Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with hiphop

Need inspiration for hip hop dance moves and music.

AV — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:51:09 -0800

Help me win a dance-off at my hip hop class next week - or at least not make a fool of myself. Need inspiration for dance moves and music. I’m taking a beginner’s hip hop class and the instructor announced that we will be having a dance-off next week. We’ve been given choreography up to a point and we’re supposed to come up with our own ending. We can pick our own music.

I’m quite up to the challenge, but as my dance background is in ballet I’m needing some inspiration for finishing the routine. Also, scrolling through my mp3s it occurs to me that all my hip hop is at least five years old. I’m hoping you can point me to videos (music videos, tutorials, whatever) of some good dance moves and to some hip hop music to do the routine to that isn’t as outdated as what I’ve got now. Or anything really.

Make me a comprehensive rap music mixtape, 1986 to 2009.

kensington314 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:37:25 -0800

If you could pick one rap song for every year, what would those songs be? I'll take individuals suggestions or entire lists. I'm looking at 1986 to 2009. A friend wants an "introduction to rap music" sort of mix CD. I was just going to copy a James Brown album for her, but I decided the best survey would be to pick one song for each year, and make sure I got all the regional diversity in there. Mainstream rap, indie rap, whatever.

I've got my ideas but thought you all might have better ones.

Bonus question: what is an iconic rap album cover or other image that you would use for a mixtape cover? Something that really sums up the music in some way.

Chappelle's sexual reference

i'm being pummeled very heavily — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:55:52 -0800

A few years back, I was watching The Chappelle Show and Chappelle, during one of his monologues, made a reference to a sexual act, using a word that I was not familiar with. I assumed the word came from hip-hop subculture. He followed up by saying something to the effect of, "I love using nasty words that white people/FCC don't know yet. They have no idea how dirty I'm being when I say _______ ." Does anyone remember what that word was and what it means? Sorry I can't recall the season or the episode or more context.

Just for a minute, how do you think I feel about what's been going on?

cashman — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:21:20 -0800

Looking for rap songs with repeating sped up vocal samples from almost an entire verse or multiple verses of a song. That don't involve Kanye West. I'm looking for raps like these, where artists use a sped up sample (a couple of sentences or different spliced in verses from a song) early and often throughout a track, with great success.

-Royce 5'9 - Give up the guns employs entire verses from The Buoys - Give up your guns.
-Black Milk - Losing Out samples big chunks of verses from The Alan Parsons Project - Let's Talk About Me.
-Tanya Morgan - Stay Tuned uses a lot of sections from Barbra Steisand & Barry Gibb - Guilty again and again.

I love the recontextualizing, and I'm looking to make a mixtape of these. It's those rap songs where you listen to it so many times and its so well done that finally you have to find and listen to the song was sampled. Then playing the original song has some kind of audio stereoscopic effect where you hear the original in real life while the new creation plays along in your head. Then eventually you make playlists with the original followed by the recreation.

No Kanye please, I am familiar with his work.

In search of beats.

the foreground — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:45:02 -0800

What has happened to the instrumental hip hop scene? The only current producer "pushing things forward" in long player format that I know of is Flying Lotus. Who are the contemporary heirs to DJ Shadow, Prefuse 73 and Madlib? I read something today on Slate about the golden age of hip hop that made me think about this question and how a few years back there seemed to be tons of new instrumental beat albums coming out on a regular basis and new, exciting producers to get into making full albums of stuff in all different directions. It seems as though producers in this very broad style make one or two brilliant albums and disappear, or move on to more song based stuff like Bibio and RJD2. I'm already familiar with dubstep producers like Burial whom I enjoy, and of course the Ninja Tune and Warp labels, but I am looking for more up and comers to check out that you could firmly place in the instrumental (doesn't have to be entirely) hip hop genre, although I would be interested in hearing of electronic/experimental producers that incorporate hip hop breaks too. Thanks!

Intergalactic hip hop, where are you?

slappy_pinchbottom — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:52:02 -0800

Can you point me toward some slammin' science fiction-themed hip hop? Specific tracks would be best; for example, I know that MF Doom and Kool Keith in his various incarnations both play with SF, but I don't know where to look in their sizable oeuvres for the best examples.

I have an hour of radio to fill on this theme, so all suggestions welcome! (I've got MC Frontalot pretty much covered, btw.)

It's Business Time

kathrineg — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:20:31 -0800

Most interesting hip-hop, country, and pop of the 2000s? Songs that made you say whaaa? In a good way or a bad way.

Innovative or just weird.

EXTRA BONUS if they have associated dances! Because I like to dance.

(I am asking this question because I have been really out of touch with the zeitgeist since I graduated from high school in 2001 and there has been another thread recently that covered the other genres I like)

More podcasts like Ill Doctrine?

callmejay — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:22:55 -0800

I want more podcasts/vidcasts like Ill Doctrine. I find Jay Smooth entertaining, thoughtful, and emotionally and intellectually intelligent at the same time. Who else would I like?

