The SeedSing 2016 Year in Pop Culture: The Best, and Worst, in Music

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My best of list today will be my top 5 albums of 2016. There was some good music put out this year, but honestly, this was probably the easiest list for me to make. When certain people announced they were putting out new records, I hoped for the best, and for the most part, they all delivered. Lets get to it.

At number 5, I have Frank Ocean's "Blonde". This record was tremendous. The wait was totally worth it. After Ocean put out the phenomenal "Channel Orange", he waited almost 2 and a half years before releasing "Blonde". The wait seemed like it would go on forever. The rumors never stopped, especially after he performed on "SNL", that a new record was in the works, and it would be coming soon. But they never seemed to develop. Then on some random Friday, Ocean announced that he had released his record on social media. I bought it immediately and listened to it right after it downloaded, and it was great. It was a perfect blend of R&B/rap/funk and the weirdness that is Frank Ocean. His voice is tremendous on the record. His switching back and forth between singing and rapping is totally on point. The guests on this record are second to none. Andre 3000's verse is one of the dopest things I've heard in years. "Blonde" is one of the first records that I can remember being worth the wait. Ocean is a super star now, and it is because of the success of "Blonde".

At number 4, I have Chance the Rapper's "Coloring Book". This is one of the most uplifting rap records I have ever heard. Chance the Rapper is a shining light in the music industry right now. He is clearly someone that does it for the love of music, not the fame, money or recognition. Every record he releases, he releases them for free. "Coloring Book" was first put on Apple Music only, but there were many other ways to download the record for free, instantly. Every song on the album has his perfect rap presence on it, but his singing is also really good. Take a song like "Blessings". The chorus is great, and Chance's verses are really good, but his singing on the song is just as good as anything else he does. He too has really blown up recently, due to "SNL" and the fact that he is the Kit Kat spokesman now, but he is one of the better rappers doing music right now. The record has straight forward rap songs, but there are some good R&B songs and some, I almost want to say, gospel type songs. "Coloring Book" is a revelation, and Chance the Rapper is on his way to the top. Go get this record now. It is free and it is awesome.

At number 3, I have my all time favorite rap group's newest record, A Tribe Called Quest's "We Got it From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service". This was a much needed record. After it was announced that Phife Dawg passed away, RIP, the remaining members announced that they were putting out a record of original material. They had some of Phife's vocals still recorded, and they made new songs with what they had, and the material was incredible. The album finds the band with a more politically conscious sound than ever, and it suits them incredibly well. They have great voices, and with what is going on in the world now, we needed to get their thoughts. Q-Tip slays on every song on the record. Ali Shaheed Mohammed is right there with the beats and the one liners that he is the master of. Even Jarobi shows up and does some nice things. Then, we get Phife. Man was he the best of the best. His verses were so great. Hearing him one more time on record was so god damn satisfying. I still miss the hell out of him, but at least I will always have his voice on records, and "WGIFH...TY4YS", he is wonderful. The guest list on this record is better than what Frank Ocean has in "Blonde". Andre 3000 is on this record, so is Jack White and the reemergence of Busta Rhymes. Busta Rhymes is a beast and he sounds dynamite on this record. I hope this means he is contemplating a comeback, because I'd love some new music from him. ATCQ is back, and this new album is awesome. Thank you for releasing it. We as a nation needed this right now.

At number 2, I have the new funk record from Childish Gambino, "Awaken! My Love". This album is incredible, unique, weird and awesome. It is as if Parliament came back and recorded a record for the 21st century. Along with making great TV, i.e. "Atlanta", Donald Glover also released one of the best albums of the year. I have been listening to this record almost nonstop for the past month or so. I love every track on this album. Glover goes totally off script and, instead of releasing a new rap record, he delivers a straight up funk record, and it is incredible. His voice is so tremendous. He hits some crazy high notes that I had no idea he could hit. From the opener, "Me and Your Mama", which is a great blend of funk and rock, to songs like "Boogieman", "Zombies", "California" and "Baby Boy", which are all straight up funk, the album is a homerun. The song "Redbone" may be the track of the year. Glover is tremendous on this song, and his band sounds phenomenal. The chorus may be my anthem for the crap fest that has been 2016. Glover sings, "stay woke/they be creepin/they gon find you/gon catch you sleeping". I mean, that is pretty poetic and prophetic for the state of our country. "Awaken! My Love" is a triumph, and further proves that Donald Glover is the most talented person in show business. I have mentioned him everyday in all my lists so far, so he must be doing something right. This record is incredible, and I cannot wait to see what he does next in TV, movies, but most importantly for me, music. I'm sure it will be awesome.

This all brings me to my number one record of the year, "Run The Jewels 3" by, Run The Jewels. I know this album has only been out for 3 days, but damn it is the shit. The band surprised released the record on Christmas at midnight, and as they would say, "it was a Christmas f&*(ing miracle". I have not stopped listening to the album for the past three days. When I go on runs at night, this record gets me through the 3 miles. When I clean the house, this is what I'm putting on my Echo or headphones. When I'm driving in my car, and my kids are not present, this is what I'm cranking. The record is dope, and this, more than any piece of pop culture this year, is exactly what I, and a bunch of other people need to get through these trying times. EL-P and Killer Mike take on the establishment in every track, and they take it down. These dudes are the voice for the downtrodden and they make me want to start a revolution. I would go to war with these dudes, especially Killer Mike. This record makes me want to accomplish things to take down the current state of the government. This record makes me have visceral responses. I will just yell random things, to no one in particular, when listening to this dope ass album. "RTJ3" is an absolute triumph, and RTJ themselves are the best rappers making music right now. EL-P and Killer Mike are phenomenal. They basically crashed the internet when they surprised announced that they were releasing this record early. I do not care that it has only been out for 3 days, it is the best record of 2016, and it will probably be better than anything put out in 2017. It is a god damn masterpiece. I'm getting fired up just writing about how much I love this record right now. Buy it immediately, if you do not already have it. It is the bomb diggity.

As far as the worst record of the year goes, anything that Drake puts out is always garbage, and the Macklemore record, which I have not heard one song of, I guarantee it is a joke of an album. Drake is an overrated, bandwagon fan, and a wannabe. His rhyming is garbage. His voice is garbage. His beats stink. I'd rather listen to anyone from the early 90's rap than listen to any piece of trash that Drake releases. He is, by far, the most overrated emcee of all time. Then there is Macklemore. Talk about a poseur. This dude and his DJ are fake rappers and Macklemore is the leader of this fake ass sound. He is just as bad as Drake, and he thinks he is "rapping" about important issues, and that he alone is bringing this stuff to light. Macklemore is garbage, and his 15 minutes of fame were done a long, long time ago. Do not listen to anything by these 2 guys because they are both equally terrible.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for my best and worst sports moments of 2016.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His dislike of Drake goes back to the Degrassi days. Jimmy Brooks was the worst. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty Listens to A Tribe Called Quest "We Got it From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service"

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When we really needed it most, A Tribe Called Quest released their final album. They had recorded some stuff before the late, great Phife Dawg passed away, and with the terribleness that was last week, this record was a much needed breath of fresh air from one of America's greatest bands. I was so, so excited to listen to this record on Friday morning. I woke up, ate some breakfast, then bought the album. I went to do some work with my kids, so the moment we got in the car I figured I could listen with them. Sure, ATCQ uses foul language, but it's not as bad as some may think. But, I also have a very impressionable 4 year old, and a 1 year old that is like a parrot. So, after the first song, I decided it would be better to wait and listen on my own.

The wait was very, very hard, Finally, I got some alone time in the afternoon, went for a drive while my folks watched the kids, and cranked "We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service". I was absolutely blown away. It was like going back in time. The band was all there and they all sounded great. The record is very Q-Tip heavy, as expected, but that is a very good thing. And Phife Dawg's verses, my god I wish he were still alive. He sounds so god damn good on this album. He picked up right where ATCQ left off. He is just as gruff and great as he ever was. Every time I listen to the record now, it makes me miss him that much more. He was such an important voice in hip hop, and for me personally. I love Phife Dawg. He is one hundred percent on my Mount Rushmore of rappers, probably only behind the Notorious B.I.G. His verses on the first 2 tracks of the record are absolute highlights for me. He was incredible.

