My thoughts on Hip-Hop in 2006

[ARon]

I still laugh at people who only comment on the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida sample on Hip Hop is Dead disregarding the other drum breaks that have been used way more. I guess some shit just goes over peoples "heads".

Also stop hatin on the South. Your hate does about as much to help Hip-Hop as you think Southern artists are doin.

 

[Chronic]

T.I.'s album was good as usual. I didn't like The Game's album at all but I'm going to listen to it again in the future to see if anything has changed.
I thought the best albums of the year were Hell Hath No Fury, Game Theory and A Piece of Strange. Some weed + any of these albums = one great day.

It wasn't a very good year but I dug these albums:

7L & Esoteric - A New Dope ... oddly enough this is the album by them that I did like. For most people it's the other way around.
Aceyalone accompanied by Rjd2 - Magnificent City
Army of the Pharaohs - The Torture Papers
Belief - Dedication
Blue Sky Black Death - A Heap of Broken Images
Boot Camp Clik - The Last Stand
The Bo$$ Hog Barbarians - Every Hog Has Its Day (J-Zone + Celph Titled)
Bronze Nazareth - The Great Migration
Bucket of B-Sides Vol. 1 (Def Jux compilation)
Cool Calm Pete - Lost
Count Bass D - Act Your Waist Size
Darc Mind - Symptomatic of a Greater Ill (recorded in the 90's)
Dudley Perkins - Expressions (2012 A.U.)
G-Macc - Tha Graveyard Shift
Ghostface Killah - Fishscale / More Fish
Glue - Catch as Catch Can
Inspectah Deck - The Resident Patient ... at least I think I liked it, can't remember
J Dilla - Donuts
J-Zone - To Love a Hooker
Juvenile - Reality Check
Killer Mike - I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind
Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor
Masta Killa - Made in Brooklyn
MURS & 9th Wonder - Murray's Revenge
Natural Selection (Nature Sounds compilation)
Prince Po - Prettyblack
Rhymefest - Blue Collar
Scarub - One For the Road Volume 1
ShinSight Trio - Shallow Nights Blurry Moon
Slow Suicide Stimulus - s/t
Soul Position - Things Go Better With Rj and Al
Vakill - Worst Fears Confirmed

There are still a bunch that I need to check out.

I have a lot of high hopes for 2007.

 

[realBOSTON]

'06 was a strange year; a TON of the major albums that were released were clumped together in about a 6 week stretch, some of which were ackwardrly dissapointing and unexpectedly gratifying. Anyways, i do this wit my boys at the end of every year, and i was waiting for someone to start i thread like this. Here we go...

Most slept on album of the year: Second Round's on Me - Obie Trice. The production was crazy and Obie came hard on every track. I'm actually a little surprised this wasn't held in a higher regard.

Most overrated album of the year: Hell Hath No Fury - Clipse. I was shocked that this record was as BAD as it was. Only three hot joints; two of which were singles, and all of which lacked any replay value. Neptunes production was wack. Classic XXL rating? Come on now.

Most bangin' album of the year: Doctor's Advocate - Game. First time i went through this album, all i could do (as fuckin tacky as it sounds) was shake my head in disbelief and say "oh shit, he brought it". Could go through the entire CD w/o skipping a track. The production was insane, and he actually, sort of, kind of, had something to say. Little did i know this album would turn out to be the....

Album that got reall fuckin old, really fuckin fast: Doctor's Advocate - Game. After banging this for two weeks, I just couldn't take it anymore. It completely died, i'm not even sure why. I know i'm not the only person who felt this way. It's almost inexplicable.

Most dissapointing/akwardly decent album of the year: (tie) Kingdom Come - Jay-Z / Rotten Apple - Lloyd Banks. Thought both were gonna be hot, and both ended up sucking at first. Two completely different records, but they both ended up getting better and better untill they were, well, akwardly decent. Banks' was the better of the two though. Honorable Mention: Thug Motivation 102: The Inspiration - Young Jeezy

Biggest artist of '06: (tie) T.I. / Lil Wayne. Both did their thing big time. T.I. had ATL, KING, Dro's album, and a big year for Grand Hustle, while Wayne had Tha Carter II, Like Father Like Son, and a TON of features.

