The Hip-Hop Thread

I'm tired of these underground fans talking about oh, underground underground underground. Don't act like the people in the mainstream aren't putting in work, just because they have commercial songs doesn't mean they don't have great artistic and lyrical tracks as well.

I thought Wind and Rock/Earth signs can work really well with every other sign but the ideal signs that match with them is Fire with Wind and Water with Rock/Earth, perfect harmony type of ish... but... whatever. I always view it as a legendary rumor.

Yeah, and yeah... Scorpio girls are always mysterious and rarely share... God... they be killing me. *reflecks*

On the Underground topic, I agree it is annoying that so many underground fans want to make it seem like mainstream artist are not creating good music. Still, it is understandable why they view it that way. On the underground tip the only way to be popular is to put in hard work, great material, and gain word of mouth from fans.

However, on the mainstream tip there are many ways to be popular, money, marketing, gimmicks, hard work, connections, great material, word of mouth from the fans or from companies.

I think it is annoying but understandable.

I find it funny though when people want to say things like, "I only listen to underground artists, MURS, Fashawn, Atmosphere, Kid Cudi..." Really my doode? Kid Cudi is underground now? It's all good though... but damn.

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@yung_ancient_one: Scoropio Girls. Sigh.

Yeah that's a pain in the ass they also act like Underground acts weren't influenced by mainstream. Fashawn himself said Nas influenced him and how many people were influenced by Rakim?

All my favorite rappers are in their 40's...

You gotta LOVE EM THOUGH!

but yeah...

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You're right about mainstream artist influencing underground acts but an added problem goes to people confusing the two. I've heard a lot of people pretty much use "underground" as a term for the acts or artists they like and "mainstream" for being a term for the acts or artists they dislike. I've heard people say Ice Cube, NaS, Kid Cudi, Eminem, Game, SlaughterHouse and more be labeled underground acts or artists.

I always hear the argument that they were originally underground artist but IMHO everyone was a underground artist at one point even artists like Wiz Khalifa.

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I did I almost married one.

Yeah, It's just bias really mah G. People want to label mainstream as crap. If you wanna say Pop Rap or Hip-pop, that's something else, but underground in my eyes are unsigned or indie label people.

Anyone like Roc Marciano? I heard him a while back on Czarface but never really got around to his solo material

Best hip hop album ever, period.

RZA's first album as Bobby Digital...

Classic!!!! Just mad this song wasn't on the album

I am surprised someone remembers it. My cousin stole my CD back when I was in High School...

Dude...my whole existence in high school revolved around Nas, Mobb Deep and Wu CD's. When I first heard Killa Priest's Heavy Mental I literally played it until the tape in the cassette melted!

Juice used to always kill it on those Sway and Tech Freestyle Mixtapes...

@veshark: Yeah, I actually heard about him once rumors came that a NY group of MC's wanted to rival SlaughterHouse, I laughed but I wanted to find out who these MC's were. They were suppose to call themselves M.A.R.S. an acronym for each of their names like TLC (T-Boz, Left-Eye, Chilli.)

It was

MEGA (Cormega but apparently he was just Mega in the group)

Action (Action Bronson)

Roc (Roc Marciano)

Saigon whose verse I loved on the track titled M.A.R.S.

"there's gonna be Mega Action happening when you Roc with Sai, that's MARS muh ***** and I aint gone lie..." The beat is by Large Professor if anyone wants to listen to it.

Then again, I was already a fan of The Yard Father and I was aware of Bronson but I was oblivious of Roc and Mega.

I listened to a few songs from Roc and I'm not a fan. All I got from him was, I'm a NY MC bringing the true art of MC'ing back... I always react to that like... get in line. I always find MC's claiming the same thing, no one is a true lyricist and its whack and we need to bring it back... blah blah blah, if that were true then I wouldn't find so many of you claiming the same thing.

Still he's nice, I'm fairly lenient when it comes to skills but he's nice. I just don't find anything special from him. Like my friend always says, "I can't be a fan of everyone."

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I gotta Say sum'em

I keep hearing everyone say 2013 was whack as far as HIp Hop goes and I disagree.

Heres a short list of songs I loved this year that came out this year.

I'm sorry you guys are lousy at finding good music or have bad tastes XP Jus Kidding but seriously listen to each of these songs if you haven't and let me know what you think.

I forgot to put "!MAYDAY! - MY LIFE" but I think you guys won't like it but I LOVE IT.

I woulda added more AB and Lupe but I didn't want it filled with just them two.

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Soulja Boy vs Lil B

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@superstay: Lil B by a landslide. Seriously. Lil B's "Cold War" beats anything decent Soulja Boy ever made. Give it a listen.

PS Both of them are Leo's and my cousin who is a Leo is pissed about that. It's pretty funny.

June'sVeryOwn

@m3th: I'll give it a listen. Though, I think Lil B is really, really bad....

He shouldn't be...there are many awesome Leos. They usually seem to become extremely successful in the field that they focus on.

I'm more mad at the fact that he represents Cali. I think he gives rap a really, really bad name. I know that music is a art. And so, it is subjective. I know that he just makes music for the fun of it. But, his music literal hurts my being. It drives me into confusion, and blankness. I feel stupid listening to his music (or maybe his "cookin" records (I believe they're called that?).

I don't want to believe he's serious. Every time I listen to his music, the deep optimistic, passive, side of me wants to believe that he's creating a satirical image to mock or trolling the hip-hop community. I can't listen to too much of his music because it hurts my mind, trying to justify it.

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

I liked this one by lil b one of his better songs. No crazy lyrics

@enemybird: @m3th:

Wait, is Lil B really purposely trolling the Hip-Hop community.....?

P.S... the I'm Burning song is cool to listen to...

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@superstay:

I. Lil B is totally trolling. That's why he has a actual fanbase. Lil B fans love his music for the humor aspect of it. They just pretend to actual be fans of his music for the "serious" aspect of it to troll other people. I've told my friends that he's clearly joking and they don't believe me. I find it hilarious so I'm a Lil B fan too just because people actually think he's serious.

II. He actually has decent songs. Its super difficult to find so I'm not a huge fan but I can honestly say I seriously enjoy "Cold War" and "Motivation."

III. I told my cousin, WC, Mac-10, and KRS-1 are Leos... but he says he wants someone from today... I tell him Asher Roth and Black Milk who I love are Leo's... Buu he doesn't like Asher Roth and doesn't know or want to know who Black Milk is...

I told him Dom Kennedy and State Quo are Leos and he got happy about that.

Still he always brings it up that Nipsey Hussle(his current favorite) HAS to be a Leo.

IV. Lupe Fiasco gave a Co-Sign to Lil B, that tops any argument people have for a Soulja Boy Vs Lil B.

V. I still find it funny when my friends argue with me that Lil B is DEAD serious. Gahahahahaha He's clearly joking. I can't believe people still actually take him seriously. Then again, RiFF RaFF is actually dead serious, he isn't Trollin like Lil B.

VI. I love that Lil B is representing the West. I'm glad that the West can say that we have variety on our coast. You want party $#!% we got it (Tyga), you want some Pop Rap we got it (New Boys), you want some comedy rap we got it (Lil B), you want some gangsta rap we definitely got that, you want some poetic lyrical masterpieces we got that (Kendrick), and everything in between. I personally think its great we have variety than to be stuck with just creating one sound. I mean not everyone in CA is in a gang or gang affiliated or around gangs, not everyone rides low riders and etc. We have country folk believe it or not. We have surfers, skaters, snow boarders, and etc.

I personally would love to have a nerdy doode represent Cali. A rapper who surfs or talks about the other parts of Cali.

One time Tyga was asked, "do you ever feel pressure being from Compton to create music like N.W.A., Ice T, and other West Coast legends made."

and he's like, "No not at all. I love and respect what they did but I'm doing something totally different."

