quote:

I'm a addict for sneakers, 20's of Buddha and bitches with beepers
In the streets I can greet ya, about blunts I teach ya

Sharks Eat Bear posted:

Nas - NY State of Mind

Could probably make an argument for any track from Illmatic, but NY State of Mind stands out as an opener that perfectly sets the bar for everything else to come on an album that is widely regarded as one of, if not the greatest ever.

Every element of the song is top tier, but my favorite part of this song and Illmatic in general is Nas' flow. I actually think his opening line hits on this -- "monkey flip em with the funky rhythm". Lot of contemporary east coast gangsta rap at the time was focused on speed and getting more triplets into each bar. Nas doesn't try to kill you with speed, he goes slow enough that his rhymes hit even harder, and that gives him more room for more complex multi-word rhymes and also makes for a more vivid story.

My favorite line from the song:

I could write a lot more but don't want to be overkill so will just stop there...

Sharks Eat Bear posted:

Nas - NY State of Mind

Could probably make an argument for any track from Illmatic, but NY State of Mind stands out as an opener that perfectly sets the bar for everything else to come on an album that is widely regarded as one of, if not the greatest ever.

Every element of the song is top tier, but my favorite part of this song and Illmatic in general is Nas' flow. I actually think his opening line hits on this -- "monkey flip em with the funky rhythm". Lot of contemporary east coast gangsta rap at the time was focused on speed and getting more triplets into each bar. Nas doesn't try to kill you with speed, he goes slow enough that his rhymes hit even harder, and that gives him more room for more complex multi-word rhymes and also makes for a more vivid story.

My favorite line from the song:

I could write a lot more but don't want to be overkill so will just stop there...

insane anime posted:

not a poet so i wont pretend to be, and itd really just bring shame to the submisison lol. but i nominate

Geto Boys - Mind Playing Tricks on Me

i love the angle of the song where you got these certified gangsters opening up about all the negatives that come along with the lifestyle. a lot of artists always touch on the badass stuff that comes with the territory of being a rap star / thug but i think this is one of the best expressions of the negatives.. sadness captured thru the retelling of funny stories. you can really feel the paranoia and almost imagine what its like. it isnt loving corny at all. its cool as hell

the beat, isaac hayes sample is perfect and everyone really captures the psychosis that evidently comes with killing people, selling drugs, and evading the law on each verse. easy to love

buffalo all day posted:

B.O.B. - Outkast

Two absolutely insane verses by Outkast when they were at the peak of their powers. The song starts with those little twinkling notes and Andre 3000 whispers the countdown and that BOOM you're into the song (the beat loving crushes) and he's going a million miles an hour but you can still somehow understand every word. Then bam, he's out and the chorus is kicking in. And then Big Boi comes in with his verse and goes toe to toe with Dre, like showing he could and he was pissed that people were underrating him. The rapping is basically done 2 and half minutes in and then there's the extended instrumental that somehow owns just as hard as the verses. It's not like anything else on the album and it definitely got overshadowed by Ms. Jackson and So Fresh, So Clean. My favorite lines are from Big Boi's verse, they aren't mindblowing but the flow is so good:

Like that there Boi and will still stay street
Big things happen every time we meet
Like a track team, crack fiend, dyin' to geek
Outkast bumpin' up and down the street
Slam back, Cadillac, 'bout five nigga deep
Seventy-five emcee's freestylin' to the beat

It's just completely unmistakably it's own thing, no one else could have done it, and it's perfect, imo

buffalo all day posted:

B.O.B. - Outkast

Two absolutely insane verses by Outkast when they were at the peak of their powers. The song starts with those little twinkling notes and Andre 3000 whispers the countdown and that BOOM you're into the song (the beat loving crushes) and he's going a million miles an hour but you can still somehow understand every word. Then bam, he's out and the chorus is kicking in. And then Big Boi comes in with his verse and goes toe to toe with Dre, like showing he could and he was pissed that people were underrating him. The rapping is basically done 2 and half minutes in and then there's the extended instrumental that somehow owns just as hard as the verses. It's not like anything else on the album and it definitely got overshadowed by Ms. Jackson and So Fresh, So Clean. My favorite lines are from Big Boi's verse, they aren't mindblowing but the flow is so good:

