Simple Question: What rapper released a consistently quality work (not just a couple of good singles and some filler) at the oldest age

(name the artist, title, and age at time of release. if you're feeling froggy list the standout tracks)?

I submit: Ice Cube - I Am the West (released in 2010 @ age 41)

Y'all Know How I Am, I Rep That West, No Country for Young Men, Hod Robbin', Your Money or Your Life, Man vs. Machine, Pros vs. Joes

Overall Summary - If there is such a think as "Grown Folks Rap", this is it. Lyrically, and content wise (in terms of variety of subject matter) Cube kills it. Much better than the fluff for fluffs sake on some of the albums that preceded it.

Concession: The beats *could* be a little better. this is more a ride/chill album than a club-hit album (but I was never a fan of the club stuff he did anyway)

bp3

that's a better than average (comparatively) lyrically, but weak sonically Jay-Z album overall with a couple of good songs. Likewise, "Throne" doesn't have Jay @ his strongest

also considered

e-40 - revenue retrievin' (lyrically A+, beats too repetitive)

snoop - doggumentary (released @ 40, uncharacteristically off after a hot streak)

LL Cool J - exit 13 (released @ 40 - couple good songs, but too many "trying too hard" references, and trend chasing)

still considering (need to check ages and hwat was released that qualifies):

ghostface, raekwon, redman, method man, scarface

that's a damn good album. it's pretty much the sound of MBDTF and WTT in it's nascent state

RD
BP1
Vol1 - hate 3 songs
4:44 - album takes care of the topic this post is about, maybe age 47?
Dynasty - slept on last of white T du rag Hov
Black Album - production has aged poorly but he’s SPITTING
VOL3 - rhyming in CRAZY pockets
AG - used to be top 5, but just don’t like as much anymore and miss Guru engineering
BP2 - maybe Jay at his most effortless with the flow, spazzed all over the album
VOL2
MCHG - some really strong songs: Oceans, Nickels & Dimes, Picasso Baby (new version of So Ghetto from VOL3), Heaven
KC
BP3

Also re: BP2 I agree with you for sure. He was probably at his best during that period. You nailed it re: "effortless"


>RD
>BP1
>Vol1 - hate 3 songs
>4:44 - album takes care of the topic this post is about, maybe
>age 47?
>Dynasty - slept on last of white T du rag Hov
>Black Album - production has aged poorly but he’s SPITTING
>VOL3 - rhyming in CRAZY pockets
>AG - used to be top 5, but just don’t like as much anymore
>and miss Guru engineering
>BP2 - maybe Jay at his most effortless with the flow, spazzed
>all over the album
>VOL2
>MCHG - some really strong songs: Oceans, Nickels & Dimes,
>Picasso Baby (new version of So Ghetto from VOL3), Heaven
>KC
>BP3

.

yes.

Right and correct...Definitive Legend...

it made no damn sense how great that album was

>it made no damn sense how great that album was

Face is the most consistent.

>it made no damn sense how great that album was

Ricky d for the win

still drops strong guest spots til this day at age 47

im so bummed that he didnt continue to make records after this

Solidified Ricky D in my top 10.

".. and even if I get deported, I own America !"

You ain't lying - this album was/is great.

percee p--perseverance

and that felt at least two albums too long.

Co-sign. It was so refreshing to hear a rapper talking about the issues you're dealing with at the edge of 40, rather than pretending to be 25 forever. That album definitely rank among the best hiphop albums of the 2000's in my book.

it was you.

I love that song, great album.

... at first I thought it didn't fit the vibe, from a production standpoint, of the rest of the album.

But thematically it certainly fits and is a great track.

Such a great statement from a legend at that age. I had this in rotation ... actually eff that, this album *was* the rotation, for a solid year after it came out. I listened to barely anything else.

Not the best example of rappin, but it is a rap album and it's dope.. And most importantly, it's fresh.

Under his Shabazz Palaces monicker.

he's in his 40s.

