The Official DiS Hip-Hop Listening Club

Yeah - according to Discogs. And Phil Tha Agony is on Likwit Connection.
Weird hearing Xzibit on this for some reason.

playing catch up with this thread in the next few days

Got a weird relationship with Dilated Peoples so looking forward to expanding my horizons with this Defari

ah, that Dwight spitz album is sounding really good now. both of them have the doom connect, too.
yeah, can see the grandmaztaz ones as corny, but have enough decent wordplay to get away with it, for me.
good shout on compulsive being dilla-like, he caned the floaty synth that sounds like a theremin too. don’t reckon dilla would’ve had the beat so regular as compulsive though. he could do that, but when the rest of the music was more tense, too. I chat rubbish, after saying how loose the beats were on the stahhr album. loose, but not dilla loose :smile: remember saying a similar thing about a track on the gift of gab pick. compulsive sounds a bit like slum village ‘2u4u’, but these drums…

ha! I came at stahhr via john robinson and lewis parker :smile:

heard the stahhr/ king geedorah joint, but had forgotten.

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I really like ‘405 friday’s’, here. nice bit of scene-setting rap and lovely early-'70’s sample.

reckon this third round of picks has been my favourite so far, found something to like in all of them. good work everyone :slight_smile:

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Think this album leans a little more towards the likwit/alkaholiks sound than it does the dilated peoples, but it’s close. I def heard this around this time but didnt have it. Liking this a lot, been a while since i really dove into this era/sound.

Im really loving Juggle Me for whatever reason. Lowland’s Anthem is awesome too.

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Xzibit was fun with the Liks and such.

anyway this album has made me go back and try some Dilated Peoples and left me wondering how I ever stomached them. their stuff has not aged well at all. this defari lp is at worst when it’s fitting in with that sound but more often than not it’s hitting the right notes. would put this up there just after the best of the liks albums.

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Had a skip through The Platform just now. They had a few nice tracks, but it’s really of it’s time. That early 2000s DJ Premier aping production, cutting up a classic Mobb Deep/Phife/Jeru line in the chorus, with two very average MCs.

That lead me to the Lootpack album, which has aged way better IMO, although a similar issue in Wildchild and Madlib not being the greatest rappers.

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yeah def. the lootpack alb works cos madlib was his own force as a producer, had his own lane. and he also did enough weird stuff with his voice to make it sound more unique, added another dimension. quasimoto covered for a lot of average lyrical content lol.

Have given this a couple of listens all the way through. Often found Dilated Peoples albums a bit… boring? Felt like it should be my thing so I bumped em but never really loved em. I like this better on the whole. Defari is a solid MC and the production is pretty great. Feeling the first couple of proper tracks inc. the title track, Likwit Connection, Thunder & Lightning, Killing Spree, No Clue… A bunch of the tracks actually. Whole record could use some better hooks and he isn’t the most distinctive MC, but overall probably one of the better records I’ve heard from their Westcoast mini-scene

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yeah, I (as with the guys above) like a few DP tracks but for the most part found them a bit dull. they were solid enough rappers and had good producers but idk, always seemed to lack something. think I’d wrongly filed this album away as suffering the same problems so it’s been fun getting reacquainted with it.

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Alright, we’ve wrapped our 3rd round. Think we had a really nice set of picks, pretty varied in location and sound. Kinda interesting we haven’t yet had a pick that was released in the last 10 years. Here’s a recap of all the picks so far:

Round 1

Witchdoctor – A S.W.A.T. Healin’ Ritual
(1998 — Atlanta, Georgia) @ theShipment

Jean Grae - This Week
(2004 – Brooklyn, New York) @ AphexTwinkletoes

Count Bass D – Dwight Spitz
(2002 – Nashville, Tennessee) @ CHAIRMAN_LMAO

Lushlife - Cassette City
(2009 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) @ Antpocalypsenow

RBL Posse – Ruthless By Law
(1994 – San Francisco, California) @ Dan_S

Erick Sermon - Insomnia: The Erick Sermon Compilation Album
(1996 – Brentwood, New York) @ navajo

Odd Squad - Fadanuf Fa Erybody
(1994 – Houston, Texas) @ littlebirds

The Goats- Tricks Of The Shade
(1992 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) @ furryfan

Casual - Fear Itself
(1994 – Oakland, California) @ Jamos

Gift of Gab — 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up
(2004 – Sacramento, California) @ dollarsandcents

Round 2

Twista & The Speedknot Mobstaz — Mobstability
(1998 – Chicago, Illinois) @ theShipment

Reflection Eternal(Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek) – Train Of Thought
(2000 – Brooklyn, New York) @ AphexTwinkletoes

