Nas, De La Soul & How Underground Hip Hop Started

[@TheCompanyMan]

Shout out to Eddie Heredia for suggesting we make AMAZON PRIME RHYMES AIN'T DOPE shirts a thing. Now available for the low low. thecompanyman.myshopify.com/products/amazon-prime-rhymes-aint-dope

[@e5141981]

The Company Man awsome!!

[@tjbproductions414]

The Company Man you think you could go even more in depth of the underground movement in the future? Tracing from the beginnings of rawkus trough the def jux years would be very interesting and would shed light on a lane of hip hop that not many are very familiar with

[@zackfranklin6912]

The Company Man maaan, that was my idea!

[@georgekumria8652]

The Company Man For the next TBD you should really do a segment on the history of Detroit Hip-Hop, because I don't feel like that is discussed enough and all their contributions to Hip-Hop should be discussed more. Plus, people such as Elzhi and Slum Village should be discussed more as well, along with newer Detroit acts such as Nolan the Ninja, Ty Farris, Guilty Simpson, AG & DaG, Doughboyz Cashout, etc. That would be a really amazing segment to see.

[@blaqdiemenz]

The Company Man I don't think it was written was the dividing line I think being honest it was bad boy records biggie ready to die ., that was the album that had a merge of underground gritty and still have a puffy commercial feel .. that AZ do or die album too .. those came out before it was written and both commercially successful . .

[@professorskye]

When these albums came out I remember thinking that they were both amazing. Oddly enough, I never even really thought of De La as "underground" because they were so big. Never thought of Nas as mainstream either. I guess I just wasn't really tuned in to what was going on. Great video.

[@MrWrightNowTV]

De la Soul Stakes is high one of the most slept on albums of all time!!!!

[@IllDawgable]

Derrick Wright truuu

[@e5141981]

Lebogang Seleleko YES!!!!!!

[@ronaldjames5469]

Whew! So true. My favorite group of all time

[@orbit4072]

Derrick Wright no doubt

[@benjamindore2493]

One of my top five albums all time

[@maxlevin6167]

It was written is one of the best albums ever...It's slept on.

[@josegomez6549]

Judah Natzarah chill.

[@e5141981]

Judah Natzarah i agree with you, people sleep on that album. But the facts are that he got better with the lyrics and story telling aswell, my only complain with this album was the production it does not compare to illmatic

[@e5141981]

I Provide Useless Statistics for Your Pleasure Its pure facts nas got way better lirycly on it was writen

[@MrSayWhatIThink23]

A top 5 album, arguably better than Illmatic

[@designatedpiledriver8216]

+J. N. Na it was written had more a more POLISHED sound

[@Vranir]

So how long before I can catch a class from Professor Hunte

[@TheCompanyMan]

Ha!

[@AutoAnomoly]

I would love to take a class like that. But I would get my ass beat by excess credits.

[@aydenwingfield7950]

Vranir I have subscribed could you subscribe back?

[@gravitymusic]

This was so great. R.I.P Eyedea, one of the greatest lyricists took away too soon.

[@RulingClassMentality]

Death Clutch Music What a minute, Eyedea transitioned??

[@livingabstraction2206]

As a lover of music, I do get a bit disheartened by how divided folks get over music. I mean don't get me wrong, I went to my teenage phase where I was all "I can't stand mainstream" and that garbage, but I am so glad I moved on from that mindset. While yes their will always be stuff I like and dislike, I would rather just focus on digging what I like and that can be far reaching. For example, the new Gucci and Migos song is slamming, and I usually don't like their music. But at the same time, I really hope one day we as music fans can also learn to get away from simply gravitating to what's Poppin on the radio. But man the Telecommunication act of 1996 really screwed up for Hip-Hop culture.

[@TheCompanyMan]

9th blew my mind with the way he breaks down how fans for the first time lived on different planes. I think we all go through a phase where we think conscious rappers are the good guys or whatever. But you're right. In retrospect it's silly to segment ourselves. dope rap is dope rap. pun intended.

