Fast Rap (1 Viewer)

[Samuel Des]

I'm not a connoisseur of rap or hip hop, but I really loved NWA's Straight Outta Compton and PE's Fear of a Black Planet in their time. Since then, I've moved away from rap, but am now ready to re-discover it. Are there any rap albums that are faster and harder than these? Also, are there any good metal-rap albums out now?

Thanks

 

[Zen Butler]

Well for "harder" I'm not sure what you mean? Lyrically PE, And NWA would be "hard". For newer stuff with a gritty edge I would start with these first
Wu-Tang Clan- Enter The WuTang-93
Notorious BIG-Ready To Die-94
Dr. Dre-2001 Chronic(great newer album)-2000
Method Man/Redman- Blackout (hard solid album)
Jurassic 5-Quality Control
Busta Ryhmes- E.L.E Extinction Level Event
as far as rap-metal, I cant help to much there, I dont care for too much of it, I think Rage Against the Machine said it all in that department

 

[Samuel Des]

Thanks Zen -- I didn't necesarily mean "harder" in lyric content -- I wanted an "edgy" sound, where the rapper speaks quickly, and the instruments are very loud. I guess Rage Against The Machine is where I should go.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Get the old Onyx record.

Most modern hip-hop seems to be stoner-core (all the underground stuff)- it's mostly 60bpm and real relaxed.

-Vince

 

[Bill Leber]

Big Boi and Andre3000 of OutKast rap fast, but I wouldn't call them "hard," the music is really groovy. They're my favorite rap right now, you might also check out Ludacris if you like the "dirty south" sound.

 

[Matt Stryker]

The Beastie Boys "Paul's Boutique" might be worth picking up (its a punk/rap combination; released before they did "Licensed To Ill"). "Hello Nasty" has its parts too.

A great primer on rap/metal is the "Judgment Night" soundtrack. Most of the songs teamed a rapper with a metal band, and the result was pretty loud and fast.

 

[Samuel Des]

Hi Vince -- Which Onyx? I have Backdafucup.

Bill -- I like Outkast too. But they weren't what I envisioned.

Matt - I got Paul's Boutique. Great album. I'll have to check out Judgement Night.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

That's the one I had in mind. I know they came out with a few others (All We Got Iz Us, Shut Em Down, and Bacdafucup 2)- but that first record was one of the only Rap albums that really go me excited for what Rap music could be if injected with the spirit of punk rock.

I too think Judgment Night is a good record- although it is certainly hit and miss... and not always "fast and hard" as the original poster suggested (In fact, I think the best track on the disc is the really slow and lazy Fallin, the De La Soul/Teenage Fanclub Collaboration).

Although I don't know their material, if their appearance on the Judgment Night Soundtrack was any indication, Boo Ya Tribe might be worth checking out.

You might also check out Ice T's BODY COUNT. Although, the record is pretty lame in a sort of Spinal Tap silly way- some of what Ice T had to say (and is still saying) was worth a listen.

Also, you might make the jump to more punk rock albums- since many are right up your alley and while not "rap"- many hardcore bands did little more than bark in a rhythmic manner. Might try to check into Minor Threat (or even Rage Against The Machine's cover of "in my eyes" which is a spot on copy, just a little less intense)...

Which would lead you to the next logical jump: Consolidated, Fugazi, Earth Crisis, Ten Yard Fight, etc...

 

[Samuel Des]

Hey - I'm a Minor Threat fan! That's great. Got some Misfits records too. I gues what I'm looking for is a rap equivalent to a Misfits record, or something like that. I hear cool snipets from films on occassion; but generally, the real song title doesn't seem to appear on the soundtracks. I guess the sample is too short. Some of Ice T's stuff is interesting, but most of it doesn't "swing" (for me).

 

[Brian Crowe]

I'd suggest Linkin Park if you don't already have it. They pull off the rap/metal sound better than just about anyone out there. There's also not a bad song on the whole album. You definitely get your money's worth.

Another one I always suggest is a compilation called Loud Rocks. It's a couple of years old but features groupings like System of a down/Wu-tang, Static-X/Dead Prez, and Ozzy Osbourne & Tommy Iommi/Wu-tang. Kick ass stuff on this album.

~Crowe~

 

[Philip Hamm]

Two Words:

White Chocolate

It's never too late to join the White Chocolate Army.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Yes, Outkast is a solid band doing some interesting stuff. B.O.B. off of the Grammy-winning Stankonia is exactly the sort of fast rap you are looking for. It has a hard, thumping drumbeat to it as well for a "hard" edge.
Rap/metal mix - one of my favorite rap albums period fits this. Judgement Night has some extremely pleasing collaborations on it. Boo Yaa Tribe and Faith No More are great together. Everlast has a great rap on Just Another Victim (his a solid lyricist), and Run-DMC have an excellent bit on there as well.
The whole thing is strong, much better than the catchy pop attempts to capture hit power of the PE/Anthrax version of "Bring the Noise" that every other artist followed with after it became a hit.

 

[Jeff Keene]

Paul's Boutique was actually the followup to the Licensed to Ill record, licensed to ill being released in 1986 and Pauls Boutique in 1989.

The pre-Licensed to Ill Beastie punk record is called "Some Old Bullshit". I've only ever seen it in cassette form. In my opinion it's not that great, though I am a fan of the Beastie's in general.

Paul's Boutique was indeed the follow-up to Licensed to Ill. It is a collaboration with the Dust Brothers, and in my opinion was ahead of its time. It plays very modern even today, but is not what I'd call "hard-edged". Some stuff of Ill Communication might better fall into that category.

 

[Matt Stryker]

The pre-Licensed to Ill Beastie punk record is called "Some Old Bullshit". I've only ever seen it in cassette form.

CDNow has it on CD; My wife's been asking for it for her birthday (shes a HUGE Beastie fan). The look on her face when I finally located "Boomin Granny" was priceless.

Gotta go dig up Judgment Night; all this rap/metal talk has put me in Helmet mood.

 

[Jeff Keene]

(shes a HUGE Beastie fan)

Matt -

In that case, I highly recommend the Beastie Boys Anthology DVD set. It has 18 videos with alternate mixes, alternate video, the works.

I pretty much watch it straight, though, with the 5.1 and it sounds awesome.

 

[JasonK]

Here's a few more suggestions:

Roni Size: Reprazent/In the Mode - Not really a TRUE rap album, more of a techno disc. But it has a few rap tracks on it. One, with Method Man fits the bill as a 'fast rap' song, same as one with Zach de La Rocha.

DJ Swamp: Never is Now - Again, this is not all rap w/lyrics. Some songs are just beats, but Swamp has some gems on here. He was Beck's DJ a while ago, and this is his solo debut. He's a got a track with a computer doing the vocals which is quite good.

Dan the Automator: Wanna Buy a Monkey? - This is a mixtape session of tracks Dan likes and stuff he's done. Not all of it is fast, but it's worth a listen. Plus, it might expose you to some other bands you might enjoy.

I'd love to offer more, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head and the majority of the hip-hop I listen to doesn't have 120 bpm tracks.

Jason

 

[Matt Stryker]

In that case, I highly recommend the Beastie Boys Anthology DVD set.

She made me buy it on the street date . It does have a great mix, and the subtitles are really helpful (funny too). Mo only complaint would be that the Boys seem to want to forget that "Licensed to Ill" ever happened. After seeing this disc, I can't wait for Criterions Monterrey Pop DVD.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Yes, not all rap is going to fit the fast rap bill, and Paul's Boutique is certainly not one of them, though it might be the best rap album ever. Just like I wouldn't recommend PE's Nation of Millions for "fast rap"...but I would recommend the hell out of it in general.

Man, PB before LtIll...sometimes I forget that there are people a lot younger than me around here. To me the span between the 2 seems like a lifetime and the incredible difference between the 2 albums staggered (and alienated) a lot of fans. Everyone claims to have always loved it, but I remember a time when only myself and my buddy were jamming on it. PB is actually the album that made me like the BBoys again, I had quickly gotten sick of their antics around LtIll. PB was such an impressive alteration in style.

Considering Beck's Odelay as well, I think the Dust Bros. have a lot to do with what made PB so great. Odelay and PB being Beck and BB best albums respectively.

Anyway, Roni Size...good recommendation for some fast rap moments.

Don't forget Bone, Thugs and Harmony. Probably the first act to get big with the (at the time) new "fast rap" style.

LL Cool J toyed with it a bit on Walking with the Panther, but he didn't really pursue it at the time.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Nobody even checking out that White Chocolate, huh? It's really good, believe me.

 

[Jeff Keene]

Nobody even checking out that White Chocolate, huh? It's really good, believe me.

Honestly, never heard of them. Can you recommend a specific disc?

NP: John Williams' Star Wars - AOTC Soundtrack