Hip Hop Pow's favorite "Concept Hip Hop" songs. Interesting fact: DJ Premier took part in most of the albums contain these songs.
Could Primo be an inspiration for what I call hip hop "concept" songs?
1. Mos Def - Mathematics
Mos is talking about issues, stories and conclusions all according to: Numbers.
From "Black on Both Sides" debut album by Mos Def released in 1999 at the classic Rawkus Records.
"1 Universal law but 2 sides to every story/
3 strikes and you be in for life, mandatory/
4 MCs murdered at the last 4 years/
I ain't trying to be the 5th one, the Millennium is here/"
2. Jay-Z - 22 Two's
Jigga is rhyming the too, two and to - and guess how many times? 22.
1996 classic track from Jay-Z debut "Reasonable Doubt" LP.
"To all my brothers it ain't too late to come together/
Because too much black and too much love equal forever/
I don't follow any guidelines coz too many ni**az ride mine/
So I change styles every 2 rhymes/"
3. Nas - Rewind
Nas is telling a story backwards, as he abstract the concept? the story starts at the end.
"I told her, "No hell", She talking about "Me kiss"/
Bobbed her head then spit the nut back in my d*ck/
Started sucking with no hands, a whole lot of spit
Then got up and put her bra back on her t*ts/"
4. Big L - Ebonics
The Ebonics, as for Big L also been the "Criminal Slang" is a buncha rhymes slang phrases. Out of "The Big Picture" - Big L's posthumous album.
"A burglary is a Jook, a woof is a Crook/
Mobb Deep already explained the meaning of 'Shook'/
If you caught a felony, you caught a F/
If you got killed, you got left. If you got the dragon? you got bad breath/"
5. Blackalicious - Alphabet Aerobics
Gift Of Gab going ABC and changing the first word about every 2 bars at the ABC order.
That's the only track at the A2G EP which didn't produced by Chief Xcel (the song produced by Cut Chemist).
"Artificial amateurs, aren't at all amazing/ ..
Broken barriers bounded by the bomb beat/ ..
Casually create catastrophes casualties/ ..
Detonate a dime of dank daily doing dough/"
