Rooster_Ties Posted August 13, 2003 Report Posted August 13, 2003 I'll throw some names out, of some artists who I find curiously interesting, enough that I'll almost always stop when I happen to see a video of theirs (while I'm flipping channels), or those rare times I'm in the car long enough to use the seek-n-scan button on the car radio -- and when there's nothin' on NPR . Macy Gray - Love that voice, and the groove is pretty nice at times too. Not a genre I ever listen to much, but there's something about her that I just can't figure out, but I keep wanting to try to figure out. Busta Rhymes - Strangest choice in samples. Am I right, isn't one tune entirely built on a snippet of strings from the soundtrack to "Psycho"??. Very "atonal" in some sense, that the music beds he raps over aren't at all easy to figure out, with totally non-obvious hooks. Also, amazingly interesting videos, if you want to talk pure visuals. Missy Elliott - Gotta hand it to any female pop star who can get to the top without using traditional sex-appeal to do it. Cool-as-hell videos too. Pink - Got that certain something, musically -- and of course a look that's both "really hot", "street", and "a little fuggly" - all at the same time. Not at all "trailor park" fuggly, but more "street punk" cute/fuggly. Public Enemy (a name from days gone by) - Love Chuck D's voice, and their use of samples is far more interesting than anything Puff Diddy ever could even dream of. I'm sure I'll come up with more names later. Quote
Noj Posted August 13, 2003 Report Posted August 13, 2003 (edited) Rooster, These might be of interest to you: Erykah Badu MAMA'S GUN--superior to Macy Gray on all levels, IMO. Check out the track "Bag Lady" which takes a beat previously used by a few others (including Dr. Dre) and makes it clearly her own. Ordinarily I find the recycling of samples not too cool, but Erykah is good enough to make it work. Her debut album is also great, and on her live album she successfully covers Chaka Khan which is no small task. Old Dirty Bastard RETURN TO THE 36 CHAMBERS: THE DIRTY VERSION--some of RZA's most intriguing sample work, combined with the totally off-the-wall antics of the insane but hilarious ODB. The track "Baby C'mon" is a personal favorite for its beat, which is beyond description. Bahamadia KOLLAGE--she is the best female rapper IMO. Beats by Premier, among the best producers. The track "Rugged Rough" is a personal favorite. N.E.R.D.--somewhat along Pink's rockish hip hop lines, but better... Aceyalone BOOK OF HUMAN LANGUAGE--a personal favorite, Acey has a lot of cool things to say and unique concepts, as well as tasteful sample work backing him up. Edited August 13, 2003 by Noj Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 14, 2003 Author Report Posted August 14, 2003 (edited) N.E.R.D.--somewhat along Pink's rockish hip hop lines, but better... Man, I saw a video by them/him once, set in a highschool basketball gym I think. Very cool tune - made me want to hear more. I think the tune was called "Rock Star", or at least I remember that phrase being in the chorus of the tune, rhymed with "cop car" I think. That guy Pharrell Williams (seems to be the lead singer and possibly the main creative guy behind "N.E.R.D") is real interesting, from what little I've seen/heard. Also saw him in a Snoop video recently, and some other rap video with P. Daddy and half-a-dozen other tougher looking rap dudes. You know, I like never buy any rap CD's, but there are particular tracks that grab my attention fairly strong, when I cross paths with them while flippin' up and down the wasteland that is cable-TV in this country. Edited August 14, 2003 by Rooster_Ties Quote
JohnJ Posted August 14, 2003 Report Posted August 14, 2003 Rooster Ties, the first Macy Gray album "On How Life Is" really is very good, well worth picking up. Some great, catchy soul songs and a wonderful voice, in a strange Billie Holiday sort of way. Highly recommended, and it is not a genre I listen to much either. Quote
Noj Posted August 14, 2003 Report Posted August 14, 2003 You know, I like never buy any rap CD's... Who'd waste $ on that stuff? Quote
