Good Hip Hop Still Exists

[GH2001]

I'm old. I just listen to talk radio.

I'll flip on some country every now and then.

Or classic rock. Most shit is just rinse-repeat.

I'll listen to some indie type artists on Pandora....Bon Iver, Vance Joy, Monsters and Men, even Mumford and Sons. There are a few decent bands left - Foo Fighters, Goo Goo, RHCP, Five for Fighting and a few new decent ones like OneRepublic or Imagine Dragons but even those get poppy. For the most part, I stay with the classic rock/oldies theme. Even with the hip hop stuff, I go Tupac, Snoop, LL and the like. Only modern one I like really is T.I. Repping college park CP!

Country has hit its lowest state since the mid 90's when every "band" sounded the same with the same lame and twangy steel guitar cliche refrains in every song. Blackheart, Diamond Rio, Little Texas....stuff was crap. Even Garth. No coicidence that was when country became super main stream and Nashville became ghey. Country is awful right now. Instead of super poppy mainstream cliche shit like Garth, now its this Bro-Country ghetto wannabe country boy tough guy shit like Aldean, Bryant, Ga-Fla Line and the like.

Obsess about a dirt road youve never actually been on? Check
Obsess about where said road will lead - maybe to a river or a field or a pond? Check
Obsess about a jacked up truck? Check
Let the tailgate down? You betcha.
Obsess about a bonfire? Check
Get your drink on? Check
Speakers cranked up? Check
Girl lookin good in that dress and wanting to see her hop up in your truck? Check

There's your song. Just insert prefabbed white noise under neath all that garbage and its a number 1 hit. They are all the same.

See for yourself == >  http://time.com/3660616/country-music-mashup/

I miss Waylon, Hank, Merle, Jones and Cash.

[Snaggletiger]

I am willing to listen to any genre that shows even the smallest amount of originality.  Which rules out most of the country/rock artist still producing music.

That statement is so full of shit and out of touch, I can't even begin to try and explain it to you.  The new age of country artists have brought such a fresh approach to writing and the term "original" doesn't do it justice.  The stories they tell.  Why just the other day, I heard one song about a guy who just got off work on a Friday.  He stopped and put a six-pack on ice, then he went and picked up his girl, who was wearing a red sun dress.  He told her to climb up in the cab of his pick up and slide on over next to him while he drove down some old dirt road past the county line and they wound up in a corn field down by the river, sitting on the tailgate drinking beer in the moonlight.

If you'd just give country another try, you'd find so many more original songs like another one I heard the other day.  See, this guy gets off work and grabs some moonshine and some Dixie Cups.  He picks up his girl, who is wearing a yellow sundress and after they've driven around some little ole country town most of the night, they wind up heading down some old dirt road just inside the county line and end up in a wheat field next to a pond and drink moonshine in the cab of his truck...underneath the moonlight.

You need to expand your horizons.

[Godfather]

Give Jason Isbell a try Token

[CCTAU]

But in truth, country songs today do tell a story about how some folks live. But mostly about how many folks would love to be able to live. So it's feel good country as opposed to old desperation country. I like a lot of the old and some of the new. It's courtyard pop instead of city shit. There is a difference.

And truthfully, like my movies, I don't give a shit about art, just wanna feel good!

[Token]

But in truth, country songs today do tell a story about how some folks live. But mostly about how many folks would love to be able to live. So it's feel good country as opposed to old desperation country. I like a lot of the old and some of the new. It's courtyard pop instead of city shit. There is a difference.

And truthfully, like my movies, I don't give a shit about art, just wanna feel good!

Because only country music can tell a story about how some people live, or want to live.

[wesfau2]

Drove my 19-year old nephew to Auburn last weekend for the OM game.  He insisted on sharing his music with me for the entirety of the ride.  My thoughts:

1) New country/bro-country is fucking horrible.  Somebody Rhett is making what I can only describe as disco-country.  Fucking horrendous.

2) New hip-hop has some talent (The Weekend, J Cole, Kendrick, etc), but the fucking producing is atrocious.  Someone needs to let the current crop of producers know that it's acceptable to not turn the drum machine to 11 and bomb the track.  I felt like I spent 3 hours in a strip club...except at the end I was sober and still had some money.  Side note: has anyone told these kids that "trap" (as in "trap music" or "trap queen") is slang for a transvestite?  They seem to be under some impression that it's a drug reference.

TL/DR: New popular music is pretty bad but, with the cyclical nature of music, I have to believe that the industry is about to be scorched by a game changer (see: punk, grunge, etc).

Also, germane to the thread topic, the new Big Boi/Phantograms project, Big Grams, is fucking gooooooood.  Get you some.

[CCTAU]

Shut your whorish mouth. Thomas Rhett is country music royalty!

[Snaggletiger]

Not saying I can sit and listen to today's country music for very long.  But, they do know how to entertain on a live show.  CMA's on now.  This will certainly be on the U-Tubes.  Chris Stapleton (Axe AU1...he just saw him live) and Justin Timberlake tore the damn place down.  Mega talented performers and Stapleton has some frickin' pipes on him.  Brad Paisley just did his song they use on ESPN College game day, I believe.  Had two bleachers behind him with college mascots jamming.  Aubie front and center representing.

[bgreene]

Hate this fucking idiot!!!


In the gym I have my pandora set to Rage Against the Machine's station.  Love it! best part about that channel is that it's a complete mix. Tons of Beastie Boys.  Take a listen if you have a chance.  Also been listening to Lil Dickey as well as Yelawolf.

[bgreene]

Just found this tonight.  Wow!!

[GH2001]

  Chris Stapleton (Axe AU1...he just saw him live) and Justin Timberlake tore the damn place down. 

And if he wants any decent air play or contract ($$), he will sell out like they all do, to some producer from California. These guys control the airwaves and the money. You do what they say. Kudos to guys like Hank the 3rd and Isbell who like to remain true to their music and somewhat independent. If they get Eric Church to go the route of cliche Nash-mopolitan sound, they can get anyone. Ive seen several acts that came along that had potential only to be ruined by mainstream and the promise of more money.

[CCTAU]

And if he wants any decent air play or contract ($$), he will sell out like they all do, to some producer from California. These guys control the airwaves and the money. You do what they say. Kudos to guys like Hank the 3rd and Isbell who like to remain true to their music and somewhat independent. If they get Eric Church to go the route of cliche Nash-mopolitan sound, they can get anyone. Ive seen several acts that came along that had potential only to be ruined by mainstream and the promise of more money.

Just ask Rhett Akins. Do what they say, or go away...

[Token]

[AUTiger1]

Give Jason Isbell a try Token

Yes, Yes, God yes!  Him, Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson.  All produced by Dave Cobb.  <---most of his artist that I have listened to are good. 

And if he wants any decent air play or contract ($$), he will sell out like they all do, to some producer from California. These guys control the airwaves and the money. You do what they say. Kudos to guys like Hank the 3rd and Isbell who like to remain true to their music and somewhat independent. If they get Eric Church to go the route of cliche Nash-mopolitan sound, they can get anyone. Ive seen several acts that came along that had potential only to be ruined by mainstream and the promise of more money.

I hope that he doesn't sell out.  He is already rich, I think he has written #1's for Josh Turner, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, and Darius Rucker.  I know when he was the front man for the Steel Drivers he wrote a song that Adele has covered and included it on an album.  I don't think you will ever see Isbell or Simpson sell out.  They have both said they just want to keep doing what they are doing and they don't care anything about saving country music. 

[wesfau2]

I'm always a little wary of the "comeback" album...but the new ATCQ is predictably awesome.

[AUChizad]

I'm always a little wary of the "comeback" album...but the new ATCQ is predictably awesome.

+1.

[wesfau2]

Don't know if you caught "The Evolution of Hip Hop" on Netflix, but it was a great documentary that, for once, didn't lionize Sugarhill Gang as innovators.

Anywho...the series won a Peabody.  Congrats to my boy, Shad, who hosted the doc and shared in the award.

Unrelated, but still topical: Big Boi drops a new album on Thursday.

[wesfau2]

The new Big Boi is predictably awesome.

Boomiverse.

Get it.

[wesfau2]

Um...this is kind of awesome.

In the last year or so we've gotten (in addition to some contemporary greatness):

New De La Soul (plus the whole fucking catalogue)
New A Tribe Called Quest
AND
New Public Enemy

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

All of the albums above have been released for free download/stream to any and all who want 'em.

Modified to add: All are also relevant albums. Strong stuff from the elder statesmen.

[wesfau2]

New, free music from Sage Francis and labelmate B. Dolan.

The project is called Epic Beard Men and the album is here:  https://sfrstore.com/news/epicbeardmenseason1/