British hip hop from an American's perspective

Mad_EP · Post by **Mad_EP** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 2:13 pm

hahaha didn't know Kersal Massive till now.

Wow.

clovework · Post by **clovework** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:07 pm

Mad EP wrote:
Perhaps... but if you knew anything about hiphop, you'd know its never been about the mainstream. Yeah, it might be easy to say "Souljah Boy sucks"... but you would have to get in line behind Ice-T, Method Man, Snoop, and the countless other legends who have dismissed that little shit. If you are looking for quality in the charts, you are looking in the wrong place.

Just remember- terrible mainstream rap is not just an American problem. It is a worldwide problem. For every Souljah Boy & Flo Rida in America, there is a Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk in England, etc etc...

I suppose. My argument is that a lot of that music shouldn't even qualify as "rap" anymore, because of the fact that there's no craft in it. It is, as my brother would say, a "bunch of dumb n***as tryin' to make some money". And they don't hide it, either.

I'm sure U.K Hip-Hop and Grime have their equivalents, as well. But still..all of those artists that you mentioned were not underground artists. They were firmly in the mainstream. I'm not sure if they could even chart these days without making an album full of "Laffy Taffy" knock-offs.

*shrug*

oni · Post by **oni** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:20 pm

clovework wrote: I suppose. My argument is that a lot of that music shouldn't even qualify as "rap" anymore, because of the fact that there's no craft in it. It is, as my brother would say, a "bunch of dumb n***as tryin' to make some money". And they don't hide it, either.

I'm sure U.K Hip-Hop and Grime have their equivalents, as well. But still..all of those artists that you mentioned were not underground artists. They were firmly in the mainstream. I'm not sure if they could even chart these days without making an album full of "Laffy Taffy" knock-offs.

qft

86. · Post by **86.** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 11:25 pm

the clipse and the cool kids?

not saying they're garbage but really?

Matt3r · Post by **Matt3r** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:45 am

clovework · Post by **clovework** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 5:04 am

86. wrote:the clipse and the cool kids?

not saying they're garbage but really?

I can honestly say that they're MC's that definitely work on their rhymes -- or, at the very least, think about what they're saying before they say it. There were probably a bunch of other rappers I forgot to mention (Stones Throw, Def Jux, et al.) -- But honestly, the last non-instrumental hip-hop albums I actually paid money for were Hell Hath No Fury and The Bake Sale EP. Soo...yeah.

redezent · Post by **redezent** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 9:02 pm

jehst ft. chester p and kyza

first verse kills pretty much everything. dope.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOumfnBYMTI

skywave · Post by **skywave** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 3:03 am

well, i grew up with hip hop and electro as a kid in England from 1984 onwards and apart of the appeal was that it seemed alien and from literally a faraway land, it was a portal into life somewhere i knew next to nothing about

UK hip hop in all its variations is from a UK perspective with local dialects and slang, different leanings on beats and rhythms and not much of it apeing the long established US sound coming from various states

like any music genre or sub genre there will be things people find irritating or unpalatable but at the end of the day the world is big enough to have millions of takes on any music form

love it or hate it, its exists

moki · Post by **moki** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:17 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZJvthh33XA
Who says we can't rap over fast beats sucka!

But seriously, I think we really only get mainstream shit from the uk, and vice versa. It's all about the underground shit. My faveourite mc's right now are vastair, mf doom, zion I, the grinch, El-P, Mr. Liff, Q-tip and ofcourse all the original WU.

hatsudai · Post by **hatsudai** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:20 am

Jehst's flow is world class:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vL0zhBdCk8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNFoMJen22o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGl85rkIvF4

nastynasty · Post by **nastynasty** » Sat Dec 12, 2009 6:55 pm

redezent wrote:kyza

kyza is one of the few british mc's i've been able to get my homies to appreciate
i got some mix called like "an introduction to u.k. streeet rap" and his bang it out kid track was on there
the most succesful persuasion for americans on a european mc by far has been bashy in my experience
his cadence is alot easier to follow for people used to listening to crunk and whatnot

clone-a-side · Post by **clone-a-side** » Sun Dec 13, 2009 2:57 am

miscreant wrote:yeah those are probably the songs i would be least likely to show an american wanting to hear british hip hop.

Check out Jehst, Chester P & Klashnekoff as well as some of the other names mentioned!

i agree if your gonna introduce some1 to uk hiphop go for JEHST he opened my eyes to uk hip hop.
i like chester p's old stuff thought went a bit too depressing after mftc vol 2 .
k-lash is defo a winner too

Matt3r · Post by **Matt3r** » Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:55 pm

slugabed wrote:and for every eli porter theres a kersal massive

i.e. the GOATs

?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv5sR9GDVx4

Matt3r · Post by **Matt3r** » Sun Dec 13, 2009 1:01 pm

moki wrote: But seriously, I think we really only get mainstream shit from the uk, and vice versa. It's all about the underground shit.

this.

deadstock mind · Post by **deadstock mind** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 9:36 pm

lalanana wrote:What I would love is a flow like Nas or Guru or Ghostface or GZA or KRS or MF or even (I hate to say it, but he used to be fire) Wayne over a grimey beat.

For me, it's not even like I cannot understand the slang/accents, and it's not that I'm not used to anything else but american rap. I've listened to enough british accents and accented rapping that coherency isn't a problem (largely due from listening to Radio1 weekly and downloading many mixes).

It's the flow really that irks me the most. British rappers tend to fit too many words into small bars that result in almost mumbling. Rapping quickly over a fast beat doesn't work. Only for Twista.
Honestly, I would like to Wayne over a grime beat too.

crunkedxup · Post by **crunkedxup** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 11:55 pm

the stuff you mentioned was grime, ok so if grime is anything to do with hip-hop is a long debate which im sure has been played out on grimeforum millions of times. at the end of the day, to anyone who actually listens to uk hip-hop, its not.

sometimes i do worry that people like Tinchy Stryder and N-Dubz are what is viewed overseas as "uk rap" because thatd be plain embarassing.

actual uk hip-hop on the other hand is probably one of the most underrated scenes in the genre. some of the lyrics are out of this world (Jehst,Braintax, Chester P) the production has even grown into its own style, producers like Lewis Parker doing beats for Ghostface Killah and things like that are a sign of progression.

that said, uk hip-hop isn't the most flourishing of genres, theres a artists/group thats on everyones lips about once every ten years. the newest thing ive heard out of the scene is Rhyme Asylum.

but yeah listen to Falling Down - Jehst, RIse - Lewis Parker, Urban Jackanory - Chester P

far from goofy.

christthetiger · Post by **christthetiger** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 12:03 am

Pedro Sánchez wrote:The average British rapper (Not Grime) is better than Lil' Wayne and some were considering him the greatest rapper .

lil wayne is def not the greatest rapper. its a big joke. the guy is addicted to who knows what, and gets soo faded he thinks he's the best.

i think some of the sickest flows i have heard are from GZA or NAS.

Matt3r · Post by **Matt3r** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:01 am

lol

"And i heard your album, this must be somthing your new at/Cause id rather hear a lil wayne lil zane duet"

thing to remember as well is the scene is a fluid moving thing. there's some more recent ish on here

sirsnaf · Post by **sirsnaf** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 11:35 am

crunkedxup wrote: sometimes i do worry that people like Tinchy Stryder and N-Dubz are what is viewed overseas as "uk rap" because thatd be plain embarassing.

bruv u dissin n-dubz? mandems gon get you shanked....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8461267.stm

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