Tip - The Renaissance, just a great LP

Ish/Shabazz Palaces - Black Up, after being lukewarm towards it, i consider it a near masterpiece

Rae - OB4CL II, hated on it because of all the hype, but throw that record in now, shieet... burners front to back

yes Thought from Game Theory to Undun has been truly something to marvel at

DOOM upto Born Like This. all the random shit lately has been ehh to terrible. only that new track with Oh No has any reply value and it's mostly cause of the beat

agree on Slick Rick constantly putting in great guest verses. I wish some one like Tip or Ye would produce his whole record. I think it would be fantastic

>Rae - OB4CL II, hated on it because of all the hype, but throw
>that record in now, shieet... burners front to back

I came in with low expectations for that record. Came out happy. Ditto with Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang.

It's gotta be bittersweet in a way that Wu-Tang artists (Raekwon in particular) are coming out with good records long after their time in the spotlight. But it's good for their overall legacy IMO.

>DOOM upto Born Like This. all the random shit lately has been
>ehh to terrible. only that new track with Oh No has any reply
>value and it's mostly cause of the beat

Yeah. I put on Born Like This the other day and thought it was a real good album. It was the last "real" DOOM project.

>agree on Slick Rick constantly putting in great guest verses.
>I wish some one like Tip or Ye would produce his whole record.
>I think it would be fantastic

Slick Rick is one of the GOAT and it's not even arguable IMO -- his discography is spotty but he is one of the few "old school" cats that always sounds like he's right on time. His style will never age.

>I came in with low expectations for that record. Came out
>happy. Ditto with Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang.

yup, Shao vs. Wu was actually a surprise because i didn't think he would come with back to back good LPs. I just hope Ghost finds his "mojo" swag again. a couple of weeks ago i went though the majority of his discog and honestly his last great work is The Pretty Toney album. everything else has been spotty, with great moments here and there. it's so odd how much critical acclaim Fishscale recieved when it's overly long and Ghost doing his version of the coke wave rap that was nearing its end in 06

>It's gotta be bittersweet in a way that Wu-Tang artists
>(Raekwon in particular) are coming out with good records long
>after their time in the spotlight. But it's good for their
>overall legacy IMO.

agreed.

>Yeah. I put on Born Like This the other day and thought it was
>a real good album. It was the last "real" DOOM project.

i'm begining to wonder if DOOM came off so great from 99-06, because there was such a shortage of GREAT rappers (not a shortage of great music) during that period. but now with a hoard of new young talent that can rap very well, maybe the lane he occupied is no longer needed. but really he just doesn't seem hungry anymore

>Slick Rick is one of the GOAT and it's not even arguable IMO
>-- his discography is spotty but he is one of the few "old
>school" cats that always sounds like he's right on time. His
>style will never age.

Slick's flow and voice is just timeless. i really think with contemporary production and some one over seeing the project there could be one more "moment in the spotlight" for The Ruler

Phonte's album was grown folks rap to me.



Cube's? Not so much. And he's one of my favorite MCs.

Then again LB has been about that "real" (and I don't mean that manufactured, adhere-to-a-bygone-aesthetic shit, I mean, about real topics, with no fluff, preaching or bullshit. Something that kind of went by the wayside in the time they first came to light). Phonte has carried that on to his solo career.

True.

I think it's all mental. Also, rap music is very stylized.. Therefore, as we age, most peoples' styles and tastes start to diverge from current trends and expectations. There's always the older dudes who keep up with current trends and fashions, but that's following.. not being the trendsetters they were in their teens and 20's. It's weird..

That's why I named the Shabazz Palaces LP. Butterfly is not the greatest or most skilled emcee of the bunch, but in terms of pushing his art and the artform in general forward, I think that's what he is doing. The fact that he approaches rap music/hip hop as an artform instead of a game/business is a big part of that.

Ghostface to a finesse boxer.

There was a period there (Parts of Ironman, Cuban Link, Wu-Tang Forever to Supreme Clientele) where he's rhyming with such punishing urgency and intensity while managing to bob & weave on the beat with a delivery that seems like it shouldn't be possible


Cognitive/neurological decline sometimes comes with aging.


