Welcome to the 4th edition of Critical Minded (nearly) Cash Money free! This is the one that some many of you have been asking for; the 30 Essential Underground Albums. This is a very objective list, not just because it is my opinion on the albums quality but because the classification of what is underground and what isn’t is also objective. With that in mind, here are the guidelines of the list: Artists can only appear once (unless solo and group). Artists that get mainstream love today can make the list for past underground gems. Most albums are mid to late 90’s because that is when things really started getting classified as underground. Lastly, I know I left a lot off and I could list another 30 essential albums in a heartbeat. I doesn’t mean that I didn’t like a particular album, it just means that I didn’t think it was as important/dope/essential as another. Get it? Got it? Good.
Before I unveil the list, I must get a few things off my dome. I really had to bite my tongue a few weeks ago when I reported Ja Rule saying he was going resurrect Pac within himself. See Tommy? I do have some self-restraint. Fellow writer Ill Will spoiled my fun by ripping Ja apart already and basically said everything I wanted to. That’s alright though, as long as some one does it (plus I laughed my ass off).
I would be remiss not to mention an album that I picked up recently, Emanon “Anon And On.” It’s an 8 song EP that is part of the Ill Boogie “Earplug” series and is very dope. He is an excellent lyricist and each song is very well put together. “What You Live For” is one of the year’s best songs and it features maybe the best verse of the year, check it; “So many ladies feeling less than feminine/all because they believing what the media’s telling them/buying up all the beauty corporations be selling them/caught up in categorizing by levels of melanin/I’m sick of it, beauty is much more than skin deep/its in the way you walk, think, talk and speak/beware the television, it’s a tool for conditionin’/read between the lines of the crafty sales pitchin’/an feel free to act and be however you wanna be/don’t always try and duplicate whatever you see/supermodels ain’t nothin’ but pseudo humanoids more plastic than a box of baby toys/baby boys is wrong the way they act when they love’em and leave’em/so verify the love is real before you believe’em/protect yourself, preserve your mental health/and look inside for the value of your personal wealth.” Now tell me, why isn’t this song on the radio? Verses like that need to be heard by the masses. The song is hella catchy too. Why am I asking questions that I already know the answers to?
What is the world coming to? Toni Braxton is pissed cuz Jay-Z is using the same beat as her? YOU BOTH JACKED FROM PAC! What can she say “hey, I jacked it first.” Folks need to quit jacking him to begin with. Everyone heard P.E’s newest song “Give The People What They Need,” incredible track that is vintage Public Enemy. Speaking of incredible tracks, Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” His flow and delivery in the third verse defies description. The Source once again showed how in-tune they are with hip hop culture when they chose the 100 greatest rhymes of all-time. They really put a lot of effort into when they didn’t go beyond Hot 97’s playlist when choosing rhymes. Granted, there were some good choices, but some very bad as well. They’re idiots, so whatever…remember y’all, you find gold by digging, go beneath the surface. So without further ado, here are 30 underground albums that you must have in your collection:
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Ras Kass – Soul On Ice
Atmosphere – Godlovesugly
Dr Octagon – Dr Octagonecoligest
Aesop Rock – Labor Days
Company Flow – Funcrusher Plus
Tha Alkaholiks – 21 & Over
Organized Konfusion – Stress:Extinction Agenda
Non-Phixion – The Future Is Now
A-Team – Who Framed The A-Team?
Chino XL – Here To Save You All
Dilated Peoples – Expansion Team
Smif’n Wessun – Dah Shinin’
7L & Esoteric – Speaking Real Words EP
Jurassic 5 – LP
Cannibal Ox – The Cold Vein
Soundbombing 1
Mos Def – Black On Both Sides
Project Blowed
Defari -Focused Daily
High & Mighty – Home Field Advantage
The Beatnuts – The Beatnuts
Common Sense – Resurrection
Mr Lif – I Phantom
Blackalicious – Nia
Gangstarr – Daily Operation
J-Live – The Best Part
Bumpy Knuckles – Industry Shakedown
O.C. – Jewelz
Styles of Beyond – 2000 Fold
Headshots – Industrial Warfare
There you go, check’em all, you won’t be disappointed. love me, hate me, feel free to tell me. jeff.ryce@hiphopdx.com
Welcome to the 4th edition of Critical Minded
