#5: Nas
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| Nas - Illmatic (1994) |
Nas released his debut album Illmatic in 1994 and helped spark an artistic renaissance of East Coast hip hop in New York City. It has been cited as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.Rolling Stone ranked it at 400 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time - not hip hop albums, but all albums. Perhaps I'm doing a great injustice by only putting Nas at number five, but sadly Nas never achieved the same kind of critical success after his first album. Fans labeled him a "sellout" after his manager Steve Stoute convinced him to aim for a more commercial direction with his follow-up album It Was Written. None of his albums would ever be taken as seriously, but Illmatic still cements Nas's place in music history. Check out the fourth track, "The World is Yours."
#4: Danny!
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| Danny! - Charm (2006) |
After two unsuccessful attempts to make a name for himself, Danny! released his third album Charm to unanimously rave reviews and managed to wind up on the short list for the Grammy Awards. Danny! has become South Carolina's most acclaimed hip hop artist to date, though still not exactly a well-known name. Danny!'s career is somewhat marred by the fact that he was expelled from Claflin University over a grade-changing scandal involving over 300 students.His first album was called The College Kicked-Out, but was panned as an amateur version of Kanye West's seminal debut The College Dropout. Charm is a concept album about a protagonist who dreams about becoming famous and wealthy only to find that it's not all it's cracked up to be. The album features a lot of sampling and includes little voicemail "skits" before each track giving some context for the song. Two tracks to check out are "Strange Fruit" and "Lip Flappin'," the latter of which parodies the cliches and nonsense prevalent in the hip hop genre.
#3: Lupe Fiasco
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| Lupe Fiasco's The Cool (2007) |
Lupe Fiasco is one of the pioneers of the "conscious hip hop" movement, which focuses on social issues. As a boy, Wasalu Jaco initially disliked rap music for its use of vulgarity, and it shows because he almost never curses in his raps. He is definitely not your average rapper, in that he is Muslim and also really into skateboarding (he has a great song about it called "Kick, Push"). The most notable thing about his style is that he uses raps to tell stories. The subjects he touches on include absent parents, terrorism, Islam, war, and prostitution. His 2007 album The Cool is a concept album about a character named The Cool who grows up without a father and his interactions with the two characters who raise him, named The Streets and The Game. The Cool was nominated for four awards at the 2009 Grammy Awards including Best Rap Album. You may have heard the song "Superstar" featuring some beautiful vocals from singer Matthew Santos.Also check out the song "Gotta Eat," which is told from the perspective of a cheeseburger and addresses the poor nutrition in black communities in the US.
#2: El-P
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| El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead (2007) |
El-P (real name Jaime Meline), one of the two white rappers on this list, was described by music critic Steve Huey as "one of the most technically gifted MCs of his time, spitting out near-impossible phrases and rhythmic variations that simply leave the listener's head spinning." El-P is incredibly proficient but his music is also incredibly dark, dense, and aggressive. Check out the first track on his second studio album I'll Sleep When You're Dead, entitled "Tasmanian Pain Coaster." I don't know what a Tasmanian Pain Coaster is, but the chorus of the song goes,
"This is the sound of what you don't know killing you
This is the sound of what you don't believe still true
This is the sound of what you don't want still in you
TPC motherfucker, cop a feel or two."
El-P's music contains many references to science fiction themes and writers such as Philip K. Dick, George Orwell, and Arthur C. Clarke. As I said, the music is incredibly dark and claustrophobic, so don't listen to this shit if you're high or you'll probably get really paranoid. By the way, it's also worth mentioning that El-P is the owner and CEO of Definitive Jux, the same record label that signed Danny!
#1: Aesop Rock
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| Aesop Rock - Music for Earthworms (1997) |
Aesop Rock (real name Ian Michael Bavitz) grew up in Long Island, New York. His mother was Jewish but he was raised Catholic and later became agnostic. He has two tattoos that read "Must Not Sleep" and "Must Warn Others," quotes inspired by the 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. In August 2001 he had a nervous breakdown. What I'm getting at is that Aesop Rock is a strange guy, but damn can he rap. If you thought El-P's lyrics were dense and confusing, then prepare to have your mind blown, sucka. In fact, so many critics have commented on the complex and abstract nature of his lyrics that Aesop Rock had this to say in response,
"It’s probably because it’s not the most accessible music in the world. It may pose a slight challenge to the listener beyond your average pop song. I'm no genius by a long shot, but these songs are not nonsensical, that's pretty preposterous. I'd have to be a genius to pull this many nonsensical records over people's eyes. It's not exactly fast food but when people pretend I'm just spewing non-sequiturs and gibberish I can’t help but think they simply haven’t listened and are regurgitating some rumor they’ve heard about me. Even if it's not laid out in perfect sentences—is any rap?—you’d have to be an idiot to not at least grasp a few things from these songs. Or have had no interest in pulling anything from them in the first place."
His debut album, Music for Earthworms, was only released on CD-R and is therefore incredible rare. If you can get your hands on it, or download the songs, check out my favorite track from the album "Shere Khan." Aesop Rock is also on the Definitive Jux label with El-P and Danny!
Well, there you have it, my Top 5 Favorite Rap Artists.Comment and tell me how white I am and that I don't know what I'm talking about.
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