Rapper's Delight: Instrumental Hip Hop

posted in: Reviews & Playlists • Urban

Emceeing and hip hop go hand in hand, it’s as simple as that. It’s rare to hear a beat without someone spittin’ over it, especially in mainstream hip hop, and let’s face it: the formula works. You could say they’re nearly inseparable, and you’d be right, but there’s a whole sub-genre of instrumental hip hop that many people ignore. Instrumental hip hop is often just a hip hop track with the vocals phased out or removed, but there’s also a ton of DJs who make beats as a form of expression and to showcase their talent. It may be a stretch to call it an underrated genre, but the talent level of some of these artists is often under-appreciated.

J Dilla, for example, established himself in the hip hop world by producing albums for A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Busta Rhymes and many others. He then progressed his solo career in the early 2000’s with a series of instrumental albums. One of his most notable solo albums, Donuts, was almost entirely created on his deathbed in 2005. In fact, twenty-nine of the thirty-one tracks were made in the hospital while the blood disorder TTP and lupus took their toll on the 32-year-old producer. Below is a playlist we created for you with a short track off of Donuts as well as some of our other favorite instrumental hip hop tracks. Disagree with our choices? Post your favorites below and we’ll be sure to give them a listen!

Also, here’s a track by OurStage artist MoBB House that you might like: