38. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. city 2012 5/5

 

Highlights: Backstreet Freestyle, Money Trees, m.A.A.d. city

 

 

Kendrick Lamar's second appearance (after DAMN, #60) is also his second studio album released in 2012. This was, famously, the album that was beaten by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 'The Heist' for Best Rap Album at the Grammys in one of the award show's most controversial moments with Macklemore even apologising and admitting his win was undeserved. I somehow don't think that the error has been repeated on this list. This album has only increased in stature over the years, spending over 10 years in the Billboard 200 and is used as a text studied as part of the curriculum at Georgia Regents University. This album has been on Billboard's EOY countdowns every year since release and was even so close to matching it's highest position in last years EOY chart (#25).

 

This was Kendrick's first album on a major label but he wanted to ensure that he didn't forget his roots. The producers on the album are the same that helped create his earlier work and the topic remains very personal. This is a concept album that follows (mostly) one day in the life of a 16 year old Kendrick that changed his life and allows him to explore all of the difficulties and challenges he experienced growing up in Compton. It tells the story in a non-linear way with the frequent excerpt of dialogue and answerphone messages keeping us updated while the songs usually explore the themes associated. It works well and gives the album a feeling on cohesiveness and importance. But it also means that the repeated use of interludes make the tracks a bit more difficult to listen to outside of the context of the album. I also think that the two longest tracks ('Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst' and 'Real') are both incredibly essential to the story but are also the two weakest tracks and I wish they didn't take up 20 minutes of the album. That is my only small criticism of the album because even Kendrick and his worst is leagues above most other rappers in the game. These two songs are when Kendrick is starting to grow as a person and want to rise above the life he is being dragged into but this album is at it's most electric when it he is acting his age and showing his inexperience. Backstreet Freestyle is the only track that could be describes as 'fun'. It just shows an arrogant 16 year old Kendrick hanging out with his mates enjoying life. The third verse where he imitates Eminem is insane. I think it's such an important moment on the album as it highlights the fact that Kendrick was just a kid at the time of the story and makes you keep in mind his innocence when the darker side of the story is revealed.

 

A fact that I found interesting was that Lady Gaga was originally supposed to feature on 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe' and released an unfinished version of her parts. I might have to search it out because it it sounds so random.

Wow, There game-changing albums there but The Chronic & GKMC probs should've been top 20. I adore the Chronic and i have never stopped listening to Good Kid Maad City since it was released.

Wow, There game-changing albums there but The Chronic & GKMC probs should've been top 20. I adore the Chronic and i have never stopped listening to Good Kid Maad City since it was released.

 

I think both albums could have easily been in the top 20 based on their reputation. Kendrick definitely has another album to come though.

37. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... 1995 4.5/5

 

Highlights: Can It Be All So Simple (Remix), Guillotine (Swordz), Incarcerated Scarfaces

 

 

More from the Wu and I think this is the highest placed album by a solo Wu-Tang member. There's one other that I think may possibly be included but we're running out of spots. Raekwon was born in New York City and is a founding member of the Clan. Outside of the group he has released seven solo studio albums. Raekwon went to school with future bandmate 'Ghostface Killah', although were part of rival gangs. This provides an interesting extra side to this album as this album (according to the album cover) 'guest stars' Ghostface and he provides verses on half of the tracks. If you've seen '‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga', the Hulu drama about the group, you will know that the rumour goes that Raekwon and Killah were enemies in youth with the show suggesting that Raekwon once shot up Ghostface's family home. Killah has since called this nonsense and Raekwon has clarified that it was actually someone telse from his gang but it is a fascinating story that you can't help but think about when listening to this album, What we do know for certain is that there was definitely some tension and apprehension before they eventually agreed to join forces.

