cLOUDDEAD

I promise you have never heard hip-hop done in this fashion, but yet again that can be said about a lot of the artists of the Anticon collective/label.  Its hard to even say if this is hip-hop.  It's spacy as fuck; certainly not music to get pumped up to, but rather get lost in to a surreal mental state. The rapping(?) often verges into singing, but really its neither.  It was hard describing this 2001 jem. 

Artist - cLOUDDEAD
Album - cLOUDEAD
Genre - experimental/psychedelic/hip-hop/ambient

ENJOY
SITE

Uncle Milk

This man must be shared with the world!!  He creates otherworldly music that will most definitely elevate you to another level.  Jazzy, psychedelic, bouncy madness that is both bad ass and conscious expanding.  Do yourself a fucking favor and listen!

Artist: Uncle Milk
Albums: The Porridge Mistake; Route 9
Genre: experimental/hip-hop/psychedelic

ENJOY - The Porridge Mistake
ENJOY - ROUTE 9
SITE

NAH

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Today is the day that you have come across
something special.  Something not from this world.  Something called
NAH.  Now I don't want to equate another band to Death Grips, but its
damn near impossible with NAH, considering its something unworldly
composed of technical drumming chopped and skewed, hip-hop sampling with
synth layered within.  Most of the songs are instrumental but at times
he has the deep voiced GIVV to compliment his gnarly beats with
perfectly fitting rhymes of debauchery and love. 

                                                

Artist: NAH
Album: CONTEMN
Title: Constant Commentary
Genre: noise/hip-hop/experimental

 ENJOY
bandcamp (all his music is free)

Machine Girl

What would it sound like if Death Grips focused on more of a electronic, IDM style instead of hip-hop? Well, you would get Machine Girl of course!  This shit will get your heart racing ready to go ape shit under the chaos of strobe lights.  It basically gives you that same, bad ass vibe that Death Grips does, just through a different genre.  Give it a listen, wont you?

Artist: Machine Girl
Album: WLFGRL
Songs: Out By 16, Dead on the Scene; Krystle (URL Cyber Palace Mix)
Genre: electronic/experimental/drum&bass/breakcore/hip-hop

ENJOY
BANDCAMP

Kutmah

This is overt psychedelia right here.  In that same mind bending aethetic Flying Lotus and The Gaslamp Killer, Kutmah has his own brand on the sound bursting with all kinds of psychedelic revolved influences like tribal percussion, Indian spiritual music, acid soaked hip-hop, jazz etc... This guy is unlike any other and needs to be listened to.  I'm sure I don't need to say this, but its grand stoned.

Artist: Kutmah
Album: Warm Like the Sunshine
Title: Warm Like the Sunshine
Genre: psychedelic/hip-hop/experimental

ENJOY

Repeat Pattern

Who likes jazzy hip-hop, aka "jazz-hop"?? I do!  Jazz is a great genre to encorporate into pretty much anything.  Hip-hop is obviously a winner.  At times I'll be listening to this and think, "do I have Adult Swim on tv in the background? To use a word I hate to use, this has a very "chill" vibe to it and would be great to wind down to with a big ol bowl.

Artist - Repeat Pattern
Album - Love Exposure
Title - Bus Ride
Genre - hip-hop/jazz/electronic

ENJOY

Clipping.

I've been loving this era of experimentation in hip-hop going on.  People who grew up on various influences often contradicting one another are finding themselves in the recording studio meshing their love for hip-hop with their love for more experimental, indie, underground etc... influences making some truly interesting music.  One of those groups to come from this is Clipping.. Their goal is to tear down the fabric of what hip-hop is, and they're succeeding.  Their completely non-conformist approach to hip-hop is extremely refreshing.  Their beats are built on the foundation of hip-hop with the aesthetic/instrumentation of harsh noise.  Check it out! Currently their music is up for free on their bandcamp, so really theres no excuse not to!

Artist: Clipping
Album: Midcity
Song: Intro
Genre: Hip-hop/rap/harsh noise

ENJOY

ARTIST SITE

The Gaslamp Killer

Every time I sit down to listen to this guy, I'm always blown the fuck away and it draws me in with the infectious and psychedelic drenched beats that this man so perfectly crafts.  His music has an undeniable nostalgic presence to it that will leave anyone who wants some modern experimental hip-hop like Flying Lotus but wants to delve in the warmth of yesteryear's sound, The Gaslamp Killer would be absolutely perfect.

PS:  Some of his material is in the form of one long song, like I Spit on Your Grave, but those are the best ones because you simply get lost in his manic creativity finding yourself in soundscapes you'd never expect to hear.  Download this fucker now.

 Artist: The Gaslamp Killer

Album: I Spit on Your Grave EP

Song: Shattering Inner Journeys

Genre: psychedelic/hip-hop/dub/experimental

ENJOY

ARTIST SITE

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien

Del Tha Funkee Homosapien has been a favorite of mine for years, but it seemed like he disappeared for the past couple of years.  Out of nowhere he released an album right up there with my favorite,  Both Sides of the Brain. It was a an absolute necessity in among my friends for our blunt ride soundtrack, which is funny in a almost morbid way beings the song Skull and Crossbones is the story of a dude who wrecks his car while all fucked up.  I have a feeling this album will be played just as much, and I'm sure you'll notice there seems to be a Death Grips feel here which is insatiable. 

Artist: Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
Album: Iller Than Most

ENJOY
SITE

Mr. Woodnote

I got filled with a lot of excitement and joy right once Mr. Woodnote's saxophone run dub ran through my ears.  All done by one genius of a man, its phat ass beats are done beat box style with jazzy saxophone jamming over deep dub bass lines with the occasional Rastafarian singer/rapper.  This is something to absolutely be bumped obnoxiously in your car.

 

Artist: Mr. Woodnote

Album: Winter of Woodshed

Song: woodshed (ft lilrhys)

genre: dub/jazz/hip-hop

ENJOY

Mykki Blanco

Now, usually I stray away from most modern rap;  I was never fond of the type of people its associated with (wide brim hats, studded earings, douche) but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy rap, it just has to have a certain respectability to it which is growing harder and harder to come by.  Mykki Blanco is pretty hardcore for my tastes, but to me he reminds me of the Ol' Dirty Bastard of this generation.  I first came across him by seeing him live with Death Grips, and he most certainly fit in with the extremeness and experimental nature of Death Grips.  His beats at points can sound like it has influence of noise and hardcore techno (gabber and such).  His vocals grabbed me right away and automatically garnered respect from his completely unique voice that sounds nothing like the 80% of rappers today who sound like they're still in high school.  In a way his voice is almost like Ol' Dirty Bastard's,  except completely his own.  Oh yea one more thing; he dresses up in drag sometimes just because hes that badass.

Artist: Mykki Blanco
Album: Cosmic Angel: The Illuminati Prince
Title: Riot
Genre: experimental rap/hip-hop/noise-hop

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SITE

JJ DOOM

Fucking MF DOOM.  A genius hidden behind the ominous metal mask, i.e. Metal Face DOOM, King Geedorah, Viktor Vaughn, Metal Fingers, etc... now has a new moniker being JJ DOOM, a collaboration between producer Jneiro Jarel (JJ) and MF DOOM.    DOOM's unmistakable flow is just as bad-ass as ever if not at its peak and the instrumentals are perfectly fitting for his style.  His 2009 album, Born Like This turned out to be one of, if not my favorite album of his career, but now with Key to the Kuffs released I might have to name a new favorite.

Artist: JJ DOOM
Album: Key to the Kuffs
Song: Bite the Thong
Genre: rap/hip-hop

ENJOY
SITE

Illogic & Blockhead

Illogic is one of the most talented and intelligent rappers out there in the scene today, which is seemingly over run by dip shits.  Blockhead is an extremely inventive instrumental hip-hop artist who has been featured on Adult Swim's late night psychedelic fest,  Off the Air.  The two collaborated to release a cd of enriching instrumentals with polyrhythmic/intellectual raps layed over them to create a thoroughly entertaining and exciting experience. 

 

Artist: Illogic & Blockhead

Album: Capture the Sun

Song: Atlantis Depth

Genre: rap/hip-hop 

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SITE

Shabazz Palaces

Truely a unique and mindbending rap experience.  They have more of a modern sound, but the lyricist/vocalist Ishmael Butler is actually from an early 90's rap group, Digable Planets, and the percussionist uses instrumentation from Zimbabwe.  The outcome is an intelligent, trippy album that you can't help but get lost in.

Artist:   Shabazz Palaces

Album: Black Up

Song:   An echo from the hosts that profess infinitum 

Genre: Rap; Hip-Hop; Psychedelic

ENJOY

SITE

TOKiMONSTA

Like this new IDM infused instrumental Hip-Hop scene (often showcased in Adult Swim's bumps) thats been popularized by the likes of Flying Lotus and Daedelus?  We'll TOKiMONSTA is a unique and a great player in this movement.  Her psychedelic drenched, experimental hip-hop is packed full of booming bass, light textures and grooves to get you hooked.

Artist: TOKiMONSTA

Album: Half Shadows

Song: Soul to Seoul

Genre: experimental hip-hop/electronic

ENJOY

SITE

Monster Rally

Monster Rally sounds nothing like you would think a band named Monster Rally would sound.  Its a strange and beautiful concoction of lo-fi instrumental ambient/hip-hop and tropical pop sure to please as you're hazily roaming  the shore environment being kissed by the ocean air in search for some ice cream.

Artist: Monster Rally
Album: Beyond the Sea
Song: Lava Flows
Genre: chillwave/hip-hop/tropical

ENJOY
BANDCAMP

Body Cheetah

Hip-hop, indie, r&b, and psychedelia you say?  Body Cheetah is far to unique and badass to ignore; this guy is going places.

Artist: Body Cheetah
Song: Psychoswagger
Album: Blonde Bitches Ain't Free
Genre: experimental/hip-hop/indie

ENJOY   Ten Thousand Thunders
ENJOY   Blonde Bitches Ain't Free
BANDCAMP

Daedelus

I initially started listening to this guy because I saw him in a documentary about the connection of psychedelics and music.  Checking him out, I am thoroughly impressed with his style, its an amazing blend of IDM, hip-hop, jazz, classical...etc basically a truely eclectic sound.

Artist: Daedelus
Album: Looking Ocean
Song: Looking Ocean
Genre: experiemental/hip-hop/electronic

ENJOY

Matthewdavid

Matthewdavid produces a special kind of hip-hop that seems to flow from and within the third eye.  His songs vary from bass heavy, bounceable tracks to completely mind-fucked ambient pieces, all seem heavily influenced from the psychonaut world.

Artist: Matthewdavid

Song: Know You're Not Alone

Genre: psychedelic hip-hop/ambient

ENJOY  Jewlery

ENJOY  Producers in 2012 Learn to Spread Love

ENJOY  DISK series