if you're gonna go classic (which sort of automatically means somewhat mainstream), may i suggest
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
Gang Starr - Moment of Truth (the Full Clip greatest hits comp is also good.) (and every project DJ Premier has produced is probably at least worth a listen.)
Digable Planets -- Blowout Comb and Reachin'
De la Soul -- all the early albums
Tribe Called Quest -- again all the early albums.
there is so much more great classic hip hop, but these are some of my favorites. be aware though, that they all have quite a different sound from the Def Jux style.
as far as new stuff goes, chocolate industries has some good releases, like the stuff by Diverse, Push Button Objects, the East Flatbush Project - Tried by 12 remix comp (worth the purchase just for the autechre remix). The Urban Renewal comp is good, but somewhat uneven IMO. I also really like the Caural -- Stars on my Ceiling album.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Def Jux sound. I find the production is often too busy for me. i like a cleaner more sparse sound I guess. but i do like aesop rock and Mr. Lif.
Oh and of course, RJD2's Dead Ringer is the best thing on the label. but to my ears it's quite different than everything else on there. it's definitely an instant classic.
hope that helps,
dave
visa <v.kuoppala@pp.inet.fi> wrote:
Yo playas,
I've really been getting into hip-hop lately, a genre I have ignored for so
many years. So I'm seeking for recommendations for really good indie hip-hop
albums.
I have enjoyed a lot of the stuff I've heard from Dej Jux, so I figured it
would be a good place to start. The question then stands: what do you think
is the best thing Def Jux has put out yet?
That Ping Pong by the Anti-Pop Consortium is a pretty tight tune, would
Arrythmia be worth purchasing? What about Herbaliser's Blow Your Headphones
or Something Wicked This Way Comes? Or some hip-hop classics, are there some
records you would consider essential?
Yeah, I still think I should at least start with the indie-stuff - I
wouldn't feel worth my Converses if I listened to mainstream hip-hop.
thanks,
.: visa tapani
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