"Hey I Was Wondering If You Have These:"

Some time ago, Trifecta asked Chris and me if we listened to these artists and what we thought of them:

• Notorious B.I.G., Mike Jones, Warren G, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Cube, Ghostface Kiliahz, 3 six mofia, 2 Pac

Also, my two brothers recently brought up my piqued interest in hip-hop music, so I think it's only fitting that I address this matter via the blog platform. Keep in mind that I consider myself only a casual hip-hop listener and I tend to filter a lot of what I listen to based on explicitness.

First of all, in my opinion, rap music seems to cyclically perpetuate in a given locale. For instance, it used to be that the East Coast had the stronghold on rap music and all the good original material was coming from that area. Then, with the emergence of groups like N.W.A., suddenly you had a California-based hegemon running the show (my first real exposure to the hip-hop scene--most notably when my older brother surreptitiously bought 'Doggpound', and Trifecta bought 'The Chronic'). Then guys like Ice-T, Easy E, Snoop D-O-Double G, 2Pac, and a bunch of others started to put out their own records and they all fed off of each other's creativity. The scene was at an all time high but slowly began to decline as consumers grew tired of so many songs all about scoring chicks and hatin' on other gangstas.

Eventually, the East side regained some of its popularity through rappers like Puff Daddy, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Common. But an unnecessary battle broke out between the two coasts featuring countless disses from the opposing rappers. The stakes escalated too high and ended in the death of Tupak Shakur and the retaliatory assassination of Biggy Smalls. This was a dark time in Hip-Hop and the music suffered as a result.

Fortunately, some new names have busted out onto the scene and have really redefined and improved the industry. Most notably in the Chicago scene where guys like KanYe West, Lupe Fiasco, and Rhymefest are taking new approaches and with the help of some skilled producers are incorporating dope beats and some orchestral arrangements and the like to produce more musically-intensive rap tracks, without sacrificing the rappin' and rhymin'.

So in response to Trifecta's question, and with some additional commentary on some others, here is my take on the following hip-hop artists:

Trifecta's List of Artists:

• Notorious B.I.G. - Not a fan of his era of rappers. He's got a few songs that are OK but I don't really care to listen to his stuff
• Mike Jones - One awesome, narcissistic song ("Who Is Mike Jones").
• Warren G - Don't know much about him. Don't really care to either.
• Dr. Dre - Dude's a genius. Released what is probably the biggest hip-hop record of all time (The Chronic), and kickstarted dozens of rappers' careers. ("Let Me Ride" and "Forgot About Dre" are some of my favorites)
• Kanye West - The guy understands music and isn't afraid to crossover with guys like the lead singer of Maroon 5. Two great albums and his forthcoming record should be great as well.
• 50 Cent - Hasn't put out anything great in a while but he's got some classic raps on his resume ("In Da' Club", "P.I.M.P."). The quintessential street gangster who happens to have survived 5 or 6 or 7 bullet wounds.
• Bone Thugs N' Harmony - Haven't ever gotten into these guys. Should I? Is it worth my while?
• Snoop Dogg - His act is tired but his voice and style are so unique that he'll always have a place in the industry. ("Beautiful" on the new Heineken ad is pretty sweet).
• Eminem - You don't want to mess with Shady...cause Shady...will kill you. This guy scares me. Some of his beats and tunes are so unique and cool, but his lyrics are off-the-charts descriptive/violent/venomous/abrasive/etc. Years from now, someone will write an amazing biography on him and I will probably still be afraid to read it.
• Ice Cube - I would give an opinion on him but I can never keep him and Ice T straight.
• Ghostface Killahz - Don't know enough about them
• 3 Six Mafia - Never heard 'em
• 2Pac - "How Do You Want It" and "California" are both fantastic. Other than that they all sound like disses--except for "Changes" which I'm not a big fan of anyways.

Additional Artists:

• Lupe Fiasco - Peach fuzz buzz but beard on the verge. This kid rocks. Pulls out some obscure loops and is heavy on the strings. 'Food & Liquor' is one of my favorite albums of '06. Gotta love "Kick Push" and "Kick Push II".
• Rhymefest - Another Chicago rapper. He's got a huge voice and lots of charisma. (Check out "Bullet")
• MF Doom - I'm late in the game with this guy but his stuff is dope. Comes from the UK. 'Madvillainy' is an awesome record with tons of heavy-layered tracks, all of which sound very unique. Always wears the Gladiator metal-face mask and his voice is as smooth as they come. (I recommend "Accordion", "Raid", and "Supervillain Theme")
• Spank Rock - These guys put out some pretty sweet underground hip-hop. They're hit and miss with me but overall I dig 'em. They only have one album out ('YoYoYoYoYoYo').

So I hope that answers your question, Tri.