Need not be related to hip-hop, although it certainly could be.

Help me remember a song...

jpburns — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:51:49 -0800

Help me remember a rap/hip hop song from the early 2000s that listed a bunch of black girls names in the chorus ("Shenika, Felicia, Shirvana...") done by some (I'm guessing here) Atlanta-based group? Maybe Lil Jon or Ying Yang twins? Thanks in advance.

Ironic R&B/hip-hop?

miriam — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:47:22 -0800

I'm preparing a lesson on irony and I'd like to illustrate the concept with a song. Problem is, my students are more interested in R&B and hip-hop than in my boring old-person rock and roll. Can you name some (fairly current) R&B/hip-hop songs that use irony? I'm thinking, like, "Born in the USA"-style irony -- nothing too subtle.

Anyone know of a hiphop song that goes "I smoke marijuana, listen to Nirvana"?

ascetic — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:05:12 -0800

I heard a song on the radio, and I only remember two lines. The lines are "I smoke marijuana, listen to Nirvana." It was a hip-hop song, I'm pretty sure the artist is unsigned. Anyone know?

Listen to the album, cuz it's bangin'

orville sash — Sat, 30 May 2009 09:28:10 -0800

Where can I get ahold of hip hop mixtapes? I'm a reasonably knowledgeable hip hop fan, but every time I read about a new album, the reviewers say something to the effect of "this album is a lot better/worse than the mix tape they put out 6 months ago." How/where do I find these mix tapes? Where do I need to look?

Looking for Country and Rap/Hip Hop songs NOT in 3/4 or 4/4 time...

querty — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:18:50 -0800

Looking for Country and Rap/Hip Hop songs NOT in 3/4 or 4/4 time... Bonus points if you can find me a Gangsta-Rap song in crazy time signatures. Is there such thing?

Intense breaks + soft music = ???

azarbayejani — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:02:13 -0800

Breakfilter: Help me find songs that have similar drum breaks to You Got Me by The Roots. I've kind of been obsessed with this song for a few days. I'm talking about the drums that come in at around 3:30. To be more specific, it's not just the drums that attract me, but the drums set in such a laid back, jazzy background.

So basically I'm looking for some chill, jazzy hip-hop or trip-hop music that has some intense breaks in it. I like that contrast.

Side Question: What other hip hop groups use live instrumentals?

Girl Give me Phone Number, but Forgets Area Code.

Risiko — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:42:40 -0800

Amazing girl I meet at a show gives me her phone number, but forgets to give me the area code. Main problem: I barely know anything about her - not even her name. How can I get in touch? At a hip-hop show, drinking a little bit, meet girl on dancefloor, we enjoy ourselves immensely (ahem). Show ends, after some light chit-chat I head out (a couple of her friends seemed protective and annoyed at me...there seemed to be no opportunity to pursue our connection any further), and to my surprise, she chases me down (a couple blocks later), catches up with me. She gives me her number. I tell her I'll call her soon. Big Problem: She forgot to give me her area code. Fast forward a few days later, I try the number she gave me with the logical (local) area code, and it isn't her (instead of a girl w/ a Mexican accent, I get a housewife with a husband and kids - funny story). After some time though, I try about a dozen more area codes that are nearby (Northern California), all I get are dial tones and one business office (and a couple pagers, apparently) - none are actually her.

My main thoughts: Either she gave me the wrong 7-digit phone number (incredibly unlikely), or the area code for her phone is from some other part of the country.

Anyone know of a way to get in touch with her? There are no phone books for cell phones I'm sure.

The only information I have about her: She lives in Woodland, CA...which is a smalltown about 10 miles down the road from my college town of Davis. That's all, though.

I'm out of ideas. Anyone else with some?

I've at least learned a lesson - doublecheck to make sure I've got an area code next time...

Help me find widely ranging podcasts

reenum — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:22:05 -0800

Looking for variety of different podcasts or radio shows to listen to. Please give me many recommendations. After a lot of experimentation, I've found out what I like in a podcast.

1. Documentary podcast: A podcast where people tell stories to give more insight into the news or culture, a la This American Life, BBC Documentaries, and to a lesser extent, B-Side Radio. I'm not really into podcasts that primarily do reporting, such The World or 60 Minutes.

2. Music podcasts: I like percussive, drum based music like afrobeat and hip hop. I also like gentle low-key music like bossa nova and chillout. I loved Radio Freetown, but it seems to be on hiatus or off the air. I also like WEFUNK.

3. Comedy podcasts that touch on many topics: I love You Look Nice Today and Widely Ranging Interests. Need more like these.

Any suggestions as to what I need to add to my playlist?

Something To Ride To

cashman — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:34:51 -0800

Trying to find good music with end-of-the-song refrain loops. I'm trying to find good songs like Tupac's "Lost Souls" where at the end of the song the refrain gets repeated again and again. Scarface & The Product also have a song called "G Type" that is an ideal type of this. The last 45 seconds of the song is the music playing and the repeat of the refrain and it sounds like it could go on forever.

