Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Hip-Hop albums of All Time

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Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Hip-Hop albums of All Time

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LewisGT View member profile	11th March 2023, 02:44 PM Post #261
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 7 February 2013 Posts: 11,961 User: 18,293	9. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory 1998 5/5 Highlights: Everything Is Fair, Buggin' Out, Jazz (We've Got) The third appearance for the legendary 'A Tribe Called Quest' makes it a clean sweep for their first three albums with their debut 'People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm' (#121) and their third release 'Midnight Marauders' (#55). 'The Low End Theory' was their second album and was released only a year after their first. On their debut Q-Tip pretty much took solo reins when it came to the verses and shortly after its release, Phife Dawg found out he had diabetes and considered leaving the group. However, after a discussion between the two, they agreed that Dawg should stay and have a larger role on this album. However, another member, Jarobi White, did leave the group and didn't return until their final album in 2016. He did record verses for the album but they removed after he left. I think giving Phife some more verses (including a solo track 'Butter') was a great idea that added a completely different element to the group. You really have to admire Quest for their originality and belief not to just conform to what was popular. They practically created their own sub-genre with their 'jazz-rap' sound deviating from the heavier style of production that was dominating the scene and inspiring countless of others in the future. This is type of music to put on when you want to just chill. Lyrically, they can compete with any other MC you'd like to name but they make it sound so effortless and laid-back that you sometimes don't even really how good the rapping actually is. By going against the trends, they've made something to sounds absolutely timeless. This still sounds ridiculously cool today and will continue to sound cool in 100 years time. This is a lean 48 minute album that doesn't waste a single second. The album ends with a verse from a young Busta Rhymes that has been seen as being the launching point for his career. It's weird to think of it now but he was actually a protegee for Q-Tip at the time and I'm glad they re-united again as 'veterans' for 'Thank You' which is a huge bop. I'm surprised that Busta hasn't had a solo entry on this list at all. It seems an odd omission when you consider some of the people who have been included. And for an extra fact that Dircadirca already pointed out earlier in this thread, this was released on the same day as two classic rock albums, Nirvana's 'Nevermind' and Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik'.


LewisGT View member profile	12th March 2023, 03:18 PM Post #262
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 7 February 2013 Posts: 11,961 User: 18,293	8. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) 1993 5/5 Highlights: C.R.E.A.M., Da Mystery Of Chessboxin', Bring Da Ruckus Wu-Tang members have dominated this list but this is their only entry as a group. Wu-Tang were formed in New York in 1992 and consists of members RZA, GZA (Liquid Swords. #44). Ghostface Killah (Supreme Clientele, #14, Ironman, #69 & Fishscale #131), Raekwon (Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., #37), Ol' Dirty bast*rd (Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, #106), Inspectah Deck, U-God, Method Man and Masta Killa. Cappadonna later became an official member after the passing of ODB. Masta Killa was the latest of the original members to join and only one verse on the album that was, incredibly, the first verse that he ever written (it can be heard on 'Da Mystery of Chessboxin'). One of the most influential groups of modern times, RZA is the leader of the group and provides almost all of the production for their releases and it was his idea to dominate the music scene within 5 years by releasing solo projects between the the group's albums to keep the hype building throughout with everyone getting a chance to show their stuff. The group have released seven albums together but only six are available to hear. The latest album 2015's 'Once Upon a Time in Shaolin' was only pressed on one CD with the stipulation that it cannot be sold for released for commercial purposes until 2103. The copy was infamously bought by (now) convicted felon Martin Shkreli but it was seized after his arrest. It is now owned by NFT-collectors 'PleasrDAO'. The story of that album is just sad all around. 