You know what I miss? Hip hop music. What the hell has happened to rap music in the last five years? Nas said it best when he released an album last year entitled Hip Hop is Dead. I have a hard time arguing with him, because 90% of what is coming out today is no good. I really feel like people my age are spoiled in this department, because we grew up in the prime of hip hop. The mid-to-late 80s and all through the 90s, rap was really incredible stuff. Sure there was some I didn’t care for, but the majority of it was at least listenable. Is listenable a word? I really don’t think it is, but for this post and this post only, I’m using it. Hip hop used to be an art form, a means of beautiful expression. Most of today’s hip hop is mindless yammering about “apple bottom jeans and the Reeboks with the straps,” (I’m sorry, but that is a terrible song). There is just no thought or love being put into the music anymore, and that makes me sad.
Quick story: Last week I opened up my iTunes and was browsing around the store to see what was new. On the store’s homepage, they gave me some recommendations based on recent purchases. It said based on my purchase of Lupe Fiasco’s latest album, The Cool (an excellent album), they recommend I check out Soulja Boy’s album, Souljaboytellem.com. Now despite the fact that I really hate the only song he has released so far – “Crank That” – I decided to give the album the once over, just for kicks. I listened to the 30 second sample clips iTunes offers for each of the songs and let me tell you, it’s a good thing I didn’t have a gun handy, because Lord only knows what I would have shot, myself included. After I finished puking, I knew I had to balance things out again, or my life would be in constant chaos. So I took a few deep breaths and listened to Jay-Z.
Between those events and the fact that I really enjoyed writing about my top ten favorite video games of all time, I decided that I would indulge you (and myself) and make a list of my top ten favorite hip hop albums of all time. Before we get started though, I should warn you that I will be focusing on albums released from about the late 80s to present, mainly because this is what I grew up with and therefore it is what I know best. I could talk briefly about the early stages of the game, (i.e. Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash, The Sugarhill Gang, etc.) but I wouldn’t be doing them justice because I just don’t know enough about them and I would feel like a poser having to look that stuff up. I should also mention that I know this is a highly debated topic among hip hop fans, and I want to reiterate that these are only my opinions, so don’t freak out on me when you don’t see your favorite on here. Alright, enough with the disclaimers.
10. Kanye West – Late Registration (2005)
The highly-anticipated sophomore album from producer-turned-rapper Kanye West was a monster. He was a genius on his first album The College Dropout but he really upped the ante with this one. As I mentioned in my Grammy post, he is just constantly creating a new sound for his music, and that is what makes him special. The number of hits on that CD are crazy. “Heard ‘Em Say” with my boy Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine, “Touch The Sky,” “Diamonds From Sierra Leone,” “Hey Mama,” and of course, “Gold Digger.” Those are just the tracks that got regular airplay. The rest of the songs are equally impressive. My favorite track on the album: “Hey Mama”
9. Dr. Dre – The Chronic (1992)
If someone prompted me to describe this album in one word, that would would be “revolutionary.” This was the very first album I ever purchased in CD format. I had the tape and I loved it; it was one of the only tapes I owned that I didn’t bother fast forwarding through because it is just that good. This was Dre’s first solo effort after N.W.A. parted ways, and although he had already proven himself as a producer, this album really solidified him as a lyricist as well. This album was the definition of West Coast rap and it set the tone for all hip hop released west of the Mississippi. This album launched the careers of not only Dre himself, but both members of the Dogg Pound – Daz Dillinger and Kurupt, Warren G, Nate Dogg, and of course Snoop Doggy Dogg. My favorite track on the album: “Nuthin But A ‘G’ Thang”
8. 50 Cent – Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003)
Think back at the hype about this album. After “In Da Club” was released as the first single, this album leaked like an old faucet. It got into the wrong hands and it was being bootlegged more than the Pam and Tommy Lee video, forcing Interscope Records to release it almost a full week before the scheduled release date. That never happens. You know what else never happens? One hip hop album having six singles go mainstream is unheard of. “In Da Club” was far and away the biggest song of the year; 50 was thrust into instant fame and we got our first look at G-Unit members Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo. Do yourself a favor, toss this CD in next time you’re in the car. It’s been a while and you’ve probably forgotten how good it really is. My favorite track on the album: “Don’t Push Me”
