10 Most Underrated Hip-Hop Albums Of All Time
3. CunninLynguists - A Piece Of Strange
Another hip-hop concept album, this 2006 release by the talented if terribly monikered CunninLynguists is one of the finest of the form. A Piece Of Strange is a biblical tale of right and wrong, detailing the decline into sin, the threat of hell, and the possibility of redemption for those who follow the righteous path.
Musically, it’s a gorgeous proposition. Production is handled exclusively by rapper Kno, and it’s clearly the work of one vision. From the piano and bass of “Nothing To Give” to the plaintive Spanish guitar on “What’ll You Do?”, the beats are completely separate from the 2006 mainstream, lush analogue beauty from a stripped back, digital era.
It’s a record occupied primarily with its moral themes and storytelling, but breaks for an address to the nation in “America Loves Gangsters”, one of rap’s finest efforts to confront the media’s simultaneous critique of and fascination with crime and violence.
Despite its lofty goals there’s a real deftness of touch to A Piece Of Strange. Without ever explicitly laying out its intentions, it takes a music journey from darkness to light - a message of positivity without preaching.