What good is running a blog if I can't use it for a little shameless self promotion? Anyways here goes my first instrumental/beat tape project that I've ever released. It's a collection of shit that was created pretty much from the beginning of the year till now. Enjoy it, share it, do what you do. Hope you enjoy it. Props to my primo joe for the artwork.
It's been an extremely busy year for me, one that has made me feel like a dude is getting too old for this shit...haha. I remember Kannon and I were trying to put one of these list together last year and I believe the year before. Both times, they for whatever reason didn't get finished. But I remember thinking that their wasn't really that many albums in those years, that I felt were going to be favorites of mine years down the Road. I really feel like this year was one of the better years in hip hop that I can remember. Some of the albums in the back of my list will probably surpass the others over time. It was a crazy year of really good project, and honestly there is still a lot that I haven't heard yet from 2011. So if there's something that wasn't on here that you feel I should've showed love to, feel free to let me know. But Remember bitches...this is my opinion. I don't want anyone emailing me some cry baby bullshit. Man up. Ok here we go.
20. Pharoahe Monch - W.A.R. (We Are Renegades): Pharoahe is one of those rare artist that can, seemingly, do no wrong. Everyone of his solo releases has been an end to end burner, thats a statement that I'll stand behind any day. W.A.R. was no exception, Pharoahe has a formula that works and he held to it.
19. Rittz - White Jesus: I find myself gravitating to anything DJ Burn One puts his stamp on. The guy's got an ear for talent that has yet to fail me. With that said, this time he came through with flying colors. Rittz, the yelawolf & burn one protege, pretty much came out of no where to deliver a rapid fire trunk rattling album. It comes off like a Dungeon Family meets 98 Three Six Mafia record, and I loved it.
18. Qwazaar & Batsauce - Bat Meets Blaine: If you've followed the Chicago Underground scene and/or Galapagos4, you for sure know of Qwazaar. If you haven't then, your doing yourself a huge disservice. Qwa is as well rounded as your going to get. Blessed with one of the best deliveries your ever going to hear, he effortlessly breezes over the boom bapish drum programming that Batsauce provides on; Bat Meets Blaine. This was the Duo's second release in 2011 and they came out about two months apart. Both projects were excellent, with this LP being the better of the two. Bat Meets Blaine to me was a great return to the sound that Qwazaar's group, Typical Cats left off with back with their first release in 2001.
17. Casual -The Hierophant: Casual's Hierophant kind of came out of no where for me. I've been a huge Casual fan over the years...but as time keeps spinning, you eventually stop checking for certain artist. Then Bam I get this in my inbox, and was pleasantly surprised at how well put together this album is (aside from the lol cover). Production and Emceeing was all on par with the old school hiero imperium sound that got me to purchase everything they released back in the day.
16. Kendrick Lamar - Section 80: I'm sure some will be tempted to throw out my entire list, with this placement, but fuck you it's my list. I've sort of always been on the fence with Kendrick Lamar. In one instance he'll do something incredible, then in another, he'll over stretch his boundaries in attempt to be different and it'll come off like an epic failure. In the case of this record, it is for sure my favorite album from him, and may have been liked a lot more, if he hadn't leaked the bulk of the heaters months prior to its release.
15. Freddie Gibbs - Cold Day in Hell: Gibbs is one consistent mother fucker. He also understands how to generate just the right amount of buzz for his record with out releasing all the highlight songs before his projects come out. In all honesty, leading up to the release of Cold Day in Hell, I had reached the point that I really wasn't looking forward to this record. The few songs that he had put out leading up to it, just weren't attention grabbing to me. I had all but accepted that his signing with Jeezyy would hurt his sound. I was thankfully way off in that assessment. Cold Day in Hell has it all, much like all of Gibbs projects.
14. Danny Brown - XXX: Off an initial listen, your probably going to either despise or swear by Danny Brown. I really haven't met anyone that has been luke warm with their opinion of the Motown spitter. So goes the story of win I first put on his "30" record from his XXX tape. The track knocked me on my ass. Prior to it, I really had been sleeping on Danny. Delving into the tape, I quickly found a unpolished/raw sound that seemingly had no father to the style.
13. Blu & Exile – Give Me My Flowers While I Can Smell Them: Had this came out a bit earlier, I'd more than likely had placed it in a way better position. Truth be told, I was honestly expecting to hate this record. Blu has probably pissed me off more than any emcee in the last few years. He's shown that he's got the ability to be one of my favorite emcees, but then decided to take his sound in to directions that induce cringe heavy reactions. I'd all but given up on him when, he decided to let loose this, Exile produced record. It was originally recorded in 2009 and for whatever reason stayed in the vaults till now. The album is pretty remarkable. Exile and Blu have proven yet again that they are a duo that compliments each other perfectly.
12. DJ Quik - The Book of David: Book of David came out at about just the right time out here in So Cal. The weather was warm with just the right amount of ocean breeze, to make for optimal ride around conditions. All that was needed was a sound track to roll the windows down and just cruise around. DJ Quik has been one of the most underrated artist for the better part of 15 years. He just outright makes great records. The Book of David didn't deviate from what we've come to expect from a DJ Quik record...and it works, as usual.
11. Timbo King - From Babylon To T1mbuk2: Timbo's a throw back to what we all loved from the late 90's Wu Affiliate movement. Him and Hell Razah have always stayed on point and taken pride in everything that they've been apart of. So it should've been no surprise at how well this record was put together. Push play and your instantly back in 1998, a time for me that was at the apex of the Wu Affiliates putting in work.
10. Nacho Picasso - For the Glory: From out of no where came, Nacho Picasso's For the Glory. The bulk of the production was handled by Blue Sky Black Death, which most likely is what drew everyone into the record. But by the time the first track was finished, your left feeling like Nacho's wit, humor, and pen skills is equal to the stellar production. They also decided to do a video for pretty much every song, which added to the hype train. Honestly the hype this was getting was just. The album is pretty fucking awesome.
9. Curren$y & Alchemist - Covert Coup: I'm sure I wasn't the only one that scratched his head, when hearing that these two were gearing up to release a project together. I'm a fan of both, but bringing them together just seemed like a strange combination that hand the capability of being a huge fail. It never felt so good to be wrong. The two hit the ground running as soon as play was pushed and didn't let up to the last kick hit.
8. MakeShift - King Choosey: I had no clue who Makeshift was prior to hearing this album. He handled the bulk of the production by himself, which made for a really cohesive feel to the record. There were a couple over used samples that he flipped, but despite of that, this album was one of the most enjoyable projects that I've heard this past year. It had the feel of an early 90's west coast underground. Which goes to show why I personally enjoyed it so much. Be sure to check it out.
7. Black Milk & Danny Brown - Black and Brown: Again Danny Brown isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, But this is probably the most easily accessible he'll get. Black Milk crafted some dirty heat all over this album. Him and Danny Brown went in on everything they spit on. Some were complaining about how short the project was, I for one, felt it help compliment the record. Either way, to me, this was one of the best projects that was released this past year. It also points to the fact that Danny Brown is the emcee of the year. No one came close to putting in the work he did.
6. DTMD - Makin' Dollas: Right off the bat, I felt this would go down as my favorite album of the year. It got played a slight bit less over the last month, which is the reason it didn't go down as that best record of the year for me. However, that's not to take anything away from it. The Maryland duo's sound is reminiscent of those good ole' slum village days from 2000. Which at times seems like way more than 12 years ago.
5. Killer Mike - PL3DGE: This release hit like a ton of bricks. Killer Mike has quietly been putting out awesome projects consistently for a long time. That trend not only continued, but he took it to another level with the release of The PL3DGE. The versatility of Mike Biga is what shined through with this project. And with him & El-P linking up to drop a full length in 2012, you can probably pen in Killer Mike to be in the Top 5 again next year.
4. Asap Rocky - LiveLoveAsap: The kid came from no where. He had a couple joints blow the fuck up the second they were released. The crazy thing is, that prior to Pesso's, Purple Swag, & Wassup very very few heads could say they knew that ASAP Rocky was in fact NOT Aesop Rock. The meteoric rise that this kid experienced was pretty amazing. I feel like it was even more incredible than the offwgkta movement, that seems to have finally died down. He had a lot of hype and a lot of pressure that no one could have blamed the kid if he had dropped a dud. But he took that pressure in stride and released one of the best albums of the year. 2012 should be a huge year for Asap Rocky.
3. KD - G Fluid: The homie Blast from SteadyBloggin' put me on to KD. The bulk of the production was handled by DJ Burn One. This record has easily got the most spins from me out of any album on this list. The country blues/soul feel on production is stellar. KD ties everything together and point blank created an incredible album. I look forward to hearing what he comes up with in the following year.
2. Big K.R.I.T. - ReturnOf4Eva: K.R.I.T.'s ability to create an album is something to marvel at. From top to bottom he is bogged down with the full workload and has yet to fumble. Take a moment to ponder that............The fucking kid produces everything, then comes up with those catchy hooks and verses. ReturnOf4Eva is a work of art. Soulful dirty south chops, interweaved with 808 kicks and snares, all over deep and dirty bass lines that often knock the books off my shelves. You'd be hard pressed finding a song you didn't enjoy on this. The first time I spun the record from back to back, there was a few songs that I liked a little less than the rest. I recently put the record back in rotation and find myself loving those "lesser tracks" now a lot more than the other ones. Its just one of those albums that you'll be able to cruise to ten years from now. I am very confident that this is going to be this generations ATLiens. Take that shit to the bank suckas.
1. Hassaan Mackey & Apollo Brown - Daily Bread: Before this came out, I was relatively unfamiliar with Hassaan Mackey. I gained interest in the project by being a huge Apollo Brown fan. I wasn't really expecting anything. Maybe a few bangers. Maybe a few duds. Maybe some cool features. I would've been happy with that. You push play on this, and your going to be blown away at how effortlessly the sound takes you back to the 90's. From the mpc swing like feel on the drums and chops to the laid back, yet gutter delivery that Hassaan is utilizing. To me this record is perfect. Not a song that I can't sit through and not a beat I wish went to a different emcee.
Honorable Mentions: 2chainz - TRUe REALigion Action Bronson - Dr. Lecter Marq Spekt & Kno - Machete Vision Evidence - Cats and Dogs Malcolm & Martin - Life doesn't frighten me Chuuwee - Watching the Throne Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire - Lost in Translation A.Dd+ - WHEN PIGS FLY Chuuwee x Jonathan Lowell - Be Cool Open Mike Eagle - Rappers will Die of Natural Causes Focus - Music of the Misinterpreted Fabulous - The Soul Tape CunninLynguists - Oneirology Edo G - A Face In The Crowd Hail Mary Mallon - Are You Gonna Eat That?
Non-Hip Hop: Fathers Children - Who's Gonna Save The World The Weeknd - House of Balloons, Thursday, Echoes of Silence Willie Wright: Telling The Truth Frank Ocean - Nostalgia Ultra Eccentric Soul: The Nickel & Penny Labels Stone Coal White: S/T Boddie Recording Company: Cleveland, Ohio Blood Orange - Coastal Grooves The Dream - 1977
Instrumental Projects: 40 Winks - It's The Trip Dirty Art Club - Heavy Starch Apollo Brown - Clouds Lee Bannon - BTB2 Circus Cuts Deluxe Ricky Eat Acid - Haunt U Forever Trebles and Blues - The Blue Note
So, I'm the last of the gang to join up on the tumblr bandwagon, which also means that i miss out on my kickthekan name to some asshole who has 0 posts. But anyways, joint Monk, Dead Poet and I on tumblr as we post pictures, songs, videos and random shit that doesnt make its way onto the main blog here.
I may piss off my colleagues (lol) with this pick and some may call it a cop out...but I'm going to stand by it and point out it was the most logical thing to do.
#1 OutKast - First Three Albums
Lets get my excuse for selecting three albums out of the way. Had I not included these three albums as one pick my top 5 albums of all time would include these. I figure it's the smart thing to do, so if you don't like it...FUCK YOU. There has never been a group or even an artist for that matter, who has reinvented their sound every album. Boi and Dre matured; lyrically, musically, and even content wise, every album. If you had the opportunity to follow them right out the gate...then you literally got to see them grow up on record. Yet, they never lost a step. Every style and sound they experimented with came off with conviction and passion. The soulful southern draw utilized was foreign to what at the time, we were used of, from the few southern acts that had gained success. Outkast could've stayed in the same lane after the initial success they had with Southernplayalistic, but instead they kept it moving and built on that sound and put out a record that had a completely different feel to it (ATLiens) than their first record. Then once again they took the lab and created another record (Aquemini) that was a new sound that fans hadn't heard yet. It would've been easy for Kast to have stayed content with the success of their first record and used that as a stencil for every album they made from that point out. But their chemistry and creative artistry allowed them to take risk with their sound. Has it caught up to them? Hey, that's up to you to decide...but I will say that it was that decision making and creativity that allowed them to have the success that they did through out their careers. Most acts struggle with trying to make a classic record. Most toil over trying to make a record relevant to the times. Not many have made records that stood up through the test of the time. And even fewer have made 3 of those records.
Honorable Mentions: Remember these list are based on albums that have had the most influence for us.
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele Self Scientific - The Self Science Kane & Able - My Brothers Keeper C Murder - Life or Death Blu & Exile - Below the Heavens Killarmy - Dirty Weaponry Gza - Liquid Swords Killah Priest - Heavy Mental Blackstar Mos Def - Black on Both Sides Qwel & Maker - The Harvest Mestizo & Mike Gao - Blind Faith Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca & The Soul Brother Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde Makaveli - 7 Day Theory Slick Rick - The Adventures of Slick Rick Ice Cube - Amerikkkas Most Wanted The Roots - Do You Want More??? Tru - Tru 2 da game Master P - Ghetto D
This next pick is one of the albums in everyone's top 10. All my picks thus far are probably rarely going to come up in someone's top 30....let alone 10. But these have all been selections that have meant the most to me. This is probably the one album (aside from maybe my #6 pick) that are highly praised by the masses. I believe it was one of my older sisters boyfriends that left this TAPE at my house back in 93'. I was only 9-10 years old, and was a highly influenced kid. Praise the Hiff Hof god's that He hadn't left behind Snow's "infromer". I remember first being drawn in by the angry, curse laden delivery. There was no album or sound for that matter that at the time sounded alike it.....
#2 Wu - Tang Clan - Enter The 36 Chambers
BRING DA MOTHERFUCKIN' RUCKUS!!! A 10 year old mexican from a So Cal hood was immediately pulled in. A 9 man crew from Staten Island put together a masterpiece by outdated and budgeted means. Nearly 20 years later, that release hasn't grown tired or lost any of its initial allure. The crew may have faltered and let ego's undermine the clan...but their first effort still stands on its own untarnished and unscathed over time. Here was a group of emcees coming together and creating music that trampled across uncharted territory. They did it the way they wanted and stayed true to themselves. They forced the project down the mainstreams throats and dug out a niche in for themselves. It's rare to get an emcee that is as hungry as the wu tang clan fresh out of the gate....LET ALONE 9 of them all vying for the same jump off verse on a song.
I've said a couple times in the past month while doing these write ups that I was a avid No Limit Records heads. I'll stand behind my love for a good deal of the albums that came out between 96-98. To me they had a about 15 albums in that span that are solidified classic joints. It would be hard press to find another non major that can make that claim. I remember for a good year and a half they'd put out a quality album EVERY WEEK. A huge feat, but I think when it was all said and done, that was also a huge part of their downfall. That along with a huge falling out with their distribution deal and of course multiple soldiers dying, convicted of crazy crimes, and just jumping ship. My #3 pick was only half on No Limit. He ran with C Loc and the Concentration Camp. They decided to link up with Master P in Jan of 1998 and put out a Co produced album....
