Gangsta rap....

SimonAH wrote:

When I referred to white teenagers pretending to be black teenagers I should have been a little more specific, apologies for the width of the brush. What I meant specifically was white teenagers adopting the mannerisms, speech patterns, dress and 'bling' that they associate with black US gang culture. A group of white kids with jailing trousers, gold chains, sideways basesball caps hanging around passing a joint whilst referring to each other as 'Homes' on a street corner in Stevenage is more what I was referring to.

In London that isn't really the case, its just the way teenagers who live in multiracial communities talk. Its quite distinct from "black US gang culture". Not sure about how it is in Stevenage though.

I'm not calling anyone racist.

SimonAH wrote:

When I referred to white teenagers pretending to be black teenagers I should have been a little more specific, apologies for the width of the brush. What I meant specifically was white teenagers adopting the mannerisms, speech patterns, dress and 'bling' that they associate with black US gang culture. A group of white kids with jailing trousers, gold chains, sideways basesball caps hanging around passing a joint whilst referring to each other as 'Homes' on a street corner in Stevenage is more what I was referring to.

I'll sit down now.

Where do you draw the line between adopted culture and the actual culture that they were born into?

My thoughts lean towards a child born on the 7th floor of a block of flats who exudes what we identify as urban culture that others would call 'acting black'.

Is Kenneth (sorry "K") 'acting black' or just exhibiting the speech and mannerisms of his peers?

'Black culture' is the dominant culture of yoof and has been for ages, no matter where you live. Spraying 'Crenshaw' on a wall in Stevenage just means that they have been watching Boyz 'N' Tha Hood (more likely than Menace II Society but that is also possible) and they were probably directed there after playing GTA.

And calling each other 'Homes', 'Homie' or Homeboy means they were apeing American black culture (from watching films) rather than black British culture, in which case they would have been calling each other 'Blud' or 'Fam'. Thus reinforcing what I said about watching Boyz 'N' Tha Hood, Menace II Society and Belly (starring Nas).

Which brings me back to the music. WRT Gangsta Rap, a very white, middle/upper class girl I know said of Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None) on Snoop's Doggy Style album that she "hates what he says, but I (she) loves the way he says it". She was doing a degree in Women Studies or some other form of yoghurt knitting.

Jean Grae and The Herbalizer (two separate artists but they have worked together) are both good.

I would suggest picking an artist that you like (or have been recommended to listen to) and do a Youtube search then listen to the other tracks that come up in the listings as they are usually related. I've found all sorts of interesting things that way.

Chadders81 wrote:

You've really got to listen to some of the Wu Tang's solo stuff. It is AMAZING.

My favourite albums are Ghostface - Ironman, Method Man - Tical, GZA - Liquid Swordz and Raekwon - Only Built for Cuban Linx.

.

Winter Warz is my all time favourite Wu track. I have to say Cappadonnas The Pillage is my favourite solo album

DJ Quik

Genius!!

I would certailnly recommend the Wu solo work too, Ironman, Only Built, Liquid Swordz, Tical are all great but I also enjoyed Return to the 36 chambers by ODB, bit out there but still a great album. Raekwon's Immobilarity and GFK's Supreme Clientele.

Jurassic 5 are also a great old-school type but some real nice songs.

While not Gangsta as such I would recommend Talib Kweli and Lupe Fiasco (quite a few videos on youtube of both) both of who are part of the more enlightened group of artists doing the rounds.

People might laugh at this but as much as I dislike what 50Cent has become his first album still stands the test of time (to me) but I wouldn't listen to anything after that.

All of this talk of Gangsta Rap is making me nostalgic and I'm thinking of making a CD.
GTV, if I do make a CD, shall I send you a copy?
PM me your address if the answer is 'Word'.

I do love Ante Up by M.O.P. but I have recently discovered this video, which I think is excellent.

The remix featuring Busta Rhymes is good too.

Edit: Talking more about hiphop generally here. I don't dig on the term 'Gangsta'.

