The Top 20 Greatest Hip Hop Albums of 2002 - The Big D EditionFeb 20 '03 (Updated Feb 21 '03) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line If i were you and i had some spare money, check into some of these albums seriously. You wont be dissapointed. The Top 20 Greatest Albums of 2002 Well, its time for Big D to tell you his opinion on the Top 20 Greatest Albums in Hip Hop Music released in 2002. This covers all albums released after January 1, 2002, all the way to December 31st, 2002, so nothing before or after that. This is the definitive list of hip hop albums throughout the year that have shined and gotten play in my CD player the most. Ive rated them on overall album quality, not on individual tracks. So if there is an album that has one classic track, three good ones, and the rest suck, then it wont be here. This is just for albums which are enjoyable all the way through 20. 8 Mile - Original Soundtrack Featuring stand-out, but not masterful work by veteran emcees Rakim, Guru, Eminem, Xzibit, Nas, and Jay-Z, backed by newcomers Young Zee, Freeway, 50 Cent, and Obie Trice, this is an amazing hip hop soundtrack. Though extremely underrated, i think it deserves its props for Eminem being able aligning such an awesome group of tight emcees on this one, and they delivery. Only about four songs on here are washouts, the rest are pretty decent. I dont think the soundtrack outshines the movie, but its a worthy buy. Hot Tracks: Lose Yourself, 8 Mile, Rap Game, R.A.K.I.M., Battle [Full Review] 19. 2pac - Better Dayz Another Posthumous Album released by 2pac. In looking past all of the weaker tracks and guest appearances, you will note an amazing compliation by one of the best in the game. The production excells on a few tracks, and falls on some others, but its a very solid release. Hot Tracks: Thugz Mansion, They Dont Give a F*ck About Us, Fame 18. The Roots - Phrenology Not as good as some of their previous releases, Phrenology deserves its place as one of the best of the year. Even without the presence of Scratch, Malik, and Rahzel, Black Thought and the others have managed to excell the Roots to yet another tight release, and its currently one of the CDs i have in rotation at my house. Led by the single Break You Off, this is a great album for Roots fans. Pick it up. Hot Tracks: Break You Off, Water, Something in the Way of Things 17. Gravediggaz - Nightmare in A-Minor One of the most slept-on albums of 2002 has to be the latest Gravediggaz release. Unfortunately, with the untimely passing of Grym Reaper, they weren't complete on this release. However, you can feel that they are focused to continue his legacy, as he appears on many songs, but is still missed. Nearly every track on here is a hit, and they deliver masterfully on production. Definetely an underground gem. Hot Tracks: End of Da World, False Things Must Perish, God VS Devil 16. Public Enemy - Revolverlution It feels good to hear from a group that i thought was all but dead, but they returned hard with their political views still intact. Their amazing well-written and socially conscious lyrics, backed by tight production excells this album as another great addition to their collection of hits like Fear of a Black Planet and It takes a Nation of.... Hot Tracks: What Good is da Bomb, Son of a Bush, B-Side Wins Again 15. Aesop Rock - Daylight EP Extremely Intelligent Underground Emcee Aesop Rock releases his new EP Daylight, which is nothing short of amazing. Though not as good as his previous awesome album Labor Days, it is still a very solid album and a very tight EP. Its only got 7 Tracks... but they are THAT DAMN GOOD! He once again puts Def Jux on the map. Hot Tracks: Nightlight, Alchemy, Forest Crunk 14. Xzibit - Man vs. Machine After releasing his almost purely commercialized LP Restless, all hope seemed lost for Xzibit to regain his underground credibility. However, after signing a deal with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, he has securely set himself up to work on his latest Man vs. Machine. Now backed by amazing Dr. Dre production, he delivers hard and makes one hell of an awesome comeback with this LP. Hot Tracks: The Gambler, Symphony in X Major, My Name, Enemies 13. Nas - God Son After returning to his roots in Stillmatic, many wondered if Nas would remain this way and