Serin Koh / Sun Contributor

January 27, 2025

SOLAR FLARE | From Boom Bap to Abstract

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The West Coast got to enjoy a blissful moment of unity during Kendrick Lamar’s victory lap last year. Meanwhile, Atlanta is as prolific as ever, with Future’s sound recognizable across the charts and a young audience enraptured by Playboi Carti’s label Opium. But it’s been decades since New York could consider itself the mecca of new rap music. 

To chart a course for the future of the East Coast, we should look to the past. Classics like “N.Y. State of Mind” and “4th Chamber” embody the principles of early boom bap music — knocking drums and conspicuous sampling. Progressive artists like MF Doom inspired a generation of experimental hip-hop producers and vocalists who pushed those principles to their boundaries, foregoing them altogether or carrying them to their natural extremes (see “allstar”). It should be no surprise that New Yorkers, the stubborn nostalgics we are, would refuse to compromise our idiosyncrasies for mainstream recognition. Is there a way forward for the East Coast sound? For rappers like Conway the Machine and Action Bronson, forward might really mean backward. Here are some of my favorite songs that tell an ongoing story about progressive nostalgia in hip-hop. 

  1. Nas – “N.Y. State of Mind

The quintessential “boom” and “bap” — kick and snare. This track off Illmatic, often cited as a defining moment in hip-hop history, is a collaboration between Queensbridge icon Nas and Gang Starr producer DJ Premier. If you’re ever in Queensbridge, you should see the Illmatic mural on 13th St. 

  1. GZA, RZA, Ghostface Killah, Killah Priest – “4th Chamber

The Staten Island collective Wu-Tang Clan can be easily recognized by its beats — the bass-forward, samurai-obsessed product of RZA. “4th Chamber” might be his best work.

  1. Mobb Deep – “Extortion (feat. Method Man)”

Mobb Deep is responsible for some of the catchiest songs in New York’s golden age. “Extortion,” featuring Wu-Tang’s own Method Man, is an underplayed testament. 

  1. Jadakiss & Styles P – “We Gonna Make It

I couldn’t leave out Jadakiss, so often snubbed from lists like this. This beat’s instrumental comes from Samuel Jonathan Johnson’s “My Music,” a remarkable song in its own right. 

  1. Mos Def & Busta Rhymes – “Do It Now

Mos Def paired a politically conscious lyricism with some of the most danceable hip-hop beats of his generation. “Do It Now” is a welcoming song for Busta Rhymes, whose own career is tightly intertwined with the development of an early New York sound. 

  1. Fugees – “Refugees On The Mic

The Jersey-based Fugees were as lyrically intelligent as they were innovative. This track comes from Blunted on Reality, often forgotten in The Score’s shadow. The final verse was performed by an early-career Lauryn Hill, who would go on to make Apple Music’s greatest album of all time

  1. MF Doom – “One Beer

I couldn’t think of a more fitting bridge to the contemporary side of this playlist. MF Doom’s influence can be felt throughout the remaining songs. “One Beer” is the only track on Mm..Food produced by Madlib, Doom’s collaborator on the brilliantly strange Madvillainy. The track samples “Huit Octobre 1971” by Cortex, an incredible jazz-funk band. 

  1. MIKE, Earl Sweatshirt – “allstar

Brooklyn folk hero MIKE puts together a festival every year — this summer, it was held on the late Doom’s birthday. Artists like MIKE are unafraid to confront the limitations of hip-hop conventions, stretching samples until they break. His liberal use of filtering interrogates the “bap” in boom bap — the snares lose their punch, and the result is meditative. Frequent collaborator Earl Sweatshirt, who came up in the West Coast collective Odd Future alongside Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean, has become an essential figure in the East Coast experimental sound with projects like Some Rap Songs. The son of a poet and social theorist, Earl might be the most promising lyricist alive. 

  1. The Alchemist, Roc Marciano – “Chopstick

Interestingly, some of the grittiest East Coast beats come from proud California native The Alchemist. He teams up on this track with underground legend Roc Marciano, whose flows could be studied like a Bible for new boom bap verses. 

  1. Madlib, Meyhem Lauren, DJ Muggs, Action Bronson – “Szechuan Capital

Madlib’s career didn’t end with Madvillainy. He continues to make some of the most interesting boom bap music today (see Liberation). This track includes a verse from rapper-chef Action Bronson, whose bizarre lyrics have spawned a Twitter page reserved for unintentional copycats. His food documentaries are some of the most entertaining videos on YouTube. 

  1. Conway the Machine, Joey Bada$$ – “Vertino

If this nostalgic variant of the New York sound is going to reach new mainstream audiences, it will likely be thanks to Joey Bada$$. Joey’s debut mixtape 1999 is a faithful tribute to New York’s golden age sound. Tracks like “Vertino” affirm the experimental direction of Buffalo-based record label Griselda Records, affiliated with producers like The Alchemist and co-founded by Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn. 

  1. Cavalier, Child Actor – “Knight Of The East

This beat from Cavalier’s new LP CINE contains everything that I find worthwhile in the earlier golden age cuts — the use of filtering, choice of instrumental and gritty drums. The title of the track offers a convenient way to conclude: When will the East find its knight to lead a new generation?

Eric Han is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at [email protected].