By artistic talent, it could be anything you find artistic: rhythm, speed, creativity, meaning/message, voice, etc.
I’m not a huge hip hop fan but I really like Aesop Rock’s lyricism and I like the style that astronautilus has.
The first two songs that come to mind is Aesop Rock’s citronella
https://youtu.be/dQmvt9WHfqE?si=7wbb65LTg5aPUuqk
and astronautilus the river the woods.
https://youtu.be/6jg19GyxV2Y?si=BlrJpknydCca7TrR
Both worth at least a listen in my opinion
The time signature changes create a surreal effect. In the first half of the track, it creates a feeling of being lost in thought. And then in the end it becomes a sense of panic.
If you like that, I also recommend live for no audience during a global pandemic
Anything from Dr. Octagonecologyst by Dr Octagon (Kool Keith)
The dense intricate rhyming structure mixed with the sci-fi jazz beats and the off the wall, juvenile lyrics are really unique and creative.
word.
When a hip-hop OG just has fun with the flow.
A Day at the Races by Jurassic 5
It’s just got awesome rhythm, it manages to evoke the feeling of racing (awesome song for driving; awful if you’re stuck in a traffic jam). The rhymes are excellent, poetic induction at the level of Shel Silverstein’s poem Magic.
They manage to somehow capture the smooth satisfaction of dry roads and eventual traction, the pacing of the action with zero distraction just perfect samadhi doing naughty shit with haughty wit and they got me with them in the pack even though I’m stuck back in the stack of whack traffic jams that make me slam on my brakes I love the way it gets my brain going. It’s hard to drive slow to this track especially if I listen to it back to back like crack for a sober mind this is my kind of jam man fuck:
Ha, just responded to “coming thru” recommendation above and then saw yours!
I don’t know about a particular song, but DMX pushed out his first two albums, both high selling and well regarded, in the span of about 6 months! That’s pretty impressive.
Edit: 1998 was a massive year for rap!
Akala - Fire in the Booth 1 The flow, message, content. An artist with top skills, showcasing what he can do.
Supreme NTM - Le Pouvior Just always dug this track. Resonates with me.
Wow didn’t expect to see Akala already posted here.
This is the correct answer although I think Fire in the Booth Part 4 might even eclipse Part 1 in terms of talent.
Second place for me would be Lowkey. For message Soundtrack to the Struggle 2, for pure ability has to be The Return of Lowkey… Genius bars like a laptop shop.
I hadn’t heard Fire in the Booth 4 before as it never hit my music streaming services. Thanks for waking me to its being.
Dig Lowkey too, music was the only good development of the criminal “war on terror”.
Changes from 2Pac.
It’s the Black “imagine” by Lennon, philosophically, but also approaches the cognitive dissonance of what is wrong in the world from raw, honest and depressingly still accurate lyrics 30 years on. For me, this is a far braver and more interesting song than Imagine–and Imagine is a classic. It doesn’t let listeners off the hook and even calls them out as part of the problems.
Great rhythm, beautiful melody contrast and creatively selected issues addressed.
And the tune comes from Bruce Hornsby’s The Way It Is which references the civil rights movement. Also sampled by Got Rice.
Dick Limerick Academy sampled it as well for Minges.
For production talent, I got to go with It G Ma remix by Josh Pan
Edit: NSFW obviously
Lately, I’ve had two. One in English and the other Spanish.
English - Eminem ft Joyner Lucas - Lucky You
- The speed and rhythm are unbelievable. The musicality matches the emotion so well too. It’s insane that someone can create and perform that.
Spanish - Residente - La Catedra
- Awesome rhythm that varies throughout and a ridiculously long diss track at 12 mins lol. And just to show off, the dude raps a whole lyrical set rhyming with each of the vowels starting at 6:07. Who does that?! 😮
Edit: Just for fun, here’s a song that is impressive for being so bad by someone so important to hip-hop. The backstory is that Melle Mel was one of the original founders of hip-hop and part of the first rap group inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A few years ago, Melle Mel started publicly attacking Eminem for being White in hip hop. Eminem mostly ignored it, even thanking Melle Mel in this Rock and Rock Hall of Fame induction speech. However, after being attacked enough time by Melle Mel, Eminem dissed him in the song Realest by making fun of Mel’s obsession with his muscular physique. Melle Mel responded by seriously producing and disseminating this song to the public. It’s hilariously bad. Melle Mel - Kickback
Good pick on Lucky You. That one is up there for me too.
and some others from him
It’s just so smooth. Saw this also live once. Very impressive.
Similar experience for me: Prezident - Classic Coke (German)
Tech N9ne “Speedom (WWC2)” ft. Eminem & Krizz Kaliko
Mainly because of the insane levels of cadence and speed with which they deliver the lyrics
This was my first thought too. Technical abilities off the charts
BIGGIE
- Unbelievable - wordplay
- My Downfall - the flow
- N----z Bleed - storytelling
