Your Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums

put my list in another thread, and thought I'd start one to check out some other blades' opinions. List your top 10, and a brief explanation of why its on there.

Here's mine again:

1. Nas - Illmatic

I've never made it through any album ever, especially hip-hop, without skipping at least one track, except Illmatic. There's only 10 songs, but they are all amazing. Nas is truly one of the greats, and Illmatic gives the listener a peephole into life in the ghetto.

2. Notorious BIG - Ready To Die

One could debate that "Life After Death" was his best work, but I think its this album. Biggy's skill and rapping style really hit its peak in Ready To Die. One of the most unique artists ever.

3. Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers

Straight from the slums of Shaolin, WU-Tang Clan strikes again! One of the best albums to just sit and bump your head to. Each member gives every song their own little piece of uniqueness. The Wu's rapping style and creative (and often strange) rhymes are what make them the greatest rap group ever.

4. Mos Def & Talib Kweli - Black Star

A lot of great songs on the album, including Definition, Astronomy, and Respiration. Mos and Talib really capture the struggle of Black America in this album, and also point out hypocrisies in the government and in society. One of the best collabs out there.

5. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders

Midnight Marauders is one of those albums you have to listen to all the way through to really feel the atmosphere and mood. The strange, automated voice between songs gives it a sense of creepiness, making it all the better to listen to at night.

6. Tupac - Me Against The World

Makavelli at his best right here.

7. Dr. Dre - The Chronic

West Coast Hip-Hop at its finest. The Chronic is one of those albums that go on to influence other artists for decades, and it certainly has. The song "Nuthin But A G Thang" that featured Snoop Dogg, was an instant party hit and shot the album up the Billboard Charts.

8. NWA - Straight Outta Compton

Cmon...Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy E? This is arguably the most influential hip-hop album of all-time, and really put the genre on the map. NWA depicted the gangster lifestyle of LA very well, and sometimes too well. The song "Fuck The Police" which became a mega-hit after the LA Riots, was banned from the album for a short time by the government.

9. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

The best solo album of all the Wu members. RZA kept the WTC ball rolling, as he rapped about inner-city NY, and the struggles he and his friends went through. Busta Rhymes is quoted as saying this is one of the best hip-hop albums ever.

10. Mobb Deep - The Infamous

The dark side of east coast rap. Instead of tons of bass, MD utilized eerie piano beats, along with synthesizers to give The Infamous a very creepy feel. Their hardcore style of rapping made it all the better.

 

ahh, forgot about The Roots...