Most Underrated Project From Each Black Hippy Member
Intro:
It all started with Jay Rock being the first member of the group bubbling into TDE’s first taste of mainstream success. Now, all 4 rappers are successful in their respective lanes & have been around for over a decade. They’re all getting older now & who knows how many more albums we’ll get from them in the future. It feels like a great time to go back & revisit their most underrated albums in my opinion. Some of these do get praise & credit, but still not as much as other more remembered/celebrated projects in their own individual catalogs.
Before blowing up with his 3rd album Oxymoron in 2014, Setbacks was the first official album he released on TDE. I think it’s very arguable that this is his best album, but I can say that it really might be my favorite. He may not be as polished with his abilities, yet there are songs here that sound so authentic & honest. Additionally, you can hear how creative & adventurous he was this early on into his career. Even other songs that are more relatable or subject-driven like “PHenomenon” & “I’m Good” add so much character & personality to Schoolboy Q.
Not only the most recently released project on the list but also probably the best one. For many TDE fans that came after Kendrick’s ascent, this was the first introduction to Jay Rock’s music. Here we see Rock give some of his best rapping & craft some of the best songs of his to date. It’s not super long either with an almost perfect run time. Not much is wasted on this spotless tracklist, and 90059 is one of the rare albums that actually was worth the 4+ year wait.
The best installment of his unfinished Longterm series. Many will agree that Ab-Soul was at his most popular after dropping the critically acclaimed album Control System. However, Longterm 2 might be his 2nd or 3rd project & it’s not hard to see why. The mixtape has some of Soul’s best songs/rapping & is extremely relatable at certain points. Similar to Schoolboy Q’s entry, it’s refreshing to hear all the raw unpolished talent they had at such an early time.
Easily the most well-known & well-recognized project on this list. Yes, Overly Dedicated gets tons of praise even outside of Kendrick Lamar fans. I still think this one flies under the radar despite it having so many iconic songs for Kendrick fans. Many don’t accept it as a major part of his discography, and many don’t hold it up to the other albums because it’s pre-fame & they assume it won’t live up. When in reality, while Section 80 is probably the better overall project thematically, this one might have some of the better individual Kendrick songs.
Overall:
Do you agree with these picks? While many do at least know about Kendrick’s OD & Jay Rock’s 90059, the other 2 definitely don’t get enough looks. Longterm 2 & Setbacks could be argued as the best (or one of) from Ab-Soul & Schoolboy Q. What do you think are all 4 of their most underrated/slept-on albums? Thank you all for reading, and enjoy all the TDE albums listed above.
