Which group had the most influence on hip-hop music?

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:10 pm

Not most influential group of all-time. Not the greatest group of all-time. Which group from the list is the most influential?

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:13 pm

Ultramagnetics, and it's not even close.

drizzle · Post by **drizzle** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:16 pm

i c what you did there

clever but you know everybody is gonna write it in anyway

currently, off that list i think outkast (now almost a subgenre of music onto itself), ugk (just feels like a very ubiquitous presence in so much southern music), and comp flo (maybe not even directly but so much of the more off beat/off kilter/abrasive modern stuff reminds of them, maybe it's just me though), ultramagnetic (hard to articulate but its there)

drizzle · Post by **drizzle** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:17 pm

i failed at answering the question spectacularly i guess, i was trying to look at whats going on in rap now vis a vi what you listed

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:19 pm

I feel like its Ultramagnetics --------> Organized Konfusion and Outkast, off of which you get two branches that account for most of today's "underground" including that which derived from Company Flow.

UGK is a non-issue, then and now.

drizzle · Post by **drizzle** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:26 pm

Thun wrote:I feel like its Ultramagnetics --------> Organized Konfusion and Outkast, off of which you get two branches that account for most of today's "underground" including that which derived from Company Flow.

UGK is a non-issue, then and now.

part 1 of post - good way to put it

part 2 of post - c'mon now

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:36 pm

drizzle wrote:
Thun wrote:I feel like its Ultramagnetics --------> Organized Konfusion and Outkast, off of which you get two branches that account for most of today's "underground" including that which derived from Company Flow.

UGK is a non-issue, then and now.
part 1 of post - good way to put it

part 2 of post - c'mon now

Maybe (probably) I'm ignorant but I think most southern styles would have evolved the same way with or without their influence. They don't strike me as seminal (yes homo) so much as beloved. I feel like your claim is almost like saying that the kind of underground rap exemplified by say Blu and Exile and Oddisee wouldn't be the same if the Roots never emerged; to me they could have arrived at their sound just by listening to the Native Tongue. I'm all ears to be schooled, though.

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:38 pm

The Lox is pretty much an evolutionary cul-de-sac on the Mobb Deep branch, right?

blastmaster · Post by **blastmaster** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:41 pm

Thun wrote:The Lox is pretty much an evolutionary cul-de-sac on the Mobb Deep branch, right?

Mixed with some Jay-Z, yea.

Waiting for someone to point to "skits" as their reasoning for De La.

OutKast would be my pick. Especially going forward.

UGK's "legacy" has been more influential than their music, me thinks.

Jayou Ayen · Post by **Jayou Ayen** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:54 pm

Ultramagnetic.
De La and Outkast are close behind.

39

blastmaster · Post by **blastmaster** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:55 pm

Tumblestain wrote:
blastmaster wrote:Waiting for someone to point to "skits" as their reasoning for De La.
Their skits are a poor example of their influence by your estimation?

A decent indicator of Prince Paul's though.

The Afronaut · Post by **The Afronaut** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 8:15 pm

Damn good question. I wont even front like I have a "good" answer to it.

Versive · Post by **Versive** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 8:32 pm

Keeping in mind that De La Soul had at least 3 totally distinct kinds of sounds throughout their career and that traces of each sound each be heard all throughout hip-hop now, I'll go with them.

I suppose you could make a similar claim for Outkast, who may have been a bigger influence on today's most popular rappers, but I think De La has influenced a wider range of artists.

That being said, De La is my favorite group of all time, so out of this list I'm most familiar with their music.

On a side note, it's wack that there really aren't that many great new groups that we can point to. It's mostly solo artists, you know.

Thun, I'm interested to hear more of your reasoning behind voting Ultra.

step one · Post by **step one** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 9:06 pm

De La, easily

Huldrich Bullsh!t · Post by **Huldrich Bullsh!t** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 11:06 pm

i think its a tie between Mobb Deep and Outkast.

