I won’t say that I’m rooting for repeat winners, but I do get a small sense of validation when the Creative Loafing poll results match the original winners. You see, we started the Hip Hop ABCs over on my Facebook Page, where it was just a series of disjointed threads about which artist or group best represented Hip Hop for each letter of the alphabet. Just like this list, I was purposefully low on rules and rubric. We decided as we went along that if a solo artist belonged to a group that was bigger than their solo career, we should keep it to the group. Even that was loosely enforced. I wanted participation because what you think matters just as much any one else’s opinion does.
But we’ve moved this list from my little corner of the social media world. We’ve gone public. That means I can’t stop a group I’d never heard of from winning. I’ve never had much say on who we vote on and this list is no different. And that’s okay. It isn’t about me. It’s about us. It’s about hip hop. This week’s installment is about the Letter H and that means it’s about the Hieroglyphics.
Currently nine members strong, Hieroglyphics definitely qualify for super group status. Our fourth repeat winner of the Hip Hop ABCs is an Oakland, Calif.-based conglomerate that includes founder Del the Funky Homosapien, A-Plus, Opio, Tajai, and Phesto, DJ Toure, Casual, Pep Love, and Domino.
As a full collective, they are only responsible for three studio albums, but they have many smaller configurations that have given us so much more. The Souls of Mischief is the combined forces of A-Plus, Opio, Tajai, and Phesto. First Light is Pep Love and Opio. Del has created 11 solo albums not including his work as part of the Gorillaz or Deltron 3030. These guys put in quality work and my fans were smart enough to notice. So were you. Can I trust you to get it right again for the letter I?
Infinite Skillz is a Hip Hop fan and emcee. Click here to find out more about his music.
This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2015.