The Changing Face of Hip Hop

Every so often I post the hip hop charts from WMCO. New hip hop music makes it way to my office on a weekly basis. Some of it stands out from the pack, some of it is judged by its cover (and the judgment is usually accurate). But the point is, the music is new and the charts are always changing ...

So here goes :: this week's badasses!

My favs are DJ Vadim, Sage Francis, and Red Cloud; fav never to make the list: Gutterfly.

1
EL-P
I'll Sleep When You're Dead
Definitive Jux
2
J DILLA
Ruff Draft
Stones Throw
3
DJ VADIM
The Sound Catcher
BBE
4
WAX TAILOR
Hope And Sorrow
Decon
5
BROTHER ALI
The Undisputed Truth
Rhymesayers
6
MOVE.MEANT
The Scope Of Things
Wax Paper
7
GABRIEL TEODROS
Lovework
Massline
8
SAGE FRANCIS
Human The Death Dance
Epitaph
9
REDCLOUD
Hawthorne's Most Wanted
Syntax
10
BUSDRIVER
RoadKillOvercoat
Epitaph

Dream on and aim high ... kfox!

A New Month, A New #1

It's been about 30 days since I last posted the WMCO Hip Hop Charts. some folks have staying power ... the charts tend to look drastically different after six weeks. My favs are BusDriver, Ghostface and Wax Tailor.

1
BUSDRIVER
RoadKillOvercoat

2
VARIOUS
Om: Hip Hop Volume 1

3
MACROMANTICS
Moments In Movement

4
GABRIEL TEODROS
Lovework

5
El-P
I'll Sleep When You're Dead

6
VARIOUS
Everything

7
MOS DEF
True Magic

8
SURREAL AND DJ BALANCE
Future Classic

9
GHOSTFACE KILLAH
More Fish

10
WAX TAILOR
Hope and Sorrow


Do what you do hip hoppers, but keep it legal! --kfox

Crate diggin...

There's a lot going on. It's crazy how situations have peaks and valleys - one minute I have no new hip hop music, the next, I'm saturated w/more than I can handle.

I previously mentioned something about Bunny Rabbit. Well watch out, she is on a rampage! The unedited version was filled w/profanity and questionable content - potty mouth for sure! The edit version is just that - a bleep-bleep-bleep fest. The disk is called "Lover's and Crypts". I'm not endorsing or denying, just confirming that it exists. It's in my 'need to listen to again' pile.

I still have not gotten all the way through BusDriver's "RoadKillOvercoat". Out of the 12 tracks on the disk, we could only play three tracks on the radio due to profanity and questionable content. But time has permitted an edit on a few tracks. I like the first track "Casting Agent and Cowgirls". It's upbeat w/catchy beats and his lyricism is quick and quirky.

I do like Sentence. Good beats and lyrics. How simple is that. "There and Back" gets on my good side right away w/an intro by DJ Thought. Just a 60 second or so clip w/the dj mixing up a nice and mellow track. I did listen all the way through and settled on "Warning Shots" as a fav.

I'm trying to get my hands on what I've been told are two above average disks, they are Dalek's "Abandoned Language" and X-Clan's "Return from Mecca". X-Clan's rep speaks for itself. They've been off the block, but if they do what they've done in the past, they have a place in my music player. Dalek graces the most recent cover of CMJ, the College Music Journal, and the article gives them much props. But I'd like to hear for myself.

I could go on, but since it seems the dry spell is over, I'll save some for the next time ... stay healthy hip hoppers, kfox