THis is a old ass thread, but is relevent to an article I read yesterday..that should dead all off this.....
Here is some of a interview with Aseop Rock....... a Def Jux cat...........
What are you listening to at the moment?
I just got the new Freeway album on Rocafella, I think that shit is f*cking sick. It’s weird, because when you’re on a label where most of the cats live in Brooklyn and you like most of their music you just end up listening to your friends. Aside from that I listen to Beatles, I try not to listen to hip-hop too much because I get sick of it after a while. I listen to everything from mainstream, underground…
You got a wide range of like and influences?
Yeah, so I recognise what is good with a lot of genres of hip-hop or whatever, so everything from people that kinda underground and a little more dirty with the sound to like completely cleaned up Jay-Z. I’m a fan of a lot of it.
Heres another one from another interview....
Who would you really like to collaborate with on a project?
I don't know. Musically I feel like most people I'd want to really collaborate with I already know. Except like, Wu-Tang or Roc-a-fella. But I'm cool, because I truly am a fan of most of my friends’ work, so as far as I'm concerned I got what I need. I just wanna keep making dope records and find interesting visual artists to design them. I'd love for Chris Ware to do a cover for me, but he probably wont. I don't know. Visually, so many rap records look exactly the same. I want to do shit that is raw rap, but looks and sounds completely original, so i'll colab with whomever it takes to make that happen......
...I find this VERY interesting to all you closed minded backpacker mu'fuckas.....Your 'Messiah' Aseop Rock likes mainstrem artist!.....Ohh My GosH !....Lol....At least dude got half a bit of sence about this hip-hop as a whole even though his nerdy fans don't...
And for my own opinon...for all around attridutes in an emcee Jay-Z is the #1 Mic Fiend in the world...he may not be the best in one catagory but he top five in everything (Flow, Candence, Wordplay, Similes, Metas, Song Arrangment abilty....ect....) and that gives hime an overall better score then cats who are outstanding in one part and falter in another ...
Heres the link to those stories just in case you space rappers are in denile...
http://www.knowtheledge.net/aesoprock.htm
http://english.hiphopsection.com/inters/aesop/