They like the way I be leanin'

I'm not really a U2 fan at all but when they decided to bring their entire 360 degrees tour to New Zealand, it was hard to avoid the hype. The country was buzzing with the news that U2 were actually going to bring their whole stage show all the way down here, but I remained rather neutral about the matter. That is, until it was announced that supporting U2 on their tour would be Jay-Z. I've been a fan of his ever since he released the cross-over album with Linkin Park, and now I was torn between wanting to go to the show and not having enough money to buy an expensive U2 ticket. So when it was announced that there would be extremely cheap tickets sold for the show, approx $40, i was keen as. Surprisingly, the cheap tickets actually gave me a really good view of the show, and the stage was so big that it is hard to miss anything. Jay-Z opened when the sun was still up and most of the older U2 fans sitting around me had no idea who the hell he was, but that was to be expected. Jay-Z played a great set with all his hits, including H To The Izzo, 99 Problems, Big Pimpin' and Dirt Off Your Shoulder. He played a few off of his new album as well, with Empire State Of Mind and On To The Next One sounding even better live than on CD, and Run This Town always sounds amazing. U2 played a massive set and everyone seemed to love it. I only recognized a couple of songs, like Beautiful Day, Vertigo and Sunday Bloody Sunday but despite my ignorance, I still really enjoyed the performance. They put on a good show (but it was maybe a little long) and the alien-like stage was perpetually fascinating.

U2 w/ Jay-Z. 26/11/2010. Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand.

Jay-Z

Jay-Z - 99 Problems

U2 - Bono

U2 - Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand. 26/11/2010

Top Five - The Best Hip Hop Albums

 

I am not a gigantic fan of the Hip Hop genre, but I do have a certain appreciation for particular artists in the field. Hip Hop is such a minority in my music library that the 5 musicians I list in this post is practically every artist I listen to, which made making this list extremely easy. I wanted to make this list because even though it is not a huge part of my life, these albums have given me some amazing songs to live my life by and I really appreciate what all these records have to offer. So, with my limited knowledge and humble opinion, I present:

5.   Jurassic 5 - POWER IN NUMBERS

One of the first Hip Hop records I ever listened to, it is quite a modern album but I was fascinated with how old school their sound was. It was the way you could tell that they were actually using a real drum kit for their beats and their lyrics were extremely analytical with very little self promotion. Not a perfect album but it has some really good high points.

Best Songs: Break, High Fidelity, What's Golden

4.   Jay-Z - THE BLACK ALBUM

One of the most classic albums in the history of Hip Hop. I was first introduced to Jay-Z when he collaborated with Linkin Park on their Collision Course album for MTV. That album was an absolute masterpiece, but I didn't think it really qualified to make this list. Therefore I included the acclaimed Black Album, it contains some of the most famous and memorable songs from Jay-Z's career. His flow is endless and his rhythms are intense and unique.

Best Songs: Dirt Off Your Shoulder, Encore, 99 Problems

3.   Kanye West - MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY

I was never really a huge Kanye fan, I had always liked his singles (Touch The Sky, Gold Digger, etc...) but I never really got into his music as a whole. It wasn't until recently, when he released his 2011 album that I released how great he can be. This album is brilliant piece of art, it starts so strongly and the entire first half of the album is perfect. There are so many songs on this album that have the potential to be charting singles. The artwork and design of the deluxe edition case is a really classy touch, and the movie Runaway is a fascinating watch.

Best Songs: Monster, All The Lights, Power, Runaway, Gorgeous, Dark Fantasy

2.   Mos Def - THE ECSTATIC

This is another example of me not really being a fan until the latest album. When Mos Def released The Ecstatic in 2009, I fell in love with the style of the album. It sounded so classic and elegant, it had so many layers of complex beauty and the lyrical work was so deep and real. This is also another example of the first half of an album being absolutely perfect, the first 10 songs have no flaws and the rest of the album is still really good. This record is really a low-key triumph for Mos Def and the Hip Hop genre in the modern world.

Best Songs: Supermagic, Twilite Speedball, Auditorium, Priority, Pistola

1. A Tribe Called Quest - PEOPLE'S INSTINCTIVE TRAVELS AND THE PATHS OF RHYTHM

ATCQ is undoubtedly my favourite Hip Hop group of all time, ever since I found out about them through the sample of Lou Reed's Walk On The Wild Side on their song Can I Kick It? I got their greatest hits album, The Anthology, and I got addicted. I was obsessed with them and I loved every single track on that album (if I could include a greatest hits on this list, than The Anthology would be #1 by a mile, but that seemed a bit unfair to me). I feel that PIT&TPOR is the Tribes greatest album to date, it was their debut album and really begun their legacy. There have been plenty of amazing songs from ATCQ over the years, including Scenario, Check The Rime and Buggin' Out but no other album has ever come close to this one. It is a piece of Hip Hop history and it is an instant classic.

Best Songs: Can I Kick It?, Luck Of Lucien, I Left My Wallet In El Segundo, Description Of A Fool

p.s. Pharrell didn't have an album that was good enough to make this list, but he is one of the greatest artists in the business today. His work as a producer for numerous musicians and a composer for the movie Despicable Me is outstanding, he also has a really successful career with his band N.E.R.D. and his solo work (as well as his guest appereances on songs and movies).

Best Songs: Everybody Nose, How Does It Feel?, Prettiest Girls