intact, specially due to the impending rumors of signing with Murder Inc. However, he proved us all wrong by unleashing us with this magnificent LP. Only 2 or 3 songs on here are commercialized, the rest are classic Nas with classic stories. The main difference between this album and his others are that this one takes a much more emotional tone, dealing with the loss of his mother and all. Is it better than Stillmatic? No.. but its on the right track. Hot Tracks: The Cross, Dance, Book of Rhymes, Last Real N*gga Alive [Full Review] 12. Jurassic 5 - Power in Numbers Though nowhere near as Classic as their Quality Control, this team of emcees return and hit hard with this album. Extremely enjoyable production, with lots of variety, backed by amazing introspective lyricism and pure braggadiocio make this a must-buy for 2002. Though it has a few bad tracks, they more than make up for it with all the good ones implemented on this album. I hope they continue going down this path. Hot Tracks: What's Golden, If You Only Knew, Remember His Name 11. Nas - The Lost Tapes Nas' amazing compliation is Number 11 on my countdown. This was one of the most enjoyable albums released and is a perfect continuation from Stillmatic when it was released earlier in the year. Nas undoubtedbly had one of his best years in defeating Jay-Z, and releasing stellar two albums. Featuring EXTREMELY introspective, advanced, and intelligent tracks, couped wiht amazing production and storytelling, this compilation is better than It Was Written, I Am, and Nastradamus COMBINED! PICK IT UP! Hot Tracks: Fetus, Poppa Was a Player, Purple, Doo Rags [Full Review] 10. Common - Electric Circus One of the illest emcees alive in hip hop Common lights the mic on fire with his high-anticipated 2002 release Electric Circus He keeps his poetic style and variety, and is now being backed up by a plethora of guests and producers on this album. Many think this isnt a step forward for Common and that the album is too abstract, but I think it deserves more than a few spins in your CD player. Though parts of the CD are plain-out weird, its definetely one of the best, specially to those with an open mind. So i reccomend listening to it because its one of the year's best. Hot Tracks: Soul Power, Come Close, Between Me, You, and Liberation [Full Review] 9. Gza - Legend of the Liquid Sword The Genius of the Wu-Tang Clan, mastermind behind Liquid Swords returns in 2002 with his highly anticipated FOURTH LP Legend of the Liquid Swords. Backed by some amazing production and his Wu buddies, Gza once again delivers with his highly intelligent and metaphoric battle raps and meaningful songs loaded with social-consciousness. A proud representer of the underground, he delivers probably his second best album to date. Hot Tracks: Sparring Minds, Fame, Animal Planet, Silent, Auto-Bio [Full Review] 8. Non-Phixion - The Future is Now Underground emcee trio Non-Phixion release a pure classic in this album. Ill Bill, Sabaac, and Goretex deliver with this stunning debut, showing thier promise as emcees. The 8th best album of 2002, and sometimes i think it should be higher on the list. Produced by the masterful trio of Pete Rock, DJ Premier, and Large Professor, they were aiming for Illmatic-type acceptance, which they didnt achieve, but got pretty damn close. Hot Tracks: Drug Music, Rock Stars, Its Us 7. Cormega - The True Meaning Mastermind Street Poet Cormega delivers on one of his pure gems. Backed by amazing instrumentals which are easy to rap over, Cormega's introspective street poetic narratives and storytelling tales match those of even his mentor Nas. Backed by some of the best producers in the game (Large Professor, Alchemist), he definetely deserves to have this album called one of the year's absolute best. Hot Tracks: The Come Up, Soul Food, Verbal Graffiti, Introspective 6. Canibus - Mic Club Curriculum The King of Battle Raps who seemingly lost his throne has made his amazing return to hip hop with this dynamically awesome LP. On this album, Canibus aims for redemption from his failed C-True Hollywood Stories. With much improved production, Canibus annihilates the microphone with his mastery of the english language and lyrical annihilation. Though the album is mainly just battle raps, they could be the greatest ever ushered out from an emcee, featuring