The Definitive Hip-Hop Collection (Part 6)

26. The Roots - Do You Want More

This album dropped like a slap upside the head. Distortion to Static was the perfect single to drop first. If they had pushed Datskat out first, it would have earned them the wrong audience.

The organic feel to the album, mainly due to Qwestlove's rhythms and the group's insistence on using only normal musical instruments, gives this album a live feel, even though it is studio album. The Roots always stand out.

27. MF Doom - Special Herbs 1 & 2

MF Doom clearly spends the most time of any hip-hop artist in the "lab." He finds the most obscure jazz loops and works them into beats that are sugary treats. I still have yet to find anyone who can make a beat like Doom. I am not certain what his relationship with Madlib is, but they are very similar in style.

Special Herbs is an album that belongs in any discerning hip-hop listener's collection.

28. Del the Funkee Homosapien - No Need For Alarm

Del is funkee, simply because he was Kanye West, a decade before Kanye West. When he came out, he was just Del. There was no bling, no talking about ho's, money, cars, etc... His beats were eclectic and his lyrics were strong. No Need For Alarm is an important contribution to hip-hop.

29. Dan the Automator / Dr. Octagon / Kool Keith - Dr. Octagonecologyst

It is hard to determine who Octagon is. His flow is stream of consciousness so he isn't for everybody. He hasn't really changed since he was with Ultramagnetic, and they were sick back in the day. Keith is still crazy, but Dr. Octagonecologyst was his best album.

30. Souls of Mischief - 93' til Infinity

This album is good, but not great, still it was one of the first albums from the Bay Area to achieve mainstream success. Digital Underground's albums were the first. That's When You're Lost was one of my favorite songs for years.

That round out my list. I believe that if you get all of these albums, you will have a good understanding of where Hip-Hop is today, and where it has come from.

The Definitive Hip-Hop Collection (Part 5)

21. 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'

This album is probably the most raw, and ostensibly the most disarming album to be released since Wu-Tang released Enter the 36 Chambers. What 50 does in this album is let everyone know how hungry he is for success, as well as attention. His constant beef with just about every other rapper is evidence of that. I am not sure where Eminem found 50, but by putting him on, we are all eternally grateful.

22. Eminem - The Slim Shady LP

Eminem is far and away the best lyricist that is currently on. In a battle, he will destroy any rapper that approaches. On I Still Don't Give A F**k he delivers one of the best put-together flows I have ever heard.

The basic problem is the same one that happens to most anyone else who is successful and has no real competition. They get lazy and release basically garbage. As a result this album stands as, lyrically, probably the best album on the list.

23. 2-Pac - Strictly for my N.I.G.G.A.Z.

2-Pac has to be one of the most prolific hip-hop artists ever. I'm sure the number of songs he has written number in the thousands. However, with all of that volume, there have only been a few quality albums. This was his best. The title track sounds like warfare, and he doesn't stop there.

Every song on this album would be a single on any other hip-hop artist of the era's albums. The only song that is out of place is I Get Around with Digital Underground. The song is a little too playful for the album, but is still an outstanding track.

24. Ghostface Killah - Ironman

Ghostface Killah is my favorite rapper, and that bias should be known, but his lyrics are insane, he can deliver fast, he can deliver slow, basically if you have a garbage track you can throw him on it and he will save the track.

If there is a problem with Ironman, it is too much of a good thing. Many of the gems Ghostface drops are lost in the flow of the album, and the RZA's hard beats. The Pretty Tony album and Fishscale should get honorable mention.

25. Digable Planets - Blowout Comb

Blowout Comb was a very moody album, and a departure from Digable Planets' mainstream style. I get the impression from listening to it that the success of Reachin' made them uncomfortable, and they wanted to go back to their revolutionary roots.

Many would probably wonder why I didn't put Reachin' on the list, but I think that artistically, Blowout Comb is a superior effort

The Definitive Hip-Hop Collection (Part 4)

16. Dead Serious - Das Efx

This album was sort of an odd-ball. Not directly responsible for the blunted Hip-Hop movement, these guys were definitely the weed poster children. Their somewhat silly and serious style of making up words and sound effects, combined with their quick delivery over PMD's hard hitting beats were a recipe for success.