That's not to say that Q-Tip isn't rocking the mic as well. Q-Tip sounds as silky smooth as fans should expect. But, this time around, he has a slight anger in his voice. I really like this. It seems like his time away as a solo artist has hardened him, in the best possible way. He is wonderful on the album.

Ali Shaheed Mohammed is doing his great DJ work as usual, and chipping in a verse here and there. I do not think there is another artist that is more underappreciated than Ali Shaheed Mohammed. He is an incredible beat maker/producer/DJ/rapper. He is truly a jack of all trades, and a very important part of ATCQ. Jarobi even shows up saying a few things on some tracks. It was just so great to have the group back together and sounding as fresh as they did when they first exploded on the scene.

Then, the guest list on this album is awesome. Busta Rhymes makes a triumphant return to rap music. He sounds incredible on this record. He is rapping fast, furiously and with a purpose. It was a rebirth of sorts for him. He was great on "SNL" with them this past week too. I hope this leads to some new Busta Rhymes music on the horizon. Kendrick Lamar is there, and he is great, proving that he is the best rapper currently in the game. He is awesome, and he also sounds grateful to be included on this record. He knows the history of rap, and he respects that ATCQ is one of the greats, and one of his biggest influences, and it shows. Lamar is an incredibly gifted rapper. Jack White, who I'm not a fan of, does some excellent guitar work on a few of the songs. He does not sing, which I think is a good thing, but his guitar really works with the tracks that he is featured on. It reminds me a lot of the Blakroc thing that the Black Keys did with a bunch of rappers, Q-Tip being one of them, a few years back.

This record is astounding. It is one of the better albums to come out in a long time. I can already tell you now that it will be on my "Best Of" lists for 2016. I have not stopped listening to the album since I bought it. I have talked to friends, young and old, and they all agree that it is great. I'm so pleased that we got one more thing from ATCQ. It stinks that Phife passed away, but we will forever have his music, and this lasting impression, on this record, is a great way to honor his memory.

Thank you Tribe, we needed you guys now more than ever. Go buy this record people, you will not be disappointed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Go check out his argument for A Tribe Called Quest being the Greatest American Band. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Thank You Phife Dawg

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I was going to write about one of my favorite bands today for the greatest American band debate but, I woke up and received a text from a friend of mine that Phife from A Tribe Called Quest had passed away. I know, I wrote a very extensive piece on ATCQ as one of the greatest American bands, but Phife's passing deserves a piece solely based on him.

I love ATCQ, but I really loved Phife. As I wrote in that blog, he was, by far, my favorite member of the group. I loved his delivery. The way he rhymed was ferocious and fiery. He could spit so fast, but you could also understand what he was saying. He was a killer on some of their most popular and famous songs. Go back and listen to him on tracks like "Stir it Up", "Stressed Out", "Can I Kick It", "Buggin Out", I mean, the list could go on and on. He had a delivery like no one else then or now in rap music. He's said that he didn't like his voice at first because it sounded so high pitched, but I loved it then and I loved it when it got gruffer. He was the best in one of the best groups of all time. Sure, he and Q Tip fought all the time, but who wouldn't get angry with someone that they've been friends with since they were toddlers. In the excellent Michael Rappaport documentary, "Beats, Rhymes and Life", I found myself siding with Phife over Q Tip in every argument that they had. He seemed like the more reasonable one of the two.

It's a shame that he's gone too because he never really did any solo work. He released one solo album in the early 2000's that's okay. But, he was working with renowned DJ, J Dilla, on a new album. That would have been tremendous. I knew that he had a lot of health issues. He had to get a new kidney awhile back and he was a severe diabetic. His diabetes was so bad, he'd miss shows and appearances because he couldn't function well enough to perform. He said himself that sugar was a drug to him. He couldn't get enough no matter how much he had. He even talked about things like Dr Pepper in his lyrics, so you know he loved sugar.