V. I hope I didn't lost count buttah important, how do you feel about

Thurz, Pac Div, Nipsey Hussle, Dom Kennedy, Blu, Fashawn, MURS, Bishop Lamont, Cypress Hill, Zion-I, YG, TY$, Dilated People, Psycho Realm, Rass Kass, and everyone from Dub Union?

June'sVeryOwn

@yung_ancient_one

Yeah, I was just asking if any of you more knowledgeable hip-hop heads like him, if it's worth checking out his solo stuff. I'll definitely check out the MARS track though, I like Cormega and am lukewarm towards Action and Saigon.

Listening to a few of Marciano's tracks though, I definitely got the sense of like a very....I don't know, Mobb Deep-ish kind of, just straightforward street tales type deal going on. Most of his songs feel very consistent, thematically and musically. Nothing avant-garde or revolutionary sure, but I can dig it.

@m3th:

If that's true....then he moves down my 'Worst List'...

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This is a pretty good song...

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Lupe Fiasco, still got them bars.

Lil B is actually a good rapper, he just f**k's around.

New Gambino

I'm getting tired of this whole "All Hip Hop now a days sucks" trash talking. Sure you can talk about modern mainstream rappers not being as talented as older artist but don't act like all old school artist were that great to begin with. If you can say that after the 90s Hip Hop became garbage then you must not really care for the Hip Hop genre that much as a whole.

Also I'm getting tired of the whole "underground is better always better than mainstream" statements, thats undermining a lot of artist,from Rakim to Eminem.Personally I mainly listen to underground Hip Hop artist, but I also don't care for most underground artist. Call me picky but even if its one of my favorite artist I only listen to the songs that I really like by them.

Actually I believe the actually date Hip Hop became Garbage was 2006...

:P

@king_saturn: Hip Hop even in its current popular state is not disposable as a genre simply because most artist are disposable and worthless.There are a lot of unpopular artist/groups out there that have genuine talent like Kooley High, Logic, Psyche Origami (my favorite) and alot of other people who have gone unnoticed for way to long.

The Truth about Hip Hop (and music in general) is that most people that attempt it fail. Its a constant swim through garbage/fifth and only a couple of people out there can do it right.

Well it's not our fault that some of these n!ggas who can spit are playing the backfield... they need to get some PR to get them out more so they can help get Hip Hop off the Respirator.

@king_saturn: It doesn't matter.Mainstream appeal is awful.Its more about trends and money then anything.And I don't want my favorite rappers reduced to this.Thats what main stream does to people.Can you honestly tell me that you would want your favorites rappers exposed to the modern mainstream audience?

Well if they get PR that doesn't mean they will automatically become Mainstream... some exposure can help get their music out which would allow them to reach others. They won't have to sell out to do this. Now if they start messing with the Major Labels or Big Time PR masters... you will have problems.

@king_saturn: The mainstream culture of rap has become so bad that I cringe at its current condition.My tolerance level has reached the edges of the universe.Now every time I get angry at it I just punch holes in the moon.The fact that Chief Keef has even 1 fan angers and confuses me.This is what people will listen to and now I don't think that the main stream deserves alot of these talented underground rappers anyways.

wow... why so serious ?

@king_saturn: Meh I exaggerated alittle bit.But I do actually punch holes in the moon.

Man, I used to love this song.

I disagree with you highly. I'm almost offended by this statement. I don't listen or agree with anything that Chief Keef or people like him say or do, but there are folks that do. That sh!t speaks to them the same way BIG spoke to the hustlers and Pac spoke to the thugs. Some people grow up in horrible conditions Sh!t, there were more deaths in Chi than in Afghanistan last year. Not saying Keef or Mause or any of those lil n!ggas help, but someone gets them and from what I understand a lot of them try not to stay in Chi so much because of the violence. That is apart of black culture and whether people want to admit it or not Hip-Hop was created by and reflects black culture.

So I think there's room for everyone from Keef to this dude.

