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Slum Village Fantastic Vol.2; GoodVibe, 2000
Beneath hip-hop’s surface, Fantastic Vol.2 changed the game. Wholly produced by then-SV-member J Dilla, it’s the precursor to the nostalgia-drenched grooves of groups such as Little Brother and Tanya Morgan. Though Dilla’s impeccable production has garnered the loudest acclaim, the verses on Fantastic Vol.2, voiced by villagers T3 and the Baatin, shine off their casualness and penchant for the most basic of content (skirt-chasing, money-wanting and the hunger for lyric-derived respect). It’s as easily enjoyable a listen now as it was a decade ago.
Atmosphere God Loves Ugly; Rhymesayers, 2002
Nowadays, the term “emo-rap” is used more as a diss than a big-up; yet, there’s no better way to describe Minneapolis duo Atmosphere’s God Loves Ugly. Fortunately, the record is incredibly dense and expertly made. Slug, Atmosphere’s rhyming half, pours his heart out over 18 melancholy instrumentals courtesy of beatmaker Ant. The mood is consistently dour; even the album’s sole he-gets-the-girl moment, “Hair,” ends in a deadly car accident. Remember, though, that some of the best art comes from pain.
Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz Kings of Crunk; TVT, 2002
Kings of Crunk may have come out on an indie, but Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz’s forth album made a major impact. Mostly off the back of 2002’s inescapable single “Get Low,” featuring the Ying Yang Twins, Lil Jon and his boys slung over 2 million copies of the album. YEEEEAH!
Little Brother The Listening; ABB Records, 2003
First, ?uestlove sang its praises; then, Pete Rock. Before the culture knew it, a trio of everyman purists from North Carolina (producer 9th Wonder rappers Phonte and Big Pooh) revitalized the old Native Tongues sound with this soulful, feelgood debut. From the breezy romance of “Nobody But You” to “Speed,” a vulnerable lamentation on life’s many stress factors, The Listening brought heads back to simpler times.
Madvillian Madvillainy; Stones Throw, 2004
Everything about Madvillainy is unconventional. It’s a meeting of two eccentric minds, producer Madlib and off-kilter spitter MF Doom, which plays by no rules other than its own. Twelve of the record’s 22 tracks clock in under two minutes; Madlib layers the beats with unidentifiable, and hypnotic, samples; and Doom dares listeners to decipher his lyrics (from “Meat Grinder”: “Grind the cinnamon, Manhattan warmongers/You can find the Villain in satin congas”…huh?). Six years later, we’re still mesmerized.
Cage Hell’s Winter; Def Jux, 2005
Prior to ’05, Chris “Cage” Palko’s music had been a disturbed blend of brutal metaphors and nightmarish concepts. Here, on his second solo effort, the once-troubled MC, clean off drugs and in a more analytical mindframe, shows off his complex songwriting skills. Cage’s takes on mind-bending horror (“Lord Have Mercy”), political lash-outs (“Grand Ol’ Party Crash”) and domestic tragedy (“Subtle Art of the Break-Up Song”) give Hell’s Winter an undeniable darkness, but his steady craftsmanship turns even the craziest of subject matter into must-hear hip-hop.
J Dilla Donuts; Stones Throw, 2006
Donuts is the quintessential “passion project.” Recorded while Dilla was home-stricken due to the blood disease TTP, this 31-track instrumental opus runs the gamut from haunting chamber music (“One for Ghost”) to emotive soul (“Time: The Donut of the Heart”), never abandoning the iconic producer’s knack for airtight sample-flips. Dilla passed away on February 10, 2006; Donuts, released three days before his final breathes, is the Detroit legend’s last official contribution to music. Needless to say, Dilla left this world at the peak of his artistry
Killer Mike I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind; Grind Time Official, 2006
After his falling out with OutKast’s Big Boi (Mike was once signed to the ATLien), Killer Mike started his own Grind Time Official record label. The label’s first release, the double-disc I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind was a sonic blueprint to hip-hop independence and a critical success.
Blu & Exile Below the Heavens; Sound In Color, 2007
Talk about an unexpected knockout punch. With little fanfare, Inglewood, California rapper Blu’s debut, produced entirely by fellow left-coaster Exile, floored all those who caught wind of it back in ’07. Blu’s insightful views and nimble wordplay combined with Exile’s rugged soul (think a DJ Premier/J Dilla hybrid) for one of the most cohesive and fully-realized albums in years, which remains the case three years after the fact.
Tech N9ne Killer; Strange Music, 2008
Dynamic by nature, Tech N9ne pushed his singular approach to hip-hop to a massive level with this 32-cut double LP, a high-octane whirlwind of bombastic production, intricate lyricism and accessible debauchery. And to think, this tour-de-force came from the inconspicuous Kansas City, Missouri underground scene. Killer is also notable for being the release that put Tech’s career sales mark over the one million hump, not to mention its brilliant cover artwork.
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