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' is the group's debut album and is the blueprint for every release from the group since. The name 'Wu-Tang' derives from the 1983 Kung-Fu flick 'Shaolin and Wu Tang' and that's the film of choice when it comes to the samples on this album. RZA also mixes in samples of old soul songs to create their now iconic sound. This album sounds raw and gritty, partly due to the cheap equipment used to record and mix it, but it works in the groups favour, as it matches the aggressive, street tones of the MCs. When done correctly, there's nothing better in rap than when you get a bunch of different MCs on the same track and they're all allowed to bring their own style within something that comes together to be cohesive as a whole . Remarkably with 9 different members, they all get their chance to shine on the album. ODB has always been my favourite He's the wild-card, his style is so different to everyone else (not even just when compared to other Wu members) that it adds an element of frenzy danger every time he begins to spit. 'C.R.E.A.M.' is one of the greatest rap songs ever made. Raekwon and Inspectah Deck provide the verses where the paint a portrait of their life growing up with some hard-hitting bars while Method Man provides us with one of the catchiest and most-frequently quoted hooks of all-time. There's not many tracks that legitimately created a new word but 'cream' has become synonymous with 'money' in Hip-Hop ever since. Their debut single 'Protect Ya Neck' is one of the GOAT posse-cuts and just misses out on my highlights, there's just something about 'Da Mystery Of Chessboxin' that hits even harder for me. 'Bring Da Ruckus' is such a hard intro and lets you know right off the bat that you're in for something special. If I had to say something negative about this album, I would question if it was truly necessary to have two versions of the exact same track only with a different instrumental ('7th Chamber'). It's a good song but, the first version was good enough (and probably has the better production). I also can't hear 'Tearz' without my mind instantly going to 'Fake Smile' by Ariana Grande that uses the exact same sample.


LewisGT View member profile	13th March 2023, 07:43 PM Post #263
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 7 February 2013 Posts: 11,961 User: 18,293	7. Missy Elliott - Miss E... So Addictive 2001 5/5 Highlights: Get Ur Freak On, 4 My People, One Minute Man (Remix) Missy Elliot is back with her third entry after 'Under Construction' (#117) and 'Supa Dupa Fly' (#47). If you ready my earlier review, you would see that I wasn't a massive fan of 'Supa Dupa Fly' and though it leaned to heavy into the R&B elements. This album (her third) still has all the R&B stuff but I think it just does it in a much more exciting and fresh way. When it comes to Missy, Personally I would prefer more of the rapping because I don't think there's many other MCs that are as interesting and take as many risks or experiments in their flow than her but if she is going to mostly sing then this is how to do it. 'Old School Joint' is a pretty traditional funky R&B track but it still hits hard and just missed out on making my highlights. The perfect evidence for just how creative and adventurous is when he gets to rapping is 'Get Ur Freak On'. The Guardian review for this album said that this album is "evidence of Elliott's refusal to play male rappers at their own game and her desire to change the rules entirely. It's an album that sets its own agenda and sounds like nothing else in hip-hop: an incomparable achievement". This is exactly the sort of song that the review is talking about. She didn't chase any trends, she didn't conform to everyone else, she chased ideas that she found exciting and blended Hip-Hop with Bhangra and added in some Japanese flavour and created something special that still managed to take over the charts. Rolling Stone named it as the '7th greatest song of all-time' in their most recent countdown and while that might be slightly OTT, there's no doubt that her and Timbaland whipped up something truly visionary and original. Something that no-one else at the time, or even now, would or could recreate. '4 My People' proved that she was more than capable of making a floor-filling dance hit (the original > the Basement Jaxx remix that was big over here) and the third stand-out is 'One Minute Man'. The track appears twice on the album and it's the second appearance, the 'remix', that wins the battle. Timbaland's production is bouncy, Missy dominates the track with perfectly-judged, slightly scathing vocals and the guest-feature is solid either time. The reason the remix wins out can mainly be summed up as Jay-Z is better than Ludacris. His verse on here is particular good. Ludacris shies away from the topic of the song being about men who can't keep it up in the bedroom, but Jay-Z fully embraces the persona and gets some funny lines in. The last two tracks (that were hidden on the original release) 'Higher Ground' and it's 'Prelude' are fine but they feel completely misplaced appearing on this album. They are both gospel-esque 'praise the lord' tracks and feel tacked on. The whole concept of this album is to party. While obviously referring to her name, the 'E' in the title also refers to ecstasy and there's references to the drug throughout: "This is for my people, my ecstasy people".


