C90: UK hip hop - the definitive retrospective

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i'd like to see what you think this should look like...taking it from at least 1986 if you can, right up til the present day and balancing things as best as can be. could/should include...

Derek B
Monie Love
Ruthless Rap Assassins
London Posse
Outlaw Posse
Gunshot
Hijack
London Rhyme Syndicate
Caveman
Stereo MCs
Louie Rankin
Massive Attack
Tricky
Earthling
Archive
Rae & Christian
Blade (or Mark B AND)
Herbaliser
Lewis Parker
Roots Manuva
The Streets
Gamma
Shadowless
Blak Twang
Rodney P

and a few more i've missed i expect - fire away if you please - and no-one say Pitman! well you can if you want i suppose

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 18 November 2002 17:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Tim H to thread!! And indeed country!!

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 18 November 2002 17:18 (twenty-three years ago)

don't forget The Cookie Crew - "Females" and "Born This Way" are both FANTASTIC

― Jeff W (Jeff W), Monday, 18 November 2002 17:24 (twenty-three years ago)

might as well drop in Neneh Cherry too...a lot of the females ended up on such a pop tip e.g. Betty Boo and Wee Papa Girl Rappers - enjoyable pop tips they were though

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 18 November 2002 17:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Depends how "hip hop" you want the artists to be. Fun-Da-Mental could make it, as could Camp Lo. Perennial ILM favourites The Fallacy and Fusion should be on there, and you could make a case for The Creators, who were one of the biggest things in Brit-rap in 2000. Skitz should definitely be on there, as should at least be one thing affiliated with Fat Lace.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 18 November 2002 17:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Delete "The" from Fallacy and Fusion... it's been a long day.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 18 November 2002 17:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Camp Lo arent from the UK! otherwise your suggestions are sound...now how about actually picking the tracks?

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 18 November 2002 17:35 (twenty-three years ago)

hardnoise - 'untitled'
silver bullet - 'bring forth..' and '20 seconds..'
caveman - 'im ready'
hijack - 'style warriors revenge'
london posse 'money mad' and 'style'
rodney p 'tings in time'
gunshot - 'battle creek brawl'
so solid - '21 seconds'

― meh, Monday, 18 November 2002 17:47 (twenty-three years ago)

i'd go for 'Fry You Like Fish' by Caveman over the 'Crosstown Traffic' pilfering 'I'm Ready' myself...I really need to hear that track again

forgot about SIlver Bullet! and JC001! and Daddy Freddy! all claimed to be the fastest rapper in the world at various points

the Hardnoise track is an instrumental and more SUAD/rave/breakbeat style isnt it? about as hip hop as '21 Seconds' really...you could include stuff like that but why bother when they have another genre more readily disposed upon them...same goes for The Streets maybe, tho stuff like 'Sharp Darts' even tho its little more than a interlude/segway feels more hip hop than garage...just a tempo thing maybe?

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 18 November 2002 17:59 (twenty-three years ago)

'untitled' was probably popular at breakbeat nights for the instrumental version but the proper version has two rappers going insane! also check 'serve tea then murder' as well.

uk hiphop is too weak to not let '21 seconds' in surely.

― meh, Monday, 18 November 2002 18:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Massive Attack - "Five Man Army" or "Blue Lines"

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 18 November 2002 19:40 (twenty-three years ago)

Neneh Cherry is from Sweden, well she may be living in UK at the tim but i dont know

― Jens (brighter), Monday, 18 November 2002 19:42 (twenty-three years ago)

its not a case of weakness meh, i listed enough artists from the start to make a decent compilation and there are some brilliant tracks to come out of those artists. '21 seconds' is piss-poor in my book anyway so has no real place here, esp. as there are far better garage tracks with rapping on anyway

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 18 November 2002 19:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Slick Rick... born brit, bred in the bronx, but he still raps with a UK accent. and any excuse to include 'Children's Story" is acceptable.

the nextmen. always did like that abum.
Ty. same....

arethere really no women excet Monie Love on this list? just becase i can't think of any at the moment doesn't mean that there aren't any more....

― bucky wunderlick (bucky), Monday, 18 November 2002 20:15 (twenty-three years ago)

"Stick & Move" by New Flesh.
"Ain't Got TIme To Waste" by Aim (or anything off of Coldwater Music).

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 18 November 2002 20:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Roots Manuva "Dreamy Days" (superior to "Witness The Fitness", just make sure you leave the SFA remix well clear)
Fallacy and Fusion "The Groundbreaker" (best British hip-hop track of the year/decade/ever)
Blak Twang "Firepower"
Skitz "Domestic Science" (also works for any fem-cee mixtape you want as well)
The Creators "The Music"

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 18 November 2002 21:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Groundbreaker is firin' - best British hip hop track? s'pose it's gotta be.

don't forget...
Hijack - 'Badman is Robbin'
Jehst - 'High Plains Drifter'
MC Mello - Mello's Gone Crazy'
Demon Boyz - 'Glimmety Glammety' (oh gosh!)
Blak Twang - 'Real Estate' and 'Homegrown' (w/Fallacy)
Lewis Parker - 'Rise'

Has anyone heard the new Lewis Parker elpee? Any good?

― nebbesh (nebbesh), Monday, 18 November 2002 23:14 (twenty-three years ago)

THIS ISN'T HIP HOP!