All this being said though, I thought he had so much more time left to live. He said in a recent interview that he was "in a good spot" and was "feeling pretty good". I took these words to heart. Being a fan, I just wanted him to be okay. I wanted to hear more music from him. I wanted ATCQ to get back together and perform some more live shows. I assumed all this was on the table. But, then I woke up to that text. Naturally, I had to check for myself and Google and Twitter confirmed my fears that he was gone. This is a real travesty. It's not on level of what happened yesterday in Brussels, but for the music world, this stinks. Phife will be missed deeply by myself and countless others. He was a true emcee and one of the best of all time.

Go back and read my piece on them, I heap the most praise on Phife, and it's not even close. I know I will be listening to ATCQ the rest of the day. It will make me sad, but also happy that, at the very least, I have five albums to hear Phife's great and timeless work. RIP Phife Dawg, you were a true legend and will go down as such in the future. I miss you already.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Outkast

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For the Greatest American Band debate today, I'm nominating Outkast.

Outkast is probably my second favorite rap group, behind A Tribe Called Quest. For those of you out there complaining that two people don't make a group, two or more is the definition of a group. You need at least two people to form a group, and Outkast found two of the coolest, most innovative rappers and musicians. Outkast started in 1992 in Atlanta, Georgia. Andre 3000 and Big Boi met each other at a mall, and their connection was immediate. They both like the same kind of music, and had grown up in the same type of households. Little did they, or any of us for that matter, know that their music would cross generations, have tons of hits, win a shitload of awards and become classic. They were just two young dudes that liked to rap.

As I said before, they formed Outkast in 1992, but they didn't put out their first album until 1994. In 1994 they put out "Southernplayalisticaddilacmuzik". Say that three times fast. This is a phenomenal debut. The songs on this record allowed both Andre 3000 and Big Boi to shine. You could hear, early on, that they both had very unique, almost unheard of styles of rapping. Take a song like "Players Ball" off this album. In this song, you can hear Andre 3000's love for funk come through not only in his rapping, but also in the music put to the verses. "Players Ball" also gave us the hard, almost gangster style of rap from Big Boi. He had a much gruffer flow, but paired together with Andre 3000's smooth delivery, it was perfect. Another great song on this album is the self titled "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik". This song is an homage to funky, dirty rap music. The chorus is awesome and both members are outstanding rapping on this song. "Southernplayalisticadilacmuzik" is the gateway to how groovy, funky and nasty, in a good way, that Outkast would eventually become. The song "Hootie Hoo" off this record is Big Boi at his absolute best. This is a straight forward rap song, none of the funkiness is needed from Andre 3000, and Big Boi demolishes this song. I feel that Big Boi was at his absolute best on this album. That's not to take anything away from him on subsequent records, he's great all the way through, but he's best on "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik".

In 1996 Outkast released their second album, "ATLiens" to critical acclaim. The fans love this album too. One of their biggest hits is on this album, "Elevators (Me and You)". This song is absolutely incredible. Big Boi and Andre 3000 each do their own thing to perfection, and the chorus "me and you, your momma and your cousin too, rolling down the strip on fours, coming back with the Cadillac doors" is so cool and so memorable. This song was my jam in middle school. You also get "Jazzy Belles" and "Wheelz of Steel" on this record. "Jazzy Belles" is when Andre 3000 kind of took a step forward and became the "leader" of Outkast. This song is all him, written and mostly performed by only him and it's fantastic. "Wheelz of Steel" is more in Big Boi's wheelhouse. It's another straight ahead rap song that Big Boi crushed. You could see early on that each had their own style, but they knew how to blend together really well.

In 1998 we got, what I consider, to be the first truly great Outkast album, "Aquemini". The songs are great on this record, but I want to take a second to talk about the album artwork. This is one of the coolest covers to an album that I've ever seen. It's like they painted a picture of the two of them in the gaudiest, most ridiculous outfits, but only a band like Outkast could've pulled it off. Andre 3000 is shirtless, wearing a turban on his head, and Big Boi is literally dressed like a pimp, in a green three piece suit, top offed with a feather in his hat. Now the songs. On "Aquemini", we got the classic, "Rosa Parks". This song is so awesome. The video was cuckoo bananas, but the song is great and the chorus is wonderful. Say what you will about Outkast, those guys can write a catchy hook. You all know it, "ah nah, hush that fuss, everybody move to the back of the bus". It's so, so cool on so many levels. Rosa Parks was so offended by the language in this song that she sued Outkast, but they settled out of court because they explained to her that the song was an homage to her courage. We also got a song more in Big Boi's tone with "Skew It on the Bar B". It's another run of the mill rap song made ten thousand times better by Outkast. This song also has another great chorus. The song "Spottieopiedopealicious" off this record is where my love for Outkast became real to me. This is the funkiest rap song I've ever heard. It's got great, funky backing music and it's a story, not a song. This song showed me a completely new style of rap that I didn't think existed. I love this song and any time it comes on my iPod, I turn the radio up.

Outkast next album is the greatest album of their illustrious career. In 2000 they put out "Stankonia". This was my jam in high school. When this record came out, it was all I listened to on my way to and from school for almost a year straight. Every song on this record is a classic. We all know the hits, "So Fresh, So Clean", "B.O.B" and "Ms. Jackson". These songs are great. "So Fresh, So Clean" became the anthem for me and the entire football team. Another great chorus, that I still sing to this day, and both Big Boi and Andre 3000 do their thing on this track. The guy that sings the chorus sounds like a 21st century Barry White. This song is incredible. "B.O.B" is like a great rock song. There's heavy guitar and both members are rapping so fast, I had to look up what they were saying. This is a great song to listen to while working out, or if you need to be pumped up for something. "Ms. Jackson" may be Outkast's most recognizable single. Everybody knows the chorus and when Andre says, "wooooooo, I AM FOR REAL", everyone sings along with him. This song has their best chorus of any song they've ever written. While all three of these are classics, I really enjoy the first track on the album, "Gasoline". This is another rap song that has the heavy guitar and faster rapping on it. It's like a rock and roll song, but better because of the way Outkast performs it. "Stankonia" is on the Mount Rushmore of albums for me.

With rumors swirling after the release of "Stankonia" that the band was breaking up, they put out a double album in 2003 that allowed the two of them to put out solo records, but release it under the name Outkast. "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" was an excellent experiment by Outkast. I will admit, I've only listened to "Speakerboxxx", Big Boi's "solo" album, maybe three times all the way through. It isn't that good in my opinion, and I feel like Big Boi only did it as a favor to Andre 3000. But, "The Love Below" is an absolute masterpiece. Songs like "Prototype", "Vibrate", "Roses" and the mega hit, "Hey Ya" are classics. "Prototype" has Andre 3000 playing an electric guitar and singing a love song. "Vibrate" is an experimental hip hop song that I guarantee inspired Flying Lotus to do music. "Roses" is a collaboration with Andre and Big Boi. Very good chorus and very good vocals. The video for this song is cool too. And of course we got "Hey Ya" off this record. If you don't know this song, you've been living under a rock for the past decade. "The Love Below" proved to me and the rest of the world that Andre 3000 was the genius that Big Boi needed when Outkast started and that Andre 3000 is extremely talented.

After this record, each member went their own way. Big Boi acted a bit, but he has kept to himself for the most part. Andre 3000 is a bona fide star now. They did make another album, the soundtrack to their movie "Idlewild". This soundtrack is fine, but it's nothing compared to their previous work. The movie is okay as well, but not great. Outkast has won several grammys and many, many other awards. They each are able to do their own things now and do them successfully. They had a great run as a band and released some of the best rap music to date. For these and many other reasons, Outkast belongs in this conversation. I will be forever indebted to them for introducing me to funky rap music and "dirty south" rap music. I love Outkast and I hope the rumors of a reunion tour are true. They got back together in 2014 and performed some shows, but I want then to do a new album and tour the country. One can only hope.

Thanks Outkast, thank you for all the great music.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the othert host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He has many other rap artists to nominate, but is curious about your Greatest American Band. Join the debate, then follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: The Sugarhill Gang

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SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

For Seedsing's Greatest American Band debate, I'm going to nominate a group based solely on one song.