Don't be fooled into picking up those 'classics' people bang on about. NWA, Cypress Hill, Dr Dre's The Chronic etc have not withstood the test of time. Absolute garbage imo and the kind of stuff that gives rap a bad name. We've moved on a lot since then. A lot of the big names produce some awful stuff. Has it's place in history but thats where it should remain. This is the best thing to come out of that period... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7LzUSWg ... re=related

Nas - Illmatic, Stillmatic, Distant Relatives (With Damian Marley) and God's Son... for starters. Nas is the man in my opinion. My favourite MC and pure quality.

If you like Wu...my fave affiliate album is Heavymental by Killah Priest. Wu Tang Forever is good and so is Iron Flag. Liquid Swords is widely regarded as the best Wu album released. RZA stuff is worth a look too. Best Wu Tracks? Triumph, Impossible and Hollow Bones. Btw, ODB (RIP) was by far the worst Wu MC. His solo album was one of the worst things I'd ever heard.

Kanye's albums are all excellent.

British stuff - Ty - Awkward, Upwards and Closer and Roots Manuva - Brand New Second Hand. I didn't rate his follow ups.

Lupe Fiasco - Can't go wrong until Lasers which is poor.

Guru's Jazzamatazz series and work with Gang Starr. Get Full Clip.

West Coast - Blackalicious, Jurassic5, Latryx, Lyrics Born. Quannum Spectrum is a great album. Folow all the affiliates if you like any of the above as they're of the same style.

French!? MC Solaar! Prose Combat is best.

Mos Def and Talib Kweli.

Find what you like and follow the related artists until you're ready for something new.

If you want somewhere to get a taster... here is the holy grail ... http://www.datpiff.com/ most searches for more mainstream/gangsta will turn up results here. There's hundreds of Nas mixtapes for example but nothing for the Jurassic5 type stuff cus its for wimps There are some good Wiz Khalifa tapes there. All free and legal and many good ones. That Wu vs Beatles one is there I think. Which is quality.

Oh and you'll need this for translations! http://www.urbandictionary.com/ now you know what a Pinky Ring is!

Oh and yeh... I'm a wigga too! Living in West Wales y'all! Peace.

Paul E wrote:

I could think of better things to go back to listening to than that, some of the very early stuff is okay beat wise, the rest is just people with zero talent talking total sh!te who can program a drum machine

Example?

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Paul E wrote:

I could think of better things to go back to listening to than that, some of the very early stuff is okay beat wise, the rest is just people with zero talent talking total sh!te who can program a drum machine

If you don't like it, don't listen to it. No-one is forcing you.

However, whilst exercising your freedom of choice, think of me who will be forced to endure English folk music this weekend.
I shall be loading my brain up with Taskforce and The Roots today in preparation for a musically very long weekend.

I know and I am glad no one forces me, sames as folk music and country and western, anything else though is good to go

The early stuff when it was anger against repression, police brutality was fine as the music had heart and a message, after that and it went commercial it lost something and held no weight for me. is that a better way of putting it?

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Paul E wrote:

I could think of better things to go back to listening to than that, some of the very early stuff is okay beat wise, the rest is just people with zero talent talking total sh!te who can program a drum machine

If you don't like it, don't listen to it. No-one is forcing you.

However, whilst exercising your freedom of choice, think of me who will be forced to endure English folk music this weekend.
I shall be loading my brain up with Taskforce and The Roots today in preparation for a musically very long weekend.

Now who's being dismissive? I'm sure you could learn to love The Unthanks for example.

EDIT: Check out The Imagine Village as well if you like a bit of social comment in your lyrics.

Lol thats brilliant. MC's ran out of things to comment upon in the mid 90's and have been freewheeling ever since is it?! A whole world of artists with nothing left to say?

By the way, don't dismiss Kanye as being vacuous. He gives interesting commentary in a lot of his tracks. Kanye isn't just Gold Digger and Lupe Fiasco isn't just Kick Push. They're just what makes it into the UK singles charts.