Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with hip-hop

Why am I so out of the loop with popular music?

Precision — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:01:21 -0800

Two part question: 1) What modern pop/hip-hop song has a very danceable beat and the word "melody" in it? It reminds me of "Down" by Jay Sean, but I don't think that's it. 2) How can I keep up to date on all these guilty-pleasure hip-hop singles? For part one, I think it's a pretty popular song? I have no idea. I hear it all the time at a shop near the college campus I live on. It's a guy singing (pretty sure, again), and has a real happy beat to it.

For part two: I'm quite the indie-hipster kid, and TV On The Radio and Sonic Youth get regular plays on my iPod. But I hear songs like "Down" by Jay Sean and other similar songs and rather enjoy listening to them when doing work late at night. Are there any blogs that keep up with this stuff? Like, upbeat, danceable, hip-hop music that's not too dirty? Doesn't need to be "clean", just needs to not distract me from working. My usual channels for finding new music are the usual indie-kid sources.

Yeah, I have no shame.

Not your grandma's Schumann records: give me piano bands that will rock my face off.

JaiMahodara — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:37:13 -0800

I'm looking for piano-based rock bands that rock really, really hard. I've seen this question, but I'm specifically looking for bands - not songs - that are led by a badass, hard-rocking pianist, like the Led Zeppelin of piano rock.

I love Ben Folds, Fiona Apple, Brad Mehldau...and suggestions in this genre are certainly welcome as well, but I'd love to find bands leaning more towards punk, heavy metal, hip-hop, or any hard-rocking, unconventional bands that are piano driven.

Bring me audio ecstasy, hive mind.

Has the Akira Soundtrack been Sampled in Hip-hop?

rubyeyo — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:24:53 -0800

I am curious if anyone is familiar with any sampling of the Akira Soundtrack. It seems like it would be ripe for the picking, but I have yet to hear anything sampled?

Classical/dance music crossovers?

gwenlister — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:10:22 -0800

I like pop/hip-hop/R&B/dance songs with samples from easily recognized classical pieces but that tie together smoothly (ie. "When I get you alone" by Thicke). I prefer if the end result has a fast-ish tempo. Any suggestions?

Needing hip hop love songs

pumpkin11 — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:03:15 -0800

Looking for hip-hop/rap love songs along the lines of the International Players' Anthem by Outkast (cute, sweet, but still funny and an actual rap song) to put on a mixtape for my significant other. Other songs that would fit on the tape:

Hey Ma- Cam'Ron

Paris, Tokyo - Lupe Fiasco

Thanks so much for your suggestions!!

Help me identify this song: instrumental violin hip-hop.

archagon — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 23:05:35 -0800

What is the song in this video? Sounds like some sort of string-based (violin?) instrumental hip-hop.

Hip-hop Flash 6 Degrees of Separation Program?

mhuckaba — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:00:37 -0800

I remember seeing a flash "6-degrees of separation" simulation for Hip-Hop/Rap artists, probably 2-3 years ago. Is this still around? You'd click on 1 artist, and then a new set of connections would open from that artist to a new series of artists/families. I'd love to find this again, so I can become familiar with new rappers that are similar to my favorites.

What's the song in that UK CSI advert?

cowbellemoo — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:49:16 -0800

CSI and CSI Miami reruns are being advertised on a UK Cable station with an urban/hip-hop song filled with a neat trumpet refrain. What is that song? I didn't pay attention to what station(s) was running the advert, but I've had the trumpet bit in my head since I returned to the States. I've tried adtunes.com as well as other advert searches, google, and absolutely no luck.

All I remember:

Seemed to be an advert for reruns, not original airings, of CSI: Las Vegas and CSI: Miami. A yellow graphic would outline the main characters in a freeze frame and display a cutsie gangster nickname, like Gil "The Brain" Grissom or whatever. All during that cool trumpet refrain. There were some muted hip-hop lyrics nearing the end of the commercial, so I think it's urban/hip-hop/rap and not a more traditional brass-instrument genre. Was playing 2 weeks ago on Virgin cable.

Halp?

