For me, hip-hop is at its best when the producer uses samples to create a song that is complex enough musically to be respected by fans of other styles of music, yet retains a sound that is distinctly "hip-hop." Simply calling this a "beat" without explaining what this means would be selling it short; to an outsider, a beat is just one element of a song, its source of rhythm. In hip-hop, the beat is the song's source of music, not just its source of rhythm.
The best emcees (MC=Master of Ceremonies, Mic Controller, etc.) use strong beats as their source of lyrical content. For me, the best beats allow the MC to rap with an edge; lyrics do not have to be violent or sexually explicit, but I cannot stand non-threatening, emotionless music. A lot of the best rap lyrics come from emcees who have either witnessed or experienced life in the streets.
My next few posts are going to be about ten albums that exemplify my taste in hip-hop, albums that are perfect for someone who feels the way I do about music. Like any other style of music, there are many sub-genres within hip-hop, and while I do not identify with any one in particular, I explained what I feel makes good rap music in this post's second paragraph. I will list the albums (with a download link through zshare) in chronological order, beginning with the album released the earliest. If an album's track listing here appears different from another site's track listing, this is probably because I removed the album's skits, which I generally believe are useless.
THE D.O.C.No One Can Do It Better (June 16, 1989)
1. It's Funky Enough
2. Mind-Blowin'
3. Lend Me an Ear
4. Let the Bass Go
5. Beautiful, But Deadly
6. The D.O.C. and the Doctor
7. No One Can Do It Better
8. Whirlwind Pyramid
9. The Formula (Featuring Dr. Dre)
10. Bridgette
11. Portrait of a Master Piece
12. The Grand Finale (Featuring N.W.A.)
Produced by Dr. Dre
I first heard No One Can Do It Better as a college freshman. While I loved N.W.A. and knew The D.O.C. wrote lyrics for the group, my only experience with The D.O.C. as an MC had come on 1988's Parental Discretion Iz Advised, from N.W.A.'s revolutionary debut album Straight Outta Compton. He caught my attention with with his lines: "I know the Doc makes you want to take a Valium; so buy a bucket, cause I'm coming, it's my album; and for the record, meaning my record, check it; listen to the single and you'll be like, 'Yo, I've got to get it!'"
Sure enough, the album's first single was the highly energetic, Run-D.M.C.-inspired The D.O.C. and the Doctor. While I had not heard this song as a single before I heard the album, I would have purchased No One Can Do It Better immediately after hearing this single. The beat is simple enough, featuring a cutting organ sample and a heavy drum beat, but The D.O.C.'s voice makes this track what it is. He shouts his lyrics into the microphone: "Yo! And now your ear drums, are full of the big beat; but you're attached, like ankles are to feet, so you listen; and as it plays, you pump it louder; but to your speakers, you're sparking some gun powder!" In case you were wondering, and if the N.W.A. affiliation was not enough of a clue, "The Doctor," to whom The D.O.C. is referring is the now legendary Dr. Dre, the DJ and producer for this album.
On the album-opening track, It's Funky Enough, The D.O.C. asks the listener, "Y'all ready for this?" The line was famously sampled in 1991 by 2 Unlimited on Get Ready For This, an extremely popular dance single in the early 1990s. It's Funky Enough is far from the best song on No One Can Do It Better, but does a great job of energizing the listener. The album's second song, Mind-Blowin', is much more subdued, but also much stronger lyrically. Revolving around an extremely funky piano sample, Mind-Blowin' is sure to make your head nod.
If you were worried about the album losing energy, Lend Me an Ear should ease those concerns. In the uptempo style of Rakim or Big Daddy Kane, The D.O.C. truly shows his talent as an MC. Following Let the Bass Go, a slower song with (obviously) a strong bass line, is Beautiful But Deadly. This song may be the album's greatest achievement. While other songs put The D.O.C.'s lyricism on display, Beautiful, But Deadly shows his unique ability: without disrespecting women (although he does use the word "bitch" twice, he does not refer to as bitches; rather, one specific woman), he shows that he can rap about the opposite sex without sounding soft. The beginning of the second verse stands out: "She's all about the bank roll, you can tell by the gold; eyes deep enough to engulf your soul, She's like Medusa; but you won't turn to stone if you watch her; one fatal look is all it takes and she's got ya!" Using a hard rock rendition of the Funkadelic melody Cosmic Slop, Beautiful, But Deadly closes the first side of No One Can Do It Better with a bang.
Opening side two is the album's lead single, The D.O.C. and the Doctor, followed by the title track. The beat on No One Can Do It Better is ahead of its time, sounding like something DJ Premier might have produced in the mid 1990s. Following Whirlwind Pyramid, another uptempo track, is The Formula, the album's third single. The Formula has a relaxing, three-part beat, changing smoothly with each verse, and sounds like it could have fit in on Dr. Dre's 1992 debut, The Chronic (in fact, Dre does make an appearance on this song).
A track that did not make the cut for the album, but was included in this track listing, is Bridgette. While Bridgette has a strong beat, its subject matter (a "dumb ho") does not fit in well with the rest of the songs on No One Can Do It Better. Portrait of a Master Piece is another fast song that shows The D.O.C.'s lyrical ability, as he raps over a futuristic sounding, uptempo beat for nearly three minutes without any breaks. The album is concluded with The Grand Finale, a posse cut featuring members of N.W.A.
In my view, No One Can Do It Better is at least among the top five rap albums ever recorded, and may be the best ever. It is difficult to find any other album with its combination of beats, lyricism, and versatility. Tragically, The D.O.C. was involved in a car accident shortly after finishing the album. While he survived the accident, his larynx was crushed and his vocal cords were severed, permanently altering the way his voice sounded. His combination of great lyicism and an incredible voice ("It's mostly the voice that gets you up; it's mostly the voice that makes you buck; a lot of rappers got flavor, and some some got skill, but if your voice ain't dope, then you need to chill." -GURU of Gang Starr) had The D.O.C. well on his way to being one of the best emcees of all time.
(P.S.: I reviewed this album for English class three or four years ago, so if my English professor from that semester happens to read this and thinks some of it sounds eerily similar to something she has read before, she is probably right.)
