Please use the thread to discuss the selections and inform everybody of your voting intentions. A poll will be added at a later date in order to tally votes, once everybody has had the opportunity to listen to all of the selections. If there are specific links to the albums or singles you have nominated (on Youtube, Spotify, etc.) that you would prefer voters to listen to, please post them in this thread. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
Last edited by Skinny on 03/16/2021 20:24; edited 1 time in total
I've always struggled with Kool Keith, a rapper I love in theory but often struggle with in practice. I've talked elsewhere about how much I love off-beat flows, but Keith's just feels at once a little silly and yet somehow quite lazy. He's a super imaginative writer, and I'm really glad there's been a place for him in hip-hop for as long as there has; dude was weird as fuck way before your favourite rapper was. Do I want to listen to him rhyme about beastial sci-fi sex surgery for an hour over sleepy boom-bap, though? Probably not. Again, I'm really happy we live in a world where this not only exists but has found a dedicated audience, but it's not my thing.
Moment of Truth is the most repetitive Gang Starr album. It's also the longest Gang Starr album. Don't get me wrong, I adore Gang Starr. I also know that Moment of Truth is generally regarded as the group's high-water mark, with Preemo's best selection of beats and some of the most focused rapping Guru ever managed, but in the process it somehow loses the playfulness displayed during their prior three-album run of greatness. I would take any of Step in the Arena, Daily Operation, or Hard to Earn over this. I just feel like... does every other song need mournful string section samples? It is an inherently less funky record than those that preceded it, and whilst it is still an incredible display of beats and rhymes, I find it a struggle to get through in one sitting.
By golly, there's been a lot of Project Blowed wordsoup rap in this tournament. Nobody else finds this stuff exhausting? Just me? Fair enough.
That Fondle 'Em album sounds great from the snippets I've heard. Big up Bobbito! He gave the world DOOM, after all.
'I Ain't Mad At Cha' is one of my favourite singles picks of this round. An excellent choice, made even better by the fact that it was a last-minute swap-in.
DJ Quik had already killed MC Eiht's career by this point, but I've always had a soft spot for Eiht. This sort of lurching g-funk is pure rap comfort food to me.
Both the 1998 singles are basically vehicles for very entertaining videos. It's crazy to me that the Beastie Boys were still doing that Run-DMC 'just shout the last syllable really loud' flow as late as 1998, though, and getting away with it. Maybe it's because they were a mid-'90s alt. rock band simply using hip-hop as there vessel of choice? We'll never know. I like the song a lot, though.
Good match-up. I probably prefer the 1996 singles, but I'm leaning towards the 1998 albums. Despite Moment of Truth being my fourth favourite Gang Starr album, it's still a really fucking good Gang Starr album.
Good match-up. Thoughts subject to change once I check out that Siah and Yeshua Dapo ED record in full. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
Let's get the third round going with Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst. What a weird -but at the same time very promising - way to start. The production maintains this cold, artificial, alien, minimal sound - at times it comes close to sounding too empty, but it never does, it manages to keep your interest throughout the whole running time of the album, not to mention there are tracks like I'm Destructive that provide a welcome -if not much needed- change of pace. His eccentric rapping requires a peculiar taste that I wanna say I possess, but the truth is I don't, not 100% at least, there are some parts where it gets tiring and I find myself losing attention. The lyrics, well, where do you even begin? A bit of comedy, science fiction, sophistication and non sense blended together in a unique, surreal construction ("The plane managed to land, the skeleton at the controls A place called the Twilight Zone Are extraterrestrials able to accomplish this? I will explain but you'd become more puzzled at the possibilities Earth ending trilogies, wacky stuff Like gas passing dinosaurs While I stroll in circles blindfolded Gave a lady some wrinkle cream out of rat poop You might just laugh so hard your skull cracks Brain spills thick blood shooting out like a champagne cork"). When it comes to highlights, Blue Flowers is simply impossible to ignore, a haunting beat accompanied by his highly distressing delivery ("Listen to your heartbeat—delete, beep, beep, beep! Your insurance is high, but my price is cheap"). Also, General Hospital has to be one of the greatest under 30 seconds tracks ever and a perfect sum up of the album.
To sum it up, approach with caution, but it's quite a ride and sets the bar quite high right off the bat. Plus, you have to give it some -many actually- extra points if you compare it with everything else that was going on in hip hop back then.
Next one is gonna be Siah and Yeshua Dapo ED - Siah and Yeshua Dapo ED.
Both the 1998 singles are basically vehicles for very entertaining videos. It's crazy to me that the Beastie Boys were still doing that Run-DMC 'just shout the last syllable really loud' flow as late as 1998, though, and getting away with it. Maybe it's because they were a mid-'90s alt. rock band simply using hip-hop as there vessel of choice? We'll never know. I like the song a lot, though.
Siah and Yeshua Dapo ED - Siah and Yeshua Dapo ED is a record I had no idea about, but it proved to be a pleasant surprise and the ideal counterpart to Dr. Octagonecologyst. They are like polar opposites in terms of sound and vibe, this is warm, jazzy, natural. I mean, androids are cool and stuff, but mankind had to strike back. The rapping was usually more than fine, though there were instances in the first couple of tracks where they were too energetic and somewhat distracting, maybe a more laid back "staying in the background" approach - that they follow much more during the next tracks - would suit the overall direction of the album better. Lyrics wise it definitely had some great moments, with the closing track A Day Like Any Other being a prime example of them ("I sighed, asked Si' why ride wit' no Idea where, sit your hide here There's no purpose on this ocean But to compare flow, maybe motion Overdosed in queer notion, almost a magic potion"), but the truth is I wasn't paying that much attention to them, this is clearly not the main focus of the album. Also, it felt refreshing that for once I'm left wondering whether this is too short, especially coming from a period of time when there was a tendency for double albums and almost everything was borderline too long.