[@WickedNemesis]

Living Abstraction I agree with this wholeheartedly. There is a divide, luckily as messed up as it sounds, my children pulled me out of that mindset. They've always grown up on 80s and 90s hip-hop and rap, they opened my eyes to what was going on now. And rap and hip-hop, yes my 15 year old and my nine-year-old did that. I had that old head mentality that most of us suffer from. If it wasn't underground if it didn't had substance it was not hip hop or rap

[@taylorlayton4508]

I feel music critique/judgment is a fine line. Songs are generally popular because they are good and musically appealing. However, popular sounds usually get overplayed to death by people who chase commercial success and don't want to innovate on the formula. Reminds me of Joe Budden's "Future is high-quality low-quality music" comment - you don't get a lot of innovation, you don't get as much purpose, but you get some nice sounds. How long do you want to live with them? Probably shorter than the radio lifespan. At this point, there is no putting the audiences back on the same plane. The more and more I talk with young kids who are super fans of all the newer acts (xxx, trippie redd, lil pump, others) and have little desire to branch out to older or different hip hop, I realize you can lead an audience to different sounds, but you cannot make them drink. People move across the planes at their own times; music snobbery doesn't help anyone; put people on to good music and keep it moving. Shout out to 9th for always decoupling good hip hop from content and "deep" lyrics. Bars are bars.

[@KINGBENJOE]

Living Abstraction what's the telecommunication act of 1996?

[@KINGBENJOE]

Nvm lol

[@bryankelly335]

Even knowing I was born in 89 , I still ended up leaning on the 'Red Pill' side .. The first time I found Dilla , Madlib , MF etc.. I became a straight beat junkie , nothing I listened to had vocals for a good 5 years .. Shit , I have like 15gigs of straight Dilla beattapes and Instrumentals , I became obsessed with his work/sound .. Now , I listen to ALL types of music but I still have to lean towards the 'Red" side ..! Peace , man .. Appreciate yah

[@Makwood99]

1996 Everybody Was Killin' It

[@AndrewS-wj8be]

Yuh, tribe had released Beats Rhymes and Life

[@KaizerMan]

Truth. I could list about 50 legendary artists who all dropped great albums that year. its a shame because some of the ‘average’ albums of 96 would be considered some of the best of any other year. 97 was great too until Hip Hop’s decline began with 98

[@swampthing94]

It Was Written is one of the best sophmore albums

[@osiruss25]

Yep! Wu tang forever too.

[@faustovasquez9245]

Supreme Clientele

[@jwood8769]

I’ve always liked it more then illmatic

[@parabellum5503]

​@@jwood8769 I didn't feel that album initially because of the " next Rakim" talk around it. Dismissed it almost immediately. I don't feel that way anymore.

[@AB-nb2ic]

Finally an accurate point!

[@Edd409]

I’ve been wrestling with starting a after school hip hop club for students when I finish my degree and get hired somewhere, and I was worried about not being able to deepen that knowledge about the culture. So I just want to say thank you for the content you put out. I’ve been following you since DX and you constantly keep adding to my own knowledge base. My hope is to contribute to the culture through kids so they know that “Amazon Prime rhymes ain’t dope!”.

[@TheCompanyMan]

That's awesome!

[@IllDawgable]

What "Amazon Prime Rhymes ain't dope" mean by the way?

[@judbakilam]

it means shopped rhymes arent good

[@NStarks007]

I appreciate you dropping knowledge about the Telecommunications Act which is the reason we only have 6 big news outlets now. As well as dropping knowledge about how it directly affected culture. Damn there's layers to this shit lol Nobody else wouldve noticed the direct ripple effect that Congress had on our culture with a bill that seemingly had nothing to do with our culture. Appreciate the knowledge, Justin, im subbed for life

[@davejohnson3860]

Stakes is high is one of the best joint DLS ever made!

[@Makwood99]

It Was Written Is a daily rotation For Me.

[@walterwaterz3872]

Lol.

[@Blackstar81]

Hip-Hop 1996, what a time to be alive! Two albums I own to this day.

[@MrKing8050]

Unbelievable Rawkus once had Eminem and Kanye West on their label, sucks they debunked

[@livingabstraction2206]

MrKing8050 Rawkus falling under Still breaks my heart sometimes.

[@WickedNemesis]

MrKing8050 church

[@dondaddan]

by 1998,Rawkus was a movement all the upcoming MC's wanted in,Rawkus was a powerful movement and moment, from Phat beats to hiphopsite.com, sandboxautomatic,every body wanted in,it was the proving ground, a verse on soundbombing made you a bonafide MC, even mainstream folks like Jay Z always acknowledged it,Busta Rhymes totally embraced it. Rawkus was so groundbreaking most folks dind't notice loud records had folded ,oh and Kanye west beats were too mainstream for Rawkus, I know I listened to Talib Kweli's Quality before Kanye was huge and never liked his beats,production, he felt like a splenda version of (Hi-Tek,Dilla,Ayatollah or DJ Spinna) ,on your gritz .Kanye had to create his own lane he never really fitted in ,he was a back pack rapper with very limited MC' skills and a Luis Vuitton bag .