Ultramags and De LA are obviously influental but i cant think of too many bands where i sould say De La or Ultrmag. its more subtle. just one of many influences in alot of groups.

but i think there was an era (if relatively short lived) where almost everybody from NY to Philly and Jersey tried to sound like Mobb Deep.

and i think we all agree that without Outkast the whole southern hip hop would probably be very different. they and Geto boys were instrumental in forging that whole southern sound and vibe imo (and with the stuff dominated the airwaves the last few years you'd also have to give credit to the 2 Live Crew as spearhead of the Miami Bass sound)

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 11:13 pm

Ultra influenced OK and De La. They also influenced 99.9% of the most underground hip-hop, including Co Flow.

OutKast may have one of the biggest impacts but Andre didn't father many styles. Maybe you got rappers like B.O.B. from that but most people adore OutKast, they could never emulate them.

The answer for me is Ultra.

The Afronaut · Post by **The Afronaut** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 11:22 pm

Philaflava wrote:OutKast may have one of the biggest impacts but Andre didn't father many styles. Maybe you got rappers like B.O.B. from that but most people adore OutKast, they could never emulate them.

I Have tried to say this many times, but never worded it quite right. I completely agree.

Gregg Popabitch · Post by **Gregg Popabitch** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 11:23 pm

voted Diplomats

The Afronaut · Post by **The Afronaut** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 11:29 pm

Gregg Popabitch wrote:Diplomats

Post 2002ish, this is hard to argue against.

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 11:29 pm

Versive wrote:
Thun, I'm interested to hear more of your reasoning behind voting Ultra.

They are the single biggest influence on De La, for starters.

blastmaster · Post by **blastmaster** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 11:35 pm

The Afronaut wrote:
Philaflava wrote:OutKast may have one of the biggest impacts but Andre didn't father many styles. Maybe you got rappers like B.O.B. from that but most people adore OutKast, they could never emulate them.
I Have tried to say this many times, but never worded it quite right. I completely agree.

BOB is the first to blow up of about 100 million young rappers in Atlanta who came straight out of Andre's nuts. There are 100 million more who sound Dungeon Famish. Give it some time.

battlecatmeowstab212 · Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:06 am

De La begat skits. Voted De La.

blastmaster · Post by **blastmaster** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:18 am

battlecatmeowstab212 wrote:De La begat skits. Voted De La.

stype_ones · Post by **stype_ones** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:24 am

Thun wrote:Ultramagnetics, and it's not even close.

stype_ones · Post by **stype_ones** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:27 am

Thun wrote:
Versive wrote:
Thun, I'm interested to hear more of your reasoning behind voting Ultra.
They are the single biggest influence on De La, for starters.

Seriously. Ego Trippin is one of the greatest Hip Hop single of all time(Eric B For President and Sucka MC's notwithstanding), and most of the artists who came up right under Ultra would say the same.

True, people like Rakim and KRS changed way MC's rhymed, but on a parallel level, Ultra changed the way Hip Hop Sounded and expanded the boundaries of the music overall.

stype_ones · Post by **stype_ones** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:29 am

double post

PopeyeJones · Post by **PopeyeJones** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 2:13 am

blastmaster wrote:
Tumblestain wrote:
blastmaster wrote:Waiting for someone to point to "skits" as their reasoning for De La.
Their skits are a poor example of their influence by your estimation?
A decent indicator of Prince Paul's though.

Has there actually been a single skit that hasn't been instantly and routinely skipped over in the last decade, though?

If De La (or Prince Paul, for that matter) have an influence, it's much bigger than a relatively short lived fad from the mid-90s.

dubs · Post by **dubs** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 2:59 am

The Infamous > everything on the list combined. Influence-wise and Catalogue-wise

PopeyeJones · Post by **PopeyeJones** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 3:14 am

dubs wrote:The Infamous > everything on the list combined. Influence-wise and Catalogue-wise

How so?

I tend to think of that album as a better example of "representative of" than "influential for."

(does that make sense? the phrasing is awkward as fuck).

dubs · Post by **dubs** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 3:22 am

I just think that is a really cohesive street gutter ill stab you in the face three times dark type of album... listenable from front to back... and dont say you skip over P talkin shit in the beginning... he revolutionized the whole talking shit on wax game wit that rant...dropped science forreal...and produced a few timeless tracks that are often imitated never duplicated nahmsayin... bottom line you cant front on that album.