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    #26
    'Underground hip hop'

    Serge Gainsbourg wrote:
    Originally posted by danielmak
    backpack rap fans
    Crikey, that actually is a thing!

    http://www.xxlmag.com/news/bloggers/2006/06/the-trouble-with-backpack-rap/

    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Backpack%20Rapper
    It was a thing, and it was very big for a while. Seems to be out of fashion now.

    Thanks for that link, daniel, I remember reading about Showtime airing that, but forgot to DVR it. With that and the Tower Records movie, some interesting music docs that they've shown recently.

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      #27
      'Underground hip hop'

      I think I had a discussion with Inca before about the term backpack rap in relation to Digable Planets.

      The term itself seems to have become a thing over here after the fact. I don't really like the phrase tbh.

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        #28
        'Underground hip hop'

        I don't think the term "backpack rap" is thrown about as much these days, but the type of fan certainly still exists. These would be people into underground rap/independent stuff/perhaps into beats and DJ records versus the mainstream rap fan. Of course, like with certain types of punks and indie rock fans the backpack itself is a useful tool: put records and tapes in their after buying the music at a show, keep the helmet in their if one rides a bike to the show, etc.

        The links above are pejorative, but my original use of the term wasn't meant to convey that. I was getting more at a kind of (practical) aesthetic.

        Last edited by danielmak; 06-03-2020, 03:00.

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          #29
          'Underground hip hop'

          A few mentions of the Backpack thing in the link below, which also has some classic ish amongst the 100 listed - I agree with number 1 too, anticipated it. The term was predominantly mid 90's to early 2000's thing, often thrown around with the term 'Indie hip hop'. It conjures up an image mostly white boys draping the straps low, more than likely in the earlier period housing aerosols, a black book and perhaps a few tall cans in the backpack.

          http://www.factmag.com/2015/02/25/the-100-best-indie-hip-hop-records-of-all-time/

          Lots of great underground UK stuff. Been a big fan of this hard working Nottingham native, always has good production and a solid flow. Note the football reference around 2:20 to the business end of the season and Harry Redknapp.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKL1964_Kdg

          Dunno much about this guy.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brq5M4qja08

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            #30
            'Underground hip hop'

            nice post

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              #31
              'Underground hip hop'

              I am so old that no hip-hop that I listen to has any relevance anymore to anyone under my age. However, my son is constantly playing it and, to be honest, I have no real idea where the hip-hop starts and the grime ends. It all sounds like 80s drum machines and keyboard sounds with, to my ears, fairly inaccurate rapping over the top. Most of it sounds like a cross between Schoolly D and Souljah Boy in that it has fairly minimal backing, similar lyrical themes and a laidback rapping style bordering, as I say, on the lazy when not done well. It seems almost exclusively UK. The only rapper I caught the name of in the car yesterday was Bonkaz who appears a vile fellow when I just googled him.

              I appreciate that this is the hip-hop equivalent of saying that they all sound the same, there is no tune and asking if it is a boy or a girl singing it.

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                #32
                'Underground hip hop'

                Things do grey.

                Although the two aren't really linked, it's a little like Southern and Crunk styles stateside. They function similarly, booming bass tailored to be blasted from buckets in souped up vehicles or in clubs. Far less emphasis on the skill of verse, more so repetition and the anthemic chorus. A lot of the Southern emcees tend to sound like they're dribbling on downers whilst Grime however can be uptempo.

                What links them is possibly the stylistic throwback to Hip Hop's Electro era of the early 80's before sampling took a stronghold on things in the Golden and boom bap era.

                Anyhow, I taped this off a community radio station hip hop show here in Melbourne 25 years ago as 14 y.o and have only just stumbled upon it again and am thrilled the production holds up. I spent my pocket money on the Horns Of Jericho but this track was only a B-side to one of the singles.

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                  #33
                  'Underground hip hop'

                  I have to say I've liked some of the stuff that people have been posting and referring to on this thread.

                  I'd actually forgotten I'd already posted on here!

                  Still - I deliberately stayed away from this thread for a while, seeing what would develop. I was planning on writing a big long post about how I came to the version of Hip hop that I like. Instead, I'll just keep it relatively brief and also add a link to a 'mixtape' I've made of stuff that perhaps might fall under the banner of underground or alternative Hip hop.

