musical influences

I just got done listening to a new mixtape by my favorite dj (Dieselboy) for about the 5th time in the past 3 days and it got me thinking about why I even like this music to begin with. I have listened to many styles of music throughout my short lifetime and have an appreciation for most styles....well except for country (sorry Sandra). So here is a list of my top 5 albums and how they influenced my appreciation for different styles of music. BTW this is probably the most random selection of albums you will see....

5. Rage Against The Machine - Evil Empire

It's funny how all music takes you back to a time and place in your life....and this one is no exception. For me it was going to football practice in Jr. High. But anyways, this was probably the first cd I listened to that I actually enjoyed every song top to bottom.

4. Nirvana - Incesticide
I still remember when I got this cd....I was in 6th grade and was in California for a few months. I was already a Nirvana fan, but there was something I really liked about this cd. It may not have been their most popular or best selling album, but it is the one I will always most associate with the best rock band of my lifetime.

3. Nas - Stillmatic
I know a lot of people think Illmatic is his best work, but for me Stillmatic ranks #1 for a few reasons. I think in a lot of ways this cd kind of breathed life back into hip hop for me. The funny thing is that is was my sister who actually had the cd, but the more I listened to it the more I liked it. And sorry to all the Jay-Z fans....Nas is and will always be better.

2. Dieselboy - A Soldier's Story
I know a mixtape is kind of lame since it is a compilation of mostly other peoples music, but I think what makes this my number one is the fact that it single handedly opened me up to a completely new style of music that I had never really even heard of prior to listening to this. I was just starting to get into electronic music a little when I came across this cd and it has changed much of how I have viewed music for the past 12 years. Although Dieselboy has made several cds since this one, including a ridiculous new mixtape "Wake The Dead" (87 songs in 84 minutes!), A Soldier's Story will always be my favorite.

1. Michael Jackson - Thriller
I know, big shocker....but I don't think any list of top albums can leave this one out. I think the fact that it requires no explanation says enough.


not quite making the cut:
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Clipse - Lord Willin'

Eminem - The Eminem Show
Outkast - Stankonia
Radiohead - OK Computer

Side note here, I was just reading some comments in a review of the new Dieselboy mixtape and thought it was funny how many different adjectives were used to describe "good". Sick, filth, solid, brutal, amazing, rude, cool, baller, epic awesome crack, great, sickness in motion, ground breaking, ridiculous, elite rollin, off the chain, nasty, beast mode, insane, dirty, straight vibing, and a bunch of others. English may be the hardest language to learn but it's definitely the best!