Ah man, I totally gotta read through this topic, but for now I just skimmed over it to make sure I don't repeat anybody already stated. I probably will anyways but, whatev.
Eyedea and AbilitiesEyedea is/was part of RhymeSayers and is a pretty egotistical rapper accompanied by one of the best turntablists I've ever heard in hip hop. His earlier stuff focused predominantly on being better than other rappers, probably because he started to get popular right around the time he won the blaze battles. Later on he focused more on the intellectual and real life levels. His voice can be grating after a while, but over all he's an extraordinarily skilled and oft overlooked rapper. It's a shame that he stopped doing hip hop though.
Live SetAngry RabbitsI don't know too much about Angry Rabbits, as I randomly came across them while at a site with some old skool techno mixes. I don't even have a full cd's worth of music by them, because short of a few songs I found for download- all I can find by them is random songs on myspace. They have a few myspace acconts all with different tunes, but this is the only one I remember. Anyways, they're one of the few british hip hop groups I can enjoy. They're fun and have nice jazzy and unique beats.
MyspaceBlackaliciousConsisting of Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel and often accompanied by Lateef the Truthspeaker, Blackalicious is naturally a very talented group. They've got a nice sound that's reminiscent of older groups, but that could very well be due to the fact they were putting out songs as early as '92. I'm pretty sure that they were around in the pioneering days of "intelligent hip hop". It goes without saying then, that that's what they like to sing about.
Alphabet AerobicsDeceptionBrother AliAnother member of the RhymeSayers, Brother Ali brings a fresh soul sound to hip hop. A lot of his songs have this gospel/soul feeling to them (I might be interpreting the vibe wrong) and he often raps about the disparity in the streets today. He's got a pleasant soft-spoken voice and is quite listenable.
Truth isRain WaterFood for AnimalsThis is a recent find for me so I don't know too much about them. I know that it's been said that they are the hip hop equivalent of breakcore and if you don't know what breakcore is, it's exactly as it sounds. Given that I've got a background in appreciating breakcore it was only natural that I appreciate them as well. The one thing you have to give them is that they're trying something new and
broadening the horizons of hip hop.
MyspaceBusdriverBusdriver is a phenomenal rapper with a style that's completely his own. He rhymes about all sorts of stuff and often times it's quite strange. About all I can say is that he brings a new meaning to the term intelligent hip hop.
FreestyleAvantcoreElighOdinno much about Eligh, but he's got a fresh sound although the link doesn't really portray it much. His beats are dubstep-esque, and if you don't know what dubstep is, I suggest checking it out as it's a pretty cool genre of techno/electronica.
Live SongThis could take forever so I'm just gonna borrow wiki articles for groups that have them available.
HieroglyphicsHieroglyphics, also known as the Hieroglyphics Crew and Hiero, are an American underground hip hop collective based in Oakland, California. The collective was founded in the early-1990s by rapper Del tha Funkee Homosapien.
The Hieroglypics are considered by many to be hip hop visionaries, combining fundamentally sound deliveries and intelligent lyrical content with smooth, original and sometimes jazzy or funky beats and samples.
SowetoClassicIdeIde is just one of many hip hop artists that most people haven't heard of. Like most, he brings his own refreshing sound to the table. He's got a decent voice, decent lyrics and some pretty good beats, and therefore is dug by me.
MyspaceImmortal TechniqueImmortal Technique, is a hip hop MC and political activist. He is of Afro-Peruvian descent and was raised in Harlem, New York. Most of his lyrics focus on socio-political issues. The views expressed in his lyrics are largely a mixture of commentary on issues such as poverty, religion, and racism. He also focuses on the harsh resulting realities of criminality in the housing projects of New York City's slums.
Song w/ Mos Def and EminemDance with the DevilSage FrancisSage Francis' style blends a varying tone and delivery with subject matter that focuses on intricate sequences of widely varying imagery, metaphors, the occasional pun, absurdism, word play often times in the form of phonetic mix-ups and rhetorical excursions, and pop culture references, while including touchstones of traditional hip hop such as storytelling and self-promotion. While he's signed with epitaph he reguraly did/does songs with members of the RhymeSayers.
Makeshift PatriotRewriteThe GrouchThe Grouch emerged from the Bay Area intelligent hip hop scene in the mid 90's. He is a member of the world reknowned Living legends crew. As a beat maker, businessman and most notably, MC extraordinare, he has built a reputation for being at the forefront of independent music. His down to earth, heartfelt approach to writing draws listeners in and makes it clear he is not your average "underground artist".
ArtsyCurrent AffairsSuper Barrio BrosIf you dig 8bit beats and decent lyricism about video games then maybe these guys are for you. I can't really listen to them for any extended period of time, but they're pretty good to listen to just for the novelty of it.
MyspaceThe PharcydeIt pretty much goes without saying, but for those who don't know I posted them anyways.
DropPack the PipeSo that's my list. I tried leaving out most of the obvious, because most'll get posted eventually, or at least I assume. It's cool coming across new stuff you dig, so hopefully this'll do the trick for some of you.
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