Aceyalone- Magnificent City (2006)
If you're into underground hip-hop you should already know Aceyalone by now, with a large amount of releases as a solo artist and also as part of groups such as the incredible Freestyle Fellowship he is a very prolific guy. On this album Aceyalone works with producer RJD2 who has worked with many other greats like MF DOOM and Vast Aire as well as releasing his own beautifully eclectic sounding instrumental albums. The two work great together, Acey Alone has a nice straight forward flow and covers different topics in interesting ways, while RJD2 drops his usual amazing mixture of styles ranging from mellow acoustic tracks to stomping electronica.
Danny Brown- The Hybrid (2010)
Apart from a few guest spots this was the first I heard from Danny Brown, which seems kind of crazy because he's done so much in the past year, quickly becoming one of my favourite artists. Danny Brown's voice can take a bit of getting used to, it's hard to explain but his voice is very unique, which is always a great characteristic in a rapper. This album has some really raw beats like on the tracks 'Re-Up' and 'White Stripes' where Brown spits his crazy flow with some very explicit but definitely tongue in cheek lyrics. If you don't know Danny Brown by now, you will soon, and this is great early release from one of the most promising new acts around.
Guilty Simpson-Ode To The Ghetto (2008)
Guilty Simpson is now one of the major players in underground hip-hop but back when he released this, his debut album, he was fairly unknown. Guilty is a serious Detroit heavy hitter on the mic with a monstrous flow as you can hear on intense tracks like 'Robbery'. Add in production from Madlib, Black Milk and Mr. Porter and you have a Detroit classic.
Infinite Livez-Bush Meat (2004)
This really is the weirdest UK hip-hop album I've ever heard, so unless you're looking for something a bit different you probably wont enjoy it, but if you're open to strange music you will love it as much as I do. Infinite Livez is kind of like Roots Manuva on acid, the album is full of squeaky electronic noises over deep bass sounds as a back drop for Infinite Livez's odd raps about “white wee wee” and his adventures as the lactating man. 'Bush Meat' is some rare obscurity from the UK scene that makes me wish more MCs would go weird.
Kidz In The Hall-School Was My Hustle (2006)
Kidz In The Hall had the honour of having their debut album be the first release from the mighty Rawkus label when it was relaunched independently, which shows that someone must have seen something special in these guys. The duo consists of MC Naledge and producer Double-O while the whole album was overseen by big time beat maker Just Blaze. They make a great team with Naledge's conscious raps over upbeat and funky soul samples. Best tracks on the album for me would have to be 'Wassup Jo' with its classic Bob James sample and 'Cruise Control'.
Masta Ace- A Long Hot Summer (2004)
Masta Ace has been rapping since the late 80s, this guy is a serious veteran, and you can tell. 'A Long Hot Summer' was Ace's fifth solo LP and could probably be labelled a concept album as there is a narrative running through it, telling the story of Masta Ace's summer in Brooklyn and touring with his friend Fats Belvedere. There's a real New York feel to this album, straight up boom bap beats from the likes of 9th Wonder, Khrysis and Marco Polo with some expert Mcing, as can be expected from the legendary Ace.
Skyzoo and Illmind- Live From The Tape Deck (2010)
Duck Down has been one of the strongest labels of recent years and in 2010 they brought us this superb collaboration with Skyzoo on the mic and Illmind taking care of production. Skyzoo's smooth New York flow goes great over Illmind's floaty, futuristic beats. This is a really nice chilled out album that makes you just want to drift off into space.
The Bug-London Zoo (2008)
Before dubstep became the pathetic farce it is today, there were people like UK producer The Bug making fresh sounding, experimental electronic music. The beats sound quite similar to dubstep but are a bit more interesting, with a dark style and strange rhythms. The vocals are provided by some big names in UK reggae and grime such as Flow Dan, Spaceape and Warrior Queen. This album (although still amazing) doesn't sound overly fresh but at the time of its release it was pretty revolutionary.
The Coup-Pick A Bigger Weapon (2006)
The Coup have been making excellent music for years and this album is no exception. All the beats are very funky and sound like they were played on live instruments which is quite rare in hip-hop. Their strong political views are very apparent on this album with intelligent tracks like 'Last Stand' and 'My Favorite Mutiny' among some of the stand outs. It's not all too serious though as they liven things with more light hearted tracks like the ridiculously smooth 'IJustWannaLayAroundAllDayInBedWithYou'.
The Left-Gas Mask (2010)
Apollo Brown has been making some of the best beats around for the last few years, creating a sound somewhere between Premier and RZA, his ability to turn a beautiful soul sample into a brutally banging instrumental is amazing. Apollo Brown joins forces with MC Journalist to bring us this great album. The rapping is good on here but it really is all about the beats, other producers need to take note.
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