Inspired by this Earl Sweatshirt that I finally got around to listening to today because, WHOA.

If you've ever been depressed, you know about The Wallow. Every once in a while, you want to lock yourself in your room/apartment with your substance of choice and some junk food and just stop trying so damn hard to function. "Life is so bleak," you say to yourself, "and I'm tired of fighting it. Fuck what anyone thinks. Fuck their concerns about my well-being. Today, I'm going to take these 24 hours to listen to depressing music, read Infinite Jest, and completely give up."

(IMPORTANT NOTE: It's ok to give up for 24 hours, but don't go any longer and for God's sake don't REALLY give up. If you ever feel that desperate out-of-control feeling, please reach out to someone. If you have no one else, I'm happy to be that person, as I have been there and come out the other side).

There are some albums that capture that feeling perfectly. The hip-hop albums that do so work very well for me. I can think of three of the top of my head:

Mobb Deep "The Infamous": the gold standard. the beats are so dark and grimy, and Havoc and Prodigy do a great job rhyming about the awfulness without any urgency. When I want to wallow, I don't want any intensity or emerging from the other side a better person, which is why Cuban Linx and TPAB don't work for me. They are epic, wonderful albums, but they cut the depression too much. Give me the raw, uncut give up, please.

Cannibal Ox "The Cold Vein": maybe shouldn't count due to "Scream Phoenix" at the end, but El P even makes the uplifting song sound dirty and broken. The rest of it? Utter desolation.

Earl Sweatshirt "That Long Ass Album Title": because, WHOA

This is not a comprehensive list. Add yours. When you want to mix a little Goth in with your hip hop, what do you listen to?

BONUS NON HIP-HOP ALBUMS

Big Star "Third"
Nick Drake "Pink Moon"

----
bshelly

"You (Fisher) could get fired, Les Snead could get fired, Kevin Demoff could get fired, but I will always be Eric Dickerson.” (c) The God

As far as an album that is raw and angry & borderline self-destructive, Redman's 'Dare Iz a Darkside' is similar to The Infamous. Not so much in terms of the settings Prodigy and Havoc bring up, but just the mood of Redman's album. It's claustrophobic, edgy, dark like depression is. It even has the insane sense of humor that sometimes comes with depression.

Game Theory and Rising Down are albums with a lean towards depression. Rising Down seems more personal. Between 75 Bars, Lost Desire, I Can't Take It, and Criminal, alot of the most angry, dense songs from The Roots are on this album. Even the single, Rising Up, seems like it's a relief from the darkness than a highlight.

Kid A is a very depressing album. It's dense and inaccessible, at times exhausting to listen to, but also very intricate and beautiful in a way, like depression can be. It doesn't get much sadder than 'How to Disappear Completely' and 'In Limbo'.

Sea Change is another heartbreak album, but very depressing. As is Bitter by Meshell.

----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

n/m

----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

Zev & Subroc totally went from idealism to realism between "Mr. Hood" & Black Bastards".

Let my love slide in and never slip out

----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

def the other ones though Geedorah may be a not too

...Not all the way through, but addresses the issue...Pharoahe Monch "PTSD"....Great project too...

Integrity is the Cornerstone of Artistry...

www.twitter.com/seandammit

damn. i was making a list of tracks that especially get the job done and i saw that every single song on that album is down and out. there is no hope to be found, really.

fuck you.

that's one bombed out album. although, to me it sounds more
like a comedown, as there's little glimpses of hope tucked away.
yet that could be just the drugs left in his system. meh.

"just like a baby" and "time" are fucking gut punches, though.

If you're innocent, be cool.
Only the guilty's catchin' offence.

fuck you.

Again I don't know. It has been a while sense I listened to it. It def is blunted and dirty and moody as hell, but depressed idk

This post is making me think more about how in particular with the Black community mental illness is something we resist, yet the Black arts are filled with some form of psychosis, that this post makes me wonder if when under acknowledge in our appreciation of it...

Idk, but some of these choices are interesting

fuck you.

his debut album has Pump It Up and if you bought album
or downloaded it listened to it playing Madden with your people

you were like WTF is this? This is the same guy who
made Pump It Up? Walk With Me, Calm Down, 10 Minutes, etc.

And then after that the Mood Musik series.

