30. We Mean Business – EPMD
Usually, listening to Hip-Hop veterans these days is a painful experience (the new Ice Cube and D.I.T.C. albums for example), but EPMD’s newest We Mean Business is far tighter then Hip-Hop fans have any right to expect. For example, ‘Listen Up’ featuring Teddy Riley, with its bouncy bass and with Parrish and Erick sounding like they are having fun, is one of 08’s finest cuts, and its a treat throughout to hear two MC’s rhyme off each other like a true double act, an art that has largely disapeared in current Hip-Hop. Furthermore, the consistently tight beats, compact running time and first class guestlist (Raekwon, Havoc, Redman etc) creates a well thought album that can be put on without the skipping. EPMD aren’t doing anything new as such with We Mean Business, but they still have an ability to make a perfectly paced album with no filler and offer lucky fans a strong slice of nostalgia filled Hip-Hop.
EPMD (Myspace)
EPMD (LastFM)
Listen Up (Video)
29. Tomorrow Already – Now On
With their sophomore release Tomorrow Already, LA based trio Now On have crafted an distinctive sound of electro-soul and Hip-Hop. The album opens perfectly with the explosive ‘The Answer’, complete with horns and cocky lyrics like ‘Do not gamble against me, too many aces here’, while tracks like ‘The A’ and ‘The Willows’ are absurdly smooth with a pair of gorgeous R’n'B hooks. ‘Reprise’ is probably the standout moment though, a furious elctric guitar based beat that the MC (no I don’t know which one) absolutely blacks out over ‘I realise that I don’t have to talk about hell, or violence or pussy because they say that it sells, I never talk shit becuase I’m living it for real’.
Now On (Myspace)
The Willows (Video)
28. The Awakening – Stacy Epps
An erratic debut this from Atalanta signer/MC Stacy Epps. When she is to the forefront on tracks like ‘Eppisode 1′ and ‘Heaven’, she has a force and hunger in her voice that immediately makes the listener take notice, as she switches with ease from singing about love to rhyming stories about loneliness and poverty. On tracks like ‘Addicted’ (or even worse, on ‘OM’ which is practically an instrumental) however, her voice is heavily effected, and practically submerged amongst the dense and dusty neo-soul beats, leaving this listener at least, rather bored. However, the best tracks are good enough to suggest Stacy Epps has a classic in her, just as long as she is given centre stage.
Stacy Epps (Myspace)
Stacy Epps (LastFM)
27. And I Love H.E.R. – Danny!
Impressively, Danny! has managed to turn out 5 studio albums by the young age of 25, more then most overhyped MC’s will get out in a lifetime. Listening to And I Love H.E.R., its not difficult to see why – his production is consistently excellent, sample heavy, organic and full of life, as the horn driven ‘Guess Who’s Back’ and the head-nodding ‘The Groove’ show. However, his MC’ing is more likely be divisive, Danny! coming across as exceedinly confident of his abilities (the constant skits of him ‘charming’ women doesn’t help), despite sounding like a Lupe Fiasco clone, albiet without Lupe’s incredible flow and more forgettable lyrics. Just for the beats though, Danny!’ s work is always worth a look.
Danny! (Myspace)
26. The Short List – Dert
One of the odder beatmakers in Hip-Hop, tagging his music as ‘pyschedelic’ on his myspace and mixing Hip-Hop with the likes of Pink Floyd and Bjork, Dert’s The Short List represents upbeat instrumental Hip-Hop perfect for summer days. ‘Dancin Butterfly 5′ is the stand out moment, mixing a number of horn samples together to create a gorgeous sound, while closing tracks ‘You Can Do Better Than Drums’ and ‘Words Are For Free’ utilise guitars and pianos respectively for a more down tempo and sombre effect. His use of vocals is also rather distinctive, eschewing typical soul samples in favour of less obvious stuff, like the heavily accented female talking on the atmospheric ‘Dinner Music’. If you come across this dude’s music make sure to check it out, as he is yet another excellent beatmaker that is criminally overlooked.
