I would say start out with some of what is considered the classics.

Eric B & Rakim - Paid in Full
Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

I will let others make some recs for you as well but those four are a nice place to start imo.

What are you current interests? Musicwise
'cause that'd be a big factor on where to start with hip-hop.
it's a diverse genre.

I'm mostly a rock and metal guy.

I've found that most people into rock/metal are more into 80s hip-hop, I'd start off with:
Run-D.M.C. - Raising Hell
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill

I've heard alot of praise for that Public Enemy album. Is it really that good? Are there any other good hip hop double albums? I also LOVE double albums. Is "All Eyez On Me" anything I'd like? Also, I though Paul's Boutique was considered the best BB album?

One more question, is Lupe Fiasco any good?

Personally; yeah that album's great.
As for double album's; there's Wu-Tang Forever (Wu-Tang Clan), All Eyez on Me (2Pac), Life After Death (Biggie), The Art of War (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)... that's all I can think of, and none of them are amazing albums in my opinion, particularly Life After Death which is massively overrated... Wu-Tang Forever is good but it's nothing compared to 36 Chambers.
So all in all, I'd go for hip-hop albums more suited to you than going straight for some double albums.

Lupe's good yeah, but he's much more mainstream oriented, and has a more modern sound... I only really like Food & Liquor, his other 2 albums aren't great imo.

As far as the Lupe question goes, if you listen to Food and Liquor and you find the theme/concept interesting then you HAVE to listen to the second album The Cool because it continues the story.

There was supposed to be a third and final album to this storyline but that didn't go as planned and he ended up releasing Lasers which got neutered by the studio so it turned into something mainstream and far from what he planned.

So I'm thinking of buying:

Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
Public Enemy - It Takes...

But I was wondering, would you guys consider these as albums that EVERY music fan should on? Because I'm trying to have a good collection of ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL music, dyou know what I mean?

You should go for:
A Tribe Called Quest- The Low End Theory
Wu-Tang Clan- Enter the 36 Chambers
Nas- Illmatic

These albums are all classics, but unlike Paul's Boutique and It Takes a Nation, they have a slightly more modern feel. The beats are dirtier and the rhyming is top notch. I think that most people will agree that these albums are a great starting point.

Need to get more into ra and hip hop. I am very selective about what I like, but I find I like stuff that is on the more jazzy side.

A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory
The Roots - Things Fall Apart

stuff like that... what are some other ones in this style that I should check out?

digable planets

Check out Nujabes

TBH, depends on what lyrics you like listenting to, but i enjoy tupac's lyrics, forget about metaphors, his lyrics are really, may be creative may not be creative there are critics out there....but TUPAC has the best lyrics and true lyrics ive ever hear

lol

Nicki Minaj is awesome. Go check her out.

Jazz Liberatorz, Y Society, The Pharcyde

The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde; download that, great album.

K*Why new song - Take it to the limit
 

Here is a new rap/urban song by the group K*Why out of Toronto. Check out the song Take it to the Limit.



youtube.com/watch?v=gT87_TwzgG0

hieroglyphics - third eye vision
slum village - fan-tas-tic vol. 2
little brother - the minstrel show

all heavy on the jazz samples, all featuring some of the best rappers to have ever graced a booth.

Grandmaster Flash - The Message.
 

The Message is a funk/rap/hip hop style classic. :afro:

Definitely one of the most influential hip-hop tracks of all time :afro:

I think you should snag Freestyle Fellowship and Haiku d'Etat and Mikah 9 / Myka 9 and Abstract Rude and Aceyalone.

Start with Freestyle Fellowship - To Whom it May Concern

I think it's just as or more important and entertaining than, say, the Roots' or A Tribe Called Quest's early 'classics'...

Freestyle Fellowship is kind of like the 'Anvil of hip-hop' in that they were kind of forgotten, never got the amount of respect they deserved...

You should probably try to find the album Mikah 9 - Timetable...

Here's a couple tracks from these guys...








radio freestyle

I'm looking for some more alternative and underground acts to check out...

I absolutely love Dälek and Public Enemy. I'm a big fan of the Roots, Beastie Boys (minus the incredibly overrated Licensed to Ill) and Company Flow. I like select stuff from Saul Williams, El-P. I've just started checking out Tech N9ne.

So, any recommendations based off of that...?

Aesop Rock to match your El-P

Freestyle Fellowship, The Goats, Antipop Consortium to go with your Roots

Optimus Rhyme
Afroman
Techno Animal

Tech N9ne. I'm digging it.

Anyways..
P.O.S.

you might also like Dilated Peoples, they did have a mainstream hit but I still consider them underground because they aren't that popular.

Ghostface has always been a favorite of mine, in Wu Tang, Hip Hop, and music generally. His flow is smooth yet unpredictable, his references/allusions/slang are wild, and his songs are always on point. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a soulful and abstract yet still raw side of Hip Hop.

Mighty Healthy
Nutmeg
Apollo Kids
Wildflower
Malcolm
Shakey Dog
The Champ
Poisonous Darts

question...

is this considered hip hop?

Man that's hard to say, but I've been digging him for a while. I think he's clever for doing that the way he does. I'm going to cast a soft no vote on it being hip-hop though. Dubby, dubsteppy, thing. Not so much dubstep but dub I think...

why are you not sure? my boss thinks it's hiphop, my other officemate thinks it's just pop. and about 50 other people had another opinion. I just need to know it for work.

i like him though and totally respects what he is doing.

Do you guys think Nas's album "Street's Disciple" is worth buying?

@Chipper, because he transcends genre. He isn't hip-hop in the general sense, but he is on the fringe edge. It would be easier to describe his genre with a Venn diagram.

I give him credit for the beatbox, but most of his work is sung. That's why it's hard to say. He's in there, but it would be wrong to just call him/it hip-hop and not mention the dub, the dubstep, and the alternative pop aspects.

Very good artist. Being a street musician is his bag though. It's half the fun to watch him build it in front of a live audience...

No avoid it. or download it if you must listen but it's honestly not his best work imo.

actually nevermind...take someone else's opinion because I only remember Theifs Theme from it but I don't remember it standing out. I may have to listen to it again.

well its only 2 bucks.

lol then get it why bring up if it's worth it or not. it's only 2 bucks is your 2 bucks that precious :P

Slowly getting into hip hop and rap. Who are some artists similar to this Outasight?

I've only heard Outasight in a few youtube videos. But, I think you would like RJD2. I can't give you a specific recommendation for him, but he's the first guy that came to my mind when I heard Outasight

I used the search and didn't find anything about Freddie Gibbs. I suppose he could be classified as "underground" as you don't hear his **** on the radio or MTV but I love his sound. He uses old school beats with horn sections and he has a tupac-like flow and delivery. Check this out and tell me what you think.

From his newest EP


Some other tracks