That may sound weird, or even unfair, but this one song started a revolution of great, great music that, had these guys not put this song out, we may have never had. The band that I'm going to nominate today is Sugarhill Gang. We all know their famous song, "Rapper's Delight". This is the one song that I'm speaking of and will be the basis of my blog today. In 1979 three guys, Master Gee, Wonder Mike and the now deceased, Big Bank Hank, started a rap group in New Jersey. All three of them had their own rapping style, but combined, they made one of the most influential and greatest rap songs of all time. Without these three, and their producers and business people that were around them, we never would have gotten rap music. Some may argue with me and claim that Blondie's "Rapture" was the first rap song, but it's not. "Rapture" came out in the early eighties and "Rapper's Delight" came out in 1979. Blondie was not a rap group as well. Blondie was a rock group that happened to have Debra Harry "rap" on one song. It gained commercial success because Blondie was a great band and Debra Harry was very pretty. But, had "Rapture" been the stepping off point for rap music, we would've never gotten some of the greats that we now have or had. "Rapper's Delight" and Sugarhill Gang made rap accessible to everyone. This song crossed generations and races of all kinds. Talk to anyone you know, be they a fan of rap, rock, reggae, blues, jazz, any type of music and I guarantee they all know at least one line from "Rapper's Delight". This song is one of the greatest songs of all time. Not just rap, I'm talking any genre of music.

Sugarhill Gang was composed of the three guys I mentioned before. They were all free style rappers, but they didn't really know how to put their music on a record. In the late 70's, rap was not a thing. It hadn't been invented yet. Some producers heard what these guys were doing, and they wanted to put it on record so everyone could hear it. They just didn't know how to put music to what they were doing. Some genius decided to use a sample from a Chic song and the idea of sampling and rap was born. The Chic song they used was "Good Times". It had a constant beat that went throughout the whole song. The producers isolated this music and had the members of Sugarhill Gang put their rap verses to the music. "Rapper's Delight", and for all intents and purposes, rap music was born.

"Rapper's Delight" is, by far, the longest rap song that I've ever heard. It comes in at just around 8 minutes. How crazy is that?"! A rap song lasting for 8 minutes is unheard of, unless we're talking Wu Tang Clan which I'll write about on another day. The length of the song allowed each member to truly shine. We, the audience, got to hear these three emcees do their thing. They were incredible, and no one knew what to call this music. People were amazed at what these guys were doing. They brought the world and the US a new style of music. What made it even more crazy was the fact that there was no hook or chorus. When each rapper took his turn, they spoke the famous lyrics, "I said a hip hop, the hip to the hop you don't stop, rock the bang bang boogie, the up jump the boogity beat". Those are the first real verses of rap music ever recorded. This song was so popular, it was the first rap song to reach the Billboard Top 40. It was lightening in a bottle. 

I was born three years after the song came out, but "Rapper's Delight" was my ipso facto introduction to rap music. To hear what these three did was incredible. I didn't hear the song until the nineties, I was a teenager, but even back then, I understood the importance to rap music that this song had. Without this song, I would never had listened to Notorious B.I.G or Jay Z or A Tribe Called Quest or even rap groups like Outkast. You can go back and watch or read interviews with the vast majority of rappers and rap groups and they will all cite Sugarhill Gang and "Rapper's Delight" being one of their gateways to rap music.

As I said before, this song crosses many, many generations. The first person to tell me and have me listen to this song was my father. He's 32 years older than I am. I have a three year old son and I will put "Rapper's Delight" on in the car and he will mumble the lyrics I wrote before. So, just between three people, myself, my father and my son, we all know the song. That's a 64 year old, a 32 year old and a 3 year old. Tell me one other song that does that. Another great thing about Sugarhill Gang as a group, they're clean. They don't use any swear words and their albums are family friendly. That's almost unheard of in a lot of music today. I love that I can play "Rapper's Delight" with my son in the car. He likes the song and it gives me a chance to listen to something other than children's music. Don't get me wrong, I like that the kids music helps my son learn, but I'd much rather listen to "Rapper's Delight" than the ABC song again.

Sugarhill Gang put out five albums, but nothing came close to the greatness that is "Rapper's Delight". Their other stuff is decent, and they even made a kids rap album, but "Rapper's Delight" was their peak. What a great peak to have though. They are responsible for creating an entire genre of music. The music they created, rap music, may be the most popular music there is today. They are still performing today with the two surviving members and some other friends of theirs. That's pretty incredible that they are still out there doing music. They've even scored some top 100 hits, but it's all overseas.  

With one single song, Sugarhill Gang created rap. That's reason enough for me to nominate them in our debate. They may be more of an influence, which I've written about, but they created "Rapper's Delight", therein creating rap. They belong on this list for that reason alone. Go out, after you read this, and listen to "Rapper's Delight" and be grateful that they created this song. Without Sugarhill Gang, we wouldn't have rap and without rap, we wouldn't have some of the greatest music there is today.

Thank you Sugarhill Gang. You guys belong in the Greatest American Band debate.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the co-host of the X Millennial Man podcast. When he was little, Ty thought hip hop was what a rabbit listen to. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: A Tribe Called Quest

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We've been doing our Greatest American Band debate on the website for a little over three months now. We've discussed many great bands, old and new. Some are hugely famous, others a little more underground. What dawned on me this weekend though, we haven't discussed any hip hop/rap groups.

That's a shame.

Hip hop/rap is the only type of music that is truly American. It originated in the US and, only about 10 years ago, did it start to come from overseas. There's a plethora of rap groups that I will be writing about over the next couple of months, one every week to be precise, and today I'm going to start with my personal favorite, A Tribe Called Quest. Tribe, which I will call them the rest of this piece, was the first true hip hop group that I was exposed to that was good. I listened to people like Puff Daddy and Mase and Onyx, but those were all pretty terrible rappers. Puff Daddy is a genius producer, but a not so good rapper. Mase was cool for a minute, but he went into some weird tail spin and I believe he's a preacher now. Onyx had one really good song, "Slam", but in preparation for this blog, I listened to it again, and sadly it doesn't hold up. Puff Daddy did introduce me to the GOAT, Notorious B.I.G., but he's a solo act, so he's out of this discussion.

Once again, my oldest brother, the same one that introduced me to the Velvet Underground, introduced me to Tribe. They were like nothing I ever heard before. They had a smooth, jazzy sound. But, they also were phenomenal rappers. Q Tip was the smooth operator of the group. He had a soulful, yet political consciousness that spoke to me. He delivered his lyrics with ease. He was/is such a good rapper, he made it sound easy. It's like watching a really good NBA player, someone like Magic Johnson, who is so good, they make it look easy. I can't do the things they do, but they make it seem possible. Phife Dawg came at you like a canon. After one of Q Tip's verses, Phife would come in and blow you away with his intensity and, almost angry, delivery. He was the perfect compliment to Q Tip. One was smooth(Q Tip), the other would punch you in the gut(Phife). Ali Shaheed Muhammed was a fantastic DJ, and when he did rap, he was decent. Ali Shaheed was more of the voice of reason in Tribe. He kept them going, even when times were rough. I'll touch on the rough times later. Ali Shaheed clearly just wanted to make music. He didn't want to argue and fight and gripe with the band, he just loved music. Look at the work he's done with D'Angelo or TLC or Tony! Tone! Toni!, the guy is a musical genius. They had a fourth member, Jarobi, but he only appeared on their first album, and he was, for all intents and purposes, their hype man. Jarobi and Phife still remain close friends to this day, so, for that reason alone, he deserves mentioning when talking about Tribe.

All three(four if you want to count Jarobi) were great as a group. They knew what each of them excelled at and they capitalized on that knowledge. In the long run, they grew to hate each other(really Q Tip and Phife hated each other, Ali Shaheed just wanted to make music like I said earlier) because with genius and ego comes jealousy. Q Tip and Phife were both so great at what they did, I think they both grew suspicious of each other and that's when the infighting started. These fights led to the demise of the band, they would reunite for four years, but I will talk about that later, and they only made four albums. But, those four albums are fantastic. Their debut album, "People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm" is groundbreaking. I'd never heard anything like this ever before. You had four guys interweaving jazz grooves with hip hop beats and two of the best rappers to ever walk this Earth. Talk about coming out of the box and crushing a grand slam. This album put not only the hip hop world on notice, but all of the music business started to pay attention to Tribe. This is not only one of the best rap albums of all time, it's one of the best albums of any kind of music ever made. On this album, you can hear the influence it had on other hip hop bands like Digable Planets or Dilated Peoples. Without "People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm", we would never have had those groups. Sophomore albums are usually a step down from debuts, but not in Tribe's case. Their second record, "The Low End Theory" was not a slump, it was a revelation. This is, in my opinion, the greatest rap album of all time. Q Tip was always the leader, but Phife took a huge step forward and became an unstoppable force on this record. They took all their jazzy beats and bumped it to a whole other level. They matured and became better rappers than I ever thought they could be. This is a must own album for all music lovers out there. Even if you don't like rap, you'll like "The Low End Theory". It's music for all different music lovers. After this album is where the fighting started for Tribe. As I said, Phife started to become a force and I don't think Q Tip liked that. It may sound like I'm being too tough on Q Tip and, yes, Phife is my favorite of the group, but that's not the case. I just think that two geniuses will eventually grow to dislike each other when they spend that much time together, and that's what happened. They still made two more albums though. "Midnight Marauders" is a really good record. The story goes, they were fighting so much that each of them recorded in their own studio, but when you listen to this record, it sounds like Q Tip and Phife are standing right next to each other in the recording studio. This is also the album where Ali Shaheed got to do some rhyming. He was pretty good too. They recorded one last record, "The Love Movement", but you can definitely tell that they were ready to be done with each other. It's still a really good record, but you knew it was going to be their last. They put out four great, classic albums in a short amount of time, and I didn't even get to some of the songs on these records.

In fact, let's do that now. Songs like, "Buggin Out", "Bonita Applebum", "Can I Kick It", "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo", "Award Tour", "Oh My God", "Steve Biko(Stir it Up)" and many more are classics. "Buggin Out" is when Phife busted out on the scene. Go listen to his verses in this song and be amazed at how awesome he is as a rapper. He is great. "Bonita Applebum" might be one of the greatest love songs I've ever heard. If it wasn't so dirty, I'd want it as my first dance at my wedding(full disclosure, my first dance song at my wedding was "Sea of Love", a great choice in my opinion). "Can I Kick It" might be one of the most quotable songs of all time. Wherever I'm playing sports with my son and we have a ball that we are kicking, whenever he says, "Can I kick it?", I say, in my best Tribe impression, "Yes You Can!". That song is awesome. "Oh My God" is the best kind of ear worm you can get. I hear that chorus and the rest of the day, I'm singing that in my head and out loud. "Steve Biko(Stir It Up)" has one of the coolest grooves in a rap song that I've ever heard. Q Tip is his smooth self on this song and he delivers his lyrics like a god damned pro. "Award Tour" is my favorite Tribe song. The verses and the chorus are awesome, both Phife and Q Tip shine, and they give a shout out to their main man, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, throughout the whole song. It's a really, really good song. There's many, many more songs I could talk about, but these are my favorites, and the ones I listen to the most.

As I've said before, they fought a ton, but they did reunite for a brief time in 2004 until 2008. They played sold out venues and sold out festivals. Fans were eager to see them live, and for the most part, they delivered. Go watch the excellent movie, "Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest" directed by super fan and actor Michael Rappaport, and you'll see them reunite, but you also see the fights that were going on, specifically between Q Tip and Phife. This is a really good movie about Tribe and it's a must see for all fans. All of the members went on to solo careers, but Q Tip is/was by far the most successful.

Before I give my closing thoughts on Tribe today, I also wanted to mention that they were contemporaries with Busta Rhymes, Common and the great De La Soul. These two bands and two solo artists grew together at the same time. How crazy is that. Tribe is one of the greatest bands of all time, not just in hip hop/rap, but in all music. A Tribe Called Quest is, by far, one of the Greatest American Bands and they absolutely belong in our conversation. The things I've written and many, many more reasons are why I nominate them today.

Tribe rules.

(ed note: A Tribe Called Quest has also not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What they hell is wrong with the hall?)

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the co-host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. At one time Ty was rocking some series dreds, he now rocks a bald spot. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.