[@krishnansen1301]

Had to replay this one. 9th Wonder be dropping some knowledge this video. The underground just seemed so much more achievable than the radio. They couldn't be doing what Puffy was doing back then, it seemed so far away. I wasn't around to see the divide of in Hip Hop culture, but it seems that nowadays we can see and repect both sides. I love the red pill blue pill comment Wonder drops, and I love your extension on how the divide effected fanbases, shows and venues Justin. Video ideas are just so on point over the past few months. Looking forward for both the piece on Islam and the piece on Eminem. Brilliant content as always Justin, makes my week.

[@TheCompanyMan]

KS! Thank you! I really found 9th's post fascinating. I hadn't appreciated the direct rift these two projects caused.

[@MrKing8050]

96 was one of my favorite years is hip-hop, I think that year was at its peak

[@TheCompanyMan]

Awesome year. One of my favorites ever. I don't talk about The Fugees The Score nearly often enough. It's one of my 3 favorite albums, came out in 96 and I don't think I've done anything on it yet. Thanks for the reminder.

[@Butterd4t4ss]

The Company Man 96 and 94 were great years for Hip Hop. Since you spoke about underground hip hop in this segment, I was wondering is there anyway you'll ever talk about Eminems debut "Infinite"? (which came out in 96) I feel that even though the cadences he used are nas/az like, I still think the bars are fantastic.

[@kevinoneill2298]

please no more talk about em please

[@mosaicblue121]

1998 too

[@phfrixion]

95 wasn't bad either... Da Shinin' still one of my fav 90s classics, Liquid swords, Jazzmatazz II, KRS-One and the Liks dropped good ones too....and I nearly forgot ODB's. :-)

[@SeboHyatt]

96 must have been a dope year, "Stakes is High" and "It Was Written" on the same day and earlier it was "All Eyez on Me" and "The Score". That's too nice.

[@backseatbully]

Ironman, Hell on Earth, etc

[@soulrebeldj]

I also think the the Source, and later XXL, had a lot to do with the splintering of commercial vs underground. I remember it was reading which albums gained the most mics and the hip hop qoutables that kind of exposed me to many artist that were featured in Rawkus, Duck Down and Okayplayer. A lot of times, me being a kid from Texas, my entry point to the underground was the Source.

[@TorryFinley]

This was great! I was born in '92, so this is feels like a missing puzzle piece to my hip-hop timeline that makes so many things make sense now. A lot of stuff from labels I didn't like in the mid to late 90's seems like much more valiant efforts when framed in the context of what they were up against in the post-Telecomunications Act music industry. Who knows how different things would've been if that consolidation wasn't allowed to happen in the same way? That final 9th quote ending the video has my mind blown.

[@Skotax1x]

Man this channel is amazing for hip hop lovers💯💯

[@RalphBarbagallo]

100% on point. This perfectly encapsulates the argument going on in hip hop at the time. You should do a segment on Hiero’s Third Eye Vision which came out a year or so later and kicked of the internet-led indie hip hop movement.

[@doodiemac100]

Nice vid. 9th Wonder was on point with his comment. In regards to Nas though, while It Was Written is a great album and it got him rich and more mainstream success, it was what made him lose his favor and luster with his core fans. Illmatic was Nas at his rawest and he represented the role of a struggling black man in America going through trials and tribulations in the hood and trying to survive. He was voice for us. The hood finally had a true representative. When he transitioned to a Mafioso gangster on It Was Written, it was a sign of selling out and becoming just like every other artist in hip-hop who was also doing that style. The community didn't approve because they saw it as a gimmick (which it was) and it was considered wack for said reason. When Nas got mainstream success he started making questionable albums around gimmicks and as a result, his allure dwindled immensly. The point being, at that time in hip-hop you had to be honest about what you spoke in your content. No matter how good or successful yo projects might've been, if it showed you talking about shit you didn't do when you were different beforehand, the people would thumb you down for being a gimmick and riding a wave (selling-out).