LewisGT View member profile	14th March 2023, 06:39 PM Post #264
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 7 February 2013 Posts: 11,961 User: 18,293	6. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 2010 5/5 Highlights: Power, Monster, Runaway Certainly the most celebrated artist in this countdown, aside from his frequent features as both rapper on production on countless other albums, Kanye has featured with his Jay-Z collaboration 'Watch The Throne' (#77) and his solo albums 'The College Dropout (#52). Late Registration (#41), Yeezus (#17) and now with his acclaimed 5th release 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'. This was his first album after his self-imposed 'exile' after he interrupted Taylor Swift's winner speech at the 2009 MTV Music Awards. Remember the Taylor Swift controversy? It all seems relatively mild now. Anyway, in his retreat in Hawaii, he created this album that works as both admission of guilt and a test of water to see if people were ready to move on. He was breaking up with Amber Rose and beginning to court Kim Kardashian. The message of this album can be summed up as being 'I admit it, I'm an asshole'. The chorus to 'Runaway' sums it up perfectly "Let's have a toast for the douche bags. Let's have a toast for the assholes. Let's have a toast for the scumbags, Every one of them that I know. Let's have a toast for the jerk offs that'll never take work off. Baby, I got a plan. Run away fast as you can". This context makes makes it a particularly interesting listen in 2023. When he was recording this he was an asshole, he was arrogant and rude but over recent years, he's been something much worse. Separating an artist from their art is made all the more difficult when the art is this personal and addresses what makes them controversial. Kanye talks about sending nudes, marrying a porn star and arguing with and cheating on his girl but it's not all just doom and excess. There's a humility here that is sorely missing from his more recent output, musical or otherwise. Obviously the aforementioned 'Runaway's is the culmination of his vulnerability and self-reflection, also powerful is the John Legend assisted 'Blame Game'. The song works as a metaphor for his relationship with fame and his sense of being unaccepted and criticised wherever he goes but also works well on the surface level where he takes accountability for the messing up of his relationship and admits that he's been emotionally immature and wishes the best for the girl. After one the deepest and most emotional tracks on the album, it ends with a skit from Chris Rock where her new boyfriend complimenting the girl on how she's improved since dating Kanye. Your millage may vary on whether you find it funny but it's certainly an interesting way to end the song. On a pure music level, this album is almost unbelievable. It's extravagant, it's showy, its brash as hell and functions as the perfect grandiose, cinematic art-pop album. You don't want to use the g-word in reference to his work because how over-used it is be some of the worst type of people when discussing Kanye, but it's difficult to call this album anything else but 'genius'. 'POWER' is a song that I have considered at various points of my life to be my favourite song of all-time. In recent times, it's been over-used by every film, TV show or advert that wants to sound cool but that's because the track is effortlessly epic. Bason on a sample of '21st Century Schizoid Man' by King Crimson, it merges Rock and Hip-Hop impeccably in a way that not even Run-DMC, Cyprus Hill or Beastie Boys could manage. Rightly or wrongly, there's not many artists who could release a song of such self-importance and self-indulgence and it feel so keenly justified. Somehow, he's created a song that takes pot-shots at SNL and references 'Austin Powers' not only sound not-at-all corny but grand and monumental. And "they say I was the abomination of Obama's nation" might still be the slickest rhyme in any song ever released. I've mentioned it already but 'Runaway' is regarded as one of his best for good reason. Pusha's verse fits like a glove, playing the role of a douchebag to a T and the piano and sampled drums from Pete Rock's 'The Basement' is hauntingly minimalist but creative. And even then, this album is still not as good as 'The College Dropout'. And yet after all of this, the album gets completely stolen by a verse from Nicki Minaj. It's safe to say Nicki has had a wildly inconsistent career but her feature on 'Monster' alone justifies her a position in the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. Sometimes magic just strikes and it certainly did here. Her verse is endlessly quotable, and delivered to perfection with her weaving out of her personas like she's Lewis Hamilton on the race track. To spin Kanye and Jay-Z on the same track is insane but she managed it. Sometimes I find writing these reviews difficult but this is one of those albums where I think I would need to write a whole essay to mention everything single thought I have but I think I've written enough for you to get a picture of my thoughts. And even after everything I've said, I still don't think this album is as good as 'The College Dropout'. However, this album got a rare, perfect 10/10 review from Pitchfork and for very good reason.