Best Album of '06: Game Theory - The Roots. I know a lot of people didnt hear this record. Get it. For those who have listened to it, you know why i put it here. Thats all i have to say about it; a head above the rest in '06.

 

[7 Syns]

* Too many people claiming hip-hop is dead yet Method Man, Ghostface, Masta Killa, Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Cunnylynguists, The Coup, Ice Cube, The Game, Prince Po, The Roots, Boot Camp Clik, Vakill, Busta Rhymes, J Dilla, Ludacris, Tha Liks just to name a few dropped banging albums.

* Too many people reflecting the entire spectrum of hip-hop with what ever is being released via the commercial scene/mainstream.

* I personally thought The Clipse, Young Jeezy, Lil' Wayne & T.I. were extremely overrated in 2006 and in general... Lil' Wayne is better then Thought? Nas? Lupe? Meth? GFK? Is that what people are trying to tell me? lol

* After hearing what sounds like a rejuvenated Meth, a consistent Ghost, a fresh MK, some dope Rae (look out for the song My Corner, apparently the 1st single from OB4CL2) and just 2 hours ago some extremely hot beats from the RZA's Afro Samurai OST.. The Wu is definitely on the brain.

* Where da fuck is Reggie Noble?

peace.

 

[Rukas]

T.I is not versatile enough or talented enough to be the best in the game. He's good i'll give you that but he's not ground breaking or legendary.

If you think TI is not versatile enough then I suggest you actually pick up a copy of King and give it a good listen. Pay attention to "What You Know," "Live In The Sky," "Why You Wanna," "Im Straight," and "Goodlife" and tell me he isn't versatile.

It makes me laugh when people hate on T.I. just because he is southern and they think the South is a cancer on the flesh of Hip-Hop. T.I. is a dope lyricist, has a dope flow and voice, and is a fantastic song writer, in my opinion the best in the game right now.

And it also makes me laugh, and wonder where peoples heads are at, when they say the south doesnt drop anything hot... Ya all needa check out T.I, Lil Wayne, Bun B, Slim Thug, Rasheed, Pimp C, Bubba Sparxx, Chamilionaire, Jeezy, Youngbloodz, Scarface, Outcast, and thats all commercial shit, delve into the underground for more jems.

Right now the South and West are keeping Hip-Hop interesting and innovating the sound. Nas did NOTHING new this year, Jay Z did NOTHING new this year, if Hip-Hop is dead most of the East Coast is a walking zombie; the west and south are reborn and trying to learn to walk again.

 

[ARon]

I dont agree with Nas doin nothing new this year. This was probably his most different sounding album, that was good, he has had.

 

[Confucius87]

I dunno why the other guy said "Compared to 50, hes good" well i cant understand why 50 fucking Cent is what we mesure other rappers with...

Mesure TI's skills to someone like Talib, Mos Def, Black Thought... not fucking 50 cent!!!!

I wasn't measuring them as rappers. I was comparing them as songwriters - which is a BIG difference. A great rapper just knows how to spit a nice 16. A great songwriter is the one who knows how to put a full song together, not just verses. There are songs of 50's that I hate, but if it came on, I'd still hum the melody. That's because he's a good songwriter who knows how to write catchy shit.

Example: Cassidy is a great lyricist, I'll give him that. Dude can spit with the best of 'em. His flow is bananas and he has some of the best similies/punchlines in the game. Lyrically, I'm A Hustla was ridiculous. But he's not much of a songwriter to me. He just focuses on verses, then when the hook comes along, it sounds as if he just threw somethin' together.