[@gunner0479]

doodiemac100 fair points, I wasn't around back then but listening to it was written now I could never understand why it doesn't get enough praise for the quality of the lyricsm, the beats and storytelling. Sure nas wasn't as authentic but the rhyme schemes on 'take it in blood', the storytelling on 'I gave you power', as examples. I think in terms of pure rhyming he too it further than illmatic. But overall illmatic is his best piece of work of course. I wasn't around at the time but as a 22 year old listening to this is album it sounds crazy good. If this album came out today it would blow everything out of the park, and it would probably sound underground compared to what's being put out as 'hiphop' today, I guess things have changed a lot. I guess it did nas a lot of good if you look at the other perpective, without this album nas may have just been another phenomenal underground rapper, like rakim for example, he wouldn't have reached the wider hiphop audience. Steve stoute said something along the lines of he didn't want nas to be underappreciated like kool g rap. Nas also said himself that he could never make another illmatic, and if he tried it wouldn't have worked. Maybe it was for the greater good in the total landscape of his career when you take into consideration he made true honest albums after this like stillmatic, God son, untitled, hiphop is dead.

[@kks086]

This video is amazing. I was fifteen at this time and although I liked the Native Tongue's click. Mainstream media and Madison Avenue were subliminally telling us that they were finished and It was Written was the new wave. This was also the height of rappers starring in commercials and movies and I just remember being so proud that 'we" made it. I say "we" because I remember being a kid in the 80's and White society saying Hip Hop was just a fad. So many of us took the success of Nas, Pac, BIG, LL, Cube, etc as a victory for all of us. Anyway great video and I'm going to make my nephew's watch it as well.

[@nestorgil]

I was in the store that day with both those records in my hand. Always loved De La, and Nas' debut killed me -- on that day I went with Stakes is High . . . and the rest aligns with 9th's theory almost exactly... the radio ceased to matter to me after that, and I found all my music by following threads, chasing down features . . .

[@erickford1624]

Rap City in 1996 I was in Akron OH. Happy to come home from work and see my city. No Ralph McDaniels out Midwest #same time zone

[@bmst8236]

BLACKSTAR. DEAD PREZ. COMMON. WORDSWORTH, PUNCHLINE, HEIRO THAT ERA HAD SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH POTENTIAL..... CHANGED MY LIFE.

[@bmst8236]

pep love & stic.man two of the greatest to ever record !!!!!!!

[@LastOneLeftProd]

punch and words are so under rated.

[@johnbutler7567]

Good of you to give Eyedea a shout-out. R.EYE.P.

[@emanuelnicholson8423]

I've always thought the period between 92-98 was the apex of the culture. IMO the drive for artistic and commercial success were equally important. Before 92, sales didn't make one the best rapper. After 98, sales increasingly became more important than skills. This piece verified my thinking. Big up to my favorite album dropping that year: ATLiens.

[@ChanoWilliams]

I'm 33 years old and I remember being into everything that was on the radio, but particularly whatever the hottest music videos were at that time. The Internet really made it possible to connect with underground Hip-Hop. I loved Puff Daddy and the Family, Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott, but I was also rocking with DJ Honda, DJ Q-bert, Mad Skillz, etc. I never really thought about those being two separate worlds until now. There was some connectivity with Gang Starr, Mobb Deep and DMX, in my opinion. I didn't discover The Roots until Things Fall Apart and I didn't get into A Tribe Called Quest until The Love Movement. Too busy with the soundtracks for The Phantom of the Opera and Mortal Kombat up to that point. Thanks for dropping knowledge on Dilla producing De La Soul's album. I also appreciate your logical thought process. Job well done!

[@ladydontekno]

I'd really like to see you do a brief history of Rawkus Records. Soundbombing may have been firmly underground but Soundbombing 2 was a stab at making the underground sound more mainstream. They pushed singles from Black On Both Sides and Internal Affairs to mainstream radio and MTV. And of course in 2017 one of Rawkus' owners is working for his daddy Rupert Murdoch. I think you'll have a lot of insight that those of us who aren't in radio don't have.

[@Level7Boss]

ladydontekno one of the best labels of all time. Incredible roster and output. RIP Rawkus records

[@dohboy200]

YES

[@funkynastyfresh]

"Sign to Rawkus? I'd rather be mouth-fucked by nazis unconscious!"-- El-P

[@idun-741]

thank you for mentioning E&A, made my damn day

[@OrderoftheWarlocks]

Great video. One thing I think you should do if you continue in the future is to capture phone interviews through an application like audacity or something like that. Should make the audio of your interview much cleaner than the tin can speaker phone sound. I'll sub though, keep it up.

[@benduffy6219]

This may be the most interesting, well-presented, thought provoking music essay I've encountered this year, in any medium. Serious hat tip to TCM.