BFrank Posted August 14, 2003 Report Posted August 14, 2003 I really enjoyed the 2 Neneh Cherry albums that I have. I don't think she's done anything new in quite a while, but those are worth checking out. Of course, being Don Cherry's step-daughter doesn't hurt. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 14, 2003 Author Report Posted August 14, 2003 (edited) You know, I like never buy any rap CD's... Who'd waste $ on that stuff? OK, I do own a handful of Beastie Boys CD's (3 or 4). And years ago I had a couple Public Enemy discs, though I must have passed them along to someone else at some point - cuz I haven't seen them in years (though I kinda wish I still had them now). But, I certainly wasn't meaning to suggest that these other genres weren't worthy of purchase. Just that over the last 5 years my interests have gone so strongly in the direction of jazz and 20th Century classical music, that I've just not done much impulse purchasing outside of jazz, classical, and the pop/rock music that I (and my wife) already know we like and/or love. But no, I'm certainly not bashing rap as a music-form, though like everything - there's both good and bad. By the title and subtitle of this thread, and meant to discuss pop/rap/rock music that we all like enough to be kinda interested in, but never enough to really go out and explore more fully - as in buying many CD's. Edited August 14, 2003 by Rooster_Ties Quote
Noj Posted August 14, 2003 Report Posted August 14, 2003 My intent wasn't to bust your chops, Rooster. I bought rap from about '89 to '95 and have scarcely bought it since, save a few top-tier artists. Jazz, funk, and soul dominate my spending. I am remotely interested in Radiohead and Tortoise but I have yet to invest in either. I do a lot of the old borrow and burn routine... Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 14, 2003 Author Report Posted August 14, 2003 Ok, another band who I've liked almost everything I've heard on the radio by (them), is... The Foo Fighters But I'd never dropped a dime to get any of their CD's. But if they had a "greatest hits" CD come out, I'd probably buy it that same week. Beck's another one. Cool stuff I've heard on the radio, and I even caught one of his wild-n-crazy shows about 2 years ago. Hell, it was one of the best 'rock' shows I'd ever been to, and was just plain 'fun' for days. But I've borrowed several Beck discs from a good friend of mine, and I can't ever get moved enough by them to go out and buy my own copies. Quote
JSngry Posted August 14, 2003 Report Posted August 14, 2003 Curiously interesting rap/pop/rock stars, fascinating, but not enough to buy on CD Uh, Alex? What is "all of them"? I got teenagers, cable, and a radio and/or TV in damn near every room of the house, to say nothing of letting the kids have plenty of radio-control in the car. No need to come to it. It comes to me. (and yeah, I like lots of it) Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 14, 2003 Author Report Posted August 14, 2003 No need to come to it. It comes to me. I hear ya, Jim - and that was my point in starting this very thead. There's a ton of music out there, of various and moderate degrees of interest to many of us, and we probably get to hear it (or in this day and age, to "see" it) with enough frequency that we have no need to buy the stuff. You know, cool stuff from genres that are otherwise not very high on our spending priority list. Quote
JSngry Posted August 14, 2003 Report Posted August 14, 2003 This is the kind of stuff I'll end up buying used a few years up/down the road (which one is it, anyway?) when the trends have changed and it's no longer omnipresent. I'll HAVE to come to it. In fact, I've been contemplating a Public Enemy binge for a while now. LOTS of stuff in the used bins these days. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted August 14, 2003 Author Report Posted August 14, 2003 (edited) Pink - Got that certain something, musically -- and of course a look that's both "really hot", "street", and "a little fuggly" - all at the same time. Not at all "trailor park" fuggly, but more "street punk" cute/fuggly. By the way, I wrote this description of Pink especially for you Sangry. I knew that if no one else did, at least you'd understand exactly what I was talkin' about. (just an IMG link to the AMG, so don't nobody flip out on me.) Edited August 14, 2003 by Rooster_Ties Quote
Soulstation1 Posted August 14, 2003 Report Posted August 14, 2003 the best public emeny cd is "it takes a nation of millions to hold us back" i really like terminator x (dj) in p.e. i have chuck d's and terminator's autographs. i saw them the the early 1990's p.e. in full effect, brotha Quote
jazzbo Posted August 14, 2003 Report Posted August 14, 2003 I think Pink. . . is pretty cool. And she got one of her songs on a car ad. . . that guarantees some rainy day money! Quote
jazzbo Posted August 14, 2003 Report Posted August 14, 2003 I confess to enjoying the new wife of Mariah Carey's ex's videos. . . for obvious reasons. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted May 5, 2006 Author Report Posted May 5, 2006 Just found Macy Gray's first album in a cut-out bin for $2. Not half bad (especially at that price). Quote
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