*awaits rocks thrown across the pond from angry brits*

― JasonD (JasonD), Monday, 18 November 2002 23:28 (twenty-three years ago)

OK define hip-hop, Jason

― always guaranteed to rise to the bate (robin carmody), Monday, 18 November 2002 23:44 (twenty-three years ago)

it is not a pond it is an ocean

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 18 November 2002 23:54 (twenty-three years ago)

uk hiphop is too weak to not let '21 seconds' in surely

And there I was thinking that there was probably far too much stuff to fit on for there to be any room left for two recent tracks I'd suggest (Gamma - "Killer Apps" and Aspects - "My Genre"). But I know nothing about hiphop anyway.

― Rebecca (reb), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 00:03 (twenty-three years ago)

'Killer Apps' is great - its on the new 'Extra Yard' compilation i think, sounds well worth getting

arent 57th Dynasty british as well?

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 00:06 (twenty-three years ago)

"My Genre" is funny, definitely, but is the purpose of the tape to include the best in Brit-hop (in which case I'd say it should be in) or to be a brief history (in which case it wouldn't).

I take it either "Snot Rap" or "Mama Who Da Man?" are gonna make it in?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 00:06 (twenty-three years ago)

i think the 'brief history' style was the intention, obviously trying to accommodate the best tracks possible from as broad a range of artists within the genre (i.e. identifiable primarily as hip hop) but keeping it well balanced chronologically

mind you, i wouldnt actually make a tape as such - maybe a CD or MD, i should called it MD148 or something - i hardly ever used C90s anyway (more of a D120 man)

oh and i far prefer 'witness' over 'dreamy days' tho i love both

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 00:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Rebecca, you know more about hip-hop than Jason does :).

― mischief the monkey (robin carmody), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 00:34 (twenty-three years ago)

I probably meant to say a winking "even you" to Rebecca above

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 00:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Saint Etienne feat Q-Tee - "Filthy"

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 00:39 (twenty-three years ago)

uh, MC Tunes?

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 00:39 (twenty-three years ago)

hehe i loved 'The Only Rhyme That Bites' but more for the cheeky 'Theme from the Big Country' sample and 808 State's production work rather than Tunes himself - lyrics were quite entertaining tho

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 00:44 (twenty-three years ago)

'tunes splits the atoms' - inevitable sampling of 'i am the resurrection' b-line with sweet exorcist bleeps. sounds fun, unfortunately the ginger scally spouting off about nish (as i believe they say in the North of England) makes you stare straight ahead and hope he doesn't notice you.

Ruthless Rap Assassins were alright tho'.

― nebbesh (nebbesh), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 01:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Fleapit: http://www.sfdbrecords.com/news.htm - very very good.

What about The Soup Dragons? Or Suede's "Stay Together"?

and finally - diss/miss Collapsed Lung at your peril!

― Charlie (Charlie), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 05:06 (twenty-three years ago)

There HAS to be a Pitman track there.

― Nick H, Tuesday, 19 November 2002 11:13 (twenty-three years ago)

The Brotherhood? 3 Wise Men?

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 19 November 2002 11:17 (twenty-three years ago)

And if you're doing hip-hop and not rap, there has to be some Skratch Perverts on there.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 11:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Faze One

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 11:36 (twenty-three years ago)

krispy 3 "the sound".

― michael wells (michael w.), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 11:44 (twenty-three years ago)

where did this 'camp lo are english' thing come from? it says that on allmusic.com too

― minna (minna), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 12:35 (twenty-three years ago)

All this way down the thread and still no Braintax? "Riviera Hustle" (with Jehst), "Don't Drag Me In" (with Mystro) or the fantastic "Futureghost" should make it. Or Mud Fam's "Lash Suttin'". Or any number of things by Taskforce, "Butterfly Concerto" espesh. Lost Souls, anyone?

Hurry on back from NYC, Tim H....

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 13:46 (twenty-three years ago)

MC Mabon, p'raps?

― Mr Swygart (mrswygart), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 13:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh god, how is there no Phi Life Cypher on this thing? Errr... "Crazy Ballheads". Or "Cordless Mics at 20 Paces ("you'll get wasted like a racist/surrounded by twenty niggaz with Black Panther braces/causing more pain than a sadist") which'd fill your Skitz quotient as well.

I would say "Bloodrush" by Creative Controle, but I can't remind if they're from Northern Ireland or Eire.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 14:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Has no-one mentioned Definition Of Sound's "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" yet? I think it got to something like number 3 during the daisy age. I'm trawling through the back of my 12"s for cheesy hip house records and have found Kiss AMC's "A Bit Of U2", nice "New Year's Day" sample there, and She Rockers "Jam It Jam", which I can't remember at all.

― Mike (mratford), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 19:52 (twenty-three years ago)

I've just noticed that the Kiss AMC record is mixed by Dave Holmes. Any relation?

― Mike (mratford), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 20:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Just to continue this interior monologue, I bought the Wild Bunch retrospective "Story Of A Sound System" the other day. Obviously this isn't the Wild Bunch about to have a post-Christmas lull Number One with "Danger! High Voltage" but the loose Bristol collective preceding Soul II Soul and Massive Attack. Most of the compilation consists of the hip hop they played during their parties and then right at the end is their legendary version of "The Look Of Love" - beats, a brief string sample, and Shara Nelson. I can't work out if there's anything original on there but it must be one of the most influential records ever made. What was considered soul in the late 80s? Shakatak?

― Mike (mratford), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 21:07 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

You have forgotten Fusion, Probaly the hotest Hip Hop producer on the london circit right now.

― Tom Davidson, Monday, 29 March 2004 19:42 (twenty-two years ago)

nine months pass...

Nobody gives SUAD the props they deserve for thier rapping. "Rap's my Occupation" and "This Town Needs A Sherrif" doesn't sound half as dated as the Hijack, Silver Bullet stuff. They've got some fresh rhythm patterns to their flows.

― SiCOne, Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

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