Dert (Myspace)
25. Slime & Reason – Roots Manuva
Whatever else, a new Roots Manuva release guarantees something out of the ordinary. Nevermind that he has one of the oddest voices in Hip-Hop, but the production, all bouncy bass and synths, is instantly recoginsable as that of Roots, always a good thing. Even better, Roots lyrics are something like a Ghostface ’stream of consciousness’, often random and strewn with apocalyptic references about ‘Babylon’ and creating yearning-filled, dark masterpieces like ‘Its Me Oh Lord’. Typically, listening to a new Roots Manuva is an experience, the entering into an artist’s mind filled with paranoia and hysteria, and thankfully Slime & Reason is no different.
Roots Manuva (Myspace)
Roots Manuva (LastFM)
Again & Again (Video)
Buff Nuff (Video)
24. Hello Friends – 45
One of six non-American artists on this list, Japanese producer 45’s Hello Friends is positive and up-beat instrumental Hip-Hop for those of us who find the likes of Blue Sky, Black Death rather depressing. Built around samples and keys, the abundance of piano, funky bass and energetic pace of the production means tracks like ‘The Night Life’ and ‘Tokyo Jazz Freak’ are ostensibly for sunny days, although closer ‘Solitiude’ slows things down somewhat with its African vocal sample and heavy claps. All very happy and fun sounding then, Hello Friends is the kind of easy entertaining listen that every iPod needs.
45 (Myspace)
23. Walking Backwards – Clutchy Hopkins
Produced by some ancient Santa Claus lookalike white dude (its really MF Doom but play a long), Walking Backwards is twelve tracks of tightly produced instumental Hip-Hop (get used to seeing those two words together in this article). The opening two tracks are the albums strongest moments, filled with tension and barely concealed agression – ‘Song For Wolfie’ is built up perfectly by some blues vocals, violins and acoustic guitar before exploding dramatically into life for through some brutal electric guitar, while a similarly eerie effect is produced on ‘Sound Of The Ghost’ through some haunting piano. The rest of the album follows in a similar vein, with some light relief being offered by obscure 70’s R’n'B singer Darondo, who hilariously sounds like an old leech on ‘Love Of An Woman’.
Clutchy Hopkins (Website)
Clutchy Hopkins (Myspace)
Clutchy Hopkins (LastFM)
22. Late Night Cinema – Blue Sky, Black Death
Arguably the best, and certainly one of the most prolific, indie producers in Hip-Hop, Late Night Cinema is easily BSBD’s most ambitious project to date. 11 tracks, half of which are 5 minutes plus, weighing at an unwieldy hour or so length, Late Night Cinema’s style is unrelentingly dark, all haunting vocals, and strings and pianos. Its just epic and cinematic instrumental Hip-Hop, the kind of music you know the likes of Stoupe are just dying to be able to make. The disc is only a minor success – it suffers from having its strongest tracks at the beginning, particurly ‘The Era When We Sang’, which with its energetic soul sample and explosive beat reminds of early Massive Attack, and then begins to slowly decline, particurly in the second half of the album, where the tracks are shorter and fewer on ideas. Nonetheless, there is a great album in here, its just a shame BSBD didn’t quite know when enough was enough.
Blue Sky, Black Death (Myspace)
Blue Sky, Black Death (LastFM)
21. Tronic – Black Milk
Tronic is all about pushing barries (the use of instruments and new sounds), and establishing Black Milk as an MC, rather then just a producer. Unfortunately, the result is only a partial success – ‘Bounce’ sounds like an muddled interpretation of the electro-pop of Graduation, the warped vocals and trumpet makes ‘Give The Drummer Sum’ all seem over the top while Colin Munroe’s tepid pop/R’n'B beat and vocals makes ‘Without U’ the definition of filler. Plus, although not a bad MC, Black Milk has a habit of mimicking the MC he is rhyming with, particurly Royce on ‘Losing Out’, and some of the tracks would work better just as instrumental. At the same time, when the experementation subsides, tracks like ‘Losing Out’ and ‘The Matrix’ are classic Black Milk, brimming with energy and banging drums. Overall, although this is not the classic Black Milk solo that maybe some expected, its admirably amibitious and still ahead of the game.
Black Milk (Myspace)
Black Milk (LastFM)
Give The Drummer Sum (Video)
20. Clin d’ Oeil – Jazz Liberators
In spite of being both a producer album and having an abundance of frankly pretensious ‘interviews’, Clin d’ Oeil succeeds in offering an entertaining ‘Jazz-Hop’ experience. In truth, the tight, subtle beats are more Hip-Hop then Jazz, and the production seems geared largely to give an understated platform for the American guest MC’s to shine over. This is most definetely a good thing, as the Jazz Liberators have put together an exceptionally strong guestlist, made up of a litany of intelligent, thoughtful MCs like of Asheru, J-Live and Sadat X, all of whom sound perfectly at home over the accesible sonic delights the Jazz Liberators provide.
Jazz Liberators (Myspace)
19. The Show – eMC
Made up of Wordsworth, Stricklin, Punchline and the legendary Masta Ace, eMC is a posse of like minded MC’s , the kind of rhymers who treasure boom-bap beats and honest, straightforward lyricism. So it is with their first album The Show, a collection of tracks (andquite a few tedious skits) that represents so called ‘Grown Man Rap’ to the fullest. ‘What It Stand For’ contains Nicolay’s dopest beat for years, and is a perfect example of talented MC’s rhyming off each other with a simple lyrical concept, while ‘We Alright’ is some deliciously corny music along the lines of ‘Beautiful’, if not quite on the level of that classic. Tracks like ‘Grudge’, which features a story of Ace getting bullied as a kid, and the references to Coleco and James Brown on ‘Winds Of Change’, show clearly the kind of nostalgic, almost wholesome lyrics on display. It all means The Show will entertain and hark back to a long gone era of simpler Hip-Hop, when it was actually fun and without pretensions.
eMC (Myspace)
eMC (LastFM)
What It Stand For (Video)
Leak It Out (Video)
18. Theres Only One – Buff1
One of an apparent onslaught of talented Detriot artists, Buff1’s follow up to his excellent ‘07 debut Pure is further proof that he is a stronger MC then the Charles Hamiltons, Asher Roths, Wale’s etc of this world. Sounding confident throughout with a water tight flow, Buff displays a whole variety of lyical skills, from the punchline tracks (Beat The Speakers Up), the political stuff (Rain Dance), and the story-telling (The Sky). Plus, much of the production is killer – the booming bass and drums on ‘Beat The Speakers Up’ is guaranteed to get the most apathetic crowd going, while ‘The Sky’ is pure pop fun with self-effacing lyrics and a huge pop hook. Although not quite as impressive as his debut, There’s Only One is more of the same musical goodness, which will make both fans and newcomers happy.
Buff1 (Myspace)
Buff1 (LastFM)
Beat The Speakers Up (Video)
17. Rising Down – The Roots
Carrying on from where Game Theory left off, Rising Down deals with similar political and ‘urban’ themes over a dark sonic landscape. Hence the distorted, dirty bass on ‘Get Busy’ and the cuts by Jazzy Jeff on the hook, the child soldier story of ‘Singing Man’ and the paranoia of ‘Lost Desire’. All dour, all apocalyptic, and all familiar. Black Thought’s tight, but at times uncharismatic flow is nicely contrasted by the return of his more ’street’ foil Malik B and guests like Talib Kweli and Common. It all adds up to Rising Down being a solid sequel, rather then a departure from their ‘return to form’ album Game Theory, with The Roots very much in cruise control. As such Rising Down is a notch down in quality from its explosive predeccesor.
The Roots (Myspace)
The Roots (OkayPlayer)
Get Busy (Video)
Rising Up (Video)
16. Louder – Ayatollah
Pretty much the opposite of Blue Sky, Black Death’s style, Louder is instumental Hip-Hop ala Donuts, short-ish blasts of soul soaked beats. From one point of view, this makes Louder less ambitious, but easier to take in and indeed the finished product is straightforward, accessible Hip-Hop that is also oddly addictive. Possibly its the over abundance of gorgeous classic soul samples on tracks like ‘A Soul Prayer’ and ‘Coonskin’ or the sheer simplicity of Ayatollah’s style, usuallyjust a cut up sample with some drums and bass, but Louder is the kind of rare album I could put on repeat and listen to for hours on end.