LewisGT View member profile	16th March 2023, 09:12 PM Post #265
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 7 February 2013 Posts: 11,961 User: 18,293	5. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly 2015 5/5 Highlights: King Kunta, Alright, Hood Politics Kendrick's third album becomes his third and final entry in this countdown (after 'Damn., #60) & Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City. #38). This was the first Kendrick album I ever heard as it was released around the time I started listening to albums in full. It's an astonishing piece of art, as its accolades suggests. The album won 4 GRAMMYs (Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Performance), topped 51 publications 'Best of 2015' lists, was directly named by David Bowie as an influence on his final album 'Blackstar' and earned Kendrick his first UK #1 album. It might not be a concept album in the same vein as 'GKmC' that followed a singular narrative but it's just as cohesive, exploring thematic themes such as depression, racial inequality and addiction and all brought together with the ever-expanding repetition of a poem. Entitled 'Another Ngga' and starting with just the opening two lines "I remember you was conflicted. Misusing your influence" heard at the end of 'King Kunta', it gets frequently revisited at the end of the following tracks and we eventually hear it in full on 'Mortal Man'. And on this final track, we also learn that the whole album has been a story told to Tupac by Kendrick and he cleverly sampled audio from a radio interview Tupac did in 1996 to make it appear like the two legendary rappers are having a conversation. This fits with what the original title of the album was supposed to be. It was planned to be called 'Tu Pimp a Caterpillar' with the acronym creating (TuPAC). Kendrick is never afraid to take risks with his album and this might be his riskiest album to date. Personally, it's not my favourite of his albums, but I think it's great that this was such a commercial success. Kendrick goes against all of the trends at the time. Just compare this to the other big rap albums of 2015 (DS2, At. Long. Last. ASAP, If You're Reading This..., Rodeo, Barter 6, Cherry Bomb, Fetty Wap. Dreams Worth More Than Money) and it's hard to hear any similarities. Nobody else at the time was deploying the services of Thundercat, Ron Isley and George Clinton and making such a jazzy, experimental album. And that's one thing I love about the album. It always sounds brilliantly funky even when its lyrically exploring deep and conceptual subjects. This is why 'King Kunta' is my favourite track. It's certainly one of the most radio-friendly tracks but stays completely on message for the album comparing the treatment of 'Kunta Kinte' in 'Roots' to the way that America continues to treat the black community in modern times "everybody wanna cut the legs off him". But the production on the track is so clean and funky that even if you disregard the message, you're still left with a song that sounds great. There's a line in a song I love ('Fuck an Emcee Name' by Watsky) that states "Here lies a fine emcee, the kind who grasps the fact that these aren't circus acts to make you clap, it's rap to make you think and act" and I can't think of an album for which that line is more applicable. It's an album that demands repeat listens as you find something new every time. There's not a throwaway bar across the whole 80 minutes. Every line has been meticulously designed to make you think in someway. It's doesn't always give easy answers but it's impossible to come away from listening to it without having your thoughts challenged in one way or another. There's too many standout moments that stick with you to mention them all, like the ending of 'How Much a Dollar Cost' where you find out that the homeless guy was actually God and Kendrick's selfishness stops him from going to heaven, or the rhetorical question at the end of 'The Blacker The Berry': "So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street, when gang-banging make me kill a ngga blacker than me?" or the mental breakdown that is portayed on 'u'. The only disappointment I have with this album is the album version of 'i'. I appreciate the extra verse but the production is just far too stripped back from the slick single version and I think it loses some of the impact of what is one of the only positive and uplifting moments on the album. The joy in Kendrick's delivery paired with the buoyant beat in the single version is irresistibly infectious and the relatively simple adage of 'I love myself" in the chorus really hits deep as a message of self-empowerment.


