For the past week we’ve seen a bunch of people tackle this album. Writers these days take themselves way too seriously. That or they have these agendas in writing these reviews just to grab a few hits and if they’re lucky maybe a couple of RTs. I’m not a writer. I’m a simple man, I like my beans and rice. We live in a world that is quite simple if you ask me. It’s black, it’s white. It’s good, it’s bad. It’s hot, it’s cold. It’s yes or no. These definitive answers shape who we are.
There is no need to string together a wordy review that only serves as self-indulgent drivel just to deliver one adjective in describing Undun.
We’ve been spoiled for practically two decades now with progression, not regression from The Roots crew. We want Malik B. We miss Len Hub. We want more N.T. collabos. We want more Black Thought verses. We want lengthier tracks and albums; [insert Elaine] yada yada yada.
We’re still a few months away from the year closing out, but we all know the 4th Q is usually for big names, big labels and even bigger releases. This list is about 10 rappers who have been grindin’ for years. True lyricists who each put in work year in year out and still seem to lack the appreciation they rightfully deserve. This isn’t an all-time list, it’s just a group of 10 rappers I feel are currently underrated, unappreciated and warrant the recognition.
Hip-Hop has been good to us these past years. With the emergence of Big K.R.I.T., Danny Brown, Freddie Gibbs, French Montana, Action Bronson, Tyler The Creator, Fashawn, Pill, Mr. Muthafuckin’ Exquire, Blu, Elzhi, G-Side, ASAP Rocky, Curren$y & Roc Marciano just to name a few, we’ve had to double up on our hard drive space.
There are always going to be rappers with strong co-signs, better geographical residency or those who lean on friends and favors for that mass appeal. I wanted to put together a list of 10 active emcees that all deserve your attention and in my opinion are truly underrated.
So without further ado, here are my 10 Most Underrated Emcees of 2011.
The greatest rap band and the greatest rapper of (92-94) combine like a pair AJ True Blue‘s and jeans. Link contains ALL of The Roots and Nas tracks from the show. Enjoy! –Philaflava
Many consider that very album to be a true blue classic with stellar tracks such as Proceed, Silent Treatment, Distortion to Static and The Lesson, but it wasn’t until later in his career that Black Thought truly developed into one of the best all-around emcees in the game. Like vintage wine, he got better with age. It happened to Steven Tyler, Phil Collins to even rappers like Lil Wayne and MF Doom.
If this is anything like “Fire” or “Doin It Again” I’m buying two copies. – Philaflava
New York (June 24, 2010) – Musical powerhouses John Legend & The Roots are presenting fans with a fiery new offering, Wake Up! The upcoming CD, being released by Sony Music on September 21, 2010, will feature soulful music from the 60’s and 70’s all with an underlying theme of awareness, engagement and consciousness— effectively telling listeners to Wake Up!
After being inspired by the recent historical Presidential election campaign of 2008, the R&B singer Legend and hip-hop band The Roots felt a need to enter the action. What started as plans for a single quickly developed into a passionate album representing change, hope and activism— not only referencing one particular moment in time, but on a larger scale, holding true no matter what the political climate may be.
The resulting album features eleven profoundly evocative songs infused with sounds of gospel, rock and reggae inflections with hip-hop influences. The album is highlighted by familiar tracks like “Wholly Holy†by Marvin Gaye and “Little Ghetto Boy†by Donny Hathaway mixed with the more obscure selections of Baby Huey and the Babysitters’ “Hard Times,†and “Hang on in There†by Mike James Kirkland.
“These songs sound so relevant now,†Legend says. “On most of them, you wouldn’t change a lyric. ‘Wake Up Everybody’ (the album’s first single, featuring contributions from Melanie Fiona and Common) has four verses—the first one is a general statement, the second is about education, third is about health care, and the fourth is about making a better environment. No editing needed.â€
“When these songs were written, people were more spiritually in tune,†says Roots drummer/musical director Ahmir “?uestlove†Thompson. “It was fresh from the civil rights era and there was a feeling of hope that maybe, yes, someday we will all be free. In 2010, not so much.â€
The album features one original composition, Legend’s song “Shine,” which is featured in Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim’s upcoming documentary film Waiting for Superman. The song, a “Stevie-Wonder-meets-gospel” stunner, clearly demonstrates the strengths of this specific group of musicians. Wake Up! blends Legend’s expressive, thoughtful vocal interpretations with an element of funk that only The Roots can provide.