#3 Young Bleed - My Balls & My Word
This album has not only stood the test of time for me and stayed with me throughout the 'phases' and styles that I've preferred. I feel it's gotten better over time...which says a lot because I loved it from the day it came out. The bluesy southern soundscapes paved the way from production like Dj Burn One, K.R.I.T., and Banner just as much as the Dungeon Fam did. The bulk of the production was handled jointly by underrated producer Happy Perez & The Beats Pound stable. The Continuity of each beat painted a PERFECT backdrop for Bleed's laid back delivery. This album won't blow you away lyrically....but it is a prime example of an artist coming together with his producers and making each song with the entire album in mind for the grand scheme of things. Every song is a great song from top to bottom. Music never overpowers the emcee....and the emcee's never over power the production. They compliment each other perfectly, More-so than any other album I've heard. And I'll stand by that statement in any circumstance.
Back in 94, the older brother of a friend of mine dubbed me a mixtape. This was 94 suckas...he dubbed me a real mixtape. It was probably under an hour long and if I recall had pretty much all West Coast acts on it, except for LL's "Momma said Knock you Out". I remember rewinding the opening song over and over again. It was a sound I wasn't familiar with (I was only 9-10), especially since I wouldn't really discover Tribe and De La for another 5 years. "Back in the Day" was that opening song. The jazz sample with the west coast swing captivated me.
I ended up stealing the cassette from target or some store. The feeling I got listening to this album for me was one of awe and excitement. I was only about 9 or 10 years old...but I remember sitting in my room after school and intently listening to every musical note and lyric trying to decipher everything that was going happening on this record. The way Dred's style switched effortlessly throughout his debut album from almost a rapid fire Das Efx to a laid back Q Tip flow was something to marvel at. There's not much known about Dred. I know he was originally from New York before his Preforming parents (actor/dancers) moved him to the Los Angels area. It's almost as if he dropped a underrated classic and then just disappeared. 17 years later after this album dropped, I still get the same feeling when listening to this album. I still play this record pretty often. Which for me and my ADD, is saying something. It's a pretty unheard of album, which obviously to me is a DAMN SHAME. Every now and again I'll force it on someone, it's always cool to see someone listen to it for the first time, 17 years out of context....and yet still love it. Its an amazing feat that goes to show the true test of a classic. This album is just that. A damn Classic.
The day before my number five album was released (October 2000), I was up late at night and happened to catch a press kit video on a local hip hop show on my public access channel. The video grabbed my attention immediately and had me ditching school after lunch to go pick the album up.
#5 Reflection Eternal - Train of Thought
About a year before this album came out I had picked up the Blackstar album and loved it. I had no clue this was coming out and happened to catch that press kit video the night before. Like I mentioned in my previous pick, around this time I was hooked on No Limit Records and West Coast Gangster music. Within that hour long bus ride that it took for me to get home from purchasing this album I had already been mesmerized by what it was I was hearing. The soul that Hi Tek breathed into each beat on this album was like nothing I had heard before. For me it was likened to how back in 1992 when Dre dropped The Chronic and blew every producer out of the water. No one knew how Dre had produced something so intricate and clean. Hi Tek's layering on his samples and bass lines was so far ahead of its time that I feel confident in making that claim. I got to be honest here, I'm far from a Kweli fan NOW. He's pretty damn hit and miss with me. But sometimes two people can be in their prime and same mind state at the exact same time. Kweli complimented every song with out overpowering or taking away from anything. As I'm sure you can see by now, the beats is what grabbed my attention. This is the album that made me want to start making beats. This is the album that had me going over to my grandmothers house and listening to her record collection intently. I know this record from front to back. It's a corner stone for what my musical taste is today.
