X BLACK X
08-13-2007, 06:53 PM
Classic hip-hop albums, they do exist, but they are not made often. I believe there are 5 types of albums, Garbage, Coaster, Chill, Sweet and Classic albums. To better understand how these albums are made, I broke down the ingredients of each.
Garbage Albums
The first category are your "Garbage Albums," also referred to as "wack," "some sh*t," "doo-doo," and many other extreme descriptions. These are the albums where the album is lacking creativity, originality, substance, quality production, and that one thing that makes the artist great - character. Albums that fall in this category are the types where you find your face gradually wrinkling up in disgust as you listen to more and more songs. Good examples of albums like these are those that overly use profane words, boring and overly used topics, and those that promote things that bring down our communities. Albums that degrade women, promote violence, racial hatred, ignorance, simply music without soul. Albums like this often contain an artist that clearly has no direction (more often no talent), and rhyming over horrific beats. Here and there you will find an exception where the beats are okay, but the emcee remains unchanged.
Coaster Albums
The second category is the "Coaster Albums," also referred to as "luke warm," "okay," "so-so," and many other equivalent descriptions. Coaster Albums are those that are not good enough to make it into your normal rotation but not bad enough to throw away, so it ends up protecting your coffee table from those daily drinks. Although close to being Garbage Albums, normally the only thing that improves on Coaster Albums is the beats, at times the lyrics. Artists with these types of albums still lack direction, but at times can be reached through their lyrics (but not often). A good example of this is when you have an album with 17 tracks and only a couple of them speak on a touching subject, in which allows the listener to get close to the artist. Another key aspect of the Coaster Albums is the "featured artists" that flood the album (not including singers, other emcees only). One to two features on an album is my personal limit. But when 80% of an album has a feature, its clear the artist can not hold down a project on his own, and needs help. Coaster albums are those where about half of the album can be listened to, the other half involves a lot of track skipping.
Chill Albums
My next category is the "Chill Albums" – but don’t get the category confused, the word "chill" in the name doesn’t mean relaxing, cool, subtle or any of the above. What I am referring to is that feeling you get where your arms get goose bumps, like that bit of excitement that falls over you when you know you are going to see that love interest soon. These are the albums where your ears are telling you, "...this might be the next cat to blow," and you find yourself listening a little harder to this album than on other Garbage and Coaster selections. These are the albums where there is a bit more consistency with the production, rhymes and overall originality of the album. Often on Chill Albums, artists seem to be more comfortable in their skin, more confident and rhyme with a bit more passion. Chill albums are those where almost every track can be listened to, with minimal track skipping.
The Sweet Albums
Sweet albums are like mom’s sweet cooking, that great plate of all the nutrients one needs to endure a healthy life – in other words a sweet album is a plate of hot beats, hot rhymes, creativity, character, and the capability to touch someone’s soul with the music presented. Sweet albums are damn near perfect albums but often times fall short due to something small that was overlooked – too many skits, too many tracks that sound alike, occasionally that one "iffy" track where the artist either tries to step out the box but doesn’t pull it off well or that one track where they collaborate with an artist who could have truly been excluded from the album, thus the reason why its not a classic. Sweet albums are often those where every track can be listened to, very rare is there a track skip except for those "iffy" songs.
Classic Albums
Classic albums are just that – classic, no metaphors needed, simply classic. A Classic album is two times the Sweet album without the flaws of any of the other albums above. Classic albums are those albums remembered for decades, trendsetter albums, albums that significantly boost the hip-hop culture in a great way. Classic albums are those where every up-tempo track jumps off the CD and grabs you, forcing you to damn near break your neck from nodding your head, or makes you cry until your tear ducts are dry for those sadder songs. A classic album consists of songs where the artist and producers go above and beyond with the lyrics and production. Artists that drop classic albums very rarely (if at all) have a single on the radio, or a video on BET. Artists that drop classic albums are normally artists who tour to live and live to tour, unlike many artists who don’t tour at all and get paid residuals from album sales, spins and endorsements. Classic albums are those where almost every track can appeal to the young and old, rich and poor, employed or unemployed.
Closing
There are exceptions to every rule, so these categories and its artists will change. Many people forget that hip-hop is a culture and it represents many different people of many diverse backgrounds and tastes. Knowing this, I understand that my breakdown of the five types of hip-hop albums will be disputed by some and agreed upon by others. But I believe what I have written could be the new foundation of what classic hip-hop music should sound/be like. I believe that hip-hop is alive, but not well, and in order to heal her, we must go back and re-lay the foundations that once made her strong. "Minimalize" the politics, maximize the music. I wrote this essay/article with signed artists in mind, independently signed and those with major backing – but I believe there are tons of classic albums in the underground scene as well. This article was written to stimulate as well as to motivate artists and producers to rekindle their love for hip-hop, and to reach deep and raise the bar with every album they plan to drop. Ignore press and reviews that doesn’t offer constructive criticism. Ignore friends and fans that can’t grow with you. Those who sit stagnate are those who hate. Press on, play on. Reflect on 2007 and the years prior and use your mistakes to grow in the future.