[@Lux9103]

Thank You Justin, how can I Elect you as our Hip Hop President...

[@TechG]

I need to get up on HipHop history period

[@seanstroman6087]

Justin I appreciate the Shoutout #TBDSHOW #Itsallhappening 💪🏿

[@joseotero1232]

Another Saturday another great upload like always thanks for making my Saturday mornings brother. Enjoy the weekend Justin!

[@kchikwete]

B4Da$$$ it was for the love - Joey Bada$$

[@KMO325]

It Was Written was the first time I could identify a Hip-Hop album with an artist. I heard a lot of Hip-Hop on the radio (WPGC 95.5) and with older family members, but I remember older cousins with the CD and seeing that cover.

[@12w0]

You know, reggaeton is so fkn popular now, but has strayed so far from its original reggae & hip hop sound from the 90s. Now it is so melodic kind of how rappers have to "sing" nowadays. Maybe do a segment on that.

[@420Ruger]

What up Jus! Another great episode keep em coming

[@TheCompanyMan]

Force Ghosting 🙌🏿🙏🏿🙌🏿🙏🏿🙌🏿🙏🏿

[@kidsgames658]

Always on point and so much passion. Stay Trill Justin!

[@WhatWeDigtoday]

Enjoyed this piece. During that time I discovered which side I was on and even discovered slum village on an underground website. I feel like we all were exposed to the commercial stuff, but the rawkuses, black stars, okayplayer presence felt special, less tainted and often with societal commentary. Kendrick may not exist without that movement.

[@gansitoFTW]

About time Eyedea, Slug got a quick shout out. Amazing work again brother. Will Justin ever have the answer to his questions? I don’t have the answer to this question.

[@e5141981]

Another Great video!!! I never really saw it that way and is true there was a divition with mainstream and underground hip hop, after delasoul expressed their beef with "mainstream comercial"hip hop other artis came to the forefront aswell, jeru da damager expressed his hate for the "mainstream comercial" artist also. Im shoked because i never thought when did this divition start and here it is. Love this video. Thanks!!! One last thing you failed to mention Lyricist Lounge dint they also play a part?

[@TheCompanyMan]

Thanks EH. Lyricist Lounge was a direct soundbombing/rawkus spinoff. Should've at least given them a shout.

[@JamBurglar]

Superb commentary Company Man! So much happening in hip hop in 96. I bought the Stakes Is High LP and every 12" single off that joint but somehow missed that Mos was on it (at the time anyway). It was the cover (especially the back cover) of his Universal Magnetic 12" that sold me on Rawkus. When I heard that record I was blown away. Then when I found out Co-Flow was putting out records on that label it solidified it. From then on out I pretty much bought all the 12"s. I tried to get into "It Was Written" but it just didn't feel like the same Nas to me. He DID have some brilliant cuts on that album ("I Gave You Power" is monumental) but overall it felt like he was catering to trends. Trugoy's line "the only Italians you know is icees" kind of sums it up. Simultaneous to all of this going on in rap, the entire hip hop DJ culture was fundamentally changing itself. It felt like the "underground" embraced the DJs while at the same time main stream acts were using DATs at live shows, hardly using any scratch hooks, etc. A lot of DJs were like "we don't even need MCs anymore, we can do our own thing". That pushed DJing to huge new heights. The Invsbl Skratch Piklz and X-Men battled in 96 and were putting out tracks made entirely out of scratching. DJ Shadow put out Endtroducing in 1996. It never dawned on me that 96 was THE year. And yo! Nice shout to Sandbox Automatic! I found so much good stuff on that site because you could listen to clips!

[@themftoucan5780]

Yo Mr. Hunte , just wanna say thank you so much for putting out another info-filled video on the form of art I love so dearly. Been watching you since a bit before you left DX and I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. Much love bro

[@X.tlal.]

Omg I was JUST thinking about sound bombing! Sound bombing Vol 3 literally changed my life

[@BigSkippy95]

Justin having a hard time counting this week. Says 3 CD's at beginning of video but thumbnail says 2 haha. It doesn't matter though, great show as always Justin. Keep it up.

[@TheCompanyMan]

Ha! Two CDs fit better on the thumbnail.

[@IamLockStar]

3 CDs = "Stakes is High," "It Was Written," and "Soundbombing." Most likely the disconnect was 9th Wonder's commentary on the split of the culture after the 2 former albums and then Justin's added expansion on Rawkus and "Soundbombing."