LewisGT View member profile	18th March 2023, 06:15 PM Post #266
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 7 February 2013 Posts: 11,961 User: 18,293	4. Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back 1988 4/5 Highlights: Louder Than A Bomb, Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos, She Watch Channel Zero?! The only representation from the 80s in the top 10 is Public Enemy's sophomore release 'It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back'. This is the group's second appearance after their third album 'Fear Of A Black Planet' (#74). This album begins with a sample of the voice-over announcer welcoming them to stage at the Hammersmith Odeon for their appearance on the 1987 Def Jam Tour they shared with Eric B & Rakim and LL Cool J. And Public Enemy have said that the reaction in these shows to their music was a main influence on this album. They were excited by the enthusiastic and response from their audiences and decided that this album needed to be a higher tempo and more energetic than their debut (1987's 'Yo! Bum Rush the Show'). But, as one of the most politically-charged bands of all-time, they had no intention of skimping on the social commentary, declaring that they were setting out to create the Hip-Hop equivalent of Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On'. The album was produced by their usual Bomb Squad team with their DJ Terminator X adding the scratches and mixes and getting a frequent shout-out from Chuck D and Flavor Flav. It's explosive, sample-heavy and occasionally avant-garde with Flav acting as a hype-man with his ad-libs highlighting Chuck D's ferocious rhymes. Despite only peaking at #42, the album has been certified Platinum and won the Pazz & Jop's poll in 1988. The album simply just doesn't hit me in the way it has for so many. 'She Watch Channel Zero?!' is one of my favourite tracks, mainly because I found the production of them rapping over a rock track quite fun but the message of the song feels a bit hollow for me. Hearing Flavor Flav criticise a girl for watching 'garbage TV' with the amount of trash reality shows he's now starred in feels a bit cheap and the actual message of the song (there not being enough black role models on TV) gets a bit lost amongst the drama. Chuck D raps are constantly prophetic and provide plenty of black nationalist rhetoric. It takes aim at any injustice they can see with tracks about prison ('Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos') and institutional discrimination ('Louder than a Bomb') are confrontational in the best possible way but they feel impaired by weaker tracks, like 'Caught, Can We Get a Witness' that focuses on sampling laws and frequent references to someone as notably discriminatory as Louis Farrakhan. I feel bad that, for an album this high-up on the list and as highly regarded as this is, I just don't really hear what makes it so great. I find the production to largely be quite annoying and think it sounds a lot more dated than other albums from the time and aside from a couple of notable examples, Chuck's lyrics aren't sounding as revolutionary or inspiring as they are designed to be. He isn't the most technical rapper, especially when compared to what his tour-mate 'Rakim' was creating at the time and he does little stand-out when it comes to flows or schemes.