 

If you've been reading my comments about all the Wu-related albums so far you know what to expect. Brilliant production from RZA, dense and creative lyrics, guest spots for every other member of the Clan and a bunch of samples of classic movies. However, this time it's not influenced by old Kung-Fu flicks but Mafia movies with particular focus on John Woo's 'The Killer'. In fact, this album is often considered as the pioneer and blueprint of the 'Mafioso' genre of Gangsta rap that became a trend for a while and influenced classic albums from Nas, Jay-Z & Biggie. It's ironic that this is referenced as an influence of Biggie's 'Life After Death (#59) especially as the interlude 'Shark Niggas (Biters)' is all about hating rappers that copy other's style and even includes some not-so-subtle disses to Biggie himself (to which, Biggie replied to on his own track 'Kick in the Door' from said 'influenced' album). The genre fits perfectly for both Raektwon and Ghostface. Their history that I discussed earlier already sounds like a plot to a mafia film and both MCs were used the life of crime growing up in their environment leads. You believe every word that they say they have such a wonderful skill of drawing you into their stories, even if it's just one verse. Over the album, I would say that Killah just about outshines Raekwon on his own album but it's hard to chose. If ever an rap album deserves to earn the moniker 'cinematic', it's definitely the one we're looking at here. And that's by purpose, this album was designed with the conceptual thought of Raekwon being the leading actor, Ghostface being a guest star and RZA being the director. One historic moment associated with this album is that it includes the first ever time anyone from outside of the Wu-Tang Clan (and it's affiliates) have featured on a Wu project. 'Verbal Intercourse' opens with a verse from Nas who seems well-aware of the importance of his feature and gives it all in a brilliantly conceived verse.

 

There are a couple of things that stopped me being in love with the album to the same extent as most. One, there's a few slurs throughout which have been catching my ear more than ever recently and two, the length. It might not even be the length per se, it clocks in at around 70 minutes which is long but there's plenty I enjoy at that length. I just think this album seemed to lose momentum towards the end. I think with a bit of tinkering with order this would have been fine but as it it, I think it ends too weak.

36. Chance The Rapper - Acid Rap 2013 4.5/5

 

Highlights: Cocoa Butter Kisses, Good Ass Intro, Everybody's Something

 

 

While we certainly won't be seeing his debut album, mixtape-era Chance seemed to be a critic darling and 'Acid Rap' gives him his second appearance after Coloring Book (#105). I think this is a much better project than Coloring Book so while I'm not sure either should be anywhere near this high (or indeed, included at all), I'm glad it's higher than his other entry. I actually listened to this for the first time during the original lockdown and left a review on here already. My thoughts are largely the same, (I've decided to just about increase the rating from 4 to a low 4.5) so I'm just going to quote that review again here.

 

Look at almost any list of the best rap albums of the 2010's and among it you will find Chance The Rapper's 2nd mixtape. Originally released as a free download, the album still ended up debuting at #65 on the Hop Hop Billboard album charts just through illegal bootlegs of the album put on iTunes by other people. It was also certified diamond by webiste Datpiff for having 10 million downloads from the site. This was the follow-up to his 2012 mixtape "10 Day", recorded during a 10 day suspension he had from school for possession of weed. Acid Rap deals with the consequences of becoming famous while still in school, including humorously referring to the attention he got from girls when he went back to school on "Good Ass Intro" and turning into a person he Mum doesn't like in the album highlight "Cocoa Butter Kisses". The album eventually got a proper streaming release in 2019, just before the release of his debut "album", the critically panned 'The Big Day'.

 

The Big Day was panned, especially by fans, for sounding nothing like his previous work and listening to this you can see why. Personally, I loved The Big Day, yes it's cheesy and is the album equivalent of the Borat "My Wife" meme but I found some real gems on there and enjoy its more soulful and poppier elements. Acid Rap is obviously the work of a rawer, less experienced artist. It feels much rougher around the edges that the slick, highly produced TBD. Where TBG feels like an album that has went through a committee, Acid Rap feels more off-the-cuff and natural. In fact, Chance has admitted that LSD was consumed during the albums recording and there are times where you can feel that influence. There are some incredibly serious topics discussed too. Pusha Man/Paranoia expertly tells the haunting tale of how when most students can't wait for the summer as their off school, Chance hates it because it's the time of the year where people die most in the crime areas of Chicago he grew up in. "Cause everybody dies in the summer, Wanna say your goodbyes, tell them while it's spring. I heard everybody's dying in the summer, so pray to God for a little more spring"

 

As I mentioned earlier, my favourite song on this album is Cocoa Butter Kisses featuring his close friends from childhood Vic Mensa and, weirdly enough, Twista. Here Chance reminisces about being a kid going to Chuck E Cheese and getting aforementioned kisses from his mother. He contrasts that his current loss of innocence, getting high and irritating his family. It's a topic that could be cheesy but he makes it work. Twista's plays the role of the OG mentor to perfection too. However there are a couple song on here that just don't work for me. Mainly 'That's Love' and unfortunately the Gambino collab "Favorite Song" that contains some dodgy, completely out of place homophobic lyrics that seem to go against the public persona Chance has created for himself.