intelligent, multi-syllable flows, metaphors, similes, and its own brand of cleverness. No doubt Canibus is one of the best lyricists in rap, and i reccomend all other emcees fear him. Hot Tracks: Bis vs. Rip, Liberal Arts, Curriculum 101 [Full Review] 5. J-Live - All of the Above Underground sensation J-Live, whos career has been all but pleasant, finally releases his long awaited All of the Above album, this english teacher proves why he has the qualifications to teach kids, and emcees, about poetry. Featuring some amazingly creative tracks, inventive and amazing lyricism, and tight production, J-Live was in the running for being one of the best of the year, and clocks in at number 3. Hot Tracks: One for the Griot, MCee, Like this Anna, Satisfied [Full Review] 4. Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow Definetely an Epinions favorite, Blackalicious makes a successful sophomore album. Though not as complete as Nia, it delivers as being one of the absolute best of 2002. Amazing Thoughful lyricism mixed with killer production and Gab's amazing delivery puts these guys as some of the illest emcees that exist on the planet. With their multi-syllable flows, thoughful ideas, and anti-commercial hip hop style, how could you not love this album. Not to mention amazing guest apprearances by Dilated Peoples, Cut Chemist, Jurassic 5, and Jaguar Wright. BUY IT if you dont already own it. Hot Tracks: Sky is Falling, First in Flight, Make You Feel That Way, Passion 3. Eminem - The Eminem Show Ok Ok Ok.... i know that almost nobody is going to agree with me on this one, and everybody is gonna think im CRAZY.. but i enjoyed this album since the first day i got it two months before its release, hehe. His satirical comedic views, purpose hypocrisy, storytelling, all backed by some of the illest and best lyricism in the scope of mankind, dont hate on the white boy. He even takes his own own shot at producing, and does a wonderful job at it. Not as good as Marshall Mathers LP, but it comes close. Buy it... Hot Tracks: Till I Collapse, Sing for the Moment, Square Dance, Drips. [Full Review] 2. Talib Kweli - Quality What is there to say about this album that hasn't been said. Talib Kweli touches on every single topic imaginable from the downfall of hip hop, the rise of commercialism, politics, government, love, his children, hunger, violence, and everything that goes with those topics. Each track focuses on a new topic, and never strays away from being amazing. His lyrical ability is one of the best in the game today, using his thought-ful, well-written rhymes backed by clever metaphors and a tight delivery. As for production, he has recruited Kanye West, DJ Scratch, DJ Quik, and Ayatolla, which each give him masterful and soulful beats to rhyme over. Even with the absense of Hi-Tek, he does an amazing job, though i DO want to see him and Hi-Tek rejoin. Anyways, this comes in at a close 2nd place, and would've gotten first if it wasnt for the gem that i discovered in the underground at #1. Hot Tracks: The Proud, Get By, Guerilla Monsoon Rap, Good to You [Full Review] 1. Mr. Lif - I-Phantom There you Go... SURPRISED??? Well... you should be. Many people have not heard this underground masterpiece by Def Jux emcee Mr. Lif, but it is truly the best album of 2002, hands down. From beginning to end we are treated with an amazingly written and weaved story by Mr. Lif about the rise and fall of a single man trying to struggle, which ultimately leads to the downfall of society do to the decisions he makes. Backed over beautiful beats by El-P, and a few guests, Mr. Lif shines lyrically with his use of poetic metaphors, similes, and multi-syllable advanced words, all fitted into the main plotline of the album to weave and move the story along. Throughout the scope of the album we are also given glimpses into Mr. Lif's own beliefs about how society is being run and how politics and money make the world go round, which is an amazing view, all said within the confines of one 14 track masterpiece of an album. If you can find a copy of this.. BUY IT ASAP. Hot Tracks: Return of the B-Boy, Success, The Now, Earthcrusher, Post Mortem [Full Review] -------------------------------------------------------------- SPECIAL BONUS!!! Five WORST Albums of 2002 I thought as a bonus i would include the 5 