 

[ill-matic]

I wasn't measuring them as rappers. I was comparing them as songwriters - which is a BIG difference. A great rapper just knows how to spit a nice 16. A great songwriter is the one who knows how to put a full song together, not just verses. There are songs of 50's that I hate, but if it came on, I'd still hum the melody. That's because he's a good songwriter who knows how to write catchy shit.

Example: Cassidy is a great lyricist, I'll give him that. Dude can spit with the best of 'em. His flow is bananas and he has some of the best similies/punchlines in the game. Lyrically, I'm A Hustla was ridiculous. But he's not much of a songwriter to me. He just focuses on verses, then when the hook comes along, it sounds as if he just threw somethin' together.

you classify being "catchy shit" as being the crux of being a good song writer? the likes of john lennon, bob marley, johnny cash are good song writers but 50 cent is up there because he can take you to the candy shop

 

[Confucius87]

how the fuck could you even compare such genres of music? I never heard of Marvin Gaye talkin' about his Ambitionz Az A Ridah, but that still doesn't take away from 'Pac's skills. and i never said that 50 was up there with the greats, he just one of the best out now (mainstream wise).

there's alot more to being a great song writer in the rap game than to just make catchy music. personally, i didn't think i had to go into that much depth of the topic. take out the sentence with 50's name in it and read my post over.

 

[PuffnScruff]

Sol-iLLaquists of Sound - As if we existed

:woah: holy shit someone else who heard S.O.S.

divinci kicks ass!

 

[linx]

some dope Rae (look out for the song My Corner, apparently the 1st single from OB4CL2)

What do you think of that song btw?

 

[Big Flipp]

:woah: holy shit someone else who heard S.O.S.

divinci kicks ass!

Yeah man I caught them when they were on tour with Sage great show. I was really upset. They were here in town last night but the show was real late (I think they took the stage around 11:30) and nobody wanted to roll with me since everyone had to work in the morning so I ended up not going. But yeah, their album has to be in my top 5 of 2006.

 

[PuffnScruff]

Yeah man I caught them when they were on tour with Sage great show. I was really upset. They were here in town last night but the show was real late (I think they took the stage around 11:30) and nobody wanted to roll with me since everyone had to work in the morning so I ended up not going. But yeah, their album has to be in my top 5 of 2006.

i havent been able to see them do a show yet. they perform all the time down here since they are from orlando. divinci went to my school so he comes back when he gets the chance and does a solo show for certain classes. i got to see one of his performances and meet him. he's a cool guy.

 

[Euphanasia]

Most slept on album of the year: Second Round's on Me - Obie Trice. The production was crazy and Obie came hard on every track. I'm actually a little surprised this wasn't held in a higher regard.

Most overrated album of the year: Hell Hath No Fury - Clipse. I was shocked that this record was as BAD as it was. Only three hot joints; two of which were singles, and all of which lacked any replay value. Neptunes production was wack. Classic XXL rating? Come on now.

Most bangin' album of the year: Doctor's Advocate - Game. First time i went through this album, all i could do (as fuckin tacky as it sounds) was shake my head in disbelief and say "oh shit, he brought it". Could go through the entire CD w/o skipping a track. The production was insane, and he actually, sort of, kind of, had something to say. Little did i know this album would turn out to be the....

Album that got reall fuckin old, really fuckin fast: Doctor's Advocate - Game. After banging this for two weeks, I just couldn't take it anymore. It completely died, i'm not even sure why. I know i'm not the only person who felt this way. It's almost inexplicable.

Most dissapointing/akwardly decent album of the year: (tie) Kingdom Come - Jay-Z / Rotten Apple - Lloyd Banks. Thought both were gonna be hot, and both ended up sucking at first. Two completely different records, but they both ended up getting better and better untill they were, well, akwardly decent. Banks' was the better of the two though. Honorable Mention: Thug Motivation 102: The Inspiration - Young Jeezy

Biggest artist of '06: (tie) T.I. / Lil Wayne. Both did their thing big time. T.I. had ATL, KING, Dro's album, and a big year for Grand Hustle, while Wayne had Tha Carter II, Like Father Like Son, and a TON of features.

