Jay Z Mmmm, there is just something about his swagger, the tone of his voice and they way he delivers his lyrics that make me forgive the fact that he looks like a walrus and wanna be a big stanky groupie in his entourage. I feel him. Even when he's calling women b*tches (which I normally am not fond of), and telling girls to change clothes then go, his catchy hooks and bumpin' beats make me forgive and forget...then download.
A Tribe Called Quest
So subtle and so chill, they had me at Left My Wallet at El Segundo. Loving Q-Tip's mellow voice, they just give off some a chill vibe. I could listen to them for days and bonus, actually learn lyrics! They do no harm in my book.
Eminem
Whooo boy! Well I'm going to swing past being a typical girl by pointing out how sexy I find him but this white boy can rhyme like no other. When My Name Is came out, I honeslty thought it was a joke, little did I know he was going to come out the game as hard as he did.
Missy Elliott
Her lyrics are just CRAZY! I love how 
she's not afraid to make fun of herself, say outlandish things like spitting a loogie in someone's mouth and her beats (with Timbaland's production) is just bananas. You will always catch me bumpin' hips to her stuff. It's just fun and damned original.
she's not afraid to make fun of herself, say outlandish things like spitting a loogie in someone's mouth and her beats (with Timbaland's production) is just bananas. You will always catch me bumpin' hips to her stuff. It's just fun and damned original.Salt-n-Pepa
As a child of the 80's, how can I not be a fan. When Push It dropped, my 8 year old self felt like it was rap for girls. and I danced and sang along with their stuff through the early 90's. Nothing but good times there.
Outkast
Nothing but good stuff here. They just jumped straight out the box with their southern-influenced hip hop but that danceable beats I like. I still rock Ms. Jackson and Rosa Parks on my iPod on the regular.
LL Cool J
Again, not going to dwell on how FOINE he is, but going back to the '80s, he was a pioneer in hip hop blending street sounds with playboy good looks. I wasn't a fan until I heard I Need Love and saw a softer side to him. He made me wanna be an Around the Way Girl and a Jingling Baby with a Big 'Ol Butt', climb in the backseat of his jeep and be a Hey Lover. And he's still going. And still looking good.
Honorable Mention to:
- Lupe Fiasco- I'm loving what I'm hearing so far
- Beastie Boys- for Paul Revere
- Lauren Hill- probably the best damn female MC ever
- Run DMC
- Notorious BIG
Jay-Z. Took me so long to get into him. The success drove me away and Mtv usually does too. I accidently got the Acapella version of his Black album . There the lyrics just stood right out. Respect.
ReplyDeleteI was big into Tribe in college. Non-violent and positive. Great jazzy beats too. Jr. Year in college was nothing but Low End Theory.
I was wanting to get into more hip-hop that actually reflected something that I had in common. College was about stickin' it to the man and running away from rent-a-cops. We were so brave. Sorta. I didn't grow up black and poor. I didn't have grimey streets and projects to write about. It just wasn't fair. I wanted to be oppressed too. Damn that sounds funny to read.
And then Eminem came out of nowhere. And I was in Detroit every weekend too. Never heard of the guy untill some cheezy song hit the radio. But it was raw and real. And he could freestyle about everything and nothing all in the same breath. He got huge and was able to parody his success.
OK, growing up white and poor I can relate to. We didnt have projects, we had trailer parks.
HAHA! And LL. 6th grade saw me struttin through the playground with my stereo on my shoulder blastin' the Bad album. Loved the title track. Man I was cool. That's such a struttin' song too.
My honorable Mentions:
Run-DMC (they started it all)
KRS-One
Rakim
Public Enemy
Beastie Boys
Fat Boys ( And ya know they can never be wack)
Daily Breather-
ReplyDeleteLOL at "I wanted to be oppressed too" !!
In middle school, every boy was all into KRS-One. I think it must have been a guy thing cause he didn't have the bumpin dance beats that usually get girls bt I heard so many times how he was the best.
*smile* at Fat Boys. I remember the movie Disorderlies.
I was with Q-Tip last week... such a sweetie..
ReplyDeleteDaaaannngg... Pac dont get no love
Eb- Whatchu mean you was with Q Tip last week?
ReplyDeleteAnd Pac? Meh. Never was too impressed.
When I was growing up Pac was an Mtv gangsta. And he was west coast. Took me a long time to get into that too. But the west coast flow is nice. It's interesting how I was given all of the worst personifictions of him and had to get away from everything to see the truth, both positive and negative. Sadly that needs to happen all too often. Getting away, that is.
ReplyDeleteLove the list... especially the inclusion of the oft-underrated Outkast.
ReplyDeleteBut I'll say this: I was often turned off by Tupac, but when he turned it "on" -- there were few that could touch him. Listening to "Dear Mama" or "Brenda's Got A Baby" or "Keep Your Head Up" are easy reminders of the genius that lied beneath the uber-gangsta facade.
And I'm spent...