Y'all Starlight View member profile	19th March 2023, 09:17 AM Post #267
WELCOME TO UTOPIA Pronouns: he/him Joined: 17 June 2022 Posts: 3,958 User: 153,406	If I Were To Do A Top 10: 1) Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) 2) Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill 3) Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly 4) Kids See Ghosts - KIDS SEE GHOSTS 5) Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back 6) Jay-Z - The Blueprint 7) Outkast - Stankonia 8) Death Grips - The Money Store 9) Dr Dre. - 2001 10) Madvillain - Madvillainy - In all honesty I never got the hype around MBDTF ever, there are so many better Kanye records imo: The College Dropout, Late Registration. Graduation, 808s and Heartbreak, The Life Of Pablo, Ye, Kids See Ghosts and Donda. Its a crime to not have KIDS SEE GHOSTS on this list, one of the greatest albums of the century. Death Grips were also robbed here. Anyway Kendrick top 5 with TPAB is a big W and great to see Public Enemy as well


LewisGT View member profile	19th March 2023, 01:11 PM Post #268
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 7 February 2013 Posts: 11,961 User: 18,293	QUOTE(Y @ Mar 19 2023, 09:17 AM) If I Were To Do A Top 10: 1) Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) 2) Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill 3) Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly 4) Kids See Ghosts - KIDS SEE GHOSTS 5) Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back 6) Jay-Z - The Blueprint 7) Outkast - Stankonia 8) Death Grips - The Money Store 9) Dr Dre. - 2001 10) Madvillain - Madvillainy - In all honesty I never got the hype around MBDTF ever, there are so many better Kanye records imo: The College Dropout, Late Registration. Graduation, 808s and Heartbreak, The Life Of Pablo, Ye, Kids See Ghosts and Donda. Its a crime to not have KIDS SEE GHOSTS on this list, one of the greatest albums of the century. Death Grips were also robbed here. Anyway Kendrick top 5 with TPAB is a big W and great to see Public Enemy as well Very interesting to see your list. I can't say I was that big of a fan of 'KIDS SEE GHOSTS'. It's decent but I only really go back to 'Feel The Love' and 'Reborn'. I've never really listened to 'Death Grips'. I'll have to give them a go at some point. Two of your top 10 are still to come in the top 3.


LewisGT View member profile	19th March 2023, 02:42 PM Post #269
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 7 February 2013 Posts: 11,961 User: 18,293	3. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 2001 5/5 Highlights: Izzo (H.O.V.A.), Renegade, Jigga That Ngga Landing in the bronze position is Jay-Z with his fourth and final entry after 'The Black Album' (#113), The Kanye collaboration 'Watch The Throne' (#77) and 'Reasonable Doubt' (#26). 'The Blueprint' was Jay's 6th studio album and was released 11th September 2001. It's a testament to the quality of the album that it sold 427,000 copies in its opening week and earned classic status despite the unfortunate release date. In 2019, it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry, the first recording created in the 21st century to be included. The album states it's intentions right off the bat. The opening track 'The Ruler’s Back', a tribute to the Slick Rick song of the same name, lets everyone know that Jay-Z is the King of the game and to let his opposition know that their time is up, "Well, in these times, well, at least to me there's a lot of rappers out there tryin' to sound like Jay-Z", "Your reign on the top was shorter than leprechauns". And then he follows this with the incendiary 'Takeover'. A savage diss-track where he takes aim at 'Prodigy' from Mobb Deep and most notably, Nas. This was the first real blow in the iconic Jay-Z-Nas beef that is still debated to this day. There might be more vulgar disses on the track but I've always particular enjoyed Jay gloating that Nas didn't make any money of Jay-Z sampling him "So yeah, I sampled your voice, you was using it wrong. You made it a hot line, I made it a hot song. And you ain't get a coin, ngga, you was gettin' fucked then. I know who I paid, God: Serchlite Publishing". With these two tracks, it's as if Jay thought he needed a little bit of lightwork at the start to end his rivals before he can move on with the rest of the album. They're not really brought up again and it's like the real album then begins properly with 'Izzo'. This whole albums feels like it's coming from someone who knows that they're creating something special. There's a sense of confidence that can only come from someone who knows they have nothing left to prove. When you hear a lot of great debut albums, rappers often have a aura of faux-confidence but with this being a sixth album, Jay feels comfortable in his confidence and it feels like everything is coming easy for him. You have to have some real clout before you can swagger you're way through bars such as "I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in hell, I am a hustler baby, I sell water to a well". The rapping here is just immaculate and epitomises why everyone has Jay in their top 3. For an album where the rapping is as crisp as this, he'd be forgiven for thinking that was enough and leaving it at that. But what elevates this album above others of its ilk. is how massive the hooks sound. While it's Jay's punchlines and braggadocios bars that will impress you at the time, what will stick with you most is "Hola, Hovito", "I love girls, girls, girls, girls", "I can't see 'em comin' down my eyes so I gotta make the song cry", H to the izz-O, V to the izz-A. That's the anthem, getcha damn hands up" and "Renegade, never been afraid to say what's on my mind at any given time of day". There's even a chorus by a then-unknown and uncredited Kanye West on 'Never Change'. West actually picks up production on four of the tracks on the album with the rest being picked up by a who's who of top producers including Just Blaze, Bink, Timabaland, Trackmasters and Eminem. Eminem is also the solo guest feature across the whole album and it's one of the all-time guest features with the general consensus being that he spun Jay on his own track. I wouldn't like to pick a winner between them both as I think they're both on top form and contribute to the legendary track.


