i usually listen to underground rap but i’ve been on a my first huge classic hip hop binge in a while, at least a few years, and have have been listening to a bunch of ghostface so i’m curious
Tried to put a mix of genres and older and more contemporary stuff here. Also some of it is more East Coast hardcore or gangsta, some southern or trappy, some more abstract-progressive, some older conscious stuff.
I know old-heads and backpackers like to lament the loss of some mythical artistic integrity, like when book chuds act as if everyone use to be reading Faulkner and Virginia Wolff or whoever, but I genuinely think we're currently seeing a second Golden Age of Hip Hop atm. And dont read reviews especially for contemporary abstract shit. Like it reminds you that music journalists in general have no fucking idea wot theyre listenin to.
Descendents of Cain - Ka
Brass - Moor Mother and billy woods
Beware the Monkey - MIKE
GUMBO - Pink Siifu
Jazz Codes - Moor Mother
Aethiopes - billy woods
Church - billy woods
Mach Hommy - Pray for Haiti, Driz Series, Dollar Menu Series, Balens Cho, Kill em all
Tha God Fahim - Dreams of Medina 2
Hitler wears Hermès 8 - Westside Gunn
Illmatic - Nas
I Told Bessie - Elucid
Liquid Swords - GZA
The Infamous - Mobb Deep
Aquemini and ATliens - Outkast
Bo Jackson - Boldy James
The Elephant Man’s Bones - Roc Marciano
LP - Jpegmafia
Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest
Ready to Die - Notorious BIG
All Eyez on Me - Tupac
Morning Due - Nappy Nina
Operation Doomsday - MF DOOM
Alfredo - Freddie Gibbs
Mos Def (Yasin Bey) - Black on Both Sides, The Ecstatic
The Fugees - The Score
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
Common - Resurrection, Like Water for Chocolate, Be
Kendrick Lamar - all is albums are classics
Some other artists really worth checking:
Akai Solo (progressive, abstract)
Fly Anakin (especially his projects with Pink Siifu; progressive, abstract)
Nappy Nina (progressive, abstract)
Maassai (progressive, abstract)
NoName (alternative, progressive, conscious)
YungMorpheus (progressive-abstract)
Anklejohn (hardcore and alternative/progressive/abstract)
Rome Streetz (east coast hardcore)
Koncept Jackson (beware this is weird)
Earl Sweatshirt (Doris, Some Rap Songs, I don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside, Feet of Clay, Sick!)
Vince Staples (cali west coast, mix of alternative-progressive and cali style influences)
ThreeSixMafia (south)
Marco Plus (Atlanta, funky trap)
Also atm the Texas scene is very good (check BigxThaPlug or Big Moochie Grape)
UK scene is also poppin so can gives some recs if wanted.
French rap is also pumping, as always, but especially right now.
Bonus: Liz 2 by Armani Caesar if ya wanna feel like a bad bitch