                  You see, I'm no expert on Hip hop and I won't pretend to be. I come at it from an Electro, Industrial and Ambient angle (although Electropop is, of course, my main thing).

                  My first brush with Hip hop came when Industrial started crossing over with it in the late 80s. A lot of the Industrial and EBM that I liked was political (Test Dept, SPK, etc.) and when certain Hip hop acts (yes - a lot of them ostensibly white) like Consolidated, The Beatnigs, Meat Beat Manifesto, MC 900ft Jesus, etc. started up, they were incorporating elements of Industrial as well as overt political messages. The fusion appealed to me. This got me started, although I didn't take it further for a long time. House, Trance and variations of these dominated my attention for a while and it wasn't until Trip Hop came along in the mid 90s that I began to look at it again. Trip Hop was fine for a while, but it eventually got boring and literally turned into advert music in some cases. I liked the basic principle - sample-heavy and slightly experimental Hip hop - but I was after something more sonically extreme. Thus, in the mid-late 80s I discovered stuff like Scorn, Techno Animal, Sensational (AKA Torture), SIMM and many others. Yes, a lot of it was still 'white', but by no means all of it. It certainly wasn't jazzy and didn't have a slacker ethos either. It was more dark and paranoid, mostly instrumental and slow ...verrry slow in some cases! It would probably scare 'backpackers'. Arguably, it doesn't count as Hip hop at all, but merely 'Hip hop-influenced'. That's fair enough.

                  Anyway... I've put together a mixtape with examples from some of the acts I liked during each of those two periods I mentioned. (I won't go into Trip Hop, as that's a whole nother thing (sorry, Stewie Griffin!).) Although it sounds weak, with the passing of time, I thought I'd still include some of the 'political' stuff, just for completeness and context. I didn't want to just post links to videos either, as the videos might distract from the music. Oh, and also because, as with a lot of Hip hop stuff, it's best to listen to this on a good hifi or on a media player, through headphones. The speakers on - or attached to - computers simply won't reveal most of the lower tones.

                  Tracklist:

                  Dalek - 'Distorted Prose' (2004)
                  Mou - 'System Death' (1998)
                  Torture - 'Soaking Bodies In Dub' (1996)
                  Magnet - 'Miles To Go (Invisible Man)' (1997)
                  New Kingdom - 'Unicorns Were Horses' (1996)
                  Scorn - 'Six Hours One Week' (1995)
                  Tricky vs. The GraveDiggaz - 'Psychosis' (1995)
                  Alec Empire - 'Metall Dub' (1995)
                  Consolidated - 'America Number One' (1990)
                  Spectre - 'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers' (1996)
                  Meat Beat Manifesto - 'Kneel And Buzz' (1987)
                  Skull vs. Ice - 'Operation Mind Control' (1995)
                  Techno Animal - 'Needle Park' (1995)
                  MC 900ft Jesus with DJ Zero - 'Born With Monkey Asses' (1989)

                  Download link:

                  'My Definition Of...'

                  (edit: Apologies if you get any 'unsavoury' pop-ups when you visit that download site (Zippyshare). It's simply the quickest to download from. Best just not download it while at work, in front of the kids, etc. just in case.)

                  I've actually been meaning to make a vastly expanded mix of this kind of stuff, interspersed with Ambient and Drone stuff that both informs it and is occasionally made by the same people, too. That will be a monster of a project, though ...which is why I've been putting it off for several years, now!

                  Comment


                    #34
                    'Underground hip hop'

                    Since one of the comments identifies the latest EP from Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman as "backpacker Run the Jewels," I thought I'd share the link.

                    Stream via soundloud on the site and they provide a free download link toward the bottom of the story.

                    http://www.stereogum.com/1902189/dow...l-buggin/mp3s/

                    And if you want to check Volume 1 (again, with a free d/l link):
                    http://www.stonesthrow.com/news/2015/11/lice
                    Last edited by danielmak; 06-03-2020, 03:01.

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                      #35
                      'Underground hip hop'

                      Anyone listened to the new Danny Brown?

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                        #36
                        'Underground hip hop'

                        I haven't had time to check out the Danny Brown record yet.

                        The new Mr. Lif is out now (with L'Orange--who is not someone that I know). It's really good. Stream here and free (or donation-based) download here:
                        http://www.adultswim.com/music/lifeanddeath/

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                          #37
                          'Underground hip hop'

                          Dalek are touring the UK towards the end of November...

                          http://www.songkick.com/artists/547118-dalek

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                            #38
                            'Underground hip hop'

                            Incandenza wrote: Anyone listened to the new Danny Brown?
                            I've got a sneaking feeling I will eventually hate about half of it and really love 3 or 4 tracks. Not sure it is the best word for it, but some of the production is fascinating.

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                              #39
                              'Underground hip hop'

                              dogbeak wrote:
                              Originally posted by Incandenza
                              Anyone listened to the new Danny Brown?
                              I've got a sneaking feeling I will eventually hate about half of it and really love 3 or 4 tracks. Not sure it is the best word for it, but some of the production is fascinating.
                              I just watched the first video and remembered why it took me this long: his vocal style doesn't work for me at all.

                              Comment


                                #40
                                This guy has uploaded a lot of videos that compile various underground rap tracks from the 1990s. Some are from a time when the term "underground" didn't really exist; it was all rap and maybe the only other distinction was pop rap (MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, etc). But these videos will be heaven for a backpack rap fan:

                                https://www.youtube.com/user/armier113/videos

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                                  #41
                                  The Internet archive has some old radio shows from Stretch and Bobito. I am currently listening to a show from 1992 and it is so good. I think this link will pull up the 1991 and 1992 shows but you can check out other from later years. I've been on an early 1990s rap kick lately in terms of listening to rap so these two shows fit that need.

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                                    #42
                                    To keep going with my early 90s focus, there is an excellent interview with MC Search in this podcast. He talks about MC Hammer putting a hit on Third Bass, saving Nas from a horrible deal, and hanging out with Bushwick Bill from the Geto Boys. It's a really good interview for fans of early 90s rap. And Search is an excellent storyteller.

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                                      #43
                                      This is new but has a mid-1990s sound for sure that would fit well in a set with Nas and Gang Starr:

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                                        #44
                                        I just found Maassai through a pitchfork review. A little bit of a Doom vibe on this EP. The album that was reviewed is also on the bandcamp site but it didn't really float my boat; too much singing and more of an R&B feel to the beats.

                                        https://maassai.bandcamp.com/album/u...points-of-view

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                                          #45
                                          There's a run of very short tracks coming out lately. See my post #43 above and here's a new one from MIKE




                                          And a review of The Cold Vein at 20:
                                          https://www.stereogum.com/2147413/ca...e-anniversary/
                                          Last edited by danielmak; 14-05-2021, 01:26.

                                          Comment


                                            #46
                                            +10 points for the spooky time travel storyline in Phantom of Paradise.

                                            Not sure if this thread is the place to post this, but with having to teach during the worst corona spike in the country with no vaccine, it got me listening to the most nihilistic of drill music to make me realize it's not as bad as Chicago or Jacksonville or East London. Or to prepare me for dying.

                                            25 years ago it was unthinkable that the bloods would come to NYC, and they're so well-established here that my wife remembers the leader of the bloods in Trenton walking into the state house to request a meeting with the governor 15 years ago.

                                            Then it was unthinkable to say something like "rest in piss" in 2008.

                                            Then in 2012 it was unthinkable to kill someone who made a diss song, then start rapping about dead competitors.

                                            Now in 2020 the Jacksonville ATK vs KTA thing is utterly amazing. Even sadder is how talented and smooth Julio Foolio and Yungeen Ace are. And how I only heard of them from how utterly repulsive their diss tracks are of their dead ops, like "Who I Smoke" and "When I See You" Are.

                                            Shudder to think what the next 4-10 years brings.

                                            I've been loving Trap Lore Ross's 60 Minutesesque videos on the different rap scenes. It's also sad that some goof from England has brought the details to light better than any scumbag American media outlet.

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                                              #47
                                              Another short track. Logic and Madlib

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                                                #48
                                                I was unfamiliar with Urbvn Architects until reading this piece on Pitchfork and checking out the video from Blaq Kush.

                                                Underground rap fans will dig this collective for sure.




                                                Last edited by danielmak; 10-09-2021, 05:05.

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                                                  #49
                                                  Dr. Octagon (an alias of Kool Keith)

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                                                    #50
                                                    KRS-ONE is back

                                                     

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