The Not-Quite-Definitive (But Still Pretty Close) Top 50 Hip-Hop Albums Of All Time Countdown: #10-1
Aug 18 '04
The Bottom Line The greatest albums of all time: #10-1
Well here it is, the moment you may or may not have been waiting for, the top ten albums of all time, according to moi. Feel free to hurl insults or praise me in the comments section, now that this is done.
Here it goes..
10. Common - Like Water For Chocolate (2000)
Common may have crossed over to the mainstream somewhat with this album, but who says thats a bad thing? The Soulquarians are obviously a better fit for Common than even No I.D., and this album proves it. Lyrically what would you expect? Common is intelligent, romantic, thoughtful.. everything you need for a brilliant album. Though most would say his sophomore album was his best, this masterpiece of an album no doubt solidifies Common as one of the greatest emcees ever, showing he can continue to up his game throughout his career.
9. The Fugees - The Score (1996)
Regardless of how hard they broke up and how much they sucked as solo artists (cough Pras), the trio of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras bounced back from their average debut and made heads turn with this album. Lauryn Hill's beautiful singing and the sharp production from Wyclef made this album a success on every level. Unless you lived under a rock in the nineties, you heard Killing Me Softly, and possibly the other singles on the album. There will most likely never again be an album similar to what these three created, and if so, it won't be nearly as good.
8. The Roots - Illadelph Halflife (1996)
Talk about underrated. People praise the Roots so highly all the time, but never give their albums the props they deserve when discussing it in context with other phenomenal rap LPs. Black Thought's perfectly calculated lyrics prove he is an emcee to be reckoned with, and he is complemented well with the flows of Malik B and Dice Raw, when they appear. Of course, it wouldn't be a Roots album without the insanely good instrumentals, and naturally they don't disappoint here, with their deep vibes and soulful grooves backing up the emcees on the album.
7. Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek) - Train Of Thought (2000)
A full album of Hi-Tek beats backing up Talib Kweli's flow would make head's drool at the mouth, and this album is why. Thoughtful, uplifting lyrics from Talib Kweli over the souled-out beats from Hi Tek give this album such a high spot, even though it's been released for less than five years. With Talib's rapid fire flow and smooth beats from Tek, there's no way this album could have failed, and it didn't.
6. Mos Def - Black On Both Sides (1999)
The best Black Star related album happens to be the solo from the Mighty Mos Def, an emcee who could be one of the greatest ever if he just put out some more damn material. Topics ranging from hip-hop to love to water, and beats from producers like DJ Premier and Ayatollah, this album is so amazing and will blow you away on the first listen. A beautiful mix of soul and rap, this is probably the easiest album to get into in this top ten for the rap newcomer..
5. Outkast - Aquemini (1998)
Whether you think this is better than ATLiens or not, it doesn't matter, they're both exceptionally amazing. However, I feel this third LP from the group is their best, albeit by a narrow margin. Mixing socially conscious themes with their unique flows, Andre and Big Boi reached the peak of their careers with this album. Whether they're talking about Rosa Parks or "chonkyfire", you know when you're listening to this Southern masterpiece that it is perfect in every aspect and a piece of history..
4. Wu Tang Clan - Enter The Wu Tang: 36 Chambers (1993)
The Wu Tang Clan brings the mothafuckin' ruckus on their earth-shattering debut. The 9 man collective of GZA, RZA, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, ODB, Raekwon, Masta Killa, and U-God brought a sound that had never been heard before and revolutionized the East Coast rap game for years to come. RZA's dark production schemes were new to the scene and of course the rapping is phenomenal, with each of the nine members bringing their own style to the mic. Truly a hip-hop landmark album.
3. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders (1993)
A Tribe Called Quest capped off their legendary trio of classic albums with this masterpiece. Featuring hit songs that are still played today, the third album from Tribe continues on their jazzy, laid back style, with Q-Tip's funky flow and Phife's sharp rhymes. Their soul and humor, combined with the all-around illness in every aspect of the album, makes this one of the best albums of all time, matched only by the two below..
2. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (1991)
Many people feel this is their second best album, but after listening to both a countless number of times, I have come to the conclusion that this album is better than its follow-up. Improving on their sound from their debut, A Tribe Called Quest took hip-hop to a new level with their sophomore album.
1. Nas - Illmatic (1994)
"Nasty Nas in ya area, about to cause mass hysteria.." "This rhythmatic explosion", "straight from the fuckin dungeons of rap", "takin rappers to a new plateau, through rap slow". "Nas one quarter through life, some godly thing created", "Illmatic" "as ill as a convict who kills for phone time". "With more kicks than a baby in a mother’s stomach", "and groovy but smoother than moves by Villanova". "Visualizin the realism of life and actuality", "Nas is" "packin 'vocabulary spills' like a rasta in the weed spot". "Nas’ll rock it well, it ain’t hard to tell".
Yeah, I just described Illmatic using lyrical snippets from the album. Those who have been floored by this album (like me) will probably be able to identify which lyrics came from which songs, too. It's just that damn good.
And if you didn't get much out of that description using the lyrics, you can always read my full review of Illmatic, the second review I posted on the site.
Honorable Mentions
Alkaholiks, The - 21 & Over
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
Common - Electric Circus
Common - One Day It'll All Make Sense
Coup, The - Genocide and Juice
De La Soul - Stakes Is High
Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030
Digital Underground - Sex Packets
Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
Eric B & Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique
Jurassic 5 - Quality Control
Jungle Brothers - Straight Out The Jungle
Lootpack - Soundpieces: Da Antidote
Onyx - All We Got Iz Us
Pete Rock - Lost & Found: Underground Soul Classics
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Scarface - The Diary
Souls Of Mischief - 93 Til Infinity
Talib Kweli - Quality
There's a TON more honorable mentions, I just can't think of them all right now, and will add later. And no, I didn't "forget" Soul On Ice or Straight Outta Compton..
Well, thanks for reading this list, I hope you enjoyed or got something useful out of it. Now go out and BUY SOME HIP-HOP.
The complete list:
50 Greatest Albums Of All Time: #50-41
50 Greatest Albums Of All Time: #40-31
50 Greatest Albums Of All Time: #30-21
50 Greatest Albums Of All Time: #20-11
50 Greatest Albums Of All Time: #10-1
Related: The Top 20 Albums Of 2003
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