I think it’s good to have variety on this page, and not be a one-trick pony. Thus, today I’m doing an article on a genre I haven’t looked at yet: hip-hop/rap. It is certainly one of the most popular genres in the world!

I thought I’d start with what is commonly called one of, if not the greatest hip-hop album of all time – Illmatic by Nas.

Now, if you’ve been following this blog for a while, you may notice that I’m not much of a lyrical music listener. I am much more focused on chord changes, melody, groove and the overall production of music. It’s why I can forgive some music with cringey lyrics that others couldn’t – if the beat is good enough I can tune it out. Not in every case though!

Now, hip-hop is a very lyric focused genre, with the storytelling being key to the music. Nas, an East Coast rapper, uses smart and honest wordplay to depict his experience growing up in Queens, New York. However, as I said, I am more interested in the actual music.

What I appreciate about a lot of hip-hop is that there is always a catchy repeated chorus/hook to get the crowd singing. I mean it isn’t such a massive genre for no reason – even a widely acclaimed album such as this is very accessible. Every song on the double-platinum album contains a catchy motif.

I also enjoy the old-school ’90s beats. Very funky and groovy, with quirky samples. A standout for me is “Halftime” with the horn sample – not miles away from something Fatboy Slim would make! It’s also similar to a song like “Diesel Power” by The Prodigy with its rap verse.

To relate it to rock/indie music, the groovy beats could be compared to the solo work of Ian Brown from The Stone Roses, some of which uses samples. A lot of those bands like Kasabian do rap-style singing, but obviously not like Nas!

It’s basically Gorillaz without the Damon parts!

Now one particular aspect of hip-hop that annoys me, especially as a drummer, is the absence of crash cymbals. I’ve always said how to me the big hit of a crash cymbal gives a song the release and energy it needs, in my opinion. I feel without it, a song can feel quite one-note, not building up to much.

There aren’t many on Illmatic, though there is a sound to the same effect near the end of “N.Y. State of Mind.”

Thus, I would do my usual tricks. There are ride cymbal hits at the start of “Memory Lane” and “One Time 4 Your Mind” and massive reverb-drenched snare hits at the start of “One Love.”

I would play the start of “Memory Lane” before the beat kicks in after “The World Is Yours,” the start of “One Time” at the end of “Memory Lane” and “One Love,” and the start of “One Love” at the end of “One Time.” I would also switch “Represent” to track 8! I hope that makes sense to you music nerds, I was trying to work with the order of the tracklist!

Overall, Nas is one of the most famous and acclaimed rappers for a reason. See you next time.