I don't know why they didn't really get the critical acclaim they deserved, it could have been becuase Kris Kross had a similar style, and they were forever associated with the Miggety, Miggety Mack.

17. E. 1999 Eternal - Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

Honestly, I didn't like Bone-Thugs when they first came out, but when I got this album I knew that hip-hop had changed. I'm not sure if they were the first to come out with the singing hip-hop style, but I know that after they did it, everyone wanted to sing-rap. I still think this album was by far the best sing-rap album and so it gets the nod.

18. Big Daddy Kane - It's a Big Daddy Thing

Big Daddy Kane's first album, largely on the strength of Raw, was groundbreaking, but the entire album wasn't great. Contrast that with Big Daddy Kane's sophmore effort which left you begging for more. I Get the Job Done was probably one of Teddy Riley's best tracks, unless you really like Rump Shaker.


19. Dr. Dre - The Chronic

The Chronic was a ground-breaking album. Nuttin' but a G Thang set the reference for a summer jam. This album set the stage for Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle and set the direction of West Coast hip-hop for a decade.


20. Mobb Deep - The Infamous

I absolutely love this album, even if Jay-Z calls Prodigy a ballerina, every single track is bangin', and the arrangement is top notch. Shook Ones Pt. II could be one of the best East Coast hip-hop songs ever. Eye-for-an-eye is the illest track on the album. With NAS shining on this one, from the first track you know Mobb Deep mean business. Their first album, Juvenile Hell was somewhat misunderstood, and the next album sounded too much like The Infamous, however G.O.D. Pt. III is an incredible track that one could listen to over, and over again.

The Definitive Hip-Hop Collection (Part 3)

11. Criminal Minded - Boogie Down Productions

While Criminial Minded is one of KRS-ONE's best albums, I had real trouble between choosing this or Return Of The Boom Bap. Boom Bap is very similar in style, and the understanding you would gain of Bronx hip-hop isn't going to be that different. In addition to being more modern, I feel the album is of better quality and that KRS-ONE has, at that point, matured and his confidence is at a high. What you get are much better rhymes that are particularly poignant politically.

12. Doug E. Fresh - The World's Greatest Entertainer

Basically, this album is like an 80's hip-hop variety show. Doug's beat boxing is probably the best ever, and there will be none like him ever again. He broke Slick Rick, who was a better lyricist, and who really helped make this album shine. The reason this is a must have is that it bridges the gap between Africa Bambaataa and L.L. Cool J.

13. L.L. Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out

This album was an incredible comeback for L.L. He had been counted out for years before, with his only real hit prior to this album being his debut. Mama said remained one of the best hip-hop albums for several years during the 90's. It set a new standard for quality, with L.L.'s signature metaphors, and his smooth delivery. Paired with some real honesty, I know that this album was one of the few that helped Hip-Hop cross over to the mainstream, for better or for worse.

14. Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde

I remember listening to this in '97 and not knowing where they were from. When I found out they were from the west-coast, I denied it for years. This group was so original that they caught everyone by suprise. They sucessfully blended the conscious with the silly, as well as the terrible. Bizarre Ride is still difficult to categorize, but it definitely belongs in this collection.

15. De La Soul - Stakes Is High

De La is probably one of the best Hip-Hop groups that you may never have heard or, or you may think they were one-hit-wonders. With Prince Paul's production, on their first album, 3 Feet High And Rising they immediately changed the way producers put together Hip-Hop albums. This album was probably De La's darkest. There is a constant sense of foreboding as you listen to the album, it is almost as though they have a warning that is so urgent you have to hear it. The namesake song on the album is easily in my top ten, and is one of the few songs that I can listen to repeatedly without tiring.

I thought of submitting 3 Feet instead of this, but this album is so much better that it had to go on.

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.

