What song/album sparked your interest in hip hop?

Da Shins Kelly

What was the first song or album that you heard that really got you into hip hop?

I think I posted it here already, but the first song I heard that really encouraged me to explore more was Halftime by Nas. Up until I heard that track, I didn't have much more than a passing interest in hip hop - I enjoyed a few songs by the most famous artists (Jay-Z, Eminem, some Dr. Dre stuff), but I certainly was not in any way a massive hip hop fan. Three years on, it's by far my favourite genre of music and I completely credit Halftime with that.

What about youse? Links welcome!

Underground

Heard this as a nipper and never looked back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFK6H_CcuX8

Underground

haha, after I posted the link above, I found this. Lost for words really.

beano345

Was a fan of nwa ice t etc back in the day put probably this one started it for me in a big way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opWYnUpNtG8

Jimmy Iovine

For years I completely and utterly despised hip hop. If you asked me then I wouldn't have been able to give up a proper reason why. It was mainly down to the guys I hung around with in school. They were more rockers so that's what I floated with.

Then it all changed the summer of '05 when I was 16. That was when "Ridin" by Chamillionaire became the biggest hit in years. It stayed top for months. I bought the single (way back when they were still being sold). On the strength of that I bought the album. I was going through a stage where I bought albums on the back of knowing only one song.

Ever since then I've gotten countless more hip hop albums. It's by far the genre that I listen to most and know the most about.

As for Mr. Chamillionaire, he's still my favourite artist. I'll admit I don't really like the song any more. It was a victim of my abuse of the repeat button. I could list off 20-30 others of his that I'd put ahead of it now. It was a superb single when it came out and I'll be forever grateful for it. Without it I could be listening to Metallica or something like that now :pac:.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtwJvgPJ9xw

As an aside, I actually bought Speakerboxx/Love Below when it came out on the strength of a song off the Tiger Woods game. I gave it away though when I heard the raps on it. I completely ignored Big Boi's cd.

It's still to this day the only cd that I've bought twice. I had to get it. There's some sensational songs on it. Can't believe how stupid I was back then.

Tesco Massacre

Doggystyle by Snoop Dogg....or Snoop Doggy Dogg as he was back then!

I used to be really into hip-hop, but I haven't listened to much in recent years. I still like DJ Shadow and Company Flow, but I don't have the same enthusiasm for it.

darkmaster2

This was my intro to hip hop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEwKCu0P89c

Then this came along and got me interested in it a bit more..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIybo7x41w8

Hip hop isn't really my thing, but I do like a bit from time to time

Bobby Baccala

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CPlF-IEkXQ

This definitely got me into rap and He's still my favourite rapper by a mile.

penexpers

Probably started with Hello Nasty by Beastie Boys, then got Ill Communication and that led me to A Tribe Called Quest.

Boom_Bap

My first exposure was OPP by Naughty by Nature. But the first album I listened to was Eazy E's 'Eazy-Duz-It'. One of my brother brought it home from the gaelteacht on tape and I listened to it on repeat. That got me listening to NWA, Cube, Dre, Snoop and Tupac.

Then the first tapes i bought were NWA Straight Outta Compton and Outkast Southernplayalisticcadilacmusic. Followed by Cube's Kill At Will.

It's all spiralled outta control since then!

Around the time when I really got into it, I got a Snoop t-shirt. I wore it out to a football match one time and heard someone shouted 'I want to be a motherf*ckin hustla' at me. Turns out it was an old school friend that I hadnt seen in a few years. We arranged to get together and look at each others collections which opened me and him up to different stuff. So we done a few swapsies and kept meeting up to discuss and tell each other about our new findings. Then a few other friends got involved and we all used to hit up record shops, gigs, newsagents (for The Source, HHC) and watch Yo! together.

Some of the fondest moments of my youth. And it was hip hop that brought it all together.

Hugh Cream

^^^^
Similar to myself, I remember being very young and having 911 is a joke on tape by PE.
I remember having an LL song on tape around same time also, can't remember song though.