Ayatollah (Myspace)
15. Speaking From Xperience – Blak Twang
The UK’s finest returns after his classic ‘05 album The Rotton Club with a typically tight, banging release in Speaking From Xperience. From beginning to end, the album holds the listeners attention (which is quite an achievement considering the album is 80 minutes long) with ease, thanks to an incredible abundance of bangers like ‘Click n Roll’ with its infectious hook and booming bass, the defiant ‘Nah I Ain’t Done’, and the Sway assisted ‘Legends’. Blak’ s MC’ ing is always assured, his voice always dominant, his ear for beats perfect while the production is designed to get crowds moving. Variety is offered by tracks like ‘Help Dem Lord’, peppered with political rhetoric and an epic hook. Even after a relatively long absence, Blak is still the UK’s finest, most consistent artist, and Speaking From Xperience the finest UK Hip-Hop release of ‘08.
Blak Twang (Myspace)
Blak Twang (LastFM)
Champagne Lifestyle (Video)
Help Dem Lord (Video)
14. ShapeShifters – Invincible
Yet another Detriot artist, which says it all about where Hip-Hop’s premier scene is situated today, Invincible has been dropping lyrical excellence for years now. A quick listen to this artists MC’ing will no doubt bring upon a load of cliches – an MC’s MC, a ‘technician’, a ‘pure’ lyricist and so on – and no doubt Invincible’s flow is impossibly tight and the lyrics verbal and dexterous. Almost in Elzhi’s level of brilliance, but less witty and more political in a mercifully creative manner, tracks like ‘People Not Places’ tells stories about the conflict in Palestine, ‘Locusts’ deals with urban ‘regeneration’, while ‘Ropes’ shows a more emotive side, dealing with Invincible’s familty and other personal issues. The production is a little less impressive however, sounding somewhat flat and often lacking the aggression of the Buff1 and Black Milk releases, too often making up only background noises, almost secondary thoughts designed to not take away from Invincible’s deadpan and precise flow.
Oh and Invincible’s a she. And she is white. No doubt a couple of facts likely to fascinate/bore people in equal measure.
Invincible (Myspace)
Sledgehammer (Video)
13. H.N.I.C. 2 – Prodigy
Unsuprisingly, the sequel to former Mobb Deep MC Prodigy’s debut H.N.I.C. is all violence, paranoia and nihilism. The album kicks off with a sound clip warning of some ‘illuminati’ conspiracy, and proceeds into ‘Power With The People’, with P rhyming ‘Real strength is in the street where everybody is equal,fuck jewellery, fuck rims, lets spend on our protection’ over Sid Roams bass heavy beat. Immediately your drawn into Prodigy’s world of conspiracies, mindless violence and witchcraft (no, seriously), half amused, half in wonder of what exaclty he is going to say next in his stoned stupor. Possibly the most brutally visual lines pop up in ‘When I See You’ with “Do him real dirty, cut his face up pretty, niggas bleed more when they drunk off the henny’. Whatever misgivings the conscious minded, the people who grew up listening to Jurassic 5 rather then Mobb Deep, might have with the lyrics should be dispelled by the quality of Sid Roams, The Alchemist and Havoc’s brutal beats and the distinctiveness of Prodigy’s voice and flow. Forget about Uncle Murder or any other pretender to the crown – Prodigy is the king of that mindless ignorant NY gangster rap shit.
The Life (Video)
12. Changes Of Atmosphere – Dela
Another French producer album with American MC’s, Dela impressively builds up on the promise of ‘07 mixtake Atmosphere Airlines with this full debut LP. Again, the MC’s are top notch – Blu, the seemingly ever-present J-Live, Supastition and Large Professor all spit while the gorgeous ‘Long Life’ is surely one of the best tracks Talib Kweli has been part of post-Quality, but its in the production where the album shines.. Showing just how effective and tight an album can be when crafted by just one beatmaker, Changes Of Atmosphere showcases a particurly distinctive style throughout, beats that are often dreamy, almost entering into ambient territory and always laidback and easy to listen to. It takes a considerably talented producer to mesh different styles and sounds – for example, the more up-tempo, horn driven ‘How To Fish’ and the darker, more traditional Hip-Hop sound of ‘Vibrate’ – into one discernible sonic landscape over an hour’s worth of music, but Dela pulls everything off with great success.