[@TheArtunism]

Great way to start my Saturday

[@dennischacko499]

Thank you for throwing a s/o to Slug. This was extremely enlightening

[@christopherstein1301]

The most fun I’ve had as a hip hop fan was when hip hop site.com, access hip hop.com, sandbox automatic and ughh.com were all competing for customers and would give away exclusives with orders. They were the first online retailers to sell the Slim Shady EPs CDs and tapes back in 99 for 10 bucks now those things sell for 500 to a G. It’s not as fun anymore being a fan. Having to pay for vip meet and greets for even underground and indie artists nowadays when back in the days they would come up to you while you were waiting in line and kick it.

[@dejiadefuye2047]

Awesome video Justin! I agree and can definitely say that I took the red pill and went with underground/indie rap. Stakes is High is one of my favorite albums along with Black Star, and from there I found out about artists like Common, Atmosphere, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and even the Roots. Don't ask me about 90s radio hip-hop because I don't know much about it. Love the subject matter.

[@manuelanthony2205]

really glad to see someone showing some media literacy skills especially as it pertains to hip hop and the divide that began with the content that was being played on the radio and what came after. bringing that knowledge and wisdom that's hip hop ...respect for that. loved the video and really liked the possible direction of the next few pieces you can do from here..oh and i see what you did there; when you mentioned rhymesayers my ear perked up even more haha, eyes got a little dialated. really looking forward to the next few video's. keep up the great work.

[@TheCompanyMan]

Thank you Manuel! I appreciate that. i've got a great idea for a rhymesayers piece based on a convo i had with siddiq a few years back. Coming soon.

[@manuelanthony2205]

The Company Man seriously though, going back to Dx I bet you've helped to reignite that passion for hip hop in a lot of people myself included. really looking forward to that video and whatever you do next. my man's blowing up!!

[@KiNGRaZoR316]

I definitely agree with 9th Wonder regarding the shift in Hip Hop in '96. I was a victim of the radio's content being geared towards more commercial appealing songs while not having any clue as to what was outside of that realm. I think from an artistic standpoint, that limited the creativity and versatility we were used to hearing prior to the Radio Communications Act of 1996. TBH, I didn't hear about Rawkus Records until Mos Def put out the Body Rock single with Q-Tip & Tash from Tha Liks.

[@udonwarrior9983]

Dope as always! Keep up the good work justin

[@2k7digga]

LISTEN!!!!! This video is the truth. All three cds solidified my upbringing. The wedge between these albums was one was on the outside looking in, one was the inside looking out, the third was someone who had access to both living situations. Nas took us down the commercialization and glamorization lifestyle. De La took us down the inner-destruction of the craft. Soundbombing was the respect of the culture. Salute to all three cds. I can't believe all three of these cds are over 20 years old. Salute Mr. Hunte!!!!!

[@irbinflores]

I want to say thank you so much for this episode. I love hip hop and love learning about but it’s hard to really get a grasp from the 90’s. I’m 26 and I didn’t get into hip hop till the 2000’s. So getting in-depth points of view from earlier in hip hop is what I need! Thank you! #AmazonPrimeRhymesAintDope

[@jpadaetz9501]

Great episode, Justin.

[@joebey7682]

Bought both albums the day they came out. Still rock out to both till this day!

[@tonybulley5764]

Amazing insight.... This should be viral!!!

[@TheCompanyMan]

Thank you!

[@vernellthomas6644]

I️ remember the divide like it was yesterday. I️ did buy It Was Written And Soundbombing but I️ know it was an unspoken split was the Shiny suit and back packers. I️ chose the underground and I️ loved it. I️ just got tired of hearing about mad murders and popping Cristal...lol. 20 years later I️ can enjoy The Migos and Kendrick Lamar. Dope episode Justin!

[@ahmadbmuhammad2831]

Brilliant analysis B!!!!!!!!!

[@OneHandClap]

Another amazing video. Learned so much from this and am excited to listen more to those two albums. Keep up the great work, Justin

[@bmst8236]

DONT FORGET LYRICIST LOUNGE!!!!

[@mgcnm3]

Mr. Hunte I am now dubbing you Mos Ex(cellent). Keep up the great, even-keeled reporting for the new and old hip hop fanatics.

[@TheCompanyMan]

Ha! Thank you!

[@larrytan73]

You really had to be there to really get what he's talking ...This is DEAD on!