 

If you listen to this on Spotify, the track 'Juice' didn't get its sample cleared in time so is replaced by a 30 second message explaining what I've just said. The video is on YouTube though.

 

tbh, i don't think Acid Rap deserves to be here. I think its kind of meh (5-6/10) but i get the appeal. At least its here instead of The Big Day!

Edited February 1, 20232 yr by Y'all Starlight

tbh, i don't think Acid Rap deserves to be here. I think its kind of meh (5-6/10) but i get the appeal. At least its here instead of The Big Day!

 

I wouldn't have included it either. I do have a bit of a soft spot for 'The Big Day' though. There's some fun stuff amongst the filler.

35. Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle 1993 5/5

 

Highlights: Who Am I (What's My Name)?, Serial Killa, Ain't No Fun (If The Homies Can't Have None)

 

 

Snoop Dogg is a rapper from Long Beach, California who is nowadays, probably best known for his love of weed and his TV-friendly persona so it's easy to forget that he started his career making gangsta rap and has been associated with the Crips since youth. Snoop has released 19 studio albums with his most recent, BODR, coming only last year. We've already seen Snoop's origins where he was all over Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic' (#40) but it wasn't until this came out the following year that his place in the upper-echelon of 90s rap was solidified. I've mentioned it in the review of 'The Chronic' but 'Doggystyle' opened with 806,858 sales in America making it simultaneously, the best opening week sales for a Hip-Hop album and even the best opening sales for a debut album of any genre. This was an absolute monster of an album, and for good reason, but for whatever reason, I don't think it's become as iconic as other albums from the time.

 

If 'The Chronic' was Dre and Snoop creating the G-Funk sound, than 'Doggystyle's is them perfecting it. There's no filler here, just banger after banger with a young Snoop's distinctive slow flow perfectly emphasising every intricacy of the samples and beats. Time said of Snoop's performance "Snoop's rapping isn't flashy, but it is catchy. [...] His relaxed vocal style is a perfect match for Dre's bass-heavy producing". At least two of the tracks on here were completely freestyled by Snoop and are that good that you honestly wouldn't be able to tell which ones they were. This album was released towards the beginning of the anti-rap moral craze and this album was often used as a discussion point when pundits were describing why rap music is bad for the youth. Snoop's tales of being a G, smoking weeb, spending time with the 'hoes' and clashing with other gangs might sound pretty mild today based on what was to come but caused controversy at the time. Despite the criticisms, the best remembered tracks from this album are the lighter moments. 'Gin and Juice' is not my favourite but is certainly still one of his most popular tracks and has to be labelled under the term 'classic'. But it's the other big track, his debut single, 'Who Am I' that does it for me. The hook (Snoop Doggy Dooooooooogggggg) is permanently stuck in my head. It's is one of the catchiest things to come out of Hip-Hop and certainly must have been an influence on Eminem's debut song. I've included 'Ain't No Fun' in my highlights even though its far from being the albums' strongest work. It has a few lyrics that lean towards cringe but Nate Dogg's singing alone just completely makes the track and allows me to look over the lyrics. Either 'Murder Was The Case', a rare storytelling track from Snoop about resurrection after selling your soul to the devil or 'The Shiznit' with one of the sickest, flute-based beats I've heard probably deserve a spot in the top 3 instead but there's so much good here that it's hard to narrow down.

 

The guy who now makes Just Eat adverts really used to make albums as effortlessly cool and classic as this. He needs to put this and 'The Chronic' back on Spotify ASAP!

'The Chronic' actually is back on Spotify now! (As of like a day ago, saw a post about it on Reddit. Apparently it turned out Snoop did not actually have the rights to take it down in the first place :lol: 'Doggystyle' remains absent unfortunately)

 

Obviously have to post some appreciation for 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' which I think I'd say is still my favourite Kendrick album :wub: Our opinions regarding the long tracks seem to be polar opposites with this album vs. 'CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST' though - 'Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst' is one of the best songs on the album for me! 'Real' admittedly not as much, that's probably the least essential song on the album (at least the standard edition) but I do still like it. Super hard to pick a top 3 from the album but I think all 3 of the ones you picked would be in my top 5 as well, along with 'SAM,IDOT' and 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe'. I'd say 'Money Trees' is a solid #1 on the album but my 2 and 3 could be any of those other four songs depending on what day you ask me.

