La Excepcion Essentials

Madrid triple threat La Excepcion provided a mighty gust of power to the Spanish hip-hop scene when they debuted in the early 2000s. MCs El Langui (Juan Manuel Montilla) and Gitano Antón (Antonio Moreno) traded combative bars over the thumping true-school loops of DJ La Dako Style (Javier Ibañez). Scratched vinyl, chopped up vocal samples and booming group chants marked the trio's hits—reflecting a European rebirth of classic US hip-hop styles from the '90s—as well as a healthy sense of good-natured humour.