[@IgnacioStegmayer]

How come you didnt shoutout Mello Music Group Justin! they've been dropping nothing but gems all year

[@phelicks]

I have been waiting, stakes is high is my favorite album

[@SuperOleyoley]

another brilliant one man. Peace

[@proto7d]

Yooo Justin that t-shirt is dope! A great quote from last video too!

[@TheCompanyMan]

Thank you!!

[@zenshino99]

Great piece as always, hoping for a Q-Tip GOAT piece one day!

[@kyoshi84]

This video was fascinating. Thank you for making this.

[@GJones712]

Always enlightening and thought provoking. Thank you for this.

[@TreFKennedy]

Is it wrong that i treat the breakdown like Saturday cartoons??? Like outside of my improv classes i so look forward to the breakdowns lol

[@CompletelyInadequate]

Hell yeah, shouts out Eyedea and the whole rhyemsayers crew 🖤🤘🏼 R EYE P

[@KraziAzian]

Interesting, never considered how fractured things are becoming and the idea of the echo chamber within the fractures. I think what all of this will ultimately lead to is a lot of artists becoming famous at a small scale. More artists can eat, but they have to get used to eating less. I think from the fans perspective it is still a good thing because the variety is more than it ever has been. Taste makers and reviewers and video journalism like this need to be what plugs in the masses into those fractures. I think the potential to get it back to a state pre-media consolidation still exists, it just will rely on these taste makers on KZbin and other journalism sites instead of traditional broadcasting.

[@kahnship-hoptoybox5755]

There is a quote Nas had (that I can’t find the article or interview). But Nas said, “We didn’t come into this game to walk around with backpacks and say we hip-hop.” But I agree with this entire perspective. I was a security guard herein Detroit in 1995 and I listened to the radio all day and this was back when hip-hop wasn’t getting played too much before 6pm. First two songs I heard before 6 was Biggie’s “One More Chance” and Luniz, “I got 5 on it.” There were still a handful of lowkey radio stations where I could get some good Def Squad shit, and local shit. But 2 years later, shit changed. No more local low key radio stations and Hip-hop was getting major radio play but it was all the “popular” shit. I think you should have brought up The Roots “What They do” Questlove said this was a “declaration of war” to the mainstream. That song dropped in 1996. The Roots took heat for collabing with Jay on his 2001 MTV Unplugged.

[@dohboy200]

I equally loved It Was Written and the Soundbombing / Lyracist Lounge / Rawkus compilation. If you loved Hip Hop you had room in your mindspace for both subgenres

[@kylem6821]

That ending was amazing.

[@abdulhamidketchman8599]

Nothing insightful for me to add this week but I appreciate it all the same. Love the about out to digable planets. My Afro Lit teacher put me up on them back in 05. #EasyA #CoolLikeDat I love those beats.

[@TheCompanyMan]

YO! Not sure if you're a fan of Rap Critic. If not, you should definitely follow his channel. I was on their podcast last week. MAN! He dropped a jewel about that song that I never noticed. The beginning of every bar begins with a pronoun! Been loved that song for two decades and NEVER noticed that. Rap Critic is incredible.

[@thaxtonwaters8561]

I remember this like yesterday. July 2nd 96 was my 16th Bday and I (being a Tennesseean and surrounded by No Limit & Cash Money fanatics) got both of these albums. Loved them both but I DO, over the next 3-4 years felt my SPIRIT being pulled in 2 different directions, Hyper-commercialization vs. _____???. By 99-2000, Hip-Hop got so fuckd up I expanded into jazz, blues, classic rock, & reggae. I didn't fuck with Hip-Hop again until around 2008-2009...& then it was veeeeeery gradually.

[@zackfranklin6912]

Haha haha you made the t shirt! That's fucking awesome! I love it.

[@TheCompanyMan]

It's All Happening!

[@Presence_o_Mind]

Great vid..thanks for sharing this! Brings me back to these days and this time period of making the conscious decision of sticking to the Realness.

[@anthonyponce4576]

Best part of Saturday morning

[@fermgrip371]

Outstanding commentary...

[@TheCompanyMan]

Thank you!