Dela (Myspace)
11. New Amerykah Part One – Erykah Badu
As the title suggests, New Amerykah is all about creating a new, African and more spiritual America. Not necassarily new ground for Badu, as the repeating vocals of ‘Hold On, My People’ and the multitude of refernces to past African-Americans stuggles suggests, but nonetheless their is a strong lyrical theme that holds the album together. All is backed up by reassuredly heavy and soulful beats from Hip-Hop mainstays like Madlib and 9th Wonder, production which is well suited to Badu’s robust vocal style, all making her newest a typically distinctive and consistent affair. Largely more of the same but when its Erykah Badu ‘more of the same’ is always a step beyond the rest.
Erykah Badu (Myspace)
Erykah Badu (LastFM)
Honey (Video)
10. Los Angeles – Flying Lotus
For a reviewer, and parrticurly one as uninformed as me, Flying Lotus makes music that practically defies genre tagging, such is the randomness, genre-hopping and mass of different noises and sounds that take shape on Los Angeles. If nothing else, Los Angeles makes up one of the most interesting and distinctive listens from any musical genre in ‘08, and also bitch to describe. The female moaning, almost chanting, and exceptional build up makes Camel feel murky and tense, while the killer bass and and funky drums of Parisian Goldfish wakes the listener up after the slower, grinding malovalence of tracks like Golden Diva and Riot, before the album concludes with the hypnotic Auntie’s Lock/Infinitum. Everything is dark, fuzzy and covered in booming bass, and fractured. Traditional Hip-Hop this is not, more electronic music that demands repeated listens before forms begin to take place. Whatever else, Los Angeles will at least be a listen and experience unlike any other in ‘08, which is surely a good thing in a time of copycats and mediocrity.
Flying Lotus (Myspace)
Flying Lotus (LastFM)
Camel (Video)
9. The Set Up – Black Milk & Fat Ray
Featuring some of Black Milk’s finest production, The Set Up is 30 minutes of pure Detriot grime. ‘Lookout’ is possibly the closest that Black has come to replicating Dilla’s sound, a hypnotic, noisy beat darker then anything else he has done, while ‘Take Control’, with its pounding drums, and huge R’n'B hook is another highlight, and ‘Get Up’ and ‘Get Focus’ show an experimental side more succesful then similar attempts on Tronic. Black’s accomplice Fat Ray does his thing properly, with a strong presence and clever gangster rhymes that remind a little of the Clipse. Possibly the best part though is its length, coming in at a half hour, ensuring absolutely no filler and no fat, and just making it another slice of killer Detriot Hip-Hop.
Fat Ray (Website)
Fat Ray (Myspace)
8. The Golden Hour – 14KT
Even in a stellar year for instumental Hip-Hop, Detriot native 14KT’s debut stands out as brimming with ideas and inventiveness. Kicking off with the frenetic futuristic sounds of ‘The Waiting Room’, the album consistently challenges the listener’s expectations, from the boisterous and addictive ‘The D Light In You’, the smoothed out pop of ‘Can We (Chill Again)’ before the gloriously eclectic closer ‘Illustrious’. Every track is steeped in energy and soul and typically, cos he is from the D, 14Kt’s drums, snares and claps explode out of your headphones. A must for fans of Ayatollah and J Dilla.
7. I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind II – Killer Mike
Although erratic, Killer Mike’ s fourth album contains some of the heaviest southern bangers of ‘08 album. Note the Ice Cube assisted boom bap of ‘Pressure’, full of the indignant rage that the uncomprimising Killer Mike does so well, the unbelievably smooth R’n'B of ‘Super Clean/Super Hard’ or the monster beat and hook of ‘I Gotcha’. When on form, no one speaks as forcefully and authentically about growing up hard, most notably on the aforementioned ‘I Gotcha’ with lines like “You will never understand why we carry bombs of crack rock in our young black palm…,stress just killing our young black moms, so Momma going pray and boys going to stray, and I just want to be the soundtack for the day”. And although some lazy generic lyicism (“I’m The Shit”), and some dodgy guest choices (Is Shawty Lo’s existence really necessary?) makes this release a little less essential then his earlier albums, it nonetheless contains some of the most entertaining moments of ‘08 Hip-Hop.