Looking for an alt hip hop song...

weirdoactor — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:55:34 -0800

Searching for an alternative hip-hop song, I believe called "Witness Protection" sung by two white dudes... Lyrics include talk about weed, veggie pizza, and missing his girlfriend and dog. My google-fu has no power here, and it's driving me nutty. Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllppppp!

My First Beatmaking Set-up

jeffmshaw — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:22:43 -0800

What software, audio files and other equipment does a novice who is interested in making hip-hop beats need? Cost is a factor. I have a laptop: what is the best starter package of beatmaking technologies that would enable someone to make their first beats?

Looking for awesome hip-hop mashups

Afroblanco — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:18:36 -0800

Where can I find some awesome hip-hop mashups? For most of my life, I've been sorta "meh" on the whole hip-hop thing. However, all of this changed when one of my friends introduced me to The Kleptones' "A Night at the Hip-Hopera" and DJ Dangermouse's "The Grey Album." It turns out that a part of my brain responds ecstatically to high-quality hip-hop set to music that I love.

What blogs/websites/DJs should I be familiar with? Sites with downloadable material are especially appreciated.

Also - as a side note - does anybody know of a good (Windows) utility for downloading MP3s from blogs? Winamp has a feature that's supposed to do this, but it never works for me.

get out of my head baby dango!

kidsleepy — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:24:24 -0800

ObviousFilter: What current hip-hop song has a chorus that goes "I'm rich, can't help the money I spend, (something something) car I'm driving..."? I thought this was a popular enough song, as I've heard it on the radio a half dozen times in the past two weeks. However, googling "I'm rich"+"can't help the money I spend"+lyrics returns only one hit, and it's somebody else asking what song it is! I've looked up the top ten hip-hop singles on Billboard.com and listened to clips from ALL of iTunes top 100 downloaded hip-hop/rap songs, and I've got nothing. Please PLEASE help me get this song out of my head!

Hip-hop stuff to do in NYC

seeminglee — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:12:22 -0800

The 17-year-old son of a friend from Austria is into hip-hop. He'll be visiting NYC on 7-10 December and wants to know how to find out about concerts, venues, etc. Can anybody tell me the relevant websites to send him to?

Help me get my Seattle crunk on!

mattr — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 16:32:30 -0800

I have a spare morning in Seattle (and surrounds) on Saturday morning - and I want to buy some hip-hop/rap vinyl, some mix CD's, and maybe some t-shirts. Where can I look? I've been to a few record shops, but they have been mainly indie/rock - and have been excellent, but I'd really like to buy some hyphy tunes, and some more mainstream urban music before I return to the UK.

Bonus points if I can park, its in a safe area and I can get clothing there as well - I really would like some giant sized hip-hop shirts to wear back in the UK!

Identify this hip-hop song please?

phyrewerx — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 22:17:48 -0800

Does this hip-hop song ring a bell? It was produced in the last two years. It talked talked about either dead rappers, or famous rappers. The style of music was similar to those by K-OS or Common. Please hope me?

Need help naming that tune

ehamilt0n — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 17:10:14 -0800

Does anyone know what song that is a remix of either the Mike Jones song "Know What I'm Saying" or has a sample of the hook in the song. It's kind of a clubby / workout type of song.

Hip-hop compilations released in the UK

Prospero — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 08:38:28 -0800

A question about the "Back to the Old School" line of hip-hop compilations published by Castle Music UK. Castle Music publishes a series of hip-hop compilations entitled "Back to the Old School", and these compilations really don't have an equivalent in the US--two- and three-disc sets, each dedicated to a particular group or artist, with all the tracks remastered and full length, a good mix of essentials and ephemera. I'm having a lot of trouble finding out which artists are featured in this line, though: the two that I've found so far are the two-disc set for the Sugar Hill Gang (which contains the nearly fifteen-minute version of "Rapper's Delight"), and the three-disc set for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The box art for the Grandmaster Flash set indicates that there are a total of six releases in this line, but there are only images of the covers, not album titles, and the images are so very, very tiny that I can't clearly make them out.

So if there are six releases in the "Back to the Old School" line, what are the other four, besides the two I mentioned above?