[@bmst8236]

GONNA WATCH THIS 3 TIMES .... SO GOOD

[@MrD-tu3hp]

So Nas changed the game twice

[@sendingmaniac]

Where does that leave Outkast? Atliens came out barely a month after It Was Written. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik came out in 1994. Weren't the likes of Outkast and other artists affiliated with Organized Noise already establishing a scene beyond the cultural "mainstream"? Yes, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik went platinum, but as 9th Wonder states in the video, it's the sound. I think influential members of the Southern rap scene were pioneers of a sound that was completely different from anything Hip Hop had heard before. Outkast is probably one group that does not have a fragmented fan base? Where does geography feature in this debate on fragmented fan bases? Is it just the medium (radio versus Internet)? I'd like to know what you think. Btw, it's only been three years since I've started listening to Hip Hop seriously. I'm a fan of your work. Your videos are educational, bruhh.

[@airmaxtrin]

I feel like people always forget how Duck Down was kind of the real start of Underground. That boom bap sound also was very much due to Black Moon. IDK. I see what they mean I always say my life changed with Rawkus but it was more to the Lyricist Lounge and discovering Body Rock on the Box and I wondered WHO IS MOS DEF and I went on a tear to find his music. Mos Def as an artist I think did more so for the underground come up than people think.

[@samwiseshanti]

Damn. Dropping facts. Great video man!

[@trooper40below]

I can’t pick one over the other. Both of these album are bangers.

[@StuntTriple]

Programmed like zombies. That rings so true to this day, as a 19yr old hip hop fan I can say i am part of the few who even know the names of the greats. In High School i learned about the beautiful craft of hip hop by going back in tyme and listening to all the greats from KRS-1 to BDK, NWA, Too Short to Dj Quik, the juice crew, Kool Moe Dee. After a solid two years of only listeining to lyrical and not so lyrical yet musical classics I found that the new generation of hip hop still embodies thw original culture. Acts like Flatbush Zombies, Joey Badass, Ab Soul, kdot, bodega bamz, remy banks, smoke dza So many artists that make beautiful musik and when i play some of these songs people often ask who is that? What is that? So it isnt that the musik doesnt appeal to larger audience it's just if it isnt spoon fed to you not many care about hip hop or even musik in general enough to dig for the gems. The great thing about today's fragmented culture is that for the most part the artists fanbase xan still grow and grow enough for them to support themselves and their loved ones.

[@DeamnProd]

this just reminds me that hip hop needs some good documentaries

[@gunner0479]

it was written is my favourite nas album, lyricsm is crazy on there, the beats sound timeless, it's got a great balance of mainstream and raw elements. Some real street shit. Illmatic is his best work but it was written is not far behind, these old heads sound crazy now lol, if it was written came out today it would be the most hiphop sounding album ever lol, and it would blow everything away. Everybody hates change and maybe that's why people who were around listening to illmatic when it came out where dissapointed in the change of sound, but as a 22 year old I wasn't around back then, so I'm hearing it without any preconceptions and it's sounds amazing.

[@itsjevinjune4910]

Deanz Beber I agree with you almost 100%. To me though Nas has never made the same album twice but my personal favorite is It Was Written

[@gunner0479]

Jevin June yep I never understood the hate, the standards must have been crazy high back then, because this album blew me away when I first heard it. Stillmatic is a crazy classic as well. God son is great, untitled, lost tapes and life is good are great also. People that say he has one classic album are just idiots that copy what other people say

[@meyou5789]

Stakes Is High Set it Off. When people realize the role De La Soul played in preserving Hip Hop they will be doing cartwheels...they will never get credit they are truly "The Anonymous Nobody". What people don't realize is Nas was used by the corporate world at the time to distract the direction of De La Souls influence at that time because it was their only hope at the time. They didn't know Nas was gonna go on steer everyone who followed him back on to the right path with his "trynna kick knowledge" as Jay Z would say. De La Soul even said it themselves in a radio interview with Angie Martinez in 1996. They said "It Wont Mean Anything (Their Message) Unless The Younger Kids Like Nas Do It"...So Nas had to get in the door in order to not be pushed out so easily when he started to drop knowlede and positively influence kids minds. But At The Time July 2nd 1996 both albums dropped because they wanted us to choose a side. If they were released on different days I think most people would have purchased both but it was "cooler" to have Nas album and only enough money for one so De La Soul got cut even though it was a hip hop favorite

[@meyou5789]

At the time people who already were up on Nas wasn't feeling his 2nd Album because of iLLmatic...he sold most of that album to new fans who heard him for the first time and the loved it.

[@izdirty9117]

Reall hip hop commentary 💎💯🖤✊🏾

[@larryraley8709]

Its been bothering me forever. I remember a song i thought was on one of the rawkus compilations that had one of The Meters songs in the background at the start. It could be either of the first 2 soundbombings or maybe underground airplay. Ive never been able to find it though.