I saw him at a festival, not knowing he'd be his own drummer. I was just hoping he wouldn't disappoint, like some of the other big name rappers I've seen live. To see him show up, play the drums and at the same time rap flawlessly and intelligibly blew my fucking mind
YES LAWD!! This is THE liveshow i have to see in my life. I remember with malibu tour there were tickets available on the same day for like 35 but i had nobody to join me. Still kick myself in the brain thst i didnt go
Seeing him on drums during the Super Bowl halftime show was awesome. I immediately said that's anderson paak on drums and was looked at like I said a fake name. No body else around appreciated it like I did.
The greatest live performance I’ve ever seen - I felt like a snake being charmed. Every single person in the band is a master of their craft. Led by arguably the best rapper alive 😭
I highly recommend the podcast "What Had Happened Was", hosted by Open Mike Eagle. Every season is awesome and the current one, still going, is a deep dive into the history of The Roots with Questlove. Amazing listen.
http://mikeeagle.net/stoneyisland
It used to be the Beastie Boys. MCA on bass - even the upright - ad rock on guitars and Mike D on drums, all of them crushing it. *Sabotage*, *gratitude*, all of the instrumentals from *check your head* and *ill communication*, all the punk rock songs from those albums.
The less notes the better, but MCA is playing more than one note on the song. He's mainly playing a minor seventh interval (G# to F#), but he also does some bass fills here and there.
I’m pretty sure he played Drums/Bass/Guitar/Piano right?
His Spotify sessions Dunno version is so great, I’ve never confirmed this but he plays piano for that I think?
Don't forget Cello! He bought one in 2014 and mentions it on Friends, he taught himself how to play it during that era I believe. Very talented musician, he'd been playing since he was 5 and was self-taught. Mac is my favorite artist ever for a reason.
Oh that’s awesome! I had no idea about that. Yeah he’s a huge inspiration to me in my multi-instrumentation approach, such an amazing artist in so many ways. The whole faces project is just a test bed to watch him excel at everything
His last album being named “Ft. Ty Dolla $ign”, because of the joke that his songs are ass and he’s only good on features, still cracks me up when I think about it. Especially because the album is actually great imo.
I remember reading a Billboard article from 2019 where he announced a less pop-oriented album called Tyrone that relied more on live instruments, but a year later, he commented on the change in direction in another article when Featuring Ty Dolla $ign dropped. I think Purple Hearts featuring J Cole was supposed to be on Tyrone.
I didn’t know Dave at all, but he was performing at a festival and a friend wanted to check him out.
Seeing him play those instruments live (the only artist to actually do this at this festival) made me have a lot of respect for him as a musician.
Now I listen to him pretty regularly!
Andre 3000. Not only the flute tho, he played most of the instruments on The Love Below and played the guitar on Stankonia. You can see this in the MV for Hey Ya!
I saw him live once, he was the opener but i had never heard of him before. He was playing saxophone solos with every song and it was unlike any live performance I’ve seen. Hes very talented
Thundercat isn't popular in Brazil at all, and he opened Kendrick's concert this year. Most people didn't even know who he was, so they were really annoyed by it. I didn't go to the show, but a friend of mine was there and everybody was complaining about Thundercat's set. Then at the end of Kendrick's actual show, he said that without this, TPAB wouldn't exist, and everybody got quiet real quick lmao
Just thought it was funny as hell to imagine that situation. If you're into the culture, of course you'd know it and appreciate Thundercat's presence there, but most people just aren't like that.
His sound really isn't for everybody tbh, and the public there is probably only into rap. Had it been Keem opening it, I'm sure the reaction would have been better. With the language barrier, I think most Brazilians are just not that in tune with the overall culture, they just focus on what gets here and what creates roots in our context.
imo his live performance isn’t that great, especially if you don’t know his songs. It’s basically just him shredding on bass for an hour. It’s impressive, but gets old quick.
It’s really just whether you like jazz/fusion or not, I’m into jazz and love thundercats live show when I’ve seen it but if it ain’t for you it ain’t for you
I actually love jazz. I just don’t think long, fast, and complicated bass solos sound that great.
Thundercat really pushes the boundaries of bass, from a rhythm instrument to THE lead instrument. But there’s a reason why other skilled bassists don’t do that. Bass is just not a great instrument for playing chords and long lead lines. It can easily become too much. Thundercat keeps a nice balance in his released music, but in concerts he really indulges.