albums you should keep away from. Im sure a lot of people will like this section of the article a lot more than the other one. So Check it out... 5. Big Tymers - Hood Rich At Number 5 we have the definition of BAD Subject Matter. The MOST played-out material in the history of rap music is crammed down our throats once again. Every single song on this album is either about money, cars, sex, or jewels. Two COMPLETELY talentless emcees, backed by TALENTESS production. Bling Bling This... Bling Bling that... G*D DAMMIT IM SO SICK OF IT! It makes me wanna just completely destroy them. I am desperately waiting for somebody to diss these guys, because they are being left off in favor of some of the artists on the above. These guys need to be exposed at talentess d*ck-riders who should NOT be in hip hop at all. Buy this album if either your rich, or you suck a lot of d*ck. 4. Ja-Rule - The Last Temptation When i heard this CD, i was lucky. I had a spoon in my hand. So i took the spoon.. and i SHOVED IT IN MY A**. You may be wondering.. Danny.. why did you shove a spoon in your a**hole? Simple... Because if i was going to have to go through this much pain... i would rather cause it upon myself... and not have it caused by Ja Rule. This guy is a complete washout of a rapper. Besides having absolutely no skill whatsoever and not being able to rhyme, AT ALL, he has the nerves to go around claiming hes the best, and saying that if 2pac was alive, hed go riding with him. Man... if 2pac was alive hed probably diss this guy so many times its not even funny. He goes along the lines of being a fake-gangsta, along with tons of others whom i cannot stand. His album is filled with EXTREMELY sappy wanna-be love songs that only appeal to 13-15 year old little horny girls and homosexuals. Buy this if you fit into that category. 3. P. Diddy - We Invented the Remix This is purely atrocious. This complete and utter homosexual of hip hop goes around dancing in the videos and pretending like hes cool, and he doesnt even write his own rhymes. His beats are extremely commercial and idiotic, and his entire crew is made up of complete idiots. Not to mention this c*ck sucker makes not one, but TWO songs dedicated to J-LO. Dude... get the message... SHE DOESNT LIKE YOU!!! She likes Daredevil, get over it! You claim to be a "pimp", then get another stupid girl! Anyways, this album is less than nothing. Filled with mediocre and stupid songs about money, cash, and parties, and his label filled with talented wanna-be rappers, this is horrible to the ears. What bothers me is that they picked this f*ggot to host Making the Band on MTV. Ok... lemme get this straight. Hes trying to FIND new talent? How can somebody who has NO talent recognize REAL talent? Makes no sense to me, which is why MTV has no meaning to my life anymore, as it did during the days of Beavis and Butthead, due to the meaningful message and social consciousness that show delivered. 2. Cam'Ron - Come Home With Me When i heard this CD, what i heard was not music, or even hip hop. I heard horrible, awful, and life threatening sounds which would make old ladies gasp in fear, cows stop giving milk, and scare children. I heard screetching, hollering, and sounds that i thought i would never hear. When i heard this CD, I heard sounds right from hell, which is why everytime one of his songs come on... i SHOVE A PENCIL IN MY EAR! Undeniably, one of the worst pieces of complete garbage to ever be released in mankind. If you have the balls to buy this CD, make sure you check the mental institution the next day because congradulations: YOU'RE A F*CKING MORON!!!!!!!! 1. Nelly - Nellyville The biggest piece of human trash on the face of the planet releases the biggest piece of trash album in the history of mankind. Filled with awful pop-production, cheap single-syllable lyrics, cars and money subject matter, and absolutely NO TALENT WHATSOEVER... this record blows big time. This guy claims to be a rapper, and hes a f*ckin pop-star who cant sing, sounds like he's whining, and CAN'T rap, and yes he IS in it for the money. Every single song is a washout and it has NO good moments.... NONE!!!! If you buy this, make sure it comes with a loaded handgun so you can do yourself the pleasure after listening. [Full Review]  |
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