Mic Geronimo - The Natural
(1995 – Queens, New York) @ CHAIRMAN_LMAO

Wale - The Mixtape About Nothing
(2008 – Washington DC) @ Antpocalypsenow

Yaggfu Front - Action Packed Adventure!
(1994 – North Carolina) @ Dan_S

Aceyalone - All Balls Don’t Bounce
(1995 – Los Angeles, Californai) @ navajo

CYNE - Time Being
(2003 – Gainesville, Florida) @ littlebirds

Tommy Wright III - Runnin-N-Gunnin
(1995 – Memphis, Tennessee) @ furryfan

Young Bleed - My Balls and My Word
(1998 – Baton Rouge, Lousiana) @ Jamos

Round 3

The Conscious Daughters – Ear to the Street
(1993 – Oakland, California) @ theShipment

OutKast – Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
(1994 – Atlanta, Georgia)

Godfather Don & Kool Keith - The Cenobites LP
(1997 – Bronx, New York) @ CHAIRMAN_LMAO

Guerilla Maab - Rise
(1999 – Houston, Texas) @ coolerthantv

Blackout - Dreamworld
(1995 – Memphis, Tennessee) @ Dan_S

How High - Soundtrack
(2001 – New York, New Jersey) @ Antpocalypsenow

Queen Latifah - Black Reign
(1993 – Newark, New Jersey) @ navajo

The Last Emperor - The Legend of Bigfoot
(2002 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) @ littlebirds

StaHHr – Almost Neva Was
(2008 – Atlanta, Georgia) @ furryfan

Defari - Focused Daily
(1999 – Los Angeles, California) @ Jamos

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This week we’ll take a break so people can catch up.

Next Wednesday I’ll be starting a new thread for a more classic/canon round of picks and hopefully we can get some other users to join in and make some picks as well. I’m tagging a few users that have talked rap on DiS in the past and I thought might be interested: @Kallgeese, @Gert, @badmanreturns, @thought_dreams , @bornin69x, @kiyonemakibi, @Aggpass, @JaguarPirate, @keith, @incandenza
Would love to have any and all of you join in, or anyone else who may be lurking or wanting to wade into the discussions a bit. If you want in for the next round then hit me with a private message and I’ll jump you to the front of the queue.

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done a map of the picks so far

(hopefully that works)

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it is a massive thread, hence the reason for a new one with a fresh start! I’ll dm you the details.

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Alright in true DiS fashion, no list is complete without a poll. Pick your top three releases from each round. By the time the new thread kicks off we’ll have a champion from each round nominated (and maybe a runner up?). Having a poll favourite from each round could be another easier way for uninitiated folks to start checking out some of the releases.

Purely for fun, it’s not a competition, we’ve all dug in the crates in a very respectable manner and the thread has been great so far, every week. I’m glad I didn’t make any of my picks whilst drunk and pick Shaquille O’Neal or Riff Raff even though I have love for both because it would desecrate the list. Round two in particular is very, very strong.

As it’s catch-up week I’ll be casting my votes for round three once I’ve given Last Emperor, Defari and (checks spelling) StaHHr a fair airing; I hope others will do the same.

Taking people’s names off their picks because it’s no popularity contest, but try not to vote for your own pick eh. Also taken OutKast out because they were nobodies pick, more of an educational round; I’d vote we isolate Southernplayalistic out into it’s own category and highlight it as a thread-endorsed (sorry Aphex) recommended listen, along with the poll winners.

ROUND ONE

  • Witchdoctor - A S.W.A.T. Healin’ Ritual
  • Jean Grae - This Week
  • Count Bass D - Dwight Spitz
  • Lushlife - Cassette City
  • RBL Posse - Ruthless by Law
  • Erick Sermon - Insomnia: The Erick Sermon Compilation
  • Odd Squad - Fadanuf fa Erybody
  • The Goats - Tricks of the Shade
  • Casual - Fear Itself
  • Gift of Gab - 4th Dimensional Rocketships
0 voters

ROUND TWO

  • Twista & Speedknot Mobstaz - Mobstability
  • Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek are Reflection Eternal - Train of Thought
  • Mic Geronimo - The Natural
  • Wale - Mixtape About Nothing
  • Yaggfu Front - Action Packed Adventure!
  • Aceyalone - All Balls Don’t Bounce
  • Cyne - Time Being
  • Tommy Wright III - Runnin-n-Gunnin
  • Young Bleed - My Balls and My Word
0 voters

ROUND THREE

  • Conscious Daughters - Ear to the Street
  • Godfather Don & Kool Keith - Cenobites
  • Guerilla Maab - Rise
  • Blackout - Dreamworld
  • Method Man & Redman - How High OST
  • Queen Latifah - Black Reign
  • Last Emperor - Legend of Bigfoot
  • StaHHr - Almost Neva Was
  • Defari - Focused Daily
0 voters

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Also got a couple to catch up on for the third round but have voted for the first two

Got a bit more time atm so will try and participate yeah.

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Nevermind.

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some of these Last Emperor jams really sneak up on you eh. Had Caravan in my head all weekend

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Alright, we’re off and running:

We’ll fire this thread up again down the road.

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