The Definitive Hip-Hop Collection 2007 (Part 2)

6. Ready To Die - Notorious B.I.G.

I really wanted to put this album in my top 5, but I just couldn't. I remember when I listened to it the first time, the day it came out, I thought, "This is really good." But I didn't think it was great. Later, after listening to it for a while, I came to the realization that the album was fantastic. The reason it couldn't go above Slick Rick is because much of what Big did was patterned after Slick Rick. Big, of course, was much more honest in his music than Rick, but Rick brought something different to Hip-Hop.

This album was strange coming from Bad Boy. I could almost see Big being on Scarface's label. It is funny that even though everyone, now agrees, Big's music crossed East-West lines as far as agreement that he was great, it was the beef that killed him.

7. Straight Outta Compton

Since I grew up on the East Coast, I remember wondering, "Where's Compton? I thought L.A. was all sunshine and movies?" when this came out. This album was game changing, because it made it OK to go straight after the censors and say whatever you want. Lots of "Conscious" rappers have given the group flack after the fact, saying that they were some white executive's token blacksploitation group. I think N.W.A. was more than that, perhaps they are right in some respect, but overall I think they advanced the cause of Hip-Hop, and gave us the "Death Metal" we had been missing.

Dre's style has forever changed the sound of Rap music, and this album was the first we had ever heard from him. The breakup of the group later, actually further enhanced Hip-Hop on both coasts. Everything was different about this group, yet it was still the same in many ways. You could hear Run-DMC, and lots of early East Coast influence in the music, but instead of relying on James Brown samples, Dre leans heavily on Parliament Funkadelic. However you love music, you have to respect this album.


8. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy

So why is this album so low on my list. It Takes a Nation of Millions is so far down because the album wasn't adventurous or even interesting musically. Obviously the best song on the album, musically was Rebel Without a Pause.

The careening, huge beat that Terminator laid down for that is classic, and was perfectly timed for Chuck's delivery. I thought about putting Yo! Bum Rush the Show on there because it was their first album and had some sick tracks on there like My Uzi Weighs a Ton, but overall the album just wasn't that good. It Takes a Nation of Millions was P.E.'s first album as far as I'm concerned.

The lyrics were the first of their type, strongly political, even in a way that K.R.S. ONE hadn't even done. They challenged America to look at its uglyness during the Regan-Bush era in a way that no music had really done previously.

9. Lyte as a Rock - MC Lyte

For many, myself included, Lyte means Brooklyn. Well, I guess B.I.G. took that mantle, but she was the first big thing out of Brooklyn. I think its important to have a representative from the female Emcee category, and Lyte was the best. People can point to Kim, who is a force in her own right, but Lyte did it at a time when female Emcees were uncommon.

Every beat on the album was unique, there weren't too many samples. K-Rock did a great job of keeping the album intersting. Lyte, too, chose to go the story rap route. I really enjoyed the way she brought the other side of the story to the game.

After this album, there were many rappers who tried to copy Lyte's style, they tried to dis her, etc... But really I can't think of another female rapper, outside of Kim, who has duplicated her success.

10. The Black Album - Jay-Z

Jay comes with a lot of superlatives, some he may even have earned, but while Reasonable Doubt was an incredible album that brought back the story rap, Jay shines the most on The Black Album. His lyrics are clear, and his message is true. He give us what he really thinks, and stays away from the dumbed down techno-pop that litters his newer albums.

What more can I say? Points out what should be obvious, but isn't. How can you argue with the richest, most successful artist in Hip-Hop. 50 said it the best, Jay-Z, Big, and Nas are clearly the best still doing it, even if you question them artistically, you can't say anything about their success. Still, I have only liked 2 of Jay's albums, Reasonable Doubt and The Black Album, everything else can be left behind. This album changed the expectations of everyone, and probably will have killed Jay-Z's rap career, because I don't think he can ever make one like this again.