The Beatles - I liked Rubber Soul and The White Album, but their early stuff doesn't grab me at all.

The Rolling Stones - I'm sure they were cutting edge at their time, but I'd simply rather listen to the old Blues artists they were covering.

India.Arie - She's conscious and bohemian (if I'm using that correctly) but she's also really earnest which kind of distracts me. I shouldn't feel that way because I'm an earnest guy, but I like more of an edge or fierceness in the music I listen to.

Beyonce - Outside of a couple of singles, I haven't gotten into her music. I listened to IV once, but by and large I can't get into her music.

J.Cole - I forget the poster who mentioned him, but like you, I dig his persona, style, and content. But I don't know if it's because I'm older and I'm not discovering him authentically in the way that many kids are, but he isn't *that dude* to me like Kendrick is.

The Purple Tape - I know folks everywhere, especially on here swears by this album, but it's just 'good' to me. What I think about The Chronic - that it is a definitive classic in every sense of the word - is what I think a lot of hip-hop heads think about OBFCL.


J Dilla - He's technically proficient, I get that. But I've only heard a couple of beats by him that I was really feeling. I really like the music of The Roots and Common and Tribe, all are acts Dilla worked with, but he just doesn't do it for me.

Atoms for Peace - I like Radiohead and The Chili Peppers are okay, but that group's quality falls short. I always thought of Thom as the leader of Radiohead and that Radiohead were just playing Thom's songs, but there's obviously a quality that the other members that balances Thom's ideas.

Run the Jewels - For that matter, all of the Def Jux stuff never did it for me. Cold Vein was pretty dope, and I appreciate El-P's production but I've never kirked out to one of his beats.