7. Snoop Doggy Dogg – Doggystyle (1993)
After the release of this album, there was no more argument that Snoop was simply just riding Dr. Dre’s coat tails in the rap game. Although Dre was the executive producer of the album, Snoop was official like a referee with a whistle. His delivery is so smooth, it makes it hard not to like every song. The whole album really is incredible. Remember how I said that The Chronic was the first album I bought as a CD? This was the second. Snoop has since enjoyed a long, successful career with six or seven albums released since this one. For me, though, this was his best work. My favorite track on the album: “Ain’t No Fun”
6. Dr. Dre – 2001 (1999)
Beginning to see a trend here? Dre is all over this list, and for good reason. The man basically made hip hop what it is today. Ask any producer in the game who his or her influences were coming up and I guarantee Dre gets mentioned by 99% of those questioned. JK and I were talking the other day and he said this album is miles above any other, and said nothing even comes close. In a lot of respects he is right, but the first 12 tracks or so were just too big for the back half of the album to live up to, so it’s a little top-heavy. Not to take anything away from the last 10 tracks though, they’re good songs. But the hits that came from this album were just so big. “Still D.R.E.” has that tantalizing keyboard riff that sticks in your head for days, but you really don’t mind because the track was so hot. Dre proved himself a perfectionist on this album, admittedly taking several years to put it together and get it just so. Case in point: for “What’s The Difference” he brought live trumpets, trombones and various other horns into the studio to get the sound the way he wanted. It was worth it because that song is a classic. Since about 2004, Dre fans have been living on the edge of their seats waiting for the much-hyped release of his latest work, Detox. It has been delayed several times, and is again slated for release this year. Dre has said on many occasions that the album will change the game forever, and that everyone’s patience will be rewarded. Let’s hope so, because it’s been a long time coming, and it has some very large shoes to fill if it plans to live up to expectations stemming from his first two albums. My favorite track on the album: (tie) “The Watcher” and “Fuck You”
5. Nas – Illmatic (1994)
This is widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best hip hop album of all time by many. His first release, Nas immediately made a name for himself with his flow and amazing writing skills. This album really tells a story, and no one is better at that than Nas. He has such a great delivery and a truly clever style that it makes you really feel closer to the music because you can almost picture the words coming alive in your head as you listen. Nas did for East Coast hip hop what Dre did for the West Coast. Although the album didn’t get mainstream play like others on this list, it was really a record that set the mold for all after it. Nas had a tough time following up the success of Illmatic, but his other albums are also very good if you’re into that sort of thing, and by “that sort of thing” I mean excellent hip hop. My favorite track on the album: “Memory Lane”
4. Notorious BIG – Ready To Die (1994)
In a time when the rap game was being dominated by West Coast rap, Biggie’s album was another point scored for the East Coast. There is not a substandard song on this entire album. Every single track is solid front to back. A conversation about good writing, clever rhymes, and an excellent lyricist cannot be had without mentioning Biggie. He had an innate way of being able to rhyme words we didn’t know rhymed and making everything he said sound good. This album is light years ahead of Life After Death if you ask me, but not because the latter isn’t good. Life After Death is a very good album, but on Ready To Die you could really sense Biggie’s hunger, no pun intended. The music is just very pure, and it really speaks to its audience. Just like his fellow New Yorker Nas, Biggie knew how to tell a story. You can listen to the tracks and you just know he was broke and this was his last chance at making a life for himself. My favorite track on the album: “Juicy”
3. 2Pac – All Eyez On Me (1996)