:drops mic:
:cool:
Garbage Albums
The first category are your "Garbage Albums," also referred to as "wack," "some sh*t," "doo-doo," and many other extreme descriptions. These are the albums where the album is lacking creativity, originality, substance, quality production, and that one thing that makes the artist great - character. Albums that fall in this category are the types where you find your face gradually wrinkling up in disgust as you listen to more and more songs. Good examples of albums like these are those that overly use profane words, boring and overly used topics, and those that promote things that bring down our communities. Albums that degrade women, promote violence, racial hatred, ignorance, simply music without soul. Albums like this often contain an artist that clearly has no direction (more often no talent), and rhyming over horrific beats. Here and there you will find an exception where the beats are okay, but the emcee remains unchanged.
Coaster Albums
The second category is the "Coaster Albums," also referred to as "luke warm," "okay," "so-so," and many other equivalent descriptions. Coaster Albums are those that are not good enough to make it into your normal rotation but not bad enough to throw away, so it ends up protecting your coffee table from those daily drinks. Although close to being Garbage Albums, normally the only thing that improves on Coaster Albums is the beats, at times the lyrics. Artists with these types of albums still lack direction, but at times can be reached through their lyrics (but not often). A good example of this is when you have an album with 17 tracks and only a couple of them speak on a touching subject, in which allows the listener to get close to the artist. Another key aspect of the Coaster Albums is the "featured artists" that flood the album (not including singers, other emcees only). One to two features on an album is my personal limit. But when 80% of an album has a feature, its clear the artist can not hold down a project on his own, and needs help. Coaster albums are those where about half of the album can be listened to, the other half involves a lot of track skipping.
Chill Albums
My next category is the "Chill Albums" – but don’t get the category confused, the word "chill" in the name doesn’t mean relaxing, cool, subtle or any of the above. What I am referring to is that feeling you get where your arms get goose bumps, like that bit of excitement that falls over you when you know you are going to see that love interest soon. These are the albums where your ears are telling you, "...this might be the next cat to blow," and you find yourself listening a little harder to this album than on other Garbage and Coaster selections. These are the albums where there is a bit more consistency with the production, rhymes and overall originality of the album. Often on Chill Albums, artists seem to be more comfortable in their skin, more confident and rhyme with a bit more passion. Chill albums are those where almost every track can be listened to, with minimal track skipping.
The Sweet Albums
Sweet albums are like mom’s sweet cooking, that great plate of all the nutrients one needs to endure a healthy life – in other words a sweet album is a plate of hot beats, hot rhymes, creativity, character, and the capability to touch someone’s soul with the music presented. Sweet albums are damn near perfect albums but often times fall short due to something small that was overlooked – too many skits, too many tracks that sound alike, occasionally that one "iffy" track where the artist either tries to step out the box but doesn’t pull it off well or that one track where they collaborate with an artist who could have truly been excluded from the album, thus the reason why its not a classic. Sweet albums are often those where every track can be listened to, very rare is there a track skip except for those "iffy" songs.
Classic Albums
Classic albums are just that – classic, no metaphors needed, simply classic. A Classic album is two times the Sweet album without the flaws of any of the other albums above. Classic albums are those albums remembered for decades, trendsetter albums, albums that significantly boost the hip-hop culture in a great way. Classic albums are those where every up-tempo track jumps off the CD and grabs you, forcing you to damn near break your neck from nodding your head, or makes you cry until your tear ducts are dry for those sadder songs. A classic album consists of songs where the artist and producers go above and beyond with the lyrics and production. Artists that drop classic albums very rarely (if at all) have a single on the radio, or a video on BET. Artists that drop classic albums are normally artists who tour to live and live to tour, unlike many artists who don’t tour at all and get paid residuals from album sales, spins and endorsements. Classic albums are those where almost every track can appeal to the young and old, rich and poor, employed or unemployed.
Closing
There are exceptions to every rule, so these categories and its artists will change. Many people forget that hip-hop is a culture and it represents many different people of many diverse backgrounds and tastes. Knowing this, I understand that my breakdown of the five types of hip-hop albums will be disputed by some and agreed upon by others. But I believe what I have written could be the new foundation of what classic hip-hop music should sound/be like. I believe that hip-hop is alive, but not well, and in order to heal her, we must go back and re-lay the foundations that once made her strong. "Minimalize" the politics, maximize the music. I wrote this essay/article with signed artists in mind, independently signed and those with major backing – but I believe there are tons of classic albums in the underground scene as well. This article was written to stimulate as well as to motivate artists and producers to rekindle their love for hip-hop, and to reach deep and raise the bar with every album they plan to drop. Ignore press and reviews that doesn’t offer constructive criticism. Ignore friends and fans that can’t grow with you. Those who sit stagnate are those who hate. Press on, play on. Reflect on 2007 and the years prior and use your mistakes to grow in the future.
:drops mic:
:cool: