Ahhh . . .

Where's

OutKast -- Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Jean Grae -- The Bootleg of the Bootleg EP

Jaylib -- Champion Sound

CunninLynguists -- Southernunderground
bpdistribution.com

????????

Outkast -- Too much crossover.

Jean Grae -- wasn't feeling it

Jaylib -- massively overhyped and underproduced, though you should note my inclusion of "Strip Clubs" in Selected Songs. i also didn't include Madvillain or any Doom albums because they seem to be releasing anything and everything with no quality control.

Cunninlynguists -- let me get back to you on this one. these guys have skills. i'm gonna givce the album another listen.

Wow! Tough critic!

Aww c'mon... to say that I am "tough" is to suggest that my standards are higher than those of others. It's just different taste, you know. I made sure to include a long list of "alternates"... enough to please most crowds. If only I had the audio to prove it.

OK... so now I know what you think of the artists I excluded... tell me what you think of my inclusions???

Of course, everyone is highly encouraged to post their own top 10 lists and/or comments. Please comment, especially if you want to big up some of the more obscure artists on the list.

Eric,
Your list is top choice. I'm not gonna front, I love OutKast's double-CD. For me, it's was just a tremendous listening experience. I think the duo's discs should please just about every one -- even the most discerning music listener/critic.

I only list those CDs because I thought they were pretty tight. They are not the greatest rap recordings of all time, but certainly worthy CDs.

Now as far as your Top 10 List. I applaud you for placing Little Brother's "The Listening" at the top spot. I think that disc is one of the best rap CDs in the past five years. In my opinion, "The Listening," is a hip-hop masterpiece. I think that CD is on the same level as OutKast's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below."

Lifesavas' CD I "liked" but I didn't love it. I think if I heard Lifesavas CD before I heard CunninLynguists' "Southernunderground" I might actually have them on my Top 10 list.

Speaking of CunninLynguists, what do you think of their CD. I totally love it. Little Brother, Cunnin and OutKast are pretty much my top choices of 2003. I think Cunnin and Little Brother are the heir apparents to OutKast.

Now back to your list:
The Streets - Original Pirate Material
Great CD -- massively overhyped -- but great. If you like The Streets, you should check out Dizzee Rascal
www.xlrecordings.com
"Fix Up, Look Sharp" and "Jezebel" are truly the shit! Get up on Dizzee! Hot shit!

Rass Kass -- eh, he's okay, he didn't blow me away.

As for the rest :: Strict Flow, Grip Grand, Babbletron, Droop Capone and Naptron . . . I have never ever heard of these cats. So I got some diggin' to do.

I love Baby Blak's CD. (You listed a single from the disc) I think Blak's CD is the best debut CD from a solo artist in 2003. (other than that cat who's making some dollars and "Cent"s)

Aw, man this is getting long.

But yo, the list is tight. I like your tastes.

Don't get me wrong, Outkast is DOPE. I almost don't even think of them as a rap group. To me they are simply funky pop music. That said, I'm gonna give the album(s) a careful listen and maybe reconsider. I've only heard bits and pieces.

You are right about the Streets being overhyped. I overhype Mr. Skinner myself. I enjoy 2 or 3 songs on the LP, but my utmost respect goes to Mike for doing something different. I put him on the list for the same reason I put Busdriver, Naptron, and Babbletron up there. Experimentation is much lacking in hip hop. I think I heard some Dizzee Rascal and I seem to remember it being kind of harsh and cacaphonous. But I'm gonna see if I can get my hands on some of his tunes.

Oh, and I put that Ras Kass up there mostly for the Scipio tracks.

Of the obscure stuff, Strict Flow is definitely solid. Droop Capone is lots of fun. Grip Grand is on the low-budge tip. Naptron "Released" is not nearly up to par with his first, unreleased album "Afekz Of Metatron", but he is definitely one to watch for in case he decides to get back in the swing of things.

Dizzee Rascal is totally the business. Don't hesitate, don't even wait for it to hit the U.S. (january 20th, I think). I think that it may be even more appealing to U.s. underground heads than Skinner was - less melody, more grit. Now I want to hear Wiley and the rest of Roll Deep.

I love that Kanye song - the part where he apologizes for his jaw? Priceless.

Finally, and this may be some kind of heresy, but I truly think that "Get Low" was the best (and most innovative) single of the year. Push Button Objects will always play cleanup to Prefuse 73. Paul Barman put out a good album, but is a fucking a**hole in person - as you might expect. "The End of the Beginning" might have stood up on its own, but getting released on Def Jux just threw things off for me . . . I guess it was the first DefJux album that wasn't by one of the founding crew, so it was bound to be a transition, but I just didn't feel it fit in. Not that it wasn't still good, just not my thing.

I love MURS -- "The End of the Beginning."
I think it was an important record in 2003.

Number one, it's from the Def Jux label, probably one of the hottest indie labels in NYC for an artist looking to express his or her creativity.