Killer Mike (Myspace)
Pressure (Video)
6. The Evil Jeanius – Blue Sky, Black Death & Jean Grae
Although at first it seems like a strange marraige – a Hip-Hop veteran born in Cape Town rhyming over beats from a pair of (relative) white newbies from San Francisco – a quick listen of The Evil Jeanius and everything soon makes sense. Both are artists that are almost obsentinently different, crafting Hip-Hop that is both excessively dark and emotive – for example, ‘Away With Me’ has Jean telling a proper love story of doubt and depression, over a airy, distant beat with blues vocals, while tracks like ‘Even On Your Best Day’ and ‘Nobody’ll Do It For You’ are very much ‘fuck you’ tracks, with Jean rampaging over a pair of boom bap beats. In many ways, its closer ‘Its Still A Love Song’ that shines the most, with its reverberating bass and perfectly built up beat, and Jean’s brutally honest and yearning lyrics “three night out of seven I spent blacking out, and no doubt I don’t know how to ration, waking up and just feeling smashen and can’t quit…”. And as a final positive, at ten tracks and a little under fourty minutes, its perfectly timed and never outstays its welcome (unlike 99% of Hip-Hop albums).
Jean Grae (Myspace)
Jean Grae (OkayPlayer)
5. No Longer At Ease – Nneka
Born in Nigeria, living in Germany, singer/rapper Nneka’s second album is brimming with difficult tales about attempting to make the transistion from a traditional, religious up bringing into a liberal, secular world. Unsuprisingly, the bulk of the lyrics are vividly bitter and emotional - comparing herself and her people to the ‘Gypsy’, with a resounding hook of “Will I wander for the rest of my life?”, while ‘Halfcast’ kicks off with some repeating vocals screaming ‘Why?’ and further lines like ‘lost my tradition, lost my identity, lost my perception, sold Africa for their attention’. Contrast this with the idyllic, fawning descriptions of her homeland and of her spirituality, and the habit of speaking of Africa as if its some homogenous entity, and No Longer At Ease plays itself out as a fascinating exploration of how many feel ostracised because of their skin or upbringing in modern European society.
Not interested yet? Well here is the second positive of the album – Nneka’s huge artistic talent. Besides her ability to be abrasive, honest and emotive, she rhymes and sings with energy thoughout while her gorgeous accent further makes her standout.The production is strong and varied thoughout – although the production is largely abrasive and rough, which suits Nneka’s aggressive vocals, their is relief from the big hook pop of ‘Heartbeat’, and the tribal drums and soul of ‘Come With Me’. In fact, almost every track provides a stunning outbust of energy and emotion to make a mockery of the many musicians out there who go through the motions. One could lazily describe Nneka as a wilder version of Erykah Badu, but even that doesn’t help describe one of musics finest young talents.
Nneka (Myspace)
Heartbeat (Video)
4. The Preface – Elzhi
One of Hip-Hop’s finest lyricists hooking up with one of the Hip-Hop’s finest producers? Where do you start with the brilliance? What about the finest Hip-Hop cut of ‘08, Motown 25, a track with Black Milk’s hardest beat yet and one of 08’s cockiest verses from Royce Da 5′9? What about Elzhi’s trademark lyrical wit and playfulness, mixing punchlines and storytelling with all sorts of lyrical concepts (like ‘The Guessing Game’ where the word at the end of every line and the beginning of the next line is split, or ‘Colors’ which has Elzhi telling stories, mentioning a colour in practically evey line)? What about Elzhi pushing Lupe for the ‘finest flow and inhuman breath control’ in Hip-Hop award?
