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)
2. "i considered...but nah" In response to Reply # 1 Wed May-30-12 05:45 PM by Selah
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):
High Society Member since Oct 13th 2003 7375 posts
Fri Jun-19-20 03:40 PM
46. "I think BP3 is my least favorite Hov album." In response to Reply # 32
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
51. "It's MCHG for me but BPIII is next worst." In response to Reply # 46
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
__________________________________________ 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
12. "RE: Q-Tip - The Renaissance... masterpiece at 38? " In response to Reply # 9
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.
78. "Yes this is a perfect album." In response to Reply # 9
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.
16. "agree with these following replies" In response to Reply # 0
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
19. "I would agree with that." In response to Reply # 17
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.
24. "RE: Art isn't Basketball. I don't get why ur supposed to regress with ag..." In response to Reply # 20
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.
36. "It's not Basketball, but I do compare guys like" In response to Reply # 20
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.
R.I.P. Loud But Wrong Guy Dec 29th 2009 - Dec 17th 2017
45. "Masta Ace" In response to Reply # 0 Fri Jun-19-20 10:07 AM by EAS
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.
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.
85. "Tribe is now in that 4 album club" In response to Reply # 70
there's very few Hip Hop groups that can say that
__________________________________________ 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
76. "Little Brother - May The Lord Watch" In response to Reply # 0
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.
79. "So damn good. Just listened to it again a few weeks ago." In response to Reply # 76
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.
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!
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