10 of the Best Overlooked Hip-Hop Albums
Oct 14 '02
The Bottom Line In my opinion, the CDs mentioned here are some of the most slept-on offerings in the world of hip-hop.
With so much disposable talent being put out in the world of hip-hop, it's sometimes difficult to find talented artists. In no particular order, the following review will discuss 10 CDs that I think were overlooked by the majority of hip-hop fans.
D.O.C. - "Helter Skelter"
A near-fatal car accident rendered D.O.C.'s larnyx virtually useless. Armed with a raspy voice that anyone in Onyx would have killed for and Erotic D's talented production skills, D.O.C. overcame the odds and signed with Giant Records when Death Row Records (then home to his old friends Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg) wouldn't consider him. What we recieved was one of the most prophetic & esoteric CDs of all time. Listening to this CD is like listening to Milton William Cooper's "Behold A Pale Horse" in hip-hop form... a lot of conspiracy & New World Order talk either convinces the listener of an impending attack on civil liberties by Big Brother, or makes you think that he might be hittin' that chronic a little too hard.
Self Scientific - "The Self Science"
Made up of two of L.A.'s most under-appreciated artists, Self Scientific is not your typical West Coast hip-hop. Spiritual, political, and logical all at the same time, Chase Infinite provides the skills on the mic while DJ Khalil shows us how production duties should be handled. Whether discussing relationships ("You Can't Fall"), the obsession with death ("Anguish"), or their hometown ("Love Allah"), these two keep it on point. Keep an eye out for their new CD, "The Works", due out in early 2003.
J-Zone - "Pimps Don't Pay Taxes"
Think Eminem's talented? J-Zone raps, is hilarious, intelligent, produces his own beats, and doesn't waste his time rapping about boy bands or his mother. Instead, he concentrates on making us nod our heads, providing some laughs along the way. J-Zone's penis even guest stars on "The Trojan War", convincing him to keep using condoms even though "ain't no point in bein' a Casanova/ 'cause sex ain't sh*t with a helmet on your soldier". If a rhyming fallus isn't enough for you, check out his ode to underaged women, "Jailbait Jennifer"... I see a nice career for this cat in the long run, but for now people overlook him like a midget in a crowd.
Common Sense - "Can I Borrow A Dollar?"
Oh, how easily we forget. Before he brought us "I Used to Love H.E.R." and "The Light", the MC now known as just "Common" (thanks to a lawsuit from a pop group called Common Sense) was bustin' out tracks like "Breaker 1-9" and "Soul By The Pound". If you've heard any of his more recent stuff, this is an excellent CD to pick up and compare. It's obvious that he's matured in both life and rhyme skills, but it was an impressive debut from the Chicago native.
The Brand New Heavies & Various Rappers - "Heavy Rhyme Experience Volume 1"
Combine retro funk and dope lyrics and what do you get? Brilliance. Some of the best MCs from the late 80's and early 90's combine with the British funk band to put out one of the best albums that can still be rocked on a daily basis. If you're a fan of The Roots, or just like live music in general, be sure to check out this compilation.
Black Sheep - "Non Fiction"
Other than the old school smash "The Choice Is Yours", Black Sheep never encountered too much success, which may be the reason they split up. Dres and Mista Lawnge did put out another album, though, and in my opinion, it was better than their debut. "Non Fiction" contains a number of good tracks, many of which should have solidified Mista Lawnge's place among the elite DJs/producers in hip-hop. Jazzy beats, relevant lyrics, and overall positivity could have made this album a hit, but I guess Mercury wasn't willing to spend the effort it would take to market them.
Digable Planets - "Blowout Comb"
Another crew that didn't seem to get much notoriety after their debut (1993's "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)"), Butterfly, Doodlebug, and Miss Mecca the Ladybug really dropped a creative bomb on the hip-hop world with their sophomore release. Unfortunately, not even assistance from Guru (from Gangstarr) and Jeru The Damaja could take this album to the heights their debut experienced. And similar to Black Sheep, this squad's fist taste of failure lead to their demise.
Ras Kass - "Soul On Ice"
Say what you want about the production teams he hooks up with, Ras Kass always brings some of the best lyrics you could hope your ears would be blessed with. Honestly, this album isn't slept on (in fact, it's considered by many to be one of the best albums of all time), but I feel that it's been forgotten by a lot of hip-hop heads out there. If you have this CD in your collection, pop it in your stereo and take a listen to what a real lyricist sounds like. The 7 minute breakdown of controversial religious and historical topics in "Nature of the Threat" is worth the purchase of this album. Ras has since released a sophomore effort, "Rassassination", but that was met with little fanfare, as well. Fans of Ras should keep an eye out for his third offering, "Van Gogh", slated to be released next spring.
Dead Prez - "Let's Get Free"
I knew this album was going to be good when I heard that the cover art was censored. No, not because of nudity or gore, but rather because it displayed a large number of African youth with rifles, symbolic of what Dead Prez speaks of on the album... only they don't want it in Africa, they want an African uprising in America. With scathing commentary on Western culture, capitalism, the school system, and the war on hip-hop music, these two Tallahassee Florida natives show us that The Coup don't have a monopoly on Communist hip-hop.
Slum Village - "Fantastic Volume 2"
Not the deepest or most creative album ever, but this trio from Detroit proves that the Motor City hip-hop scene isn't just demented white rappers. Jay Dee shows that working side-by-side with Q-Tip & Ali Shaheed Muhammad gave him the correct tools to produce a great album. Rappers Baatin & T-3 provide enjoyable lyrics, although the listener shouldn't expect anything ground-breaking here. With guest appearances by artists like Busta Rhymes, Kurupt, and DJ Jazzy Jeff (check out his use of James Brown's "Make It Funky" on "I Don't Know"... splicing two songs into one is a true sign of Jeff's genius on the turntables), SV almost has you forgetting that A Tribe Called Quest has disbanded.
There are plenty more albums out there that deserve more airplay, but these are a few from my collection that I think could use a little extra recognition. Overall, talented hip-hop artists get passed up for gimmicky acts (*cough*Nelly*cough*), and I'm sure I'll be able to add more CDs to this list in the near future.
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Member: Sam Foster
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A Hip-Hop Fan Living in the Pop Star Factory :-\
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