Best Album of '06: Game Theory - The Roots. I know a lot of people didnt hear this record. Get it. For those who have listened to it, you know why i put it here. Thats all i have to say about it; a head above the rest in '06.

I agree that Obie's album was the most slept on of the year. It was amazing and no one talked about it.

I also agree that Clipse's album was the most overrated of the year. Shit was average at best.

For most banging album of the year i would tie Game's with Nas'

I don't think that Game's got old at all. I'm still banging it. However, I don't think it was as good as his debut; few sophmore albums are.

For most disappointing, I would agree with Jay Z's album. Besides "Beach Chair" that album was pretty bad. However, I don't agree that Banks came weak. I think "Rotten Apple" was much better than "Hunger For More"

I think the artist to watch out for is Lupe - he's sick. It's been awhile since I've heard a new artist spit such relevant material while maintaing tight lyrics with a great flow. I can't wait for his upcoming album, "The Cool." It's supposed to drop this year.

I'm also really looking forward to Kanye's album, "Graduation" and we'll see if Eminem can redeem himself on the new LP he has in the works. I'm really hoping he hasn't lost all of his skill. I've noticed that his music has gone drastically downhill as his rage has reliquished.

one

 

[7 Syns]

What do you think of that song btw?

Yeah it was definitely something different from Rae, beat wise very mellow with a touch of The Ummah/Kanye West thrown in. Lyrically, it's Rae he comes correct with what he does.

Top 40 song? Doubt it.. but that won't make me stray away from it.

peace.

 

[critikaldesignz]

Best albums of 2006:

Trae - Restless
Chino XL - Poison Pen
Ghostface Killah - More Fish
Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor
The Roots - Game Theory

 

[hizzle?]

I find it funny when Rukas writes something as if everything he thinks is THE ultimate truth...

I dislike the south, because MOST of the rappers talk about really uninteresting shit (ie Young Joc.)

I LOVE OutKast, and I always did. I like TI... and I really like to listen UGK and scarface...

but the new rappers that came out in the past 2 years (I dunno about you guys, but i've been listening to TI every since his first album) suck, their music isannoying and their lyrics are not interesting and I wont even strat to complain about their choruses.

 

[linx]

I dislike the south, because MOST of the rappers talk about really uninteresting shit (ie Young Joc.)

I LOVE OutKast, and I always did. I like TI... and I really like to listen UGK and scarface...

but the new rappers that came out in the past 2 years (I dunno about you guys, but i've been listening to TI every since his first album) suck, their music isannoying and their lyrics are not interesting and I wont even strat to complain about their choruses.

That's what i'm saying pretty much. I don't dislike the south as a whole, I just don't like alot of the music that comes outta there. Like you said, I enjoy Outkast. Always have. Scarface is another one. I have always liked Ludacris as well. TI I never liked and probably never will. I don't understand it when people say he's this and he's that, but that's whatever. But like you said, the majority of the shit them dudes I don't listen to talk about is uninteresting to me. Plus I just can not stand the way alot of them sound either. So it's far from just hate.

 

[stefanwzyga]

I picked up The Roots album Game theory yesterday since a lot of you were talking on it, and the shit is real nice:thumb:.

 

[Rukas]

I find it funny when Rukas writes something as if everything he thinks is THE ultimate truth...

I dislike the south, because MOST of the rappers talk about really uninteresting shit (ie Young Joc.)

I LOVE OutKast, and I always did. I like TI... and I really like to listen UGK and scarface...

but the new rappers that came out in the past 2 years (I dunno about you guys, but i've been listening to TI every since his first album) suck, their music isannoying and their lyrics are not interesting and I wont even strat to complain about their choruses.

It is the truth.... Or perhaps you just have to truthfully learn to read and take note of the fact I said it was MY thoughts, and thus what I believe to be true.

And Young Joc is trash, I gave his album 2/5 in a national magazine review.