Essential Old-School Hip-Hop

Dantien — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 08:27:49 -0800

Good Old School Hip-Hop I'm looking for particularly good Hip-Hop from the early years (80s). I've been listening to Kurtis Blow and Afrika Bambaataa as well as the occasional Sppony G and Treacherous Three song. I like the speed rapping, as well as a sucker for a good sample, but there aren't great guides as to what ELSE to listen to. Thoughts? Essentials? Desert Island discs?

What are some positive hip hop songs to play for my 7th and 8th graders?

allthewhile — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 22:23:13 -0800

Hip Hop Mix CD Filter - What are some positive/inspirational hip hop songs to play in my 7th and 8th grade classroom? Urban Chicago Kids so please nothing "lame". It doesn't necessarily have to be something they've heard before or even something popular. I just want some authentic hip hop with a positive message that I can play in my classroom. Something along the lines of Nas' "I Can" is what I'm looking for in terms of message.

I can edit out vulgarity but it would be easier just to have songs that are "radio edits".

Hot Hip Hop Podcasts

SweetJesus — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 16:38:19 -0800

I need good hip hop Podcasts... I collect and listen to a lot of hip hop, and I've started to get into Podcasting ever since I found out that Diplo had started doing one. The problem is, I can't seem to separate out the good from the bad with just Itune's awful search feature, and I don't have time to wade through all of them myself. I know there are some hip hop heads that lurk on Mifi, so hook me up.

I currently subscribe to: Avatar Records, Braggin' Rights Radio, ExtravaGangster, Goodshit Hip Hop from Oslo, the IndieFeed cast, Mad Decent, Stones Throw Records and The Mixtape Show.

I'm looking for: Pretty much anything, with an emphasis on local underground, foreign, rare or strange hip hop.

Arg!!!

Jon-o — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 20:52:41 -0800

This might be kind of vague but... There was a hip-hop/rap act that was a one hit-wonder about 6 years ago. This group was really into being from the south and their video featured them in a large feild with tractors in the background. Another promintent image from the video was the St. Louis Arch. One of the members was really husky and they were all wearing overalls or something.

Damn! Who were they??

It's 1986, I'm in the first grade, I'm working really hard to get Mario laid

dihutenosa — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 02:38:29 -0800

I'm looking for some nintendo-hop. Gangster shit a plus. Okay, so here's the deal. I'm looking for some hip-hop/rap that sounds, in some way or another, like oldschool games/chiptunes/nintendo music. The actual lyrical content is less important than the instrumental - i.e. I want it to sound like somebody's rapping over a nintendo game, or something close.

So far I've got a few collected, but I'm looking for more. I'm not looking for anything gimmicky or parody-style, unless the artist has some serious skills.

Also acceptable are songs that are just kinda retro synth-y, or to a random passerby would sound "like nintendo music". I'd prefer underground artists, as I'm gonna be contacting these artists for a project I'm working on. Anyone have any reccomendations, or better yet, mp3s?

I know about Warp to World 6-9, so that's out.

Who rhymed, "I heard your record and I don't believe a word of it"?

haqspan — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 11:07:33 -0800

Hip-hop filter: What rap song has a chorus that goes something like, "I heard your record and I don't believe a word of it." [MI] Years ago while listening to the Stretch Armstrong show in New York City at 3am he played a song with a chorus that went something like, "I heard your record and I don't believe a word of it." This was the mid-90s, so it had a head nodding beat, and the rapper had a raspy voice that was similar to Xzibit. The song was about how unnamed rappers weren't as tough as their rhymes said they were. Googling around has done me no good, and I don't think it was actually Xzibit. What say you MeFites?

What's the etymology of "gully"?

matteo — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 17:59:20 -0800

What's the etymology of "gully" (as in "street", "badass")? Thanks.

Middle-aged Man Needs More Rap

captainscared — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 18:32:44 -0800

MusicFilter: I have pretty eclectic tastes. From old-time country to heavy metal. Though lately it occurs to me that I have a severe rap and hip-hop deficiency in my musical diet. I know almost nothing. What singles would you say are ESSENTIAL listening? I'd like to be able to download a wide range of songs from the iTunes store before I get in to albums. Thanks.