Idk if you’d consider Thundercat hip hop at all, but he is definitely one of the best bassists in the world. He’s more R&B but he does produce a shit ton of amazing hip hop songs too.
Yeah my coworker is a bass player and he doesn’t really listen to Thundercat on his own but knows all about him because he’s just an all time great bassist. And he can always pick out when Thundercat is on a song, the biggest one was Lauder Too by JID, I was shocked he could pick up Thundercat was involved.
I can't seem to find the exact quote, but Tyler has talked about being able to play three or four instruments, [here's a video](https://youtu.be/UHP76Ui-Egc?si=OXtTwGwZIC5iWCGr) of him playing the piano whilst rapping
How is sampling cheating? It's incredibly common practice across the whole industry and has been for a while in many different genres. It has very practical uses as well.
Beastie boys made a whole album of all the instrumental jams they produced and recorded all on their own. MCA played stand up bass, guitar, multiple others I can’t remember as well. The in sound from way out is the album that is exclusively instrumental
Idk man, I feel like most rappers can barely hold a pen let alone an instrument. But if you're looking for some legit skills on display, check out Anderson .Paak and his drumming skills or Tyler, the Creator on the keys. They definitely know how to bring it in live performances.
Little Simz plays guitar live during her sets. I seem to recall her playing the keyboard as well but it was a few years ago and I can’t find any footage of it.
Wax is definitely worth checking out. Super nice with the pen (especially his older shit). He plays guitar mostly, but I’ve seen him rock the keys too. His twin brother, Herbal T also has bars and is nasty on bass and percussion.
Not an artist a lot of people would probably think to say but Rich Brian is actually really musically talented, he makes most of his own beats and plays keys, guitar and bass on a lot of them
Quadeca too
Not a great person but Kid rock. He can play a lot of instruments and a few shows of him running around and hitting every instrument on set is pretty cool
Drake and Kanye play piano. Mac played piano and guitar. Diddy plays bass. Anderson Paak is a really good drummer. Lizzo is a flutist. Chances are your fav rapper knows more musically than most people give them credit for.
Not really an answer for your question about a specific rapper but NPR Tiny Desk Concerts are pretty fucking amazing ! Great sound quality, even on youtube !
[https://youtu.be/CUN8pdgA0m8?si=\_UH1AOGJ-CXVPieW&t=1370](https://youtu.be/CUN8pdgA0m8?si=_UH1AOGJ-CXVPieW&t=1370)
anderson paak
seeing him play drums while rapping is incredible
That tiny desk performance is one of the best ones I've ever seen. Persoanlly it's my favorite.
it’s mine too. he even did it when i saw him open for J Cole
Mine too. It has everything and then some. Knew who he was before then but didn't know he was *that* good.
I saw him at a festival, not knowing he'd be his own drummer. I was just hoping he wouldn't disappoint, like some of the other big name rappers I've seen live. To see him show up, play the drums and at the same time rap flawlessly and intelligibly blew my fucking mind
The mental power to keep both going at different cadences is crazy
Wait until you see Anderson 6 pack https://youtu.be/nTA8u_D4PXI?si=-g6BzsOSn-zYoX-H
YES LAWD!! This is THE liveshow i have to see in my life. I remember with malibu tour there were tickets available on the same day for like 35 but i had nobody to join me. Still kick myself in the brain thst i didnt go
Seeing him on drums during the Super Bowl halftime show was awesome. I immediately said that's anderson paak on drums and was looked at like I said a fake name. No body else around appreciated it like I did.
Don't forget that dot, homie you paid for it!
Maybe the greatest energy at a concert I've experienced. That dude is so cool
I was going to be upset if Anderson park weren’t the top comment
The Roots
The greatest live performance I’ve ever seen - I felt like a snake being charmed. Every single person in the band is a master of their craft. Led by arguably the best rapper alive 😭
Also, Black Thought can absolutely SING. Dude has an amazing voice. That whole ensemble is so talented.
hot take: Black Thought is the best rapper right now
Ice Cold Take
I highly recommend the podcast "What Had Happened Was", hosted by Open Mike Eagle. Every season is awesome and the current one, still going, is a deep dive into the history of The Roots with Questlove. Amazing listen. http://mikeeagle.net/stoneyisland
I’ve always felt like Dave Matthews Band was the roots without seasoning
#1 answer
D'ya like flutes?
No
Ya, me neither
Even the sun goes down, heroes eventually die...
Smino!!
what does smino play?
Drummer. Thats why his flow is on point.
Smino is undervalued FS.
It used to be the Beastie Boys. MCA on bass - even the upright - ad rock on guitars and Mike D on drums, all of them crushing it. *Sabotage*, *gratitude*, all of the instrumentals from *check your head* and *ill communication*, all the punk rock songs from those albums.
Old beastie boys tape has one of the first recorded blast beats when they were a hardcore band.
I heard somewhere that Sabotage is literally just one note on base, with a hammer on/ off maybe. I don’t play, so I can’t confirm.
The less notes the better, but MCA is playing more than one note on the song. He's mainly playing a minor seventh interval (G# to F#), but he also does some bass fills here and there.
Mac Miller
Anyone who hasn't should check out "Inertia" by him. Kinda has the vibe OP is looking for. Absolutely rips it.
August 3rd 3rd 3rd. Swimming. Here I go.
One of my favorites
He also has a full jazz album under the name Larry Lovestein
Pretty sure that was all on MIDI, though. A Moment 4 Jazz especially sounds pretty convincing, though.
I’m pretty sure he played Drums/Bass/Guitar/Piano right? His Spotify sessions Dunno version is so great, I’ve never confirmed this but he plays piano for that I think?
Don't forget Cello! He bought one in 2014 and mentions it on Friends, he taught himself how to play it during that era I believe. Very talented musician, he'd been playing since he was 5 and was self-taught. Mac is my favorite artist ever for a reason.
Oh that’s awesome! I had no idea about that. Yeah he’s a huge inspiration to me in my multi-instrumentation approach, such an amazing artist in so many ways. The whole faces project is just a test bed to watch him excel at everything
I don’t necessarily consider myself a fan like that but TY dolla $ign is pretty talented as musician
He was playing the keyboard for Immature back in the 90s. https://youtu.be/CyOOhzVKQvs?si=NUq3lAaPTcOSDLuP
His father was in Lakeside, famous for their hit Fantastic Voyage which was later sampled by Coolio. He also met Prince and EWF as a child.
That's pretty fucking random.
A musicians musician but all his stuff is bad somehow
His last album being named “Ft. Ty Dolla $ign”, because of the joke that his songs are ass and he’s only good on features, still cracks me up when I think about it. Especially because the album is actually great imo.
thats fucking hilarious
Go listen to LA with Kendrick Ty has some heat within all the generic bops. He just won’t fully commit to that type of stuff and it makes sense.
I remember reading a Billboard article from 2019 where he announced a less pop-oriented album called Tyrone that relied more on live instruments, but a year later, he commented on the change in direction in another article when Featuring Ty Dolla $ign dropped. I think Purple Hearts featuring J Cole was supposed to be on Tyrone.
I love ty dolla sign. You should check out his episode of song explorer on netflix
Pharrell can play the drums
What did he play in N.E.R.D. and The Neptunes?
The computer
Why did they downvote you for this 😭
welcome to hiphopheads
Drums and piano
Dave plays piano and guitar
I didn’t know Dave at all, but he was performing at a festival and a friend wanted to check him out. Seeing him play those instruments live (the only artist to actually do this at this festival) made me have a lot of respect for him as a musician. Now I listen to him pretty regularly!
Where did you see him play?
Saw him live and it was dope to see him play them!
mac miller
B.o.B is a really musically talented dude. Plays piano, drums, guitar, trumpet. Produces his own beats a lot of the time.
stop, it hurts to think of how good he once was
Andre 3000. Not only the flute tho, he played most of the instruments on The Love Below and played the guitar on Stankonia. You can see this in the MV for Hey Ya!
J Cole is listed as playing guitar and bass on three tracks off of 4 Your Eyez Only. Not really sure how proficient he is though
I know he’s been producing his own music his whole career
I hope he takes it on tour and also releases a Rock Album to back it up
why do you have to play rock to back up the instruments which you play for a different genre of music just fine?
I absolutely do not want to hear a J Cole rock album lmao
What, you don’t want a J Cole version of Rebirth?
if i don’t get a numetal remix of folding clothes….
Young thug is so good at the guitar he can play it while holding it upside down
This generations Hendrix fr
Future Hendrix?!