-----
Cameo
Soundshape Records

phemom's the name, all-star writer/
searching 4 journalistic fame, mindframe igniter....www.twitter.com/hayabusaage

i agree with what blueprint said on 'great eyedeas never die'
i kinda slept when it was released,
but in retrospect that album is amazing i think.

Usually artists get a lot more love after their death, but Eyedea seemed to stay under the radar for some reason. I wasn't a fan of his earlier work, but this is an incredible album.

http://www.last.fm/user/_CondoM_/

Happy 50th D’Angelo: https://chrisp.bandcamp.com/track/d-50

the perfect soundtrack to depression.

____________________________

FUCK DONALD TRUMP

>the perfect soundtrack to depression.

>>the perfect soundtrack to depression.
>

____________________________

FUCK DONALD TRUMP

You could tell the guys were really going through some shit once they realized the music biz isnt what they thought...


Jedi Mind Tricks - Violent By Design is dark as hell.


id say Hell On Earth is darker and more depressing than The Infamous.

-------------------
I wanna go to where the martyrs went
the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...

>You could tell the guys were really going through some shit
>once they realized the music biz isnt what they thought...
>
>
>Jedi Mind Tricks - Violent By Design is dark as hell.
>
>
>id say Hell On Earth is darker and more depressing than The
>Infamous.
>

having that much fun anymore". And yeah, "Hell on Earth" is more depressing than "The Infamous".


Let my love slide in and never slip out

it's been 8 years...can we get a new album now?

Their last album was fucking fantastic though, one of my favorite albums of the 2000s

----------
https://93millionmilesabove.blogspot.com/
https://rateyourmusic.com/~Kosa12

Great album indeed

>it's been 8 years...can we get a new album now?

https://soundcloud.com/matt-koelling-666011203

www.somethinginthewudder.com

https://twitter.com/nostrabombus

https://www.facebook.com/matt.koelling.96

https://www.instagram.com/something_in_the_wudder/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-koelling-438a80

I said the same thing. Pulled the album out the other day and realized it came out in 08 and was like "Damn, these ninjas gonna make us wait a decade+ again"

******************************************
Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob

>I said the same thing. Pulled the album out the other day and
>realized it came out in 08 and was like "Damn, these ninjas
>gonna make us wait a decade+ again"

https://soundcloud.com/matt-koelling-666011203

www.somethinginthewudder.com

https://twitter.com/nostrabombus

https://www.facebook.com/matt.koelling.96

https://www.instagram.com/something_in_the_wudder/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-koelling-438a80

n/m

___________________________________________________________
Giants, Knicks, Yankees, Rangers

good pull by you

--------------------------------------
https://smallprofessor.bandcamp.com

Now I'm just stuck on "Faucet".

I'll be back to this post with some nominees/thoughts later, I'm up way too late watching "Montage of Heck" for the first time (fairly fitting for this thread I guess).

https://soundcloud.com/matt-koelling-666011203

www.somethinginthewudder.com

https://twitter.com/nostrabombus

https://www.facebook.com/matt.koelling.96

https://www.instagram.com/something_in_the_wudder/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-koelling-438a80

Scarface writes from a perspective of a person battling clinic depression almost exclusively.

__________________________________________
CHOP-THESE-BITCHES!!!!
------------------------------------
Garhart Ivanhoe Poppwell
Un-OK'd moderator for The Lesson and Make The Music (yes, I do's work up in here, and in your asscrease if you run foul of this

Redman was depressed while recording DIADS.

__________________________________________
CHOP-THESE-BITCHES!!!!
------------------------------------
Garhart Ivanhoe Poppwell
Un-OK'd moderator for The Lesson and Make The Music (yes, I do's work up in here, and in your asscrease if you run foul of this

in that album lol

----------
https://93millionmilesabove.blogspot.com/
https://rateyourmusic.com/~Kosa12

Y'all only know someone is depressed if they are outwardly
bitching and moaning about it

People deal with shit differently

We been through this

is dark and depressing.

People didn't read that article the same way no one would talk about Dilla if ?uest didn't love him.

Some might but most fell for the campaign IMO.

This post was paid for by the following.

www.twitter.com/13Rose
www.debunkthemyth.org
http://dashaunworld.wordpress.com/
www.mothergreen.com

Remember MJ The Great!
PSN: ThirteenRose

I love Dilla and think he's one of the best but that's because I was into reading liner notes and knowing who produced what and just like his work.

