A Few Overlooked Gems

If you're a rap music fan, you may grow tired of some of the newer watered down and same-sounding albums offered these days. Here's five overlooked classics to check out, if you can find them.. 1 - Breakin' Atoms, Main Source. A very well produced album start to finish, with the mastermind Large Professor at the helm. The beats paved the way for alot of what you hear in mainstream hip-hop today and both Nas and Akineyle get their careers started on "Live at the BBQ", a classic cut. "Lookin at the Front Door" and "Friendly Game of Baseball" are both classic jams. 2 - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, Black Sheep - another solid and overlooked album. People might say these guys were a 1 hit wonder with "The Choice is Yours", but if you check the other tracks on this album you will see why they were included with Tribe Called Quest, De La and Jungle Brothers as part of Native Tongues. Very creative album which addresses mostly the male libido, male-female relations and racial stereotypes.. 3- Runaway Slave - Showbiz and AG - with production from the great Diamond D, this two man crew runs wild on tracks like "He Said She Said", "Soul Clap" and "Fat Pockets". This is a tough album to find these days but is going to be re-released soon. 4 - Fruits of Nature - The UMC's - The samples used on this album are amazing, and it's surprising this group didn't go farther. You could almost hear some Kanye West-esque chorus hooks on this album. "Anyway the Wind Blows" and "Woman Be Out" both feature this style with jazzy-soulful beats. 5 - Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop - Diamond D - the previously mentioned producer on "Runaway Slave" also brought out his own flavor with party-style and storytelling tracks set to amazing beats and hooks. "Red Light, Green Light", "Check 1,2" "Feel the Vibe" and "I'm Outta Here" are standouts. You might have trouble finding UMC's, Showbiz and AG and Main Source on itunes, but if you see them used in your local record store, consider them a bargain.