Maybe Black Milk’s production is most impressive. Although not quite as dark and abrasive as his work on The Set Up, nor as loose or eclectic as his work on Tronic, The Preface is consistent and varied from beginning to end, offering plenty of Detriot bangers (Motown 25, The Leak, Fire), the lighter R’n'B stuff (Save Ya) and an abundance of grimey, depressive stories (Talking In My Sleep, D.E.M.O.N.S.). There was an understandable worry that Elzhi, seen as a pure MC, would fail to make a proper Hip-Hop album (think Ras Kass, Canibus etc) but the presence of Black Milk’s production, and Elzhi’s pervious experience with the likes of Slum Village, means that The Preface is well balanced and well sequenced, if a little overlong. Now someone better make that Black Milk, Royce and Elzhi album happen…
Elzhi (Myspace)
Elzhi (LastFM)
3. Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants – Metaform
Standing… is an awesome work of instrumental Hip-Hop/electronic. One can only imagine the kind of work that went into the deep sounds and textures on display. Firstly, the variety is quite incredible – from the piano heavy ‘Heaven Can Wait’, the hand drums and electric guitar solo on ‘I Feel Good’ and the beautiful guitar picking on ‘Deep Concentration’, live instruments are mixed with samples harmoniously, while genres apparently mean nothing to Metaform, fusing free jazz (‘Urban Velvet’), drum ‘n bass (‘Pch’) and ambient (‘Love And Loss’) fom track to track. Vocals are used to give a further layer of tension to the tracks, most notably the distant male sample on ‘Sunday’ to the threatening film cut on ‘I Feel Good’. Everything is solidified by banging drums and proper bass. Surely the stongest instumental Hip-Hop album of the year, which is in itself quite an achievement, Standing… is music thats expertly produced, at times even verging on perfectly produced, and a hidden gem that deserves greater recognition in 2008 music.
Metaform (Myspace)
Heavan Can Wait (Video)
2. To Serve With Love – Black Spade
With his debut To Serve With Love, St Louis native Black Spade rhymes and sings his way over a litany of soulful head nodding, and synth heavy beats in a wholly natural, confident style reminiscent of Common, if Common was still hungry and still gave a damn. Largely focusing on familar themes like romance and love, Black Spade’s conversational flow stands out, being at ease and without pretension (as if he actually enjoys rapping), while his witty lyics shows an effective storyteller (“The Half That’s Never Been Told”) and a cocky rapper (“Not For The Bullshit”). The professional production, effortlessly mixing Hip-Hop, Soul and Electronic together with R’n'B hooks, further displays a confident, mature artist making the music he wants to make, rather then what he thinks people want to hear.
And while To Serve With Love is alone with The Reniassance in ‘08 as an LP ridicously consistent from beginning to end, there are stand out tracks, that make up some of the high points in ‘08 Hip-Hop. For example, ‘Revolutionary Bullshit’ is a fist thumping, ground shaking political track of real excellence, guaranteed to start mass vandalism and looting if played near a crowd, while the sentiment and repeating vocal sample of ‘True Friends’ makes for a beautifully understated track. Unfortunately, too few people have heard of Black Spade, a problem that the Hip-Hop world seriously needs to rectify. Get it, and love it, now.
Black Spade (Myspace)
Evil Love (Video)
1. The Renaissance – Q-Tip
With The Renaissance, Q-Tip again shows off his rare ability to bypass the barriers of ‘underground’ and ‘mainstream’ and just make nice, distinctive Hip-Hop that everyone can appreciate. The beats manage to be incredibly accessible, from the abundance of delicious R’n'B hooks, the Dilla esque head nodding drums to Raphael Saadiq’s soulful singing and gorgeous bass on We Fight / Love or the simple piano on Gettin’ Up. Every moment oozes an energy and feshness that seems to come effortless to the ATCQ veteran, while the more eclectic elements, like the second half of Move and Shaka are amongst the LP’s stongest moments. The guests are exceptional – while Kanye fucks around with Jeezy and Weezy, Q-Tip has enlisted a number of Soul’s illuminaries like Saadiq, D’Angelo and Noah Jones, the latter in particular stealing the show with a sexy as hell opening verse on Life Is Better.
One could argue that Q-Tip is lyrically rehashing well worn ground, focusing particurly on love songs, but this is one vet, like a Masta Ace, that can entertain whatever he rhymes about. His voice and flow are so distinctive and natural that it barely matters what he is saying – once he opens his mouth, you immediately pay attention, an ability to captivate solely through charisma and talent. Although the title suggests otherwise, The Renaissance is a throwback, an album that embodies such sensibilities – positivity, creativity, individualism complete with a contemporary sheen – that once made Hip-Hop great, before all the silly underground/mainstream schism and in-fighting. Artists please take note – The Reniasssance is where Hip-Hop should be heading.
Q-Tip (Myspace)
Gettin’ Up (Video)
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