Pete Philly & Perquisite - Mind.State (2005)

Dutch duo Pete Philly & Perqusite's debut album takes you back to the good old days of hip-hop, a time when rap was about telling stories instead of pimpin', drive-by-shootings and bling bling. De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest are two acts that will come to your mind immediately while listening to Perquisite's jazzy, laid-back instumentals and Pete Phillie's mellow, oldschool-ish rhymes. But Mind.State goes way beyond just being a  hommage to the "Golden Age" of hip-hop; it is a cleverly structured concept album, with each song describing a particular human emotion, a certain type of Mind.State.

1.) Intro

2.) Relieved

3.) Insomnia

4.) Motivated

5.) Eager

6.) Lazy

7.) Respect

8.) Cocksure

9.) Conflicted

10.) Grateful

11.) Mindstate

12.) Mellow

13.) Paranoid

14.) Cheeky

15.) Grateful II

16.) Hope

17.) Amazed

Busdriver - Temporary Forever (2002)

Now this is a rap album you won't hear every day. Megalomaniac, hyperactive and sharp as a knife, Temporary Forever is a capricious collage of clever lyrics and batshit insane samples. With a flow like explosive diarrhea farts, the L.A. underground rapper delivers his lines machine gun style. What this guy does with his voice - half musical instrument, half human beat box - is simply mindblowing. Balancing serious political issues with funny, almost dadaist rants, the lyrics are all killer no filler. And so is the rest of this record.

1.) New Aquarium

2.) Imaginary Places

3.) Along Came a Biter

4.) Idle Chatter

5.) Gun Control

6.) Mind Crossing

7.) Suing Sony

8.) Stylin' Under Pressure

9.) Single Cell Ego

10.) Somethingness

11.) Driver's Manual

12.) The Truth of Sponatneous Human Combustion

13.) Opposable Thumbs

14.) Unplanned Parenthood

15.) Jazz Fingers

16.) Reality Sandwich

17.) Wrong Route

18.) Post-Apocalyptic Rap Blues