The Definitive Hip-Hop Collection 2007 (Part 1)

The idea behind this blog is to define the 30 must own Hip-Hop albums up to today in 6 posts. The concept is that if you had no Hop-Hop in your collection, you could buy these albums and you would have a full concept of what Hip-Hop is and was. Also, if you had some friends over who were in the know, you would look like you had a clue.

Many will argue that some of the more typical artists should be included like Run DMC and Sugar Hill Gang. I'll argue that the work of those artists are rolled into the work of more modern artists, and having those albums will not help you understand the current state of Hip-Hop. It has progressed beyond that, and is becoming less relevant to the current situation. Much in that while we respect what the Greeks did, we do not attempt to live as they did, their reality was different than ours is today.

For the sake of brevity, I will only go into detail on the first couple of albums as far as tracks are concerned.

With no further ado. The list, ranked in order of importance:

1. Paid in Full - Eric B. and Rakim

The inclusion of Paid In Full can not be disputed, however I would bet that its position would. For all those KRS-ONE lovers out there, I did indeed think about placing Criminal Minded at the top, but when I looked at the strength of the album as a whole, and the amount of influence it had on Hip-Hop, the influence of Paid In Full can still be felt today. The album had six seminal tracks, and four average to poor tracks. Rakim's vocals displayed an easy mastery of rhyme, basically when he came out, no one questioned his supremacy. It took years for anyone to be able to credibly echo his technique, and most would argue that no one ever has.

Rakim can also be credited with bringing awareness of Islam to much of the Hip-Hop culture. Prior to him, I can't think of anyone else who had accomplished that. Not that it is terribly important, however it is interesting that here, 21 years later, that influence is still felt.

Some may point to the album having weak tracks and argue that four not outstanding tracks out of ten makes it impossible for this album to attain such a high rank, but I would argue that the norm in 1986 when this album was released was for a Hip-Hop album to have perhaps 2 solid tracks, and 8 awful ones.

It is hard to select a best track on the album, but I believe that the number one track, and I know one may think this means that it is the number one track in all of Hip-Hop, but this isn't a singles list, so it just adds to the weight of the album.

1. Anyway, number one is number one: I Ain't no Joke.


2. A very close second is My Melody with its huge beat, smooth tempo, and easy delivery.


3. Obviously the next has to be I Know You Got Soul, which was the party anthem of the 80's, with its slick sampling of James Brown, and Eric. B's cuts. We know however, that Rakim could have done it solo.


4. Paid in Full, the title track was very strong, and also had much main stream success. It could have been number one, but I think it was a little too radio friendly.


5. Eric B Is President needs no description, it probably had the best remix of the 80's and most memorable rhymes. At this point, when you get to this song, most Hip-Hop afficianado's heads were about to explode, because they couldn't believe it could get any better.


6. While Eric B Is On The Cut was an instrumental, it showed off some of Eric B's meanest cuts. Its a shame that later he thought he could rap.

2. Midnight Marauders - A Tribe Called Quest

This album could easily have been number one. From beginning to end, this is definitely the highest quality Hip-Hop album ever produced, It is like the perfect storm for Hip-Hop. Shaheed and Q-Tip were at their peak, Phife was probably at his best, in that he wasn't a glaring weakness like he was in the other albums. In fact, the only reason Butter was good was because he was on what could be the best Hip-Hop beat ever created. Midnight Marauders is the only Hip-Hop album that when listened to from beginning to end, you wish it could go on, no matter what else you have to do that day.

The only track, that could be argued to be weak, would have to be Sucka Nigga. The reason I'd argue that it is weak is because the content feels contrived, and the beat is only good. Definately one of Shaheed-Ali Muhummad's off days.

Track Ordering:

1. Electric Relaxation would make it onto any singles list that I would ever consider compiling. Being influenced mostly through the late 90's by Hip-Hop, I have a soft spot for the jazzy, Jungle Brothers style beats that were a staple of the times. I know it dates me, but I think this is the strongest song on the Album. I think this is probably Tip's best lyrical performance. The beat's tempo is perfectly matched to his pace, he doesn't feel like he is rushing as he sometimes does, and the tones are singing backup to his lead. Phife could even be called decent on this track, he compliments Tip instead of trying to carry too much on his own. He was definately a 16 bar type rapper, someone who shouldn't have his own song, but instead only be given no more than 16 bars at a time.


2. Lyrics to Go is solidly number 2. Unfortunatly this track came toward the end of the album so is often forgotten. The composition was outstanding, with Tip coming at you from the left and the right. The flute tone that continues throughout the song is not obnoxious as it is in some of Dre's early productions.


3. Steve Biko (Stir it Up) could be interchanged with the next track, Keep it Rollin', it only falls to number four because the beat is a little slow for Phife, who can't keep himself under control. Anyway, Steve Biko is better, I remember when I heard it, I was wondering if this was going to be the best song on the album, and I rushed through it to find out, later I was able to take the track on its own merit.


4. Keep it Rollin' As I said above, it could almost overtake Steve Biko, but Phife gets a little out of control. It is interesting, without Phife, Tribe would have been too good, and as a consequence the albums would all have seemed like they were too formulaic.


5. Award Tour would have to come next. The lyrics are outstanding, and I am sure some people will not understand why it falls so far on the album. I felt that while it was radio friendly, the reprise coming asynchronously with the chorus was a little distracting.


6. We Can Get Down, if this song were on a hyphy album, it would have been called a "Bay Slapper." However it isn't, its a group from New York, still, the beat slaps, and the Rakim sample doesn't hurt.


7. Clap Your HandsI like leading into the song with Phife, it sets the pace for this track. Again, a predecessor to the hyphy movement, in that it has that slap, that knock, you know what I'm saying.


8. Oh My God...... "I like my beats hard like 2 day old shit" .... Now how can anyone argue with a metaphor like that. Busta on the track, with the tinkling, insane...

3. Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers

Again, this album could probably have been number one. This album had a strong impact on Hip-Hop, and started the idea of Gimmick rappers. So many took Wu's style at the beginning, it prompted Raekwon to create a song called Shark Niggaz. Almost every Wu album after Enter the Wu-Tang, started with a warning to other rappers not to bite their style. The album listens like a journey through the five boroughs of New York. You've got smooth flows coming from method, over RZA's crazy abrasive beats. I think part of what caused problems for Wu was when RZA got decent equipment. This album features drop-outs, uneven levels, unbalanced vocals, static, noise, you name it. All of this makes this album sound like a demo tape, and it is all the more brilliant for it.

It is really hard to pick out individual tracks especially since they all run into each other, Method Man was obviously a different type of track. Every track seemed to features yet another talent, it kept everyone wondering how many people were in Wu-Tang. I'm not sure we ever came to a definitive conclusion.


4. The Great Adventures of Slick Rick - Slick Rick

This album was different. I can only imagine a very young Eminem listening to this album and having this plus Rakim help him formulate his style. I can remember listening to this and having never heard anything so incredibly dirty. On the plus side, the beats were revolutionary, and Rick's delivery was incredible. Children's Story definately changed the game, it was an actual story, with a beat that just wouldn't quit. Rick was the master of the story rap. It would be another four years until anyone came along to rival him, in Jay-Z. I don't know if Jay would have been as big a hit if Rick hadn't gone to prison.

5. Illmatic

So this album was like the second coming of Rakim. Nas came with a style that was reminiscent of Rakim, but his own all the same. When I heard this album, I remember thinking of Scarface. Nas got better and worse as time went on, and Illmatic was far from being perfect, but it was true and real, much in the way Wu-Tang was.

I truly believe that success corrupts, and it is fitting that Nas didn't really come back until Stillmatic, as he was off doing some, who-knows-what. Still, until Big came out a few years later, nothing out of New York could touch Illmatic. Its effect upon Hip-Hop, in general, and Jay-Z in particular, although he is probably loathe to admit it, has been profound.