The Anti-List for '06

A week ago, I was surfing music blogs and it seemed like everybody was doing a "best of ’06" list. I didn’t really want to add to the listmania that comes at the end of each year, but looking at blog after blog, I noticed one group that was conspicuously absent from the "best hip hop" or "best of ’06" album list. If this were any other group, I probably wouldn’t care too much, but their last album was just so dope and funky that I had to write this up and break my no-list rule (even though it’s not really a list since there’s only one entry).

Most Overlooked Hip Hop Album of ’06:
The Coup: Pick a Bigger Weapon.

And while the Coup are on some lists, I just don’t feel they’re high up enough on that list. Maybe it’s just my Norcal pride, but to me the Coup are everything that hip hop ought to be; they’re politically conscious without overwhelming you with self-righteous and didactic rhymes, they have fun with their music, they can rock a show, and their beats are funky as hell. To me, they’re the nearest thing hip hop today has to a Public Enemy, and that’s saying something.

So if you didn’t think Jay-Z’s “comeback” was all that, and Nas’ album was good, but not even close to Illmatic, and you need something more, then check out these Coup joints, old and new.

From Pick a Bigger Weapon (2006)

[MP3] The Coup :: My Favorite Mutiny
[MP3] The Coup :: ShoYoAss

From Genocide & Juice (1994)

[MP3] The Coup :: Santa Rita Weekend
[MP3] The Coup :: Takin’ These

The Coup's Website

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