Good call on Saul Williams.
If you like J Dilla, listen to Madlib and MF Doom, they're not very threatening though.

Christ!

best labels:

Anticon
Def Jux

I prefer the overall sound astetics of anticon, experimental, dreamy, artsy and yes, I just love it, artists regarding anticon: clouddead (pure bliss, really) themselves, Odd Nosdam (some of the best beat driven instrumentals, really fuzzy and dreamy)

Def Jux: in general el-p, mr lif, aesop rock (!!!) etc.

I really like the grime scene in england, which is more ruff, more testosten, more old school, with futuristic sounds: dizzee rascal (especially his debut), wiley (the old stuff is wayyyyy better I think) and a bunch of other guys.

I hope this helped a bit, I havne tread the other posts before, so sorry for mentioning twice

you have to listen to MF DOOM. it's a rule. also Madlib and his little brother Oh No, he used alot of old video game samples that sound futuristic. f'sho.

damn ya'll type fast. and it's MF DOOM, not MF Doom.

"remember all caps when you spell the man name" :)

oh yes mf doom I forgot, hes is awesome.
I like also the whole escape artists rooster. I am collabing with one of them, hes called Xczircles, I really like his voice (but there are some haters too :))
got two or three tracks with him in my myspace player, so maybe you like it.
http://www.myspace.com/catsleeph
sorry for advertising, hrhrhr

yeah , what about aesop rock?
what's his must have piece of work?

same question for MFdoom

MF Doom albums - check out Operation: Doomsday and MM..FOOD

i know all there's to know about Anticon yes.
thx SYRfox will check out the Dizzee LP!

Aesop Rock: Labour days
(but I like bazooka tooth alot too)

MF DOOM: not quite sure about

yr getting repped for that.

I could type a long list of hiphop albums that I love but my very favourite is Fear Of A Black Planet by Public Enemy. It's not as dated as It Takes A Nation Of Millions (which has the reputation as the best PE album) and should appeal to any Sonic Youth fan: collages of noise, made from samples of guitar solos, funk records, electro synths, the sound of a chainsaw, etc, all mashed together in a melodic way, with an angry (Chuck D) or insane (Flavor Flav) guy shouting over the top. It's awesome.

Yes, Aesop's LABOR DAYS is the MUST have album in his discography.

Also, as a side note... I have a HUGE hip hop collection, but am only partially certain that I know what you mean by "futuristic samples." If you could elaborate on that, I'd be able to recomend a lot more shiz.

when it comes to some fresh new stuff. I started to dig the Cool Kids. nice rough minimalistic beats, and a really cool laid back style of vocals.
its not the best, and blabla but its kinda like N.E.R.D. in cool, less bling bling and just better, in my opinion

I thought of grimey london stuff when thinkin bout futuristic samples.

for that matter if you searching for instrumentals or part-time-instrumental artists I highly recommend Prefuse 73 and Flying Lotus
both on warp records

Robert Logan, then.

The first 2 Prefuse albums are top notch.

you know, futuristic as spooky big layers of synth maybe mixed with other samples, as in a few tracks off "The Cold Vein".....

I went off hiphop for a long time because there seemed to be a split in the early 2000s between glittery commercial hiphop, which made me feel like a moron for listening to it, and the pseudo-underground hiphop which was built on lame jazz-samples and people like Mos Def bragging about how much of an intellectual/poet they are (without actually saying anything intellectual or poetic). I'm trying to get into it again but I'm not sure where to start, or if it's really changed...

I like Clouddead's first album and Alias' The Other Side Of The Looking Glass. The whole Anticon thing seems like a minefield to me... there's some great stuff and a lot of rush-released horseshit.

I love the collaboration Prefuse 73 did with The Books.