To sum it up, I would rank this behind Dr. Octagonecologyst, but together they form a formidable team.
Next one is gonna be Gang Starr - Moment of Truth.
Gang Starr - Moment of Truth came out at a critical point in their career. On the one hand, they were on a hot streak, as the three albums that preceeded this achieved massive acclaim - and deservedly so. The production brings a twist to their typical sound, it combines hard hitting with a melodic sense. On the other hand, this was their first album in four years. The rapping is at the very least as good as in their previous attempts, no signs of declining at all. Plus, there are many great guests with Inspectah Deck easily being my favorite, head and shoulders above everyone else("Stand like Colossus, regardless to whom or what Numerous attempts on my life, so who to trust? Who but us to supply ya with the fire? The burnin' truth, 150 Absolut proof On the mic like Moses spoke in golden scribe Survivor of the oldest tribe whose soldiers died"). The lyrics are once again of their trademark high quality, covering a wide variety of themes ("They innocent, they know not what they face While politicians save face genius minds lay to waste If I wasn't kickin rhymes I'd be kickin down doors Creatin social change and defendin the poor" or "Yo, it doesn't make sense, for you to compete against This New York vibe that gets your whole body tense Calm down, listen to a brother who knows Cause the rappers out here come up with mad different types of flows" or "To my man G.O.V., I remember how you used to be You were the illest man alive now I'm reading your eulogy") . If there is one complaint to be made, it has to be the running time. You can really tell it's almost 80 minutes long, it struggles to justify its length.
To sum it up, I would rank this slightly behind Dr. Octagonecologyst, but ahead of Siah and Yeshua Dapo ED.
Next one is gonna be Aceyalone - A Book of Human Language.
Don't shoot me— just tossing my two cents out there— but I'm not too into either of these teams. The only thing on the '98 team that I like also happens to be an album I think is great, and that's Moment of Truth, which might just be the thing that gets my vote. I'm not into the Busta Rhymes or Beastie Boys tracks at all (if Intergalactic was released today it would probably be by The Lonely Island...), and the Aceyalone record kinda went in one ear and out the other a number of years back, but maybe it's worth another listen. As for the '96 team, everything is very lukewarm for me. I never settled into Dr. Octagonecologyst like many others have, I think the The Visualz EP is okay (although, I should go back and listen to it— I've only heard it as part of their larger comp, which may somehow hurt its conciseness), and the team's highlights for me are the singles, but I won't say I love either enough to sell me over Moment of Truth.
So yeah, just my opinion. I think the highs and lows here are carried by '98, and '96's entire team is floating in the middle. I'll have to mull over it, maybe relisten to some stuff, but I'm fairly impartial.
Aceyalone - A Book of Human Language is not an album I expected to be nominated, but I guess being surprised is cool no matter if it's a pleasant surprise or not. The production is top-notch. Despite jazz being a major influence in many hip hop albums, this manages to stand out rather comfortably. It fits my preferences, as It's more on the relaxed/chill/smooth end of the spectrum rather than the energetic/hard hitting, but so very funky at the same time. On the other hand, I can't say I've been a fan of his rapping, I struggle to follow him for more than a couple of tracks in a row, it's more of a personal thing, his style simply doesn't capture my attention. As a result, I can't say too much about the lyrics as well ("I never forget a face, especially yours Because the mirror is the only dimension without flaws") but you can't deny his rhyming skills ("Counting down the days boy closer to your doom Time keeper for the Reaper, the family heirloom Like staring at my grandfather clock inside my room It'll never miss a tick-tock, it strikes everyday at noon Every hour on the hour, it'll sing a tune Every half hour it'll croon and yell out at the moon You can't escape the master time, no one is immune The hands of time will grab you when the moments opportune"), plus I have to admit there are few rappers you can understand every single word even without being fully focused and Aceyalone is clearly one of them. Another thing this album has going for it is consistency, both in terms of sound/atmosphere and in quality, too. There are no disappointing lows - or exciting highs.
To sum it up, I would rank this as about equal to Moment of Truth - higher than Siah and Yeshua Dapo ED and lower than Dr. Octagonecologyst, meaning the albums' part of this matchup is more or less a stalemate and it's gonna come down to the singles.
My ranking for the singles:
1st:Busta Rhymes - Gimme Some More
Untouchable.
2nd: MC Eiht - Thuggin' It Up
Another irresistible pick, almost as enjoyable as the previous one.
3rd: 2Pac - I Ain't Mad At Cha (ft. Danny Boy)
I 'm definitely underrating it, it's just that I like the above two even more.
4th: Beastie Boys - Intergalactic
What is this doing here? Anyway, I guess it's more me than the track itself.
To sum it up, it's really close. Weren't it for Intergalactic, I would definitely go 1998. Right now abstaining seems the fair solution, but I've said that before and ended up voting anyway, so 1996 has a tiny lead that will most likely do the trick.
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