Most people wouldn't even be able to tell you what he ever produced if ?uest didn't campaign because Dilla wasn't concerned with being known like that.

As soon as people hear something from an artist they like, they take on that opinion because they know it's safe.

Im not saying Dilla doesn't deserve the praise but most people wouldn't even know to praise him of it weren't for ?uest.

Same thing with DIADS. No one in the world was rocking that album in 94 on some "this is a depressing album". NO ONE.

The ONLY reason anyone is saying that now is because there is an article in which Red said he doesn't like the album because he was depressed while making it.

Now it's easy to go back and say "yeah this is dark and he was on some other shit".

The biggest song on there is Can't Wait in which the main punchline is a joke and it ends with Red laughing. That shit had us laughing. No one was like "yo this is a depressing ass album."

And it has nothing to do with whether or not he was depressed when he made the album; I'd actually forgotten about that until I read this post.

IMHO, it's been his best album. Better than even Muddy Waters, though I love that too. "Green Island" is my favorite Redman track ever. "Cosmic Slop" and "Winicumaround" may be #2 or #3.

-----------------

www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

I'm not saying people didn't love the album. It was one of our favorites. Shit, the CD is sitting in my car right now!

What I'm saying is, no one looked at it as a depressing album until that interview. We just liked the album.

-----------------

www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

I don't think most folk listen to DIADs and say this is a bummer...

What O_E and I are saying is that it's an album where an artist is working through Depression, and it's def in the sound.

We also were hella young, well I was, and that type of analysis wasn't in our lexicon in 1994. it's perspective with age that allows us to speak about it as such

also DIADs isn't an album ABOUT depression such as a Cage album or the Earl album that dropped this year

>I don't think most folk listen to DIADs and say this is a
>bummer...
>

That's because it's not a depressing album.

>What O_E and I are saying is that it's an album where an
>artist is working through Depression, and it's def in the
>sound.
>

It is? It's a dark album...not angry or sad or frustrating even. Redman has actually never taken on any topics. The album doesn't sound depressing at all. It sounds like a hard mid-90s east coast hip-hop album about smoking weed and how nice of an MC he is. Nothing depressing at all.

>We also were hella young, well I was, and that type of
>analysis wasn't in our lexicon in 1994. it's perspective with
>age that allows us to speak about it as such


How convenient the interview dropped when you came of age.

>also DIADs isn't an album ABOUT depression such as a Cage
>album or the Earl album that dropped this year

That's because it's not.

I mean, I get why other folk don't even bother engaging you, you're a single minded jackass who just like to see his words typed and thinks that validates them. Typical white boy privilege shit. But there is absolutely nothing wrong or in any way so opposed to how you view or understand the album and what I described above.

Being depressed as an artist doesnt have to translate into sound theme or content, do you understand that. The subtext of DIAD def is depressed, not depressing to listen to or exploring the emotion of depression. There is def anger and even sadness as he raps about weed, stick ups, pussy, and punchlines of why no one can fuck with him. It's a simple aesthetic called masking. Doom is prob the best at masking his depression and oddballness in great rap about smoking weed, being a villian, pimping hoes, drinking beer, and being cheated on etc

I mean you chose BTH. Explain that one.

You do undestand that reducting rap artists to this idea that they are what they rap about, and only think what they rap about is simple-minded bullshit and cheapens the artistry.

Trust us "son" Black people and artists are nuanced and complex.

And you can save all that putting words in my mouth bullshit.

When you're ready to not be upset and discuss like a grown up...let me know.

******************************************
Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob

to be one of the first replies.

< Live Mixshow - Thurs 11PM/EST >
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It was good....just has a spirit of depression about it....

Sample choices, content, just feel a form of sadness when I hear it.

We see through all that boo boo like it's ghost shit... (c) Quelle Chris

| http://liveguy.bandcamp.com |
| www.soundcloud.com/liveguy |
| www.twitter.com/liveguy |
| www.instagram.com/theREALliveguy |
| XBOX ONE GT: theREALliveguy |

uhhh....sike

That beat is hella depressing lol

We see through all that boo boo like it's ghost shit... (c) Quelle Chris

| http://liveguy.bandcamp.com |
| www.soundcloud.com/liveguy |
| www.twitter.com/liveguy |
| www.instagram.com/theREALliveguy |
| XBOX ONE GT: theREALliveguy |

period

----------
https://93millionmilesabove.blogspot.com/
https://rateyourmusic.com/~Kosa12

It's just really dope as all hell....