Y'all Starlight View member profile	19th March 2023, 04:48 PM Post #270
WELCOME TO UTOPIA Pronouns: he/him Joined: 17 June 2022 Posts: 3,958 User: 153,406	QUOTE(LewisGT @ Mar 19 2023, 01:11 PM) Very interesting to see your list. I can't say I was that big of a fan of 'KIDS SEE GHOSTS'. It's decent but I only really go back to 'Feel The Love' and 'Reborn'. I've never really listened to 'Death Grips'. I'll have to give them a go at some point. Two of your top 10 are still to come in the top 3. You should defo listen to Death Grips, they are fantastic. However people usually have either a love or hate relationship with their music.


LewisGT View member profile	20th March 2023, 09:31 PM Post #271
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 7 February 2013 Posts: 11,961 User: 18,293	2. OutKast - Stankonia 2000 5/5 Highlights: Ms. Jackson, B.O.B., So Fresh, So Clean Just missing out on the top spot is the kings of the south, OutKast. This completes a trinity of albums from Big Boi and Andre 3000 with 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below' (#124) and 'Aquemini' (#27). This was the duo's fourth album, released in 2000, and was named after the recording studio they purchased for the creation for this album. The title is a portmanteau of 'Stank' and 'Plutonia' Andre explained that "Stankonia is this place I imagined where you can open yourself up and be free to express anything". And they certainly did that with their influences, incorporating sounds from rock, funk, gospel, rave and psychedelia. The pair purposefully stopped listening to Hip-Hop before recording the album, unhappy with the sound of the scene deeming it too safe "[it] starting to sound real comfortable. There wasn't any adventure to it". They said they wanted to capture the 'chaotic' times at the turn of the 21st century with faster, high-tempo tracks that are more energetic than their previous work. And 'B.O.B.' is the perfect example of that. It's one of the bounciest songs Although it does lose a tad of momentum towards the end, this album is packed with standout tracks, Killer Mike makes his recording debut on 'Snappin' & Trappin', they manage to make a rare brilliant rap sex-jam in 'I'll Call Before I Come' with memorable verses from Gansta Boo and Eco and they have the almost-too funky 'Spaghetti Junction' but you can't look past the three singles as being the highlights. The aforementioned 'B.O.B.' speaks for itself. Rolling Stones ranked it at the 39th Greatest song of all-time, Blender ranked it as the 2nd 'best song since you were born' and Pitchfork named it as the greatest song of the 2000s, saying it's "not just the song of the decade--it is the decade". 'So Fresh, So Clean' is one of the chillest moments on the album and is the epitome of 'cool' but nothing can come close to 'Ms. Jackson'. In my opinion, one of the greatest songs of all-time, the track provided OutKast with their first Billboard #1 single and truly made them stars. It's absolutely iconic. who doesn't find oneself singing 'Forever, forever ever? Forever, ever? from time-to-time. Andre and Big Boi both provide amazing verses that bring the story completely to life and leave you feeling every single word they say. Even the real 'Ms. Jackson' is a fan, Erykah Badu said that her mother loved the song and "bought herself a 'Ms. Jackson' license plate. She had the mug, she had the ink pen, she had the headband, everything". I want to get this countdown finished tomorrow and I've left it too late today to write everything I wanted to about this album so I'll leave it at this. OutKast are what got me into Hip-Hop in the first place and so I am always going to have some bias towards them, but this album is near-flawless but isn't even close to being their greatest work and I don't even think that's a controversial opinion. It's just goes to show just how consistently brilliant they are. It's insane that 'ATLiens' isn't even on this list when it could have easily been in the top 10.


