We're majority rap today, which is totally ok with me. Hopefully it happens more often!
Devin the Dude, "Highway"
Here we find Devin in a rare contemplative mood, examining the sociopolitical origins of...naw, he's rapping about women and weed. HIGHway, geddit?
De La Soul, "D.A.I.S.Y. Age"
Some seriously old De La Soul here, but still somehow sounding fresh. This was the proper album closer, although most versions of 3 Fee High And Rising have a second version of "Plug Tunin'" after it in the track list.
Arcwelder, "And Then Again"
Arcwelder, out of Minneapolis, played a variety of noisy pop that was clearly influenced by fellow Twin Cities band Hüsker Dü, which isn't the worst influence in the world. I've got a couple of their albums (Pull and Xerxes) which I both enjoy, although I don't often get them out these days.
fIREHOSE, "This..."
As mentioned when the Minutemen came up before, fIREHOSE is the band that Mike Watt and George Hurley formed after the tragic death of D. Boon. Ed Crawford joined them, a super-fan of the Minutemen, but they immediately took on a new character. While the restlessness of the band was still there, fIREHOSE had more folk inspiration, less of a punk feel. Their first three albums (Ragin', Full-on, If'n, and Fromohio) are all fantastic, with this song being from the first of those (and my favorite album of theirs).
Aceyalone, "Bounce"
One of the MCs from Freestyle Fellowship, Aceyalone has had a long and distinguished solo career. Although he's never escaped the underground, he's put out a bunch of solid records, and his early 2000s run is excellent.