20 Phat Albums to Sink Your Grungy Teeth Into
Oct 11 '01
The Bottom Line It's MF, the Supervillain!
Back from the abyss known as school for a little bit, and here to bless y'all once again with my literary triumphs.
Enough.
OK, what follows below is the 20 Best Hip Hop Albums of All Time. Do not dispute my knowledge. Just know I'm right.
There's obviously a bunch that didn't make the cut, but hey, that's life. Even the album that got me into hip hop in the first place, Smif-N-Wessun's "Dah Shinin" didn't make it in, so there.
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20)Run DMC- Run DMC
A little low on the list you say? Nah. In fact, I'd even wager this is a little high for the actual quality inherent in the release. It only makes it here for being amongst the first actual rap albums to make an impact on the mainstream consciousness. And oh yeah, even though I sorta badmouthed it above, it still kicks hard.
19)Doggystyle- Snoop Dogg
I was gonna put The Chronic here, by Dr. Dre, but looking back, it's quite obvious that the pinnacle of the G-funk production sound that Dre helped pioneer, came about with this album. I mean really, name ONE bad song on this. All party beats, and back then, Snoop didn't suck. Nuff said.
18)Enta Da Stage- Black Moon
BOOYAKA! When this album dropped, heads noticed. It's always overlooked when going over early nineties east coast history, but true heads(aka ME) don't forget. Backed by the dirty yet glorious production of Da Beatminerz, and boasting the now familiar raggedy flow of Buckshot, this album influenced too many other releases to list.
17)Liquid Swords- The GZA
Even moreso than "Enter The 36 Chambers", "Liquid Swords" was and still is the pinnacle of the "kungfu" sound that the Wu started. Incredible production provided by the RZA (solely I might add), an abundance of classic tracks, and oh yeah, the best lyricist in the entire Wu.
16)Paul's Boutique- Beastie Boys
Most put "Licensed to Ill" on their list. That's all fine and good, but the real treat that the Beasties dropped was Paul's Boutique. First, it sported production never heard in hip hop till then- the layered stylings of the Dust Brothers. Add in the usual braggadacio frat boy prattling of the Beasties, and you have a winner.
15)ATLiens- Outkast
Too low again? Nah. I love Outkast, I really do, and I think this album is dope dope dope dope...but PUHLEESE, stop riding the D. This album was by far the best album the duo from Georgia put out, with every track banging hard, and the lyrics varying from the usual rap ish, to more thought provoking insights.
14)Death Certificate- Ice Cube
Not many could leave a major group like NWA, and not only survive in the industry, but thrive. Ice Cube is one of those people. One of the best albums of the nineties, and sporting the former trademark "hate the world" persona of Cube, this is angry music at its finest. Too bad Cube sucks now though.
13)Ready To Die- Notorious B.I.G.
Really though, you may think 2Pac was a better MC, but he wasn't. I know that's gonna cause a ruckus for sure, but it's true. "Ready To Die" is the proof. Backed by dope production from Puffy's stable of Bad Boy producers, and DJ Premier, this album was at the same time a party LP, and a lyrical masterpiece.
12)Straight Outta Compton-NWA
Oops. THIS is angry music at its finest. Impressively angry while still potently true, NWA singlehandedly started up a whole new genre as a group. Add to that the frenetic beats of a young Dr. Dre? Bonafide awesomeness.
11)Resurrection- Common
Ah, the good old days. Common was dope, his beats were dope, and the likes of Jay Dee hadn't brainwashed him yet. No ID provided the beats, Common just did his thing. Just a quick pointout- this album has one of the greatest tracks of alltime- "I Used to Love HER", a track dedicated to hip hop.
10)The Infamous- Mobb Deep
Jay Z can talk all he wants, but NOTHING he's ever done has come close to what the QB duo released with their second full length. Incredible cinematic beats by Havoc, and a monotone yet lethal delivery by Prodigy documenting the street life. Beautifully stark.
9)3 Feet High And Rising- De La Soul
In the midst of gunshots and baseball bats, the flower pot proved to be the mightiest. Offering up a sound unlike any heard at the time, De La layed the groundwork for their greatness with this LP.
8)Low End Theory- A Tribe Called Quest
In the same vein as De La, but in my opinion with a better MC- Mr. Q-Tip. Of course, he REALLY stinks now, but back then, he was king of the slow flow, and had a distinctive voice to back it up.
7)Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers- Wu-Tang Clan
The album that started the whole empire. With production done entirely by RZA, and a cast of 9 completely different MC's, there was something for everyone on this LP. Not a skipper on the entire release, and EVERYTHING still sounds fresh to this day. How many other albums can say that almost 10 years after release?
6)Paid In Full- Eric B. and Rakim
The R brought the lyrics, and Eric B. made you dance. You could pick ANY of their first 3 albums, but I took this one because it had 3 superclassic singles, plus one of my fave songs of all time- the title track.
5)Nocturnal- Heltah Skeltah
My favorite group EVER. Bar none. The best duo in hip hop, plus the best voices in hip hop, in my humble opinion of course. Their sophomore release was pretty good, but when compared to their rookie LP? Puhleese. It's ridiculous how good this LP is. Ruck and Rock are kings, and this is Beatminerz production at its pinnacle.
4)It Takes A Nation of Millions...- Public Enemy
Much like Eric B. and Rakim, you could take almost any PE record and put it here, but again, this is my personal fave. The ultimate in socio-political commentary, with some of the most innovative beats ever, provided by the Bomb Squad. Plus, even though it was angry, it sounded like party music due to Chuck D's deity-like voice.
3)Illmatic- Nas
He never will get this good again. EVER. Try as he might, Nasir Jones reached his Mount Everest with this LP. Super short by todays standards at only 40 minutes, but packed with the cream of the NY production crop (Large Professor, DJ Premier), Nas was able to weave street tales with heart, on this, his best LP.
2)Soul On Ice- Ras Kass
There is not a better lyrical album ever released. I feel completely comfortable saying that. Forget the beats. This album was ALL about Mr. H2O teaching the ignorant about any and everything. From "Nature of the Threat" to "On Earth As It Is", this album was packed with fabulous wordplay, and one of the best flows in the world.
1)Only Built 4 Cuban Linx- Raekwon
So we've reached it. The zenith if you will. Why this album? Well for one, it's the best Wu album ever. Two, it's STILL influencing music in general, 6 years after its release. And three, well there is no three, other than my liking this most from all the records I've ever heard. Listen as Ghostface and Rae tagteam rhyme like they were joined at the hip. Listen as the RZA creates a whole new vibe for the Wu incorporating Mafia elemens. Basically, just listen.
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So that's it.
You may THINK something else should be on here, but trust me, you're wrong.
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