@nelomaxwell: I honestly don't agree with this.The black community is the way it is because of the up bringings and cultural bigotry towards blacks.In America during times of segregation a lot of blacks were only making less than $3.00 an hour and a lot of black children had to drop out of school to support their families. This meant that a lot of blacks were uneducated and poor. And usually in communities with poor people crime is rampant.The black community in America has always been a community that has struggled in a lot of aspects in the past that sadly have not changed that much over time.We are excepted in society a lot more now, but segregation and other forms of bigotry have not left our communities.Honestly I don't care for the bigotry associated with the black community either, but mainstream entertainment doesn't help resolve these issues.Not that it's their responsiblity but I find it sicking the way most main stream rappers try to appeal to people,whom are mainly black.And honestly I don't care about race I am just saying that Chief Keef sucks as an entertainer in general.

But on the other hand I'm not talking strictly about the black community, and I am actually rather offended by your statements implying that I am.I am talking about mainstream hip hop which has always has trends and ignorant people behind it since the beging, not just blacks

I didn't imply this. You did. I was making the connection between the root of rap and what it is today. Also I'd like you to look at the number of people who buy albums and the demographics they belong to. I'd also like to point out that A tribe called Quest the, Jungle brothers and De La Soul were at one time mainstream, so I'm not sure it all tends towards ignorance. Rakim , Jaz-O and Big Daddy Kane were as well and they were far from ignorant. As a matter of Ice Cube, Nas and Common were at one time mainstream and they have had a more than a few intelligent tracks. So you really need to be specific because I'm not sure at all what you're talking about. What I was trying to say was that Hip-Hop allows arena's for everyone. For the Thugs, the intellectuals and everything in between. You wanna get mad, look for the people who signed Keef, get mad at them, alright?

@nelomaxwell: And when did I imply that all mainstream rap is bad, I just don't care for most modern mainstream rap.Sometimes I like Kendrick Lamar myself. But no, my main problem with modern mainstream rap is the culture behind it. It seems to me like ignorance is a heavier weight on rap now then it ever was. Don't get me wrong I love mainstream rap but most mainstream rap is just disposable even in these so called "golden eras of hip hop". Underground rap also has this problem, I just like more underground artist then I like mainstream artist.

I don't recall saying you did. What I was saying is that you have to blame the people who control the music. Did you know T.I. got into problems with his label because he wanted to release more positive music?

T.I.

@nelomaxwell said:

@kaijukinggojira said:

@king_saturn: It doesn't matter.Mainstream appeal is awful.Its more about trends and money then anything.And I don't want my favorite rappers reduced to this.Thats what main stream does to people.Can you honestly tell me that you would want your favorites rappers exposed to the modern mainstream audience?

I disagree with you highly. I'm almost offended by this statement. I don't listen or agree with anything that Chief Keef or people like him say or do, but there are folks that do. That sh!t speaks to them the same way BIG spoke to the hustlers and Pac spoke to the thugs. Some people grow up in horrible conditions Sh!t, there were more deaths in Chi than in Afghanistan last year. Not saying Keef or Mause or any of those lil n!ggas help, but someone gets them and from what I understand a lot of them try not to stay in Chi so much because of the violence. That is apart of black culture and whether people want to admit it or not Hip-Hop was created by and reflects black culture.

So I think there's room for everyone from Keef to this dude.

I want one of those cakes...

@nelomaxwell: Obviously record dealers are the true whores of the industry who screw people.For instance Craig Mack was screwed by Sean Combs, He could have had a career like Biggies or at least Big Pun.

#BasedGotEthered

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Why thank you for the compliment. Back on topic, I think I might have to give Roc Marciano a couple more listened by your description of his music. I only listened to like 2 songs and I didn't give them a solid listen.

I wasn't a huge fan of Saigon at first but he's always popped back up and has been consistent enough to gain my attention and fandom.

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@yung_ancient_one

Mm, all good. I gave the M.A.R.S. track a listen and loved it - Saigon went in hard on that one. "There'll be Mega Action when you Roc with Sai". Dope.

Saigon's one of those rappers that I never really got around to listening much of. I like what little I've heard of him, but haven't really got around to his albums.

Has Tyler, the Creator ever answered back to any beefs or disses.

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Lil Wayne is ET's Brother...