Stylish hip-hop! A roundup of classic albums in Western jazzy hip-hop

93 ‘til InfinitySouls Of Mischief

Souls Of Mischief – 93 ‘Til Infinity

Souls of Mischief are a four-member hip-hop group formed in 1991 in Oakland, California.

They released four albums by 2000, then went quiet for a while; when they finally returned in 2009 with the long-awaited Montezuma’s Revenge, it became a major talking point among hip-hop fans.

Speaking of their signature work, it has to be their major-label debut album, ’93 ’til Infinity, astonishingly released when they were still in high school.

The title track, famous for its innovative method of sampling Billy Cobham’s fusion-jazz piece Heather at 45 RPM, is a bona fide hip-hop classic that continues to be cherished.

Naturally, the youthful raps of teenage MCs, with a hint of innocence, offer a fresh appeal distinct from the hard-edged, orthodox Black hip-hop.

In the early ’90s, West Coast hip-hop was dominated by G-funk and gangsta rap; amid that, this album—packed with the “spirit of the times,” jazzy, groovy, polished yet tinged with an underground feel—wasn’t exactly a massive hit.

But precisely because of that, it has continued to shine without being swayed by trends, leaving a profound influence on the scene that followed.

Ex Girl to the Next GirlGang Starr

Gang Starr – Ex Girl To The Next Girl

Both the group’s name and the members’ looks are tough, but their lyrics—delivered in a calm, broad-minded rap style—and their innovative tracks presented a new form of hip-hop, making Gang Starr a legendary duo.

With MC Guru’s passing in 2010, a reunion became impossible, yet the brilliance of the work they left behind continues to exert a powerful influence on subsequent artists.

Formed in 1985 and disbanded in 2003, they released a total of seven albums, including their final album released in 2019.

Here, I’ll highlight their widely acclaimed third album from 1992, Daily Operation.

DJ Premier—one of hip-hop’s legendary producers—fully showcases his prowess, crafting magical beats that incorporate elements of jazz, funk, soul, and more.

His masterful use of the “chop” technique—finely slicing and reconstructing samples—results in an irresistibly cool and stylish sound.

Of course, Guru’s restrained flow radiates a commanding presence while never becoming overbearing, embodying a distinct aesthetic.

Even compared with contemporaneous jazz rap, their uniqueness stands out; Gang Starr’s brand of hip-hop, clearly set apart from merely “jazzy” hip-hop, is a sonic world everyone should experience at least once.

Slim’s ReturnMadlib

Madlib – Slim’s Return

Suppose you’re a hardcore jazz fan and also an active trackmaker.

If someone told you that you could freely use recordings owned by Blue Note—one of the most important labels in jazz history—it wouldn’t be strange if you felt crushed by the pressure rather than overjoyed.

The person who actually seized such an extraordinary opportunity and pulled off the feat of crafting a brilliant album is the California-born producer Madlib.

Already known on the West Coast underground hip-hop scene and a prolific artist who releases cross-genre works under various aliases, Madlib put out “Shades Of Blue” on Blue Note in 2003—a record that’s passed down as a classic in hip-hop history.

Many listeners may have first learned his name through this project.

The artwork alone is wonderful, consciously echoing classic Blue Note designs, but the sound—steeped in respect for the label’s vintage jazz catalog while reimagined with a unique hip-hop-era sensibility—is truly one of a kind.

If you know the original sources, you can enjoy the surprise of hearing how a given track is transformed.

Madlib has long been an artist with deep love for and vast knowledge of jazz; with the celebrated jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis as his uncle and jazz around him from an early age, it’s fair to say he became a natural bridge between jazz and hip-hop.

All CapsMadvillain

Madvillain – All Caps

Released in 2004 under the collaborative moniker Madvillain—pairing the brilliant Madlib with MF DOOM—their sole album Madvillainy remains a stone-cold classic, celebrated as a landmark of underground hip-hop in the 2000s.

Sadly, MF DOOM passed away in October 2020, making a reunion an unattainable dream, but the brilliance of this work will never fade.

MF DOOM, a British-American artist known for his mask, and Madlib were both key figures in the underground scene, yet Madvillainy drew acclaim even from media that rarely covered hip-hop.

It received high praise both at home and abroad, including being ranked 365th on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” While it never achieved massive commercial success, its sound—built on the deceptively simple formula of Madlib’s innovative production and MF DOOM’s uniquely voiced raps and meticulously crafted lyrics—lets the music’s essential allure shine through.

The tracks carry a distinctly jazzy flavor, making it rewarding as jazz hip-hop, but the album’s influence also reached far beyond rap, inspiring rock artists such as Thom Yorke of Radiohead.

This is a record that every open-eared music fan should hear.

King KuntaKendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar – King Kunta

Kendrick Lamar, the undisputed greatest rapper of the 2020s, is a genius who shakes the culture every time he releases a project.

In 2022, he dropped his first album in five years, the expansive double LP Mr.

Morale & The Big Steppers, once again demonstrating his overflowing talent to the world.

Still, if there’s one album that cemented the reputation of this era’s foremost hip-hop poet, it’s his third album, 2015’s To Pimp A Butterfly.

It’s impossible to do justice to the brilliance of this, his second major-label release, in a few short lines.

Beyond its commercial success—debuting at No.

1 on the charts in the U.

S.

and many other countries—and critical acclaim—winning Best Rap Album at the 58th Grammy Awards—the album had an enormous social impact as well, with its track Alright becoming an anthem for the later Black Lives Matter movement.

From the perspective of this article, it’s also notable that the album features next-generation jazz artists like Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin, presenting a clear new synthesis of jazz and hip-hop in the 2010s.

There’s even an anecdote that it was inspired by Spike Lee’s jazz-themed film Mo’ Better Blues, so if you’d like to delve deeper, be sure to check out that movie as well.

Do the Astral PlaneFlying Lotus

Do The Astral Plane

Flying Lotus is a highly talented artist who grew up in a musical family as a relative of jazz master John Coltrane.

His third album, Cosmogramma, released in 2010, fully showcases his distinctive style that fuses electronica and jazz.

The participation of high-profile guests such as Thom Yorke and Thundercat also drew attention.

The album received critical acclaim and won an Independent Music Award in the Dance/Electronica category.

Its innovative, genre-defying sound is recommended for anyone seeking a new musical experience.

Jazz (We’ve Got) Buggin’ OutA Tribe Called Quest

A Tribe Called Quest – Jazz (We’ve Got) Buggin’ Out (Official HD Video)

When it comes to indispensable groups that achieved a true fusion of jazz and hip-hop, you can’t leave out the New York–born A Tribe Called Quest.

Also known by the moniker “ATCQ,” they were members of the Native Tongues collective alongside the Jungle Brothers and De La Soul, and they brought a fresh new breeze to the hip-hop scene of the 1980s, where a hardcore style was the mainstream.

Early on, ATCQ presented a hip-hop approach that incorporated jazz elements; while it wasn’t fully understood at first, their innovative musicality blossomed all at once with their exceptionally refined 1991 masterpiece, their second album The Low End Theory, achieving both commercial and critical success.

As evidenced by its ranking at 153 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, the album’s impact on subsequent music scenes is immense.

Its appeal is manifold—from the artful use of sampling to the inimitable “black” groove of live instrumentation provided by celebrated jazz bassist Ron Carter as a guest.

Among their discography, it stands out as particularly jazz-inflected, with a breadth that can attract music lovers beyond just hip-hop listeners—something worth emphasizing.

Listening again, the simple, stripped-down sound palette has a rugged elegance, and I can’t help but be captivated by its cool, nocturnal vibe.