Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums EVER (or at least on the day I turned in the list)

Innovators or Copycats?

I’m not a hip-hop blogger, but I have spent my share of time listening to it. Jeff Weiss and Straight Bangin’ asked me to contribute my top 25 hip-hop albums for a list they compiled (you can see the results HERE). My list is honest. It has way too much Beastie Boys and absolutely no Nas, Tupac or Biggie. I didn’t vote for three of the top four and my favorite album didn’t even make the top 25. My list reflects the tastes of one guy who grew up in the 1980s in a Midwestern suburb. The number in brackets at the end each description is where the selection placed in the overall standings. I’ll be checking out some of the stuff on the list I missed out on the first time around. Out of the top 50, I’ll admit I haven’t heard the Raekwon, Organized Konfusion, Cannibal Ox or Black Moon. Shame on me.

25) beastie boys: check your head - this album was a bit bloated with filler, but there's still six or seven really good tracks. [#102 out of 383]

24) the roots: illadelph halflife - all the sampling and lack of originality made me lose interest in rap for most of the mid to late 90s. the roots musicality and live instrumentation caught my ear again. [#37]

23) dj quik: quik is the name – i’ve always been partial to west coast gangsta rap. admittedly this album is the weakest on my list and probably has no place on it. but that’s the nature of making lists. “born and raised in compton” is a great track. next time around i’d probably put biggie on here. [#283]

22) ll cool j: radio – dude was only 17 when this came out. “i can’t live without my radio” [#128]

21) slick rick: the great adventures of slick rick – i listened to the shit out of this in the late 1980s. “treat her like a prostitute” and “the ruler’s back” plus so many more. a bit misogynistic of course, but i just found it amusing. [#28]

20) eric b & rakim: paid in full - another one i got into at a very young age. Rakim is a very influential rapper. [#9]

19) ice-t: original gangster - he's not all that respected in the genre anymore, but i took him seriously back in the day. i bumped “new jack hustler” and “straight up nigga” in the celica more than I probably should have. [#173]

18) ghostface killah: fishscale – i couldn’t put all old skool shit on the list. [#56]

17) kool keith: sex style – this album is fucking hilarious. beck turned me onto it. he was pretty obsessed with it when he made midnight vultures. [#233]

16) snoop doggy dogg: doggystyle – when he’s on, snoop can be amazing. And dre’s production is fantastic. unfortunately this is the only snoop album you really need to own. “gin and juice” was a party anthem for a very long time. Anybody remember sissy bar’s version? [#17]

15) run-d.m.c: raising hell – this album (actually their third), along with licensed to ill (and maybe “rapture” by blondie) was when a lot of white, midwesterners became aware of rap. “it’s tricky” and “walk this way” are probably the key tracks. [#19]

14) a tribe called quest: midnight marauders – at first, it felt a little disappointing after low end theory. but then you end up putting it at #14 on the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. “award tour” and “sucka nigga” were a couple of favorites. [#7]

13) outkast: aquemini - this is when i first became aware of them. “rosa parks” was the big hit. that lawsuit got them a shitload of free publicity. [#11]

12) jay-z: the blueprint - yeah it's commercial, but it's still a great album. (somehow this got tabulated wrong in the poll and they say I voted for vol. 3). [#25]

11) public enemy: it takes a nation of millions to hold us back - i didn't know anything about anti-semitism when i got into this. i responded to the anger and fuck you attitude. [#6]

10) wu-tang clan: enter the wu-tang (36 chambers) – such an incredibly talented group of guys. [#2]

9) beastie boys: licensed to ill - my friend zeke brought this cassette on our road trip to south padre island in 7th grade. i resisted it at first, but eventually couldn't get enough of it. feels like a frat boy party record now, but when you're 12 this shit rules (and still does to a certain extent). [#69]

8) eazy-e: eazy-duz-it – one of my best friends moved back to kansas from LA and brought this with him. while the merits of it are arguable, we loved the braggadocio. [#125]

7) n.w.a.: straight outta compton - the same friend brought this cassette back with him. it blew our 15 year-old minds. LA seemed like a world away from Kansas, but what 15-year old can’t relate to “fuck tha police?” [#13]

6) de la soul: 3 feet high and rising – this album sounded so fresh and innovative. it’s got a lot more consistency and depth of quality than most hip-hop albums. You had to be there for a lot of the records on this list, but not this one. [#20]

5) dr. dre: the chronic - great stuff all the way through. some of snoop’s best work is on here too. [#5]

4) outkast: stankonia - this record ranked low on the overall list compared to other outkast, but while their earlier records are interesting, I prefer the amazing singles. [#51]

3) dj shadow: endtroducing - i'm not even sure if this is hip-hop but i listened to the shit out of this. crate digging madness. [#45]

2) a tribe called quest: the low end theory - what middle class college kid didn't like this? i still pull this one and it takes me back to that place and time. [#8]

1) beastie boys: paul's boutique - it still sounds fresh today. Eighteen years after its release, and i still regularly listen to it. this summer they’re doing a bunch of instrumental shows. i’d rather see them try to pull this off on stage (maybe for the 20th anniversary?). [#41]