'The Chronic' actually is back on Spotify now! (As of like a day ago, saw a post about it on Reddit. Apparently it turned out Snoop did not actually have the rights to take it down in the first place :lol: 'Doggystyle' remains absent unfortunately)

 

Obviously have to post some appreciation for 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' which I think I'd say is still my favourite Kendrick album :wub: Our opinions regarding the long tracks seem to be polar opposites with this album vs. 'CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST' though - 'Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst' is one of the best songs on the album for me! 'Real' admittedly not as much, that's probably the least essential song on the album (at least the standard edition) but I do still like it. Super hard to pick a top 3 from the album but I think all 3 of the ones you picked would be in my top 5 as well, along with 'SAM,IDOT' and 'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe'. I'd say 'Money Trees' is a solid #1 on the album but my 2 and 3 could be any of those other four songs depending on what day you ask me.

 

Ooh I didn’t realise The Chronic was back now. Definitely throwing a few tracks on some of my playlists now :cheer:

 

Yeah our opinions do seem to be the exact opposite in terms of CMIYGL and GKMC :lol: I agree that ‘Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe’ would be my next pick from the album too. I remember it wasn’t massively a fan of it when it was a single but it’s grown on me massively since I started to properly go through his full discography.

 

34. The Sugar Hill Records Story 1997 4/5

 

Highlights: The Message, Rapper's Delight, Hot Hot Summer Day

 

 

There has been a couple of albums that were essential greatest hits so far (Steinski, Afrika Bambaataa) that felt like cheap inclusions but this album that is for all intents and purposes a record label greatest hits does feel an especially odd choice. Sugar Hill Records was founded in 1979 by the husband-wife duo of Joe and Sylvia Robinson. Before the labels demise in 1986, they created a lot of history. To quote the Rolling Stone summary: they "scored the first Top 40 rap hit in Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”; the first important rap act in Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, who released the turntablist gem “Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel” and the socially conscious classic “The Message”; the first major female rap group (and first Southern hip-hop act) in the Sequence; and even the first group to appear on national TV, thanks to the Funky Four + 1 More’s 1981 appearance on Saturday Night Live". Co-founder Sylvia Robinson even has a track on this album with the pretty decent 'It's Good To Be The Queen'.

 

This album is 5 discs totalling about 6 and a half hours in length over it's 56 tracks and isn't available in full on Spotify so it hasn't been an easy album to locate and listen. There are 6 songs on here that are not available on Spotify in any form and even 2 of those that i can't locate anywhere on the internet after a quick search (they are 'Chilly Kids - At The Ice Arcade' and 'Miracle Mike and The Ladies of the 80's - Outta Control'). If you can find listenable streams of there anywhere please let me know. I've split listening to this album over a couple of days and while I think it is an important document for anyone interested in the history of Hip-Hop music and the classics are classic for a reason, there's also plenty of filler on here that hasn't necessary stood the test of time. I did like that there are two songs on here that were previously unreleased ('Cash Crew - Scratching' and 'The Sequence - Here Comes The Bride') even if they weren't standouts for me. I'm glad I've heard (most of) this and it certainly remained consistently funky throughout but I don't think I will be going back to anything outside the established classics again.

33. De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising 1989 5/5

 

Highlights: Buddy, The Magic Number, Say No Go

 

 

The third appearance for De La Soul (De La Soul Is Dead, #94 and Buhloone Mindstate, #65) and we go all the way back to their highly influential 1989 debut. When this was released in early 1989, N.W.A. had just dropped 'Straight Outta Compton', Geto Boys and Public Enemy were finding large success and Ice-T and LL Cool J were beginning to beef. The dominant sound in Hip-Hop was the aggressive, reality stylings of gangsta rap. So when three MCs released an bright yellow album cover with flowers on, talking about the 'daisy age' and releasing tracks that were just samples of French language learner tapes (Transmitting Live from Mars) they gained a lot of attention and were quickly labelled as 'hippies'. This was not a labelling they desired, (see my review of De La Soul Is Dead) but their more positive outlook and lighter production ended up being such a breath of fresh air and such a large influence on a lot of music to come. I like the quote from Robert Christgau that "De La Soul were the "new wave to Public Enemy's punk" (even if his rating of Doggstyle made me recently question his taste in music). This album went on to top the 'Pazz and Jop' critics poll for 1989, the now-defunct annual album competition ran in the Village Voice newspaper and founded by Robert himself.