We see through all that boo boo like it's ghost shit... (c) Quelle Chris

| http://liveguy.bandcamp.com |
| www.soundcloud.com/liveguy |
| www.twitter.com/liveguy |
| www.instagram.com/theREALliveguy |
| XBOX ONE GT: theREALliveguy |

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here and (to a lesser extent) the Wall

--sig--
n/a

Shit was flames too.. Still in my heavy rotation.

-------------------
I wanna go to where the martyrs went
the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...

But yes it def belongs in this convo

It's a shame because he is one of the best MCs alive right now, easily, yet I haven't liked his past two albums for this reason

----------
https://93millionmilesabove.blogspot.com/
https://rateyourmusic.com/~Kosa12

<---https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DL9AVTQ

But they both have very depressed songs thruout. Infamous seems more like Black nihilism than depressed black youth, yet both aren't necessarily mutually exclusive

Dare Iz A Darkside definitely is, and it has nothing to do with him admitting that, it's in the god damn sound of the record. ohh and you know the fact the album is Reggie creating multiple characters that are expressing different parts of his personality and thoughts and you can feel he's borderline morbid and finding an escape in the records

Agree on Earl and PTSD

damn a lot of these choices make me want to revisit these albums

not cause I disagree, but because depression as concept or theme or feeling is something I may over-looked

-----------------

www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

The depressing state of coming up on Earth (Below The Heavens) and works its way to the outro.

Practically every song is about the struggle of coming up and dealing with self-confidence issues and being depressed about not being where you want to be all while dealing with your surroundings that add to the problems.

It's done to perfection where he covers many different styles of songs within that theme.

His club song is about not being able to get girls because he hasn't succeeded and gotten to a certain status in life yet.

Show Me The Good Life deals with the frightful thought of not being able to provide for his son the way he should.

Blu Collar Worker is about working hard and not getting anywhere as well as a back and forth struggle with his girl due to the hard work.

Cold Blood is about the sad state that many men fall victim to in the inner city and the impact it has on the family.

In Rememberance Of Me deals with reminiscing on your younger days because those are all you have for "good times" because you're struggling in the present.

Dancing In The Rain...do I even need to go on?

...that life didn't turn out as you'd envisioned it would and that it's often filled with disappointment. Which is what just about everyone in the 20s goes through. I don't know if I'd categorize that as depression.

-----------------

www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

>...that life didn't turn out as you'd envisioned it would and
>that it's often filled with disappointment. Which is what just
>about everyone in the 20s goes through. I don't know if I'd
>categorize that as depression.

To me, the underlying theme is depression stemming from the youthful disappointment. He discusses how life used to be easy and fun in songs like In Remembrerance of Me and continues the theme by taking a very somber tone in his main point of "life hasn't turned out to what I thought it would be" and that spawns depression for many people.

The sub-title of the album is "In Hell Happy With Your Imaginary Friend" which I take as, life really sucks and we're just trying to get by with whatever we think makes us happy". That's a depressing outlook to rationalize life as being.

A lot of people in this post (not you in particularly) don't seem to grasp the concept of metaphors and underlying themes. People are trying to pass albums off as depressing because they learned an MC was depressed while making it. That doesn't necessarily mean the album is *about* depression.

Blu is actually covering topics that in fact lead people to depression. Not to mention the album has an overall somber tone to it.

Sonically you could argue it's not a strictly Hip Hop album, but for the past 8 months it's been my go to for days when I'm feeling down. I differ from you though as I like albums that finish with a bit of optimism, like this one. Without that glimmer of hope I might end up wallowing too long.


I'm also a big fan of the albums/mixtapes young rappers drop right before they make it big. Those might actually be my favorite subgenre in Hip Hop. There's a palpable feeling of hunger, doubt, stress, worry, seeking and questioning, almost as if it's all chips in and if the album doesn't succeed they'll give up rapping. These albums also set the bar really high, and in many cases it's hard for the rapper to make a follow up that matches the intensity. Examples:

Kendrick with Kendrick Lamar/Overly Dedicated

Blu with Below The Heavens (Her Favorite Color & ParieArtNomee deal with depression more though)

Big K.R.I.T. with Krit Wuz Here

Freddie Gibbs with Midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik

Tut with Preacher's Son (highly slept on, it's been in rotation for months).