Second, give MURS some applause for spitting rhymes over mostly New York-centric beats (provided by El-P and others) throughout an entire album. I don't think Snoop Dogg would not even want to try that.

And finally, MURS told some great stories on his debut disc. Some of the rhyme-spitters today have forgotten the art of storytellin'. "Last Night" is a good example of nice storytellin'. "Brotherly Love" is an absolute gem.
"Def Cover" is an interesting reworking of Snoop/Dre's "Deep Cover."

Simply put, MURS and rapper Baby Blak (with his CD "Once You Go Blak"), have the two best debut CDs of 2003 by a solo artist.

I don't know, I guess I'm just more into the east coast guys. Glad you liked it, though. Also, it's not really his "debut album" - though I guess people have always used that term loosely.

jeah, nice music here

Man you guys are so underground! It's definitely a good look though.

yeah, but i got token Chingy and 50 Cent picks too.

Eric's down deep in the dark halls of hip hop.

There's a lot of stuff on here that I've never heard but I think we probably have very different hip hop sensibilities.

With the Babu inclusion, though, are you talking Duck Season vol. 1 or vol. 2?

Yeah, thanks for checking the list. I meant both volumes of Duck Season.

I JUST ADDED AUDIO CLIPS TO THE CHARTS!!

If you don't recognize an artist... listen to the damn song!!! Lots of crowd pleasers!!!

TY "Groovement (p. 1&2)" coming soon!!!

What about:
FOREIGN BEGGARS "Asylum Speakers" (Dented)
DIVERSE "One AM" (Chocolate Ind.)
PREFUSE 73 "One Word Extinguisher/ Extinguished: Outtakes" (Warp)
CYNE "Time Beign" (Botanica del Jibaro)
NON PROPHETS "Hope" (Lex)
DM+JEMINI "Ghetto Pop Life" (Lex)
WILDCHILD "Secondary Protocol" (Stones Throw)
LACKS "Re:Lacks Vol.1 With The World" (Earth Angel)
MCENROE "Disenfranchised" (Peanuts&Corn)
LOOPTROOP "The Struggle Continues" (DVSG)
ALGORITHM "Dawn Of A New Error" (GuerrillaARC)
Salu2 from Barcelona!

yeah, good looks...

Diverse, Prefuse 73, Non-prophets, DM+Jemini, Wildchild, and Looptroop... all dope. Dangermouse actually sent me a grip of different CDs, his mash-ups also being some of the few totally solid mashups of 2002. I gotta check that Prefuse 73... didn't know Scott had a new album out. Wildchild is dope, but i wasn't feeling the whole album. And I like a lot of Promoe's material, but Looptroop has always been a little too serious for my taste.

I gotta check for some of those others and maybe add a few.

Looks like someone is diggin even deeper than I am!

heres a list

visionaries-audible angel
pidgen jon- revelation
busdriver-walking dead
northernstate- man's dollar
emirc- rhyme and punishment
unknown peoples-enter your arena
ostrich head- flavored spleen
prophetix-propheshionals
lmno-streetwise

SUP WORLD!!!!!!!!! YOU TOOK MY LINE WELL SWAY ITS TIME NOT ABOUT THE MONEY FOR BILLBOARDS I WROTE FOR 2003 ITS ABOUT RESPECT FOR A SONGWRITER AND RESPECT TO SAVE THE MUSIC AND VH1 ALSO PICKED UP AS MY CATCHY SLOGAN IM READY TO DROP YOU A STACK OF MY BEST SHIT EVER AND TELL FIFTY TO QUIT WASTIN ALL THAT MONEY ON SECURITY IF ANYONE WANTED TO HARM HIM IT WOULD BE THE GUY WHOS LYRICS HE STRAIGHT UP STRIPPED BUT ITS NOT ABOUT THAT SWAY AFTER BEING JAGGED FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS I FIGURED AT LEAST SOMEBODY BENIFITED FROM MY WORDS AND I WISH HIM AND HIS LIL BEAST OF A KID ALL THE BEST FO' REAL AND I HAVE THE NEXT BILLBOARDS WAITIN FOR YA WHEN YOU WANT THEM I'LL EVEN COME UP AND DROP THEM OFF AT THE TRL STUDIO IF YA WANT BUT ONLY TO YOU I KNOW YOULL DO THE RIGHT THING AND IM KINDA IN A PINCH HERE. SO TO PROVE ITS LILCOUNTRYSHOOTER OR HOLLADOLLA ON MTV.COM CHAT ONE GUY NOT IN THE INDUSTRY CAN SAY THESE SONGS WERE NOT WRITTEN BY THE ARTISTS RIGHT THURR A LIL TOO COUNTRY FOR CHINGY IT FROM PA SWAY COURSE YOU COULD ALWAYS TRACE THE ADDRESS OF THE COMPUTER SO YOU SHOULD KNOW ITS ME IN DA CLUB 21 QUESTIONS ((EVER WONDER WHY 21` CAUSE TWO YEARS AGO THATS HOW OLD I WAS 21... PIMP MANY MEN GET LOW MISS IDEPENDENT ST ANGER SEVEN NATION ARMY PERFECT CRAZY IN LOVE WELL YOU KNOW THE TRUTH THEY ALL CAME FROM ONE SET OF PEOPLE THE PEOPLE I LIVED WITH SWAY TWO YEARS AGO ON DAVIS ISLAND FLORIDA CHECK IT OUT AND SAVE THE MUSIC FOR REAL ITS BEEN SOME TIME COMIN UNTIL THEN HOLD YA HEAD UP SOILDER AND DO WHATS RIGHT FOR THIS MUSIC GAME...

A FORMER WHITE BOY BUM AND LOVER OF MUSIC

ME

Wait wait wait.. What kind of list is this? What about Qwel, The rubber duckie experiment? That album is dope, with plenty for variety and clever lyrics.. And I don’t see any Anticon, what’s up with that, if you fail to recognize the skill and talent of Anticon, then you have clearly not done your homework.. And really, no DOOM? No quality control on his releases?
And maybe my eyes deceive me, but did I see Paul Barman on a list that wasn’t titled embarrassment to hip hop?( notice I did not refer to Paul Barman as emcee, as to not tarnish the title)
I find this list to be completely unsubstantiated, and without reason, you have not done your research and fail to recognize many talented artists, and give props to a load of lackluster emcees.
How do the Streets make your list, and not the Non-Prophets, or RJD2?
Dude, you need to do some serious home work, I suggest you turn off MTV, tell you moms to do your laundry, and figure out this acronym, D.I.T.C.. Once you have done that. maybe then you can put a real list together.
peace

Oida was seits ihr für wapla?
Hörts eucht lieba Texta an!Die bringens!
Ned so a verschisserna Gangstascheiß! hehehehehehe scho oasch das Englisch die Weltsproch is ;)

adios amigos

Love all the songs listed, i'm into all hip hop i don't discriminate. Some of my faves are of course Mos def/kweli, company flow, kool kieth, absract rule, spooks, classified,kayne,boogiemonsters..... just to name a few, picked up some new ones on here too, so keep em comin'. Underground hip hop is where its at!!

whatsup good people,,,, check out my man emirc from hawaii,,, album out now called "rhyme and punishement" beat by dj rhettmatic, syze one and mr. rios. we are working on rhyme and punishment 2 right now,,,, featuring rhettmatic, dj babu, rakka irescience, apathy, syze one, mr. rios, and others.. hit me at
sureshotpromo@aol.com for mp3's, wax, or cd's

dj jimmy taco
flip the bird entertainment
sure shot promotions
djjmytaco@tmail.com

yo where the busdriver feat 2mex... ;;:"walking dead":;;

Not saying their hot just because I come from there (London), but you lot should check out "Ty- Upwards" AND "Blak Twang- Kik Off" for some unknown topshotters. Oh yeah "Blak Twang- G.C.S.E (Ghetto Children Sex Education)" is funny as hell.

Anyway nuff respect to Mos Def, Talib Qweli, Rass Kass, Common, DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Roots, The Coup and Masta Ace (amongst others) and I'm looking forward to getting "DM & Jemini- Ghetto Pop Life" and "Pete Miser- Radio Free Brooklyn"

Oi! Where the fuck can I get hold of "Masta Ace- Disposable Arts"? If you know send me a quick email- thanks.

This is my list of the greatest albums ever to be recorded:

KRS-One: Return of the Boom Bap

50 Cent: Get Rich or die Trying

Busta Rhymes: Genesis and Extincion level event

Jay-Z: The Blueprint and The black album

Mos Def- Black on both sides

Is that not an instant classic like minute rice?

BOBS was released a few years before 2003.

check out the new underground lable chronic records & listen 2 some hot new shit from the hottest group 2 come out of pittsburgh pa check out www.4chronicrecords.com and tell us what you think & for all yall reading this from the burgh go down to your local record store and ask for the Forty One Duce "real life" album in stres now!!!!!!!!!! also mix tape coming 2005

wheres Zion-I and where are P.U.T.S?

Good Afternoon,
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Our directory provides exposure, build partnerships and increase patronage amongst potential consumers. As a magazine that I absolutely enjoy, I would like to request, on behalf of The Urban Media Group, a link trade to correspond with our website recommendation believing that working together much more can be accomplished than apart, we look forward to many prospects of our working together to promote the beautiful elements that unite our world. Please feel free to reply by email or by telephone at 720.232.6096.
I look forward to hearing from you.
T.

I can't hear "Abstract Rude" is it ok?

yes

PUTS - People Under The Stairs
"dope - doper - PUTS"
Check out the new album!
Peace