Bringing John Legend & The Roots together is an inspired pairing, so logical that it’s a little surprising they haven’t teamed up in a proper collaboration before. John Legend is a six-time Grammy winner whose three albums have all hit Number One on the Billboard R&B charts, and who has collaborated with such artists as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, and the Black Eyed Peas. The Roots—currently visible nightly as the stupendously versatile house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon—have released nine acclaimed studio albums (including the recent How I Got Over) and redefined the relationship between live instruments and hip-hop.
Time to pick up the pace on our SLS series with a new edition. Somethin’ for your car, somethin’ for your hangout spot, or just somethin’ for you to chill to. Hella shouts to dirt_dog from TROY for the artwork. Download link, tracklist and a re-up of Volume One with proper artwork after the jump.
They got pushed back and back and back and all they could put together was just 9 songs? Peace to Slang Rap for posting this early. Dear ?uest, try and throw at least another 3 more tracks on this bitch. It ain’t Illmatic, okay? –Gloss The Boss
1. Walk Alone (Truck North, Porn, Dice Raw, Mercedes Martinez) 2. Dear God 2.0 (Jim James, MOF) 3. Radio Daze (Blu, Porn, Dice Raw, Mercedes Martinez) 4. Now Or Never (Phonte Coleman, Dice Raw) 5. How I Got Over (Dice Raw) 6. The Day (Blu, Phonte Coleman, Patty Crash) 7. Right On (Joanna Newsom, Sugar Tongue Slim) 8. Doin It Again (John Legend) 9. The Fire (John Legend, Rick Friedrich)
Kurupt once made an extremely underwhelming DMX diss titled Calling Out Names, let’s hope this new feature won’t be equally as entertaining. It’s been a minute since I blessed you with my unsolicited and unfavorable opinions. You don’t have to agree, you don’t even have to read them but here they are…
1. Blu – Stop with the queer videos and these half-ass lo-fi tracks. Either make a real album, with real music and release it properly or just step the fuck off the internet. You’re becoming more and more irrelevant the more Fashawn drops heat rocks. You know Fashawn, the new Blu with some street appeal? Basically, stop being an aloof sissy and put out music that you’re capable of. Ain’t none trying to hear or watch this bullshit. NONE! I say this with love too.
2. Wu-Massacre - A big LOL @ anyone buying this. I’ll admit, I was amped when the leaks came out earlier this year but this isn’t an album. It’s a gank move and you’re a fucking sucker if you drop your hard earned money on this shit. For starters the album lacks sequence, true collabos (see Criminology 2.5) and most importantly CHEMISTRY! The entire album was phoned in and if they were smart they would have made an EP out of this crap and done the album the right way, the RZA way. You stupid muthafuckas.
3. The LOX/Jadakiss – Yeah I heard “Slow Down” and you’re killing them, but all three of you are some hypocritical emotional queers. First you sign with Puff. Then you spend the next decade berating and threatening Puff. Now you’re back on his lap like Brett Hart is on Vince McMahons. Oh and Kiss, I know you ain’t made a “wack verse since the 90s” but you ain’t made a dope album in forever! If you’re gonna go the Bad Boy route in 2010 at least get your money right before you hit the airwaves.
4. Def Jam – Either release the new Roots album or just release The Roots. How many push backs must they get? And this is just a pre-warning but if Justin Bieber is ANYWHERE on this album I swear to god I will eBay my Def Jam University sweater.
5. Doing Nas remakes – It’s bad enough we’re not even checking for Nas these days but now all these newjacks are trying to redo Illmatic? No, bad idea. Leave that shit alone and get your own identity. No offense to some of the great talents out there like Elzhi, Freddie Gibbs or Fashawn but leave that Illmatic shit alone. It only reminds us about how shitty hip-hop really has been for the past 15 years when your best music features Illmatic productions re-written lyrics to the tracks.
6. Yelawolf – I’m a huge fan. He just signed to Interscope which only means one thing, either a 2013 record release or a 2013 contract release. Eminem collabo in 2011 though! And speaking of white emcees , just how fat is Sage Francis going to allow himself to get?
7. Brotha Lynch Hung’s Dinner & A Movie – This is the Chronic of horror core music. Yeah I said it!
8. Jay Electronica – Great rapper, great personality, great person. Having said that, if you don’t drop an album you’re going to be Saigon all over again. Remember Saigon? Yeah, never do we.
9. Joe Budden or Buddens – Why are you the most unlikable, annoying personality in hip-hop? It’s not jealousy. I think you’re actually a good lyricist but your voice in unlistenable after 2 minutes because all you seem to do is whine. You might have the sports references on lock, but you peaked. No way will you ever be anything more than a yenta talabenta. Stop whining. Stop with self-indulgent videos. Just stop.
10. Snoop Dogg – General question but after Doggystyle has ANYONE ever bought another Snoop Dogg album? Who even takes this clown serious?