Ab-Soul with Control System
Isaiah Rashad with Cilvia Demo
Schoolboy Q with Setbacks


Also gotta mention rappers like Open Mike Eagle, Quelle Chris, Kid Cudi, zeroh, who are able to express depression without it being too overbearing.

he's even got an album called "the great depression" lol, but
that's not even his darkest release. although all his albums are
tinged with depression. dark man x had some serious, serious issues
going on.

If you're innocent, be cool.
Only the guilty's catchin' offence.

forgot about DMX.

----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

I've loved this album since it came out.

rage, anger, sadness...and even humor!

plus it's very catchy.

one of the more colorful dark albums. really gave an insight into cage's depression post-camu tao's death.

Happy 50th D’Angelo: https://chrisp.bandcamp.com/track/d-50

Movies for the Blind as well, though it's a little extreme for my liking.

http://www.last.fm/user/_CondoM_/

MFTB--via sex, drugs, and mayhem.

hell's winter--wanting to change for the better.

DFM--the struggle implementing the above, coupled with setbacks.

KTA--by walking away, maybe? coming to terms?

Happy 50th D’Angelo: https://chrisp.bandcamp.com/track/d-50

though i'm not sure if any of his albums have been solely about
depression.

el-p's cancer 4 cure was made whilst he was depressed though and has
an underlying theme of mortality, being that his good friend died
prior to it.

to pimp a butterfly of course.

and for a few none hip hop suggestions: anything by nine inch nails,
joy division, the cure, radiohead etc. r.e.m. have a got a few also.

If you're innocent, be cool.
Only the guilty's catchin' offence.

"God's Bathroom Floor" is one of my favorite hip-hop tracks about depression.

-------------------------------
If life is stupendous one cannot also demand that it should be easy. - Robert Musil

>"God's Bathroom Floor" is one of my favorite hip-hop tracks
>about depression.

http://www.last.fm/user/_CondoM_/

Nigga was so down and out he just said "Fuck it" and let the instrumentals speak for themselves on the second side.

"Always Crashing in the Same Car" like Sly's "Runnin Away" is one of the best songs that describes the feeling of fucking up, knowing you are fucking up, and doing it anyway because you are depressed, addicted, and weak.

-------------------------------
If life is stupendous one cannot also demand that it should be easy. - Robert Musil

Everday, a new thing learned

really wish y'all weren't sleeping on this record so much here...

________________________________________________________________
whenever you did these things to the least of my brothers you did them to me

2. I actually almost replied to this post to list that album as a bad album about depression. Well, not bad, but just, iono, absolutely unremittingly depressing and unenjoyable listening experience. I can respect that it reflected his mind state during the summer of 2013, but I listened to it on the way to work a few weeks back and felt like driving off the road. Nearly 45 minutes of tracks like "Meh," "Rap Game Cranky," "Smoke Rings," and "Rum and Coke" was just depression overload.

I've really tried to get into his music, but even the Ugly Heroes album lets a little bit.

-----------------

www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

>2. I actually almost replied to this post to list that album
>as a bad album about depression. Well, not bad, but just,
>iono, absolutely unremittingly depressing and unenjoyable
>listening experience. I can respect that it reflected his mind
>state during the summer of 2013, but I listened to it on the
>way to work a few weeks back and felt like driving off the
>road. Nearly 45 minutes of tracks like "Meh," "Rap Game
>Cranky," "Smoke Rings," and "Rum and Coke" was just depression
>overload.

i can understand this view, it is pretty unrelenting, but i think a theme of overcoming the issues and continuing to live and come to point where you need to do better runs subtly through the album

i just appreciate the straightforward honesty and raw emotion that he shows...also i might slightly relate to being an alcohol abusing, struggling misanthrope and i also really appreciate Pill on twitter too...


>I've really tried to get into his music, but even the Ugly
>Heroes album lets a little bit.

________________________________________________________________
whenever you did these things to the least of my brothers you did them to me

and man. he's just a straight up, real dude. and talented. absolutely no pretention. i'm rooting for that kid.

------------------------------------------
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