Four hours. 240 minutes. 14,400 seconds. No matter how you look at it, you’ll never look at four hours again after reading this: That’s how long it took for this album to go platinum. How many double-disc CDs do you own? How many of them can you listen to straight through? For me, the answer to that question is one; All Eyez On Me. Pac somehow managed to put 27 songs together that were all good. Wrap your mind around that for a second. He basically put out two albums worth of music at one time, and it was all excellent. Got it? Good. Now wrap your mind around this – he did it in two weeks. After being released from prison, Pac hit the studio, and in less time than it takes to receive a package from UPS, the lyrics were all recorded. There are few albums that are considered to be more influential than this one, and even fewer are said to have done more for hip hop. Dre’s magic touch was found on several tracks and once again, he was behind the biggest smash to come off the album: “California Love.” I could sit here and write about this album for longer than anyone would want to read about it, so I’ll wrap things up. Pac was the ultimate lyricist. He had countless hits, many of them coming off this album. This CD could easily serve as a greatest hits compilation due to how well-rounded it is. My favorite track on the album: “Picture Me Rollin”
2. Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt (1996)
You can say what you want about any of Jay’s albums, but this is his best work. Does that mean his follow-ups are lackluster? Of course not. But in his case, like with Biggie, he was at his purest and most hungry state when he was making his first album … and he did it with minimal guest appearances, and relatively unknown producers. He knew he had the lyrics and talent, so he relied on just those things to make a historic album. As most hip hop heads know, Jay never writes down any of his material. He has some kind of super memory that he says allows him to keep lyrics for up to about ten tracks in his head all at once without too much confusion or clutter. He gets bonus points for this because that is just sick. He is famous for saying that he has forgotten more good rhymes than most rappers have written. If you’re one of those people who only started buying Jay-Z albums after “Hard Knock Life” was a smash single, you’re missing out big time. You owe it to yourself to go out and buy this album along with In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. My favorite track on the album: “Politics As Usual”
1. N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton (1988 )
This was the start of gangsta rap, period. (Yes, I wanted to type out the word “period” there). I’m hard-pressed to think of an album that evoked more controversy than this one as well. Despite the fact that it received no mainstream airplay and N.W.A. never toured to promote it, the album went double platinum (and sold yet another million or so after they started touring). This group gave us three superstars of rap all in the same place at the same time. Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E all went on to huge solo careers after the group split in 1991. Most rap fans know that these three comprised the white meat of the group, but few recognize the other two members of the group. MC Ren was a mainstay on many of the tracks due to his sharp delivery and in-your-face rhymes. DJ Yella was the token white guy of the group who did most of the behind-the-scenes production and DJ’ing. Neither of these two enjoyed a fraction of the success that the three aforementioned members did post-N.W.A. but they were pieces of the puzzle while the group was together and it’s tough to imagine some of the tracks without them. Money and power struggles tore the group apart in 1991 and the group never had a chance to reunite due to Eazy-E’s untimely death in 1995 after a brief battle with AIDS. My favorite track on the album: (tie) “Express Yourself (Remix)” and “Straight Outta Compton”
Honorable Mention: Jay-Z – The Blueprint; Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP; Mobb Deep – The Infamous; Run-DMC – Raising Hell; Ice Cube – Death Certificate; The Game – The Documentary; Jay-Z – The Black Album; Common – Be
So there we have it. I really really want feedback about this because I love talking about music. Please note that I refused to include any greatest hits albums because that would be cheap and tacky and completely take away from the whole purpose in my opinion. I really feel like I am snubbing someone on this one, so please kick in your two cents. In case you can’t tell, I really love talking about music and I consider myself to be rather knowledgeable, so challenge my reasoning and let’s see if we can’t get a decent conversation going here. If you like hip hop and don’t have any of these albums, (including the ones in the honorable mention section) take my advice and either pony up the $9.99 for them on iTunes or find a friend who has them and burn yourself a copy.
One love,
10
The Power of 10 