Like that there Boi and will still stay street
Big things happen every time we meet
Like a track team, crack fiend, dyin' to geek
Outkast bumpin' up and down the street
Slam back, Cadillac, 'bout five nigga deep
Seventy-five emcee's freestylin' to the beat

It's just completely unmistakably it's own thing, no one else could have done it, and it's perfect, imo

buffalo all day posted:

B.O.B. - Outkast

Two absolutely insane verses by Outkast when they were at the peak of their powers. The song starts with those little twinkling notes and Andre 3000 whispers the countdown and that BOOM you're into the song (the beat loving crushes) and he's going a million miles an hour but you can still somehow understand every word. Then bam, he's out and the chorus is kicking in. And then Big Boi comes in with his verse and goes toe to toe with Dre, like showing he could and he was pissed that people were underrating him. The rapping is basically done 2 and half minutes in and then there's the extended instrumental that somehow owns just as hard as the verses. It's not like anything else on the album and it definitely got overshadowed by Ms. Jackson and So Fresh, So Clean. My favorite lines are from Big Boi's verse, they aren't mindblowing but the flow is so good:

Like that there Boi and will still stay street
Big things happen every time we meet
Like a track team, crack fiend, dyin' to geek
Outkast bumpin' up and down the street
Slam back, Cadillac, 'bout five nigga deep
Seventy-five emcee's freestylin' to the beat

It's just completely unmistakably it's own thing, no one else could have done it, and it's perfect, imo

signalnoise posted:

I'm gonna go with They Reminisce Over You by Pete Rock & CL Smooth

I don't think Pete Rock and CL Smooth are often cited as being huge innovators but you can't deny that it's a drat significant song, referenced over and over since its release. It's broadly relatable and CL wasn't doing crazy stuff with his rhyme schemes, but his delivery is solid as gently caress and you'll never take that away from that song. It's always going to be good. It's just a great, timeless classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6mdRv0ZdR8

DOPE FIEND KILLA G posted:

my nomination is Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan (1965)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGxjIBEZvx0
thasts right folks, this is it right here, the original rap song written in 1965 by this girlish white jew. something to keep in mind when people try to practice gatekeeping in hip hop. whats there to say about such a truly classic song? not only did dylan invtent a genre that nobody would even touch for another 10 years but it was also the worlds first music video. talk about innovation. dylans rhymes are slick. the song covers all the topics youd want in a classic rap song (selling drugs, running from the cops, going to jail, trying to find pants that fit, etc). not to meniton, props to nas and biggie and gza all some of the finest there ever was, but did you know bob dylan was literally given a nobel prize in literature for his lyrics? thats definitely a first in the world of hip hop, props to the master. what else uh, i mean the song fuckin rips. dylan has fuckin drip in that video. oh, that bald guy behind him? thats allen ginsberg, the famous poet. part of dylans posse. the original bitch mob. oh and the lyrics provided the namesake for the 1969 radical leftist lback power organization the weathermen. lets see flavor flav inspire osmething like that

"Dr. Dre" posted:

still puffing my leafs
still gently caress with the beats
still not loving police
still rock my khakis with a cuff and a crease
still got love for the streets, reppin' 213
still the beats bang
still doing my thang
since i left ain't too much changed.... still

Dynamite Dog posted:

i have a couple nominations but i'm going to keep them all real different to justify it

first, the one closest to my heart

Souls of Mischief - 93 'til Infinity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXJc2NYwHjw

An absolutely timeless classic about drinking, smoking, and trying to pick up girls with your friends that anyone can relate to. It's not a full Hieroglyphics track, but they're niche stuff, and Souls of Mischief made it beyond that with this song and put dense flow heavy and chill bay area rap on the map.

Every verse on it is amazing, and in typical hiero fashion every verse flows totally seamless the whole way.

The beat alone is enough to relax any human with a heart. It's so warm.

DOPE FIEND KILLA G posted:

my nomination is Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan (1965)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGxjIBEZvx0
thasts right folks, this is it right here, the original rap song written in 1965 by this girlish white jew. something to keep in mind when people try to practice gatekeeping in hip hop. whats there to say about such a truly classic song? not only did dylan invtent a genre that nobody would even touch for another 10 years but it was also the worlds first music video. talk about innovation. dylans rhymes are slick. the song covers all the topics youd want in a classic rap song (selling drugs, running from the cops, going to jail, trying to find pants that fit, etc). not to meniton, props to nas and biggie and gza all some of the finest there ever was, but did you know bob dylan was literally given a nobel prize in literature for his lyrics? thats definitely a first in the world of hip hop, props to the master. what else uh, i mean the song fuckin rips. dylan has fuckin drip in that video. oh, that bald guy behind him? thats allen ginsberg, the famous poet. part of dylans posse. the original bitch mob. oh and the lyrics provided the namesake for the 1969 radical leftist lback power organization the weathermen. lets see flavor flav inspire osmething like that

Misc posted:

So What'cha Want by Beastie Boys

GentlemanofLeisure posted:

Mobb Deep - Shook Ones, Pt. II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTKpYJ80OVQ

You heard of us / Official Queensbridge Murderers

You can't really talk about 90's East Coast rap without Mobb Deep, and this is arguably their best song. Firstly, the production by Havoc is unfuckwithable. From the first second, when you hear the snare and hi hat, you instantly know what song is about to play, and then after a few seconds, THAT SAMPLE comes in. For such a popular song, it is incredible how long it took for someone to figure out where the sample came from. The first time I saw this video I got the chills. Aside from the sample, the beat is pretty simple, repeating throughout the song without really changing it up at all. But it does its job perfectly meshing with the samples and making a great backdrop for the lyrics. They lyrics, like the beat, could be described as simple. Not saying that in a negative way, but there is no complex wordplay, and the ends of each bar usually rhyme. It's a couple of great rappers just spitting bars that perfectly ride the beat, almost like another instrument. The content is incredibly violent and fits in with the New York Gangster Rap genre of the time. You could write a million other words about this song, but it's one of the most perfect rap songs of all time.

e: ^^^^ u had to have the Sega cause you could get the blood on Mortal Kombat

Dynamite Dog posted:

second one and last one for the night

first though, hip hop in the year 2000: ghostface, half of the guys that would be on rocafella, big pun, dead prez, and busta rhymes all put out albums that are real grimy. outkast is pushing the envelope, but they were evolving quickly, not really shattering stuff.

then some guy in st louis drops an album that sounds super clean and is mostly a simple 808 beat under a basically acoustic guitar and something that sounds like a doorbell chime. and it loving slaps.

there are an absolute ton of rappers today that wouldn't be in the game without Nelly pushing this style as hard and as well as he did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L_BUA9eFC4

Stux posted:

someone pick a DOOM track so i odnt have to try and choose

Famethrowa posted:

gently caress it

Doomsday by MF Doom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHBHDWpK1yo

beautiful smooth beat with tongue twister spitting just floating along effortlessly on top...his best song for driving around with the windows down in the summer

On Doomsday, ever since the womb
‘Til I'm back where my brother went, that's what my tomb will say
Right above my government; Dumile
Either unmarked or engraved, hey, who's to say?

GentlemanofLeisure posted:

Mobb Deep - Shook Ones, Pt. II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTKpYJ80OVQ

You heard of us / Official Queensbridge Murderers

You can't really talk about 90's East Coast rap without Mobb Deep, and this is arguably their best song. Firstly, the production by Havoc is unfuckwithable. From the first second, when you hear the snare and hi hat, you instantly know what song is about to play, and then after a few seconds, THAT SAMPLE comes in. For such a popular song, it is incredible how long it took for someone to figure out where the sample came from. The first time I saw this video I got the chills. Aside from the sample, the beat is pretty simple, repeating throughout the song without really changing it up at all. But it does its job perfectly meshing with the samples and making a great backdrop for the lyrics. They lyrics, like the beat, could be described as simple. Not saying that in a negative way, but there is no complex wordplay, and the ends of each bar usually rhyme. It's a couple of great rappers just spitting bars that perfectly ride the beat, almost like another instrument. The content is incredibly violent and fits in with the New York Gangster Rap genre of the time. You could write a million other words about this song, but it's one of the most perfect rap songs of all time.

e: ^^^^ u had to have the Sega cause you could get the blood on Mortal Kombat

buffalo all day posted: