Mouthing Off
Okay, lately I've been doing some mouthing off. It started with the aggression that my friends see me take on my car radio. It mostly has to do with my disdain for inane commercials and morning prank calls to single mothers and sexually confused men, but it also has something to do with edited versions of songs that really aren't that good to begin with. If I'm going to wait through six ads for windshield repair and the new 24-hour Bickford's, I want to feel like I'm getting something for my wasted time. Sorry, I guess I expect too much in thinking that there should be at least one place I can go in my life to get away from J-Lo.

At least I have my CD's. No commercials, no J-Lo, and if I hear something I hate, then I have something physically tangible to throw out the window of the Altima.

Start taking notes...
That brings me to today's lecture. I've been around this hip-hop block for awhile, and I've seen a lot of artists come and go, from Positive K to Pete Rock and CL Smooth, and K Solo to Kottonmouth Kings. The fact is, for the most part, hip-hop artists have a limited shelf life and they know this, which is why you hear so many rappers claim that whatever current album they are releasing is going to be their last. It comes from an incredible fear that they are going to turn into LL Cool J, the epitome of someone who started off hard and then spent the next twenty years constantly changing his style to fit the times and in the end becoming a substance-free shell of what he once was. Just look at DMX, who has stayed around for two albums too long. He went from debuting at number one three years ago and to barely even crashing the top ten with his latest and "last" effort, which is just a flat rehash of all his other crap (sorry, Earl).

It has crossed my mind lately that in my lifetime there will probably be a new genre of radio station that will be dubbed "Classic Rap." Or maybe they will call it "Old School" to avoid the images of Peter Frampton and Bread's dinosaurs of rock connotation, but regardless, this idea makes my stomach turn a tad. It's not that I'm opposed to keeping the history of hip-hop alive, but I'm already nervous that these stations will just be a place for horribly outdated Salt n' Pepa songs to live on forever. That's just not right, and it's not the way I want my children to be raised.

DJ Timid, the Modest
So this begs the question: in twenty years, who from today's scene do I want to be hearing on these stations? Here you have it… hip-hop's top ten innovators as seen through the eyes of the inscrutable, invincible, and incredible DJ Timid.

1. The Streets - Rapper/Producer/First Rate Rap Mate - the-streets.co.uk
   Yeah, that's right, my first pick is The Streets. Hopefully most of you didn't just close your web browser immediately. For those who don't know, The Streets is made up of one guy, Mike Skinner, and yes he is white, and in the words of Denis Leary, "He's British. I don't think we should hold that against him." The Streets debut album sounds like nothing I've heard in a long time. Mike makes his own beats, which to me is the cornerstone of the future of hip-hop. It takes so much longer for an artist to take the time to produce his own tracks, but what you inevitably get is a product that is more intimate, legitimate, engrossing and artistic. Even if the beats are not always perfect, at least they are honest, and integrity goes a long way in my book. Also, Mike is one of the first rappers who is bridging the obvious gap between hip-hop and rave culture, penning meaningful songs about the feeling from your first E and the ideal of chemical romance. Lastly, on his own site, Mike posts his bio as written by one of his disgruntled friends, which is a hilariously bitter rant about what an asshole he can be sometimes. Now that's keeping it real.

   Required Listening: The Streets, Original Pirate Material

2. Princess Superstar - Rapper/Producer/DJ/Self Empowering Eye Candy - princesssuperstar.com
   The bar none, queen of underground hip-hop. Not only does she produce her own tracks, write all her own rhymes, and run her own label, but she is also an amazing DJ whose sets with Alexander Technique on Kiss100 radio in Britain exemplify that she is one hardcore hip hop chick who does her homework. Oh yeah, and she is also looks ridiculously hot in a Chanel crash helmet and a boa. When her new album comes out (hopefully by the end of 2004) look for it on a lot of critics end of the year top-ten lists.

   Required Listening: Princess Superstar's Is

3. Kanye West - Producer/Rapper/Man of the Hour - rocafella.com
   A man who is not content with just being one of the best producers out there right now. If you hear Kanye tell it (if he can talk now, last thing I knew he had his jaw wired shut after a near fatal car accident) he is here to reinvent the game and represent for all the collage dropouts out there. And to save all the best beats for his own solo album. Kanye's style is the most unique blend of pop beats with deep dug samples that is out there right now, and if imitation truly is the most sincere form of flattery, than Emile and about a thousand other producers are some of the most sincere songwriters ever to touch a Groovebox. Kanye is the perfect carrier for DJ Premier's torch.

   Check out this article at http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1472302/20030605/story.jhtml for more details on College Dropout.

   Required Listening: Talib Kweli's "Get By," Jay-Z's "Excuse Me Miss," and his forthcoming solo LP, College Dropout

4. DJ Q-bert - DJ/Producer/Instructor/Karma King - djqbert.com
   Q's work with Yogafrog at Thud Rumble shows a dedication to the culture that is practically unmatched. Not only is Q-bert hands down the greatest scratch DJ on the planet, but he is also the humblest little dude you will ever see. How so? Not only does Thud Rumble put on ScratchCon, a seminar dedicated to bringing together all the big names in scratching for face to face interaction with hungry up and coming DJs, but he was also one of the first hip-hop DJs to be totally open and honest with how to do the shit that he does. Through his instructional DVDs and easy accessibility to his fans on the elite SES forums on his website, Q leaves no question unanswered and consistently stresses the importance of having a good time, learning your craft, and working hard to be the best. In his own words, Q says that he wants everyone to know how to scratch like him so that other people can take that and expand on it so that he can learn from them. On top of that, Q hosts parties at his own pad, the Octagon, and invites local DJs by to show their shit and, for lack of a better term, network.

   Required Listening: DJ Q-bert's Wavetwisters

5. Rob Swift - DJ/Producer/Silent Rogue - x-ecutioners.net
   I was tempted to say all of the X-Men, but Swift, the poetic soul of the group, really stands out. He may not have the body tricks, the DMC trophies or the flamboyance of Roc Raida, but Swift's quiet dedication to making tracks that branch the genre beyond just repeated samples of old Al Green or Stevie Wonder songs shows why he is the heart and soul of a movement. On his latest effort, Sound Event, Rob digs deep into his crates and his Columbian parent's record collection to find breaks that sound like they have been bouncing around Swift's head for years, just trying to dig their way out.

   Required Listening: Rob Swift's Sound Event

6. DJ Shadow - Producer/DJ/Basement Dweller - djshadow.com
   Shadow was one of the first white men in the 90's to refer to his music as hip-hop without having a skeptical eyebrow raised from hardcore fans. When he proclaimed that hip-hop sucked in 1996, a year that was ruled by Biggie and Tupac, the typically humble Shadow had a point. Though the before mentioned deceased did recreate hip-hop, they were improving on the genres old traditions, whereas Shadow was building a new institution that would shape today's definition.

   Required Listening: DJ Shadow's Entroducing

7. Outkast - Rappers/Forefathers of the Future of Funk - outkast.com
   Okay, their new album is, well, different. I'm not ready to have an opinion on it yet, because Andre 3000 and Big Boi have a history of being ahead of their times and making music that grows on you like a rabid Chia Pet. If you want proof, go back to their 1996 album ATLiens and you'll probably realize that in the seven years since its release, you caught up with what they already knew back when you were listening to Dave Mathews Band's Under the Table and Dreaming and marching with all the other ants. Hopefully by 2010 I will personally have a grasp on what they were going for with Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.

   Required Listening: Outkast's ATLiens

8. (and 9.) Nas and Jay-Z - Rappers/Hot Headed Heroes - stillmatic.com and rocafella.com
   Their shared hatred for each other brings out the best in them, and their deep dedication to the art of hip-hop is practically unmatched. For more info on them, visit my Nas God's Son and Jay-Z Blueprint 2 review.

   Required Listening: Nas' God's Son and Jay-Z's Blueprint and Blueprint 2

10. Z-Trip - DJ/Savior to Stale Spinning - djztrip.com
    Z-Trip has a flare for combining weird shit and rocking a party in a way that unites genres of music. He's probably the first man to look at "Jane Says" by Jane's Addiction and "Hard Knock Life" by Jay-Z and think, "Shit, these two belong together." Most important though is Z-Trip's recent turn as political activist. If you are sick of George Bush, than you're A-OK in Z-Trip's book.

    Required Listening: Z-Trip's Anti-War Mix from the Root Down in LA (available for free download on his webpage)

Send your thoughts to timid@newmoanyeah.com.

Coming soon to a theatre near you,
DJ Timid