A Top 10 of Hip Hop Nostalgia
I’ve noticed the majority of what gets written about on this site is geared towards new and upcoming music. Not this post….
I’ve been on a big kick of nostalgia recently, browsing through old Cd’s, tapes and records and it’s really had me wondering. If I hadn’t been so tuned into some of these albums growing up, where would my musical tastes be today? Does what you get brought up on really effect a path of music for the future? I really think it depends. I believe there are some artists, songs or genres that, while once loved, will change as we grow, but I also believe there are some that really do stick with us and in some way help to define us.
Whatever the genre, we all have those albums that have the ability to take us back to a time and place in our youth. Press play and as the music starts a sudden warmth floods your body, mind racing as your brain rushes through memories of both good and bad. If you’ve read some of my past posts you’ll know hip hop has played a big part in my life. I vividly remember going over to a friend’s house and his older brother putting on N.W.A’s ‘Straight Outta Compton’. I was blown away. Being that I was still pretty young, the record store wouldn’t let me buy my own copy so I had to make do with a shitty recording of it; having to hide it in my sock drawer from my parents because I knew they’d probably destroy it if they found it. Those were the days….
Maybe it’s because I’m getting older I tend to be somewhat jaded towards a lot of new music, especially what’s displayed in the mass media. Artists (and I use that term very loosely) popping up left and right, blowing up to such a hyped status before they can really even develop their own style. I remember when you put out four or five albums before anyone really took notice, but nowadays people are getting signed to major labels without any substantial amount of songs to their name. Please don’t get me wrong…. There are still many artists that are going through the struggle, but with the pop and commercial hip hop market you don’t seem to need a whole lot of talent as long as you have a marketable image. That kills me.
…. It’s not about a salary, it’s all about reality!
Here’s my top 10 nostalgic hip hop albums: (in no particular order)
1.N.W.A – Straight Outta Compton
2.Notorious B.I.G – Ready to Die
3.Run DMC – Raising Hell
4.The Fugees – The Score
5.Doug E. Fresh – The World’s Greatest Entertainer
6.EL-P – Fantastic Damage
7.Hieroglyphics – Third Eye Vision
8.Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
9.Sage Francis – Personal Journals
10.Mos Def – Black on Both Sides
…. But now that I think about it that list could be a lot bigger.
What’s your list?
N.W.A – Gangsta Gangsta
Notorious B.I.G – Everyday Struggle
Mos Def – Miss Fat Booty
EL-P – Deep Space 9MM
Tags: features
i remember everyone was freaking out because of these guys, but once i finally got the cd, i realized that they weren’t talking about crazy stuff, they simply told the same story I saw out of my Inglewood, Ca. window