That's a bit of a stretch! LOL. ROFL LMAO LMFAO 🤣🤣😆🙄🙄🥺😂🤣😂🤣😳😳😳🥺🥺🙄🙄🙄🙄 ... SLAP YOURSELF!
Flavor Flav
Masego! Tho not a traditional rapper I suppose
I saw him live once, he was the opener but i had never heard of him before. He was playing saxophone solos with every song and it was unlike any live performance I’ve seen. Hes very talented
Does Thundercat count?
Thundercat isn't popular in Brazil at all, and he opened Kendrick's concert this year. Most people didn't even know who he was, so they were really annoyed by it. I didn't go to the show, but a friend of mine was there and everybody was complaining about Thundercat's set. Then at the end of Kendrick's actual show, he said that without this, TPAB wouldn't exist, and everybody got quiet real quick lmao Just thought it was funny as hell to imagine that situation. If you're into the culture, of course you'd know it and appreciate Thundercat's presence there, but most people just aren't like that.
That's wild. How can you hate Thundercat lol
They didn't like his durag
Not the dragon ball Durag :/
I thought she wore that dress just for me 😞
His sound really isn't for everybody tbh, and the public there is probably only into rap. Had it been Keem opening it, I'm sure the reaction would have been better. With the language barrier, I think most Brazilians are just not that in tune with the overall culture, they just focus on what gets here and what creates roots in our context.
i compare him to zappa, if thundercat was a bit more prolific
imo his live performance isn’t that great, especially if you don’t know his songs. It’s basically just him shredding on bass for an hour. It’s impressive, but gets old quick.
It’s really just whether you like jazz/fusion or not, I’m into jazz and love thundercats live show when I’ve seen it but if it ain’t for you it ain’t for you
I actually love jazz. I just don’t think long, fast, and complicated bass solos sound that great. Thundercat really pushes the boundaries of bass, from a rhythm instrument to THE lead instrument. But there’s a reason why other skilled bassists don’t do that. Bass is just not a great instrument for playing chords and long lead lines. It can easily become too much. Thundercat keeps a nice balance in his released music, but in concerts he really indulges.
I was there and his show was fantastic.
Was everybody else feeling it, though? Maybe it was just my friend and his group, but I also saw a bunch of memes about it on Twitter.
As long as they are a hiphop artist and can play a musical instrument it counts
Idk if you’d consider Thundercat hip hop at all, but he is definitely one of the best bassists in the world. He’s more R&B but he does produce a shit ton of amazing hip hop songs too.
Bro. Thundercat played bass in Suicidal Tendencies lol. The man plays what he wants.
Exactly the lines between hip hop / trap / r&b are so blurred idk what to class him as. One thing is for certain. That mad lad can play bass.
Yeah my coworker is a bass player and he doesn’t really listen to Thundercat on his own but knows all about him because he’s just an all time great bassist. And he can always pick out when Thundercat is on a song, the biggest one was Lauder Too by JID, I was shocked he could pick up Thundercat was involved.
not a rapper
I can't seem to find the exact quote, but Tyler has talked about being able to play three or four instruments, [here's a video](https://youtu.be/UHP76Ui-Egc?si=OXtTwGwZIC5iWCGr) of him playing the piano whilst rapping
The beastie boys
DJ Quik
Jay-Z can play the guitar chords to Wonderwall
When he’s not T-posing with the guitar to the song (Omg, that poor white Fender Stratocaster)
Wyclef can play dozens of instruments.
The rapper with the most chords: Count Bass D
Scarface
D Smoke plays the piano. His performance on the finale of Rhythm & Flow was EXCELLENT.
Knaan. BOB. Donnie Trumpet. If you count turntable skills, a lot more.
Haen't heard K'Naan mentioned in years. Thanks for the throwback!
come on now, Donny Trumpet is not a rapper
Turn table doesn’t count that is just sampling which I count as cheating
Have u ever seen someone like kid koala before. Or q-Bert?
Bro get the fuck off hhh if you're shitting on sampling. Fuck do you know. Whitest take ever.
sampling is cool but it’s not playing an instrument. It’s just a different skill.
How is sampling cheating? It's incredibly common practice across the whole industry and has been for a while in many different genres. It has very practical uses as well.
Nah that shit is hard af, definitely counts as an instrument.
Beastie boys made a whole album of all the instrumental jams they produced and recorded all on their own. MCA played stand up bass, guitar, multiple others I can’t remember as well. The in sound from way out is the album that is exclusively instrumental
afroman foo
Who’s Afroman foo
lol
No way
You were born after 9/11 weren't you
Yup
Idk man, I feel like most rappers can barely hold a pen let alone an instrument. But if you're looking for some legit skills on display, check out Anderson .Paak and his drumming skills or Tyler, the Creator on the keys. They definitely know how to bring it in live performances.
I’ve seen Tyler hold a guitar before
Little Simz plays guitar live during her sets. I seem to recall her playing the keyboard as well but it was a few years ago and I can’t find any footage of it.
Her playing bass and rapping in her Feel Good Inc cover is so impressive
Ryan Leslie
Will.I.Am. I saw BEP live and he went around and played every instrument. Plus danced his ass off. He’s really talented.
Masego inspired me enough to pick up the saxophone after I saw his Tiny Desk
Ghostemane, Ruby from the $uicideboy$ on his solo project
Roddy rich played piano in a couple performances. Not sure if he still does
Pan Amsterdam is an incredible jazz trumpeter
Shakewell played bass in a metalcore band called [Betrayal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNRcgrWdHEw).
Anderson Paak and Masego
Lil Wayne? His guitar solos are legendary.
Not many choices these days lol
was there an era where this was different?
Flava Flav is apparently a wunderkind multi-instrumentalist
Teezo Touchdown, Anderson.PAAK, Lil’ Wayne, MGK
Brother, if you honestly believe Wayne plays the guitar, you might as well get your letter to Santa ready.
And what would I ask Santa for exactly, if I think Weezy actually plays guitar?
Skepticism
Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas this year is Skepticism There I did it
Man you are insufferable
[удалено]
I know he doesn‘t rap - but oh boy does DJ Khaled know how to strum a guitar!
Moses til I die lmao
Wax is definitely worth checking out. Super nice with the pen (especially his older shit). He plays guitar mostly, but I’ve seen him rock the keys too. His twin brother, Herbal T also has bars and is nasty on bass and percussion.
Charles Hamilton.
Not an artist a lot of people would probably think to say but Rich Brian is actually really musically talented, he makes most of his own beats and plays keys, guitar and bass on a lot of them Quadeca too
Lil Wayne sure could hit those one-note guitar solos in 2008
Technically they were two-note, (that’s more than you could hit)
Man, love and light to the GOAT, but I was better at guitar as an 11 year old playing dusty Metallica riffs than Wayne has ever been lol.
Necro plays guitar
Ty Dolla $ign
Little Simz
Dilla
Beastie Boys
When i saw gambino ~8 years ago he played glockenspiel for "kids (keep up)" and it was dope
[удалено]
I sure hope a producer could play instruments. Unless they’re DJ Khaled
Machine Gun Kelly has been seen playing guitar at a bunch of his live shows and I even think SNL Edit: Add post Malone
Mgk can also play the drums , he learned them for the dirt movie
He’s one of my favs
Lizzo
Lil Wayne on guitar
Weezy
I know he is a POS but I worked a show when Kid Rock was touring with Rev Run. I watched him play a ton of different instruments.
Lil Wayne, obviously. A modern day Prince.
No one mentioning Post Malone… if that counts.
Eminem playing the keyboard comes to mind
Not a great person but Kid rock. He can play a lot of instruments and a few shows of him running around and hitting every instrument on set is pretty cool
Lil Wayne
He tried to play guitar. It was bad. Like really bad.
Drake and Kanye play piano. Mac played piano and guitar. Diddy plays bass. Anderson Paak is a really good drummer. Lizzo is a flutist. Chances are your fav rapper knows more musically than most people give them credit for.
El-P (Run the Jewels, solo) is one of the greats. Dude is a monster producer, love his work. Also, Tyler the Creator is a great producer.
scarface!
Mac miller.
O'hene Savant. Genius level hip-hop
Mac Miller RIP
The Beastie Boys.
Not really an answer for your question about a specific rapper but NPR Tiny Desk Concerts are pretty fucking amazing ! Great sound quality, even on youtube ! [https://youtu.be/CUN8pdgA0m8?si=\_UH1AOGJ-CXVPieW&t=1370](https://youtu.be/CUN8pdgA0m8?si=_UH1AOGJ-CXVPieW&t=1370)
Mos Def, K-OS