But the first band/act that I really supported was naughty, was a huge fan off the strength of opp.

For me I don't think it was one song that done it I think it was more of a natural progression.

I have an older sister who loved the Motown stuff, the commodores, kool and the gang, all the greats of black music.
She being the person who I spent most time with I obviously ended up being influenced by what she was listening to.

I discovered rap fairly young so.

CiaranMT

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

As an aside, I actually bought Speakerboxx/Love Below when it came out on the strength of a song off the Tiger Woods game. I gave it away though when I heard the raps on it. I completely ignored Big Boi's cd.

It's still to this day the only cd that I've bought twice. I had to get it. There's some sensational songs on it. Can't believe how stupid I was back then.

This all over for me. Bought it as a 13-14 year-old youngfella in Paris when it was originally released, and it completely went over my head (Also bought Divine Comedy's 'Absent Friends' there, strangely).

How foolish I was.

pragmatic1

Cypress Hill-Black Sunday and enter the 36 chambers.

floggg

Bitch Please 2 by Eminem and X by Xzibit. Heard the latter on repeat on MTV in the states on holidays and ended up buying the Restless LP and Tha Last Meal from Snoop off the back of the two songs.

Kylo Ren

One of the first albums I ever bought (could of been the first) was 2001 by Dre.

Marshal Mather LP really got me into it. Must of wore out the CD player with the amount of times I played it.

Andy_rse

When I was really young I was into dance music. Embarrassing to admit but my favourite was 2unlimited and I always liked the guy "rapping" on their songs. Also I remember hearing Gangstas Paradise on the radio in the car and really liking it but not really enough to get me into hip hop.

Then I was flicking through the channels one day someone phoned the MTV request show and requested a song. I obviously misheard what it was, thinking it was going to be something else I stopped flicking and waited for the video but what was actually requested played and I loved it. Thats when I started to get into hip hop and checked for it more. That video was...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Y9-JlSRXw

Really got into 2Pac, Biggie, Jay Z, DMX, Eminem etc, all the usual suspects. Then I suppose after about 6 or so years I started to get a bit bored with it and was looking for alternatives. I dont really want to put labels on it but thats when I discovered the underground scene. Heard Jurassic 5 and wanted to hear more of that kind of Hip Hop. Then just really looked around and decided to buy Blazing Arrow by Blackalicious and Journey to Anywhere by Ugly Duckling (what a great day that was), Still 2 of my favourite albums to this day and Ive never looked back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdrossKXGb4

Thats when Hip Hop went from being something I listen to, to being a passion.

Edit: Oh, then I discovered Atmosphere and Rhymesayers and my head exploded!

mufcboy1999

defiantly the emergence of g funk/2pac/biggie/bad boy sparked my interest, i remember listening to chronic, doggystyle, puffy & mase, biggie at an early age and hearing about about the 2pac/biggie beef but i was around 11 when i really started paying attention to hip hop (im 23 now) i have 2 older cousins who use to listen to nothing but hip hop/oasis (great combo by the way:D) so i got a hold of all the classics pretty easy.

it was around 98 when i bought my first hip hop album, DMX's its dark and hell its hot i remember it like yesterday. This is when i really started getting into it and i think it was a great time to be a hip hop fan late 90's/early 00's wasnt as good as the early 90's but was none the less a great era.

The emergence of eminem really increased my interest as i say most young hip hop fans at the time, I also use to be a big Nelly fan back in the country grammer days. The 1st album i ever bought that blew my socks of was chronic 2001 i think i was around 11 or 12 but man i must of played that album a thousand times over loved it. The marshall mathers lp closely followed that which was another album which i was mad about at a young age.

good times.

also gangsta's paradise deserves a mention, i must of been 6 or 7 but i distinctly remember my uncle singing the hook anytime it came on the radio and we use to all laugh at him lol (childhood memorys coming back)