Some people are better at switching up their style to match what they're capable of.

-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXT-nYHOLsU

Not the best gangstarr album. But it did have Skillz, Riot Akt, and "Deadly Habits".

It's like he recorded it in a haunted house. There's so much relentlessness & unmercilfulness in his voice you're just shook.

Breukelen Story is fantastic IMO

he's got at least a year or two on anyone else I can think of

a legit follow up to Dr Octagon that was shockingly good and nobody paid it much attention.

Even more impressive to see him get back into form after he released some TERRIBLE music over the last 20 years

What an album!

Streams of Thought, Vol 1 - Black Thought (Age 46)
4:44 - Jay Z (Age 47)

Breukelen Story...age 51 I believe...it dropped in 2018.

you know how that go

Disposable Arts (2001)
A Long Hot Summer (2004)

How you got the right answer and are unaware he dropped a dope ass album 15 fucking years after the two you mentioned?

NoID really laced that one. And Jay rips it up for sure.

4:44 is terrific.

Strongly liked all of his releases post 2000. With the exception of his latest, I was 5-16 years late on the rest and still bump it. His side project EMC is dope too.

Phonte
Royce
Jay-Z
Black Thought
Q-tip

I hope more rappers start to join this dope list. Hip hop has the potential to consistently touch multiple generations and release high quality music.

The Golden Buddha at age 41 and he doesnt seem to be slowing down.

this one is a classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rfvgrForo4

Every summer I have that on heavy rotation.

And yes that album is terrific.

and on some pure skill shit, Bar Exam 4 came out when he was 40

werd.

In which case Streams of Thought Vol. 1, and especially Vol. 2 both belong in the conversation.

Wonder if Streams of Thought Vol. 3 is still coming?

Does it really matter if it's an LP/EP for thought. He be freestyling nightly on TTS, kills every guest verse and yes, has the stream of thought series....

I think on a whole, we can agree, He's the best doing it, if not the oldest and best doing it.... consistently.


werd.

https://youtu.be/ktWF78I8DnI

I heard this joint while doing some work and i had to stop and listen cause this was wild

America has imported more warlord theocracy from Afghanistan than it has exported democracy.

Tip and Shaheed were 46 when it came out.

This is the winner right here man.....this shit is timeless.

there's very few Hip Hop groups that can say that

has anyone been older that dropped that good of an album?

respect.

Dropped the official follow up to Dr Octagon last year at the age of 55 and it was Surprisingly Dope

album. I just think there were a lot of songs he didn't ride the beat well.



**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

>album. I just think there were a lot of songs he didn't ride
>the beat well.

I really dug this album but listened to it recently and had the exact same thought. Seemed like he was chasing the beats a lot.

**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

Ok, they’re on the younger side of those being named in here....but the original post was about a 41 year old Cube. I believe Phonte was 40 and Pooh was 39 when this dropped last summer.

Anyone 40+ is fair game to bring up here.....if the album is great and the content is right. This is as good of a “grown man” rap album as you’ll get IMO, so it deserves a mention.

I love LB so much man. Like many of us, they (collectively and as their own individual artists) sort of informally represent my entire time on these boards. I learned of them not long after I'd started visiting this site and followed each of them through the years as I kept coming back here.

Pretty remarkable to think about.

It’s never left my rotation. I don’t think I’ve gone more than a few weeks playing it since it dropped. It’s really an excellent album.

And yeah, definitely same experience with their music. Like much of OKP I was into it early on from reading these boards, and their music has always been life soundtrack music for me.

So glad that new album dropped though - I’ve not only been playing the new album and old LB - but the whole J League again. So much great music from that crew. I’ve been playing The Path to Relief EP, Median’s Relief and Project Mayhem like they’re brand new. Pulled up a bunch of old albums and mixtapes off my laptop, and made a huge playlist, and started checking for and finding newer stuff from some of them that I had missed. Went down a whole JL rabbit hole off one new LB album!

I remember hearing a couple of tracks randomly here and there on YouTube or whatever and thinking this is pretty good

Lots of good material on there

.

but BT is definitely on my list