFW, including some lyrics from A Different Time. Tried to focus on the essentials and then a few noteworthy personal favorites. Look below the cut for some commentary on what’s what ⬇️

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machiavelli-the-prince

This is all pretty great. Thought I’d annotate the untouched ones.

Slick Rick - Children’s Story: 

this is remembered as THE storytelling song of hip hop. It’s extremely 80s in it’s production and delivery, but Slick Rick is still a vert charismatic writer and performer and his linear narrative songs & their lil morals are the precursor to every damn concept hip hop album you have ever enjoyed. 

LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out: 

LL Cool J was one of the important mainstream breakthrough successes out of hip hop in the 90s, alongside The Beastie Boys and Run DMC, also a major early vehicle for Rick Rubin’s production and success. This song is HYPE. Cool J had major star power, incredible energy, and his biggest hit gives you that raw adrenaline and confidence and sense of power that is still so attractive about a lot of hip hop.

A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation:

This is a beautiful, smooth, sexy jazzy example of A Tribe Called Quest’s immortal appeal. In contrast with the gangster rap tilt, Tribe was often flirtatious like this, conscious of social issues, and critical of the music industry itself. The Low End Theory & Midnight Marauders are both classics. Stark contrast to the upbeat breakbeat energy of contemporaries like Cool J. Also completely S-Tier duo rap interplay and chemistry.

Snoop Dogg - Gin & Juice:

The thing to keep in mind about Snoop Dogg is he showed up out of nowhere as a side character on Dr. Dre’s debut album, and he came FULLY FORMED. Like it’s not even his album, but he’s rapping on 50% of it and absolutely stealing the show with his voice and charisma and Snoop Doggy Dogg schtick. Then his debut album is an extremely enchanting concept just stacked wall to wall with great flows and great stories and party songs and iconic hooks and PEAK West Coast G-Funk Dr. Dre production. Listen to this and Who Am I, and then the whole album lmao. I’m remembering how much I adore this one. Also slightly less intolerably misogynistic as The Chronic. Snoop Dogg was really the Eminem-style breakout Dr. Dre sidekick turned superstar before Eminem.

The Pharcyde - Drop:

I feel like hip hop has always had it’s mainstream stars, its gangster rap wrestler icons, it’s respectable socially conscious storytellers, and always in the corner some little weirdo art kids. The Pharcyde are the weirdos in the corner. They have an incredible sense of humour, excellent jazzy and occasionally offbeat production, and amazing interactive energy as a group. They do lots of zany concept songs and silly voices but also constantly have incredible lyricism on display. Honestly I would put Oh Shit as an introductory song since it is so universally charming and infectious, but Drop is the most popular song off of their second album, and it’s just gorgeous. Produced by J Dilla with a incredibly unique music video by Spike Jonze (they shot it in reverse and all the rappers learned their lyrics backwards, I can’t explain just watch it) it’s one of my favourite songs of all time probably? The Pharcyde are incredible.

Big Pun (feat. Fat Joe) - Twinz:

Big Pun is one of my favourite lyricists ever, he just completely overwhelms you with extremely dense rhymes in a way that makes you feel like he just will literally never run out of verbose ways to explain how he will murder you and everyone you know. He and Fat Joe are both essential and iconic latino presences in hip hop history. I think Pun is also very special in being able to write very lyrical hooks that still STICK.

This song is off of Capital Punishment, the only album he got to make before his untimely death, which is just PACKED with incredible writing, but this song in particular is the one with the classic bar:

Dead in the middle of Little Italy little did we know That we riddled some middlemen who didn’t do diddly

just read that out loud for fun then listen to this album

Busta Rhymes - Gimme Some More:

Busta Rhymes has always had incredible energy and speed to him, and it’s never felt gimmicky. Very rhythmically experimental and quirky but still intimidating and badass, this song is an excellent example of of him dancing around a frantic beat and just managing to never be boring.

Gang Starr - Moment of Truth:

Gang Starr is a duo consisting of the rapper Guru and the producer DJ Premier. I really can’t overemphasize the staggering legacy of DJ Premier and his continued presence in current hip hop, but Guru’s work on this album is deeply beautiful and profound. I don’t really know how to describe his writing except for “wise”. He’s very tender and thoughtful and concerned with morality and goodness and spirituality. This is the title track off of the album of the same name, with a gorgeous sample and gorgeous lyrics and a perfect mix and an eternal message.

Method Man & Redman - Da Rockwilder:

Sometimes a duo gets together and just goes fuckin crazy. Like Run The Jewels, or even Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, you’re just like yeahhhhh that’s a perfect match. Method Man & Redman are that. This shit is crack. Just 2 minutes of perfection.

MOP - Ante Up:

Listen to this song and u will take over the world. U may have never wanted to take over the world but suddenly ur body will just start moving in ambitious and confrontational ways and you will have blacked out for 4 minutes adn when u wake up again you will have taken over the world. Sorry im not in control of these things its just somethign that happens.

De La Soul - Rock Co.Kane Flow:

This is like eating an expensive hip hop steak.

Masta Ace - Acknowledge:

The exact same flow as early Eminem, which I’ve always found entertaining. He does it excellently, with the same emphasis on multi syllable rhyme schemes. One of many songs on this list with a beautiful string based orchestral sample. 

Cannibal Ox - Atom:

I assume people have probably heard of Run The Jewels, a current popular collaboration between El-P and Killer Mike. The crazy thing is both of those guys had full careers in their respective scenes before linking together for an unlikely career peak in their 40s. Killer Mike was a through-bred southern rapper and El-P was an essential alternative hip hop rapper and producer. He produced this Cannibal Ox album, it’s spooky and electronic and lyrical and slightly esoteric. If you like Clipping then u should listen to this.

Remy Ma - Conceited:

Iconic mid 2000s club bop. Right up there with In Da Club, Drop It Like It’s Hot, everything else. Also major feminine power song, you can draw a straight line between hits like this and the Cardi B Meg Thee Stallion Doja Cat anthems poppin on Tik Tok today. Absolutely addictive production and performance.

Jay Electronica - Exhibit C:

I kind of wrote all of this just to talk about this song and how funny it is to me. When Jay Electronica started getting popular and showing up on verses and people were discovering his catalogue, they were freaking the fuck out. He just seemed too good. So in the pocket. Like some holy reincarnation of Guru or something. Just beautifully lyrical and spiritual and mysterious. The release of this song was probably the climax of the hype, just perfect all the way through, so many iconic lines, such a gorgeous beat, we were SURE that he was going to become one of the greatest of all time.

Then he just… never dropped an album. Just never did it! For like 10 years!! Everyone got fed up and now no one gives a shit! Mf just threw a whole career away so he could float around behind the scenes in the upper echelon of society, maintaining a mystique and dating celebrities and dropping 1 verse every 2 years about how he’s a legend and his album is going to destroy the game. But just absolutely wore out everyone’s patience in the process. Lmfao. When he finally dropped an album it was a duo album with Jay-Z and NOT what we were looking for at all. Anyways, RIP this person’s career and reputation. Song’s still amazing tho.

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Ok anyways sorry just don’t often see ppl doing hip hop discourse on tumblr.

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zawehzawah

Adding a little extra credit:

Kendrick Lamar- Blacker the Berry or Alright

Kendrick is imho an unbridled talent and poet and probably the rapper of all time (at least the last 10 years)

Vince Staples- Anything he makes literally

Honest, tragic, rips your heart out. He and kendrick are cut of the same cloth.