LewisGT View member profile	21st March 2023, 09:04 PM Post #272
BuzzJack Platinum Member Joined: 7 February 2013 Posts: 11,961 User: 18,293	1. The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die 1994 5/5 Highlights: Juicy, Gimme The Loot, Suicidal Thoughts We're finally at the end and the winner is the Notorious B.I.G. with his second appearance after his follow-up (and only other true release of his vision) 'Life After Death (#59). I guess were firmly know which side of the debate that Rolling Stone are on. I've always personally preferred Biggie to his west-coast rival too so there's no complaints from me. This was Biggie's debut album and was half-recorded when he was signed to 'Uptown Records'. However, after his producer, P Diddy, was fired from the label, the future of the album was in doubt. However, a year later, Diddy started his own label, Bad Boy Records, and their priority was getting this album complete. 'It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up Magazine". Those are the opening lines to the first verse on 'Juicy' and I'm not sure there has ever been a more iconic start to a track. BBC's #1 Hip-Hop track of all-time, 'Juicy' is the definitive 'rags-to-riches' story. It doesn't do anything crazy but no-one else has been able to paint a portrait this vividly. There's a lot of simple contrasts ("I made the change from a common thief to up close and personal with Robin Leach", "Lunches, brunches, interviews by the pool. Considered a fool 'cause I dropped out of high school", No heat, wonder why Christmas missed us. Birthdays was the worst days. Now we sip Champagne when we thirsty") but they are what make the song so universal and an inspiration for anyone to follow their dreams. ' The Notorious B.I.G. always had a sense of self-awareness that isn't always present in this time of rap. He didn't just romanticise the street life and being a G and, especially on this album, there's always a sense of remorse simmering away in the background. With this album being called 'Ready To Die' and the follow-up being called 'Life After Death', you might already be able to tell what happens on the closing track 'Suicidal Thoughts'. The track sees Biggie call P. Diddy in the early hours of the morning and lay down a heart-breaking verse where he explains that he is ready to end his life. It's impossible not to feel moved when he blames himself for all his family's issues and convinces himself that they would be better off without him. Despite Diddy pleading him not to, the track ends with a gunshot. The track is a complete contrast to the opener 'Intro' that sees Biggie being born and tells us the story of his childhood. 'Gimme The Loot' is endlessly creative with Biggie putting on a high-pitched voice to rap against himself. It's almost genius in the way that he makes himself like a completely different person. If you didn't know that he was doing both voices, you never would be able to guess it. Wu-Tang's Method Man has the only guest-feature on the album and he incinerates his verses on 'The What', right from where he interrupts Biggie to begin midway through his own verse. I've made a point not to include bonus tracks or deluxe versions as part of my review but the remastered version of this album adds two of his most famous tracks onto the end. The infamous 'Who Shot Ya' is seen as being one of the starting points of the Tupac beef and the often-imitated 'Just Playing (Dreams)' is probably, lyrically, the worst track on the album but aside from one incredibly uncomfortable line is still a hilarious jab at his peers in R&B. I can't see any argument against this being the #1. Biggie is absolute butter, he could rap the phonebook and it would still sound fire as hell. There's really no-one else who can do it like he could. His flow feels quite loose, but is actuality is finely tuned to be as impactful and easy-to-understand as possible. One message to Biggie, Dr. Dre and the countless other rappers who've done it before: no-one wants to hear a skit of you having sex, so just leave it off the album. 'Fuck Me (Interlude)' with him and Lil' Kim and the skit at the end of 'Respect' are the only two points of the album that are inessential and we really could have done without.