I feel like I was born into a weird place as far as the hip hop time line goes. And with growing up in a Mexican house hold, on the west coast, that listened to nothing but Al Green and Roger Troutman kind of kept me out of the loop. I listened to what was immediately available, which isn't a bad thing. The death row and the click releases isn't a bad thing to grow up listening to. I was too young and living in the wrong place to have gotten into much east coast groups like Tribe & De La, aside from what made it to the radio out here. I didn't even get around to really delving into their catalogs until high school, around 1999 - 2000. So on one hand I've always felt that I was too young to be embedded in the movement of those guys when it was happening & also now I'm too much of an older head to really like much newer heads that are out now, aside from a few. My #6 pick is an album that came out in 1993. I hadn't heard it in its entirety, let alone owned it, until probably around 1999 - 2000. Some of the older boom bap heads may toss out every pick I make on this list because of this fact....but fuck em.
#6 De La Soul - Buhloone Mind State
To me, I feel the fact that I hadn't owned this album til around the millennium is a testament to how good this album is. I wasn't invested into any of the Native Tongue crew at all. Yet hearing this album 6 - 7 years after it's release still was able to influence me to be hooked on it. This is the release that awoken me to all the Native Tongue releases. I went out at started buying as much shit as I could find. At the time of this, I was heavily into No Limit Records, Chronic 2001 (yes I know it didn't come out in 2001), Kurupt, & Killarmy. This album brought on a welcome change of pace for what was blasting throw my piece of shit cd player that I had with me every day of high school. I guess it's a good thing I didn't get into the movement til it was already done. That made sure I wouldn't be one of them lame fuck non black dudes dressing in African Garbs with their medallions. Either way, this album changed my direction of the music I was listening too. I still to this day love a lot of street hop (hate that term) but this opened up something in me that got me listening to more conscious releases. And with it being around 1999 - 2001, it allowed me to start checking for the Blackstars, Reflection Eternal's, & Common's. This album brought on one of the more influential changes in my taste of music. To this day, I tend to gravitate more towards the 'laid back', soulful, and chilled out music. Buhloone Mind State is the exact instance that this change occurred.
If I had to pick a group or sound that I tend to gravitate towards, that sound would hands down be the dirty/soulful sound coming out of RZA's ASR and 4 track. But some where around 01 maybe 02, we all saw the drastic decline in the Wu. Some new generation cats came out that breathed some life into it (Bronze Nazareth), but overall The Clan & its affiliates were struggling to stay relevant. This brings me to my #7 pick for my personal top 10 favorite and most impactful albums. This is the most recent album that I have in my top 10. I'm confident in putting in here because of the sheer fact of it's replay value to me. So with out further ado.....
Hell Razah has always been one of the more underrated emcees. Even back in the Sunz of Man days I always felt like he was over looked for Priest. I'd always end up rewinding his verses on songs like "one step" and "tai chi". At the time of this release a lot of the affiliates that I grew up following had grown stagnant. It took two white boys from the west to awaken the giant (I do give a lot of credit to Bronze as well). Blue Sky Black Death, for me, kinda came out of no where. They found a way to not only mimic that old wu style of production but take it to the next level. On songs like "Halos" "Pray Together & "Most Merciful" showed just that, a sound scape reminiscent to the old sound, while still advancing the sound with inventive layering and instrumentation. Since it's release in 2007, I don't think there has been two months that goes by with out me listening to this record at least once from front to back. I'd even go as far as saying that I've probably listened to this album more than at least a couple of the records that will fill out the rest of my top 10.
I remember the day this came out. I was a freshman in high school. I remember me and a group of friends went downtown at lunch break and all of us picked this album up. We drove around blasting this on a shitty sound system in a shitty car, smoking low grade weed. We never made it back to school that day. I'm not sure how it was for most other SO CAL 80's babies growing up, but the circle I ran with were all about anything WU. Which leads to my # 8 All Time Favorite Album....and probably top 3 Covers.....but thats another story.
