Seems only fitting that after the rapper talk and the producer talk we go here….
Best hip hop albums of all time!!!!! This has gotta be based on beats AND raps.. like, what did you listen to for 2 years straight from the day it came out and will still listen to and enjoy. None of this influence crap, i’m talkin music that is the best. Up top are my picks in chronological order because ranking is too hard and infinitely debatable… let the games begin!!
RUN-DMC - Raising Hell
This may be an unfair choice because at one point it was the only tape I had… but it still has SUCH replay value it’s insane. Aside from the Aerosmith Collab, which got them (and hip hop) a lot of attention in the game, tracks like It’s Tricky, Peter Piper, My Adidas are still beats and rhymes that everyone knows… and that’s just the first 4 songs!!! The beats are great, the rhymes are simple, fun, and make a point. Hip Hop at it’s finest. Still
BDP - Criminal Minded
Oh Scott La Rock… if only you had more time to do your thing on the drum machine. I think this might be the first UNDERGROUND album… honestly.. even though there was a lot of stuff going on in ‘86, KRS wasn’t on a real label, he was beefing with a “mainstream” rap artists… and he came out VICTORIOUS with a full album of hits… not one song gets skipped, catchy, hard, perfect.
Big Daddy Kane - It’s A Big Daddy Thing
Wha? It’s a who…? why not Long Live The Kane? Well BDK’s second album has much better replay value, and even though it lacks his MEGA hits from the first record, it still has it’s share of classics, Smooth Operator, Calling Mr. Welfare, Young Gifted and Black, Warm It Up Kane, I Get The Job Done and the title track produced by Prince Paul is one for the record books. NOT TO MENTION, the live version of Wrath Of Kane from the Apollo that sounds like the best one song set ever performed. Still has a sappy love song, just like Long Live The Kane, and Mr. Cee’s house song isn’t that great, but over all this album is longer and just as good if not better than his first album. Classic
Freestyle Fellowship - Innercity Griots
That’s right.. before PE THIS ALBUM CAME OUT IN 1993!!! That’s before Nas, Jay, or Biggie. For you people who don’t love this album you need to get a grip. The production by the Earthquake Brothers might as well be the west coast Bomb Squad. Not to mention that Aceyalone, Mikah 9, Jupiter and P.E.A.C.E. are all on FIRE on this album… B-Boys rejoice to these tunes, raps are from space and still memorable. West coast pioneers without question. Aceyalone’s solo joint on here “Cornbread” is proof that flow is all that matters sometimes when he raps a bunch of silly words that make no sense and it’s still super hot. This will still get the party started and the best thing is that everyone in the building will be like “who is this?” The album came out on 4th and Broadway, same label Rakim was on and it just never caught.. i really think this record was truly ahead of it’s time
Public Enemy - Fear Of A Black Planet
What the fuck Rob? you’re missing all the classics by one album! Wrong. This record, although it is NOT “It Takes A Nation…” is a freaking BANGER. It’s a little more composed than the previously mentioned PE masterpeice, and again, gets more knock in my world, therefore gets on the list. Plus it has my favorite Ice Cube track ever, Burn Hollywood Burn… oh O’Shea… what have we become? Are we there yet? Really? Is this it? BDK is on it too as well as serving up classics like 911 Is A Joke, Brotha’s Gotta Work It Out, Who Stole The Soul, Welcome To The Terrordome and Fight The Power…. Jesus, sounds like a Greatest Hit’s album already.
Of course there are a ton of other records that are classic and should be on the list, Paid In Full, Paul’s Boutique, Bizarre Ride, Illmatic, and every mid-late 90s record that Sayre will argue against me with… but these are the ones that I still know every word to and will play without hesitation. As far as beats and rhymes working together to make a perfect record. This is it for me.
Now… please argue furiously
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I’m gonna take this slightly off course, but I’m posting 5 albums based on your criteria “what did you listen to for 2 years straight from the day it came out and will still listen to and enjoy.” Since I was not around to listen to It Takes A Nation of Millions or Criminal Minded in their era & proper context, I will just give you 5 of my favorites from my personal “rap fanatic” period:
and oh yeah… the albums that were all I listened to for 3 years from about 6th-8th grade: The Chronic & Doggystyle.
Left by Joe on July 16th, 2008