Sia's "Where I Belong" does this as well - the last 1:42 is the refrain repeated again and again, sung in different ways.

I might loop the file so it goes on for a half hour, I'm not sure yet, but I'm looking for good songs like this.

I'm wanting to avoid metal, country or r&b if possible. Whatcha got for me hive mind?

What song was this?

FatherDagon — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:37:18 -0800

Looking for the title/artist of a conspiratorial hip-hop track from the mid-90s. I had a collection of mid-90s hip hop b-sides a while back, and it contained one cut that was all about wild conspiracy business - the Illuminati, the Bilderberg Group, water flouridation, alien invasion, the whole nine. The music was kind of a playful yet ominous loop, I think it was string instruments or something like. It definitely wasn't Immortal Technique, altho I know he gets pretty conspiratorial at times. I believe there were three or four different lyricists throughout the song. Anyone have any ideas? I'd most likely recognize the artist/song name if I saw it, but for the life of me I cannot remember.

Bassy rap music plz

oxala — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:31:41 -0800

Recommendations for upbeat 90's rap music driven by strong, prominent bass lines? Stuff like this and this. I'd prefer mainstream sounding 90's stuff with similar production to the two linked tracks, but modern or older examples are fine. Must be high tempo and the lesser known the better - one hit wonders and obscure stuff are great. Cheers!

At this point I may just be imagining it...

menace303 — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:05:57 -0800

Name That Song: I could have *sworn* that the Staple Singers "Lets do it again" was sampled by someone in Hip Hop a while ago. I'm talking about the string part that starts about 1:50 in this video. I can't for the life of me find it! Any Ideas?

He/She/It Ain't No Joke

papayaninja — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:43:21 -0800

What are some hip-hop songs in the form of a third-person narrative? I like/love a lot of hip-hop music. Most of my friends do not. I played Paid In Full, and besides Eric B's occasionally annoying turntablism, my friend was particularly not happy with the lyrical content: "I'm the best rapper ever, and you are not" and its variants. That's pretty much the whole of that album, and a lot of other rap also.

He brought up the point that there is a ton of first person rap, but basically no stories about other people, a la the Beatles' Rocky Raccoon or Bowie's Ziggy Stardust. So, are there any?

I could think of some Beastie Boys (who he dislikes for other reasons) and Common's "I Used to Love H.E.R." which is really a first person story, but tells 'her' story anyway.

What else is there?

Give me knowledge with a side of head nodding

reenum — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:48:06 -0800

I need intelligent hiphop/rap with good beats. Any recommendations? I was a huge hip hop head back in the day. I love a lot of '90s west coast rap with phat beats. The misogyny and gunplay is a bit much for someone my age though. Some of my favorites in terms of good beat/bad content artists are Snoop, Dre, Nelly, DJ Quik, E-40, Ice Cube, Mack 10, WC.

The problem I have with a lot of underground or intelligent hiphop is the lack of good beats. Some lyricists I love who often have horrible beats are Ras Kass, Saafir, and Aceyalone.

Yesterday, I picked up Talib Kweli's "Eardrum" and it was exactly the sort of thing I love. Intelligent lyrics with slammin' beats. I also liked Hieroglyphics back in the day. Blackalicious and the rest of Quannum are awesome too. I'm not a big Jurassic 5 fan, and I've seen them mentioned a lot in previous threads.

I've checked the other hip hop related threads and none of them seemed to directly ask this question. I'm open to all styles of hip hop as long as it meets the preceding criteria.

Thanks!

Where'd Bam go?

cachondeo45 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:16:10 -0800

Where in Africa did Afrika Bambaataa go in the 1970s after he left the Black Spades? All I can find is that he went to "Africa." As a continent with 53 countries on it, I suspect that he didn't visit each nation. I need to know where exactly he went, in what year, and for how long. Thanks in advance!

No canto por cantar, canto por no llorar/salud y suerte y que la vida les da mas

Soulbee — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:09:01 -0800

I've been digging on the cuban hip hop lately. I've seen the doc East of Havana. I listen to las Orishas, and I have the soundtrack/related album to East of Havana by El Cartel. I do like the artists featured there, but I enjoy las Orishas more because it feels a bit more infused with traditional Cuban music. Any recommendations of what else I can listen to? I'm already all about non-hiphop Cuban music like Buenavista Social Club and most of its individual members who produce(d) independently, Afrocuban Allstars, music from Before Night Falls (movie) etc. I'd be happy to take additional recommendations on other Cuban music but especially interested in hip hop right now. Other spanish language hip hop would also be welcome.

Help me find a song from a mixtape

ilike — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:37:48 -0800

I am looking for other rap tracks that use the beat that comes after about 1.40 into this youtube video of a Dilated peoples mixtape. It supposed it is made by The Alchemist I think.