#8 Rza - Bobby Digital in Stereo
Rugged Penmanship, Dirty Drums, Dusty Grooves, Strung out Synths, Psychedelic Keys & a KICK ASS cover designed by Bill Sienkiewiczs of Marvel Comics fame. What more can you ask for? I never understood the naysayers critiques on this album. Damn near 14 years later & it's still in constant rotation. From the laid back vibes on Love Jones to the absolute destruction spat on Holocaust (Silkworm). This album was a melting pot of styles. I pretty difficult task to pull off, it usually takes away from the cohesiveness of an album. But with RZA doing the production made that feat possible. Is this album my fav Wu album? No. But it's definitely had one of the biggest impacts on me.
I was fortunate enough to be raised in the 805. 99.73% of you probably have no clue what the fuck that means. But what if I mention Lootpack, Madlib, Wildchild, Kankick, MED, and Declaime? I would hope the heads reading this would know a few, if not all of these cats. The 805, and more specifically THE OX (Oxnard) is a small coastal city and hour South of LA, that in the mid 90's started carving a niche for themselves. This selection isn't an OX City piece....That'll come later....But this selection is an album that came out later on after Madlib had already laid the foundation for the stonesthrow sound. Which to me is a testament in itself, because most Stones Throw heads and Madlib enthusiast would praise 20 other albums before even mentioning this album. I feel it's an incredibly overlooked and under appreciated album, that never got it's chance to shine. With that said, I bring you my #9 Favorite Album of All Time...
#9 OHNO - The Disrupt
Yes, Madlibs little brother....Lets get that out the fucking way. Oh No never wowed anyone with the pen, But his ability to control the beat and craft and enjoyable song on his Debut were something lacking in the underground at the time of it's release. This came out in 2004, a time that was saturated with; 'lyrical miracle' emcees. This release brought everything back to the basics. A charismatic emcee to compliment Captivating, chop heavy, beats that knock. What else can you ask for? Oh yea, besides production from OhNo, Madlib, Kankick, & Dilla also blessed it. I can remember driving around with this CD on for damn near close to 5 months without taking it out. Every time I had a favorite, go to song, by the next time the album spun around I'd have a new track to vibe out to.
Since this is The Milk Crates first entry, I'd just like to point out that; Kannon, Monk, & Myself are three different personalities that grew up in very different worlds and times. We may have some overlapping selections but the fun in this is that we all grew up differently and had certain albums effect us in different ways. For me, My selections are based on which albums have stuck with me over the years and held up over time...FOR ME. Because of that, I rarely put newer albums as classics, to me until they've proven they can hold up over time. But that's just me....thats the beauty of this...Kan and Monk may have a completely different criteria than me. With that Said, I give you........
10. Mission Control Presents: Prehistoric Sounds Feat MOOD
A friend of mine actually put me on to this album. We were both Rawkus fanatics. Around 2002 when Blackstar & Train of Thought were out, he stumbled upon the Ohio Crew Mood which had put out the Doom album back in 1997. Talib Kweli and DJ Hi Tek had made some of their first appearances on that Album. Fast forward to 2000, Mood came together and had formed a crew comprised of themselves; (Dante, Main Flow, and Producer Jahson), Talib Kweli, Hi Tek, and an all star cast of other Ohio emcees. This album was aptly titled Prehistoric Sounds because this was the ground work for the sound that years later Talib & Hi Tek and even Mos & Talib would popularize. I got my hands on it around 2002, when I was knee deep in the Blackstar and Train of Thought albums...yet this one still always stood on its own even amongst those Rawkus albums that had perfected the soulful bounce that this album had sparked.
Starting tomorrow, May 1st, The Milk Crate's creators (The Dead Poet, Kannon and Monk) will be bringing you reviews, and breakdowns for their top ten favorite hip hop albums of all time. Each day, for the month of May, we will post one selection from each of us, starting tomorrow with entry #10 from The Dead Poet. So get your wallets out, because if you dont already own any of the following 30 albums (or less if there are repeats), you need to buy them immediately.
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