 

If you go back you to earlier in this thread, you can see that I wasn't much of a fan of their second album, but I absolutely loved this one. It weirdly feels more polished and more natural than their follow-up with the skits being more agreeable and the concepts just landing at a much higher rate. This has been sometimes cited as the album that birthed the concept of the comedic skit in Hip-Hop, so it has some blood on its hands, but the recurring game show skits on here actually do add an extra dimension to this album. On the whole this album is certainly on the experimental side as evidenced by some of the comparisons it has been bestowed. Macy Gray called De La Soul 'The Beatles of Hip-Hop' and James Lavelle called it the 'Dark Side Of The Moon of Hip-Hop'. Prince Paul sample-heavy production is often quite eccentric but works so well in unison with the laid-back, left-field flows from the three emcees.

 

Talking about sampling, this album is also infamous for facing the first big lawsuit in regards to Hip-Hop sampling and setting a precedent that changed the genre forevermore. The 'Transmitting Live from Mars' interlude features a sample of The Turtles' 'You Showed Me' which irked the Californian band who sued De La Soul for $1.7 million dollars (which roughly translates to just under $150,000 per second of the song sampled). Singer Mark Volman said "Sampling is just a longer term for theft. Anybody who can honestly say sampling is some sort of creativity has never done anything creative". The song has also recently been interpolated by Madison Beer in 'Showed Me (How I Fell In Love With You)" so that's two artists who have used the song to a better song than The Turtles!

 

The third album in a row that is not on Spotify but the good news is that to celebrate it's 34th anniversary, this album (and the rest of the De La Soul discography) will be hitting streaming for the first time. :cheer: With samples being so prominent in their music, it's going to be interesting to see just how much gets cleared. For example, on the already released 2023 remaster of 'The Magic Number' an Eddie Murphy sample has been excluded. I could have done with the album being released this month instead because it was not fun trying to find a full version of this to listen to today.

32. Chief Keef - Finally Rich 2012 3.5/5

 

Highlights: Hate Bein' Sober, Love Sosa, Kay Kay

 

 

Chief Keef is a rapper from Chicago, Illinois who found fame as a teenager releasing mixtapes while being under house arrest at his grandmother's house. Before the release of his debut album, 'I Don't Like' (featuring Lil Reese) was remixed by Kanye West who recruited Pusha T, Jadakiss and Big Sean and released it on Cruel Summer compilation album. This sudden rise-to-fame led to a bidding war between record labels desperate to sign the teen before Interscope eventually gained his signature. He has faced numerous legal problems in the years since his debut and left Interscope in 2014. Despite not being able to find the same level of commercial success, Keef has became a highly respected figure in the rap scene. He is known for being the godfather of Chicago drill, a genre that has become ubiquitous and inspired the rise of UK Drill. He is someone who's reputation has outlasted his music as he still gets shouted out by some many other rappers despite none of his songs making many waves any more. He has released four studio albums so far with his latest, '4NEM' dropping in 2021 to little fanfare. His 2012 debut is the album that he earned it's place on this list.

 

To use an overused word that seems all in range at the moment, this album is the definition of 'mid'. There's nothing aggressively awful (aside from the incredibly irritating 'Laughin' To The Bank' that feels like a poor attempt at remaking Juvinile's 'Ha') but there's also nothing here that really got me excited. He was 17 when this released so it's understandable, but lyrically this album is basic. There's no larger concepts at play here; there's no intricate metaphors or clever wordplay. This album is performed completely at face value with an emotionless, monotonous demeanour and blunt descriptions. You can certainly hear something that influenced 21 Savage but it's completely lacking in that little ironic, fun-side that hinted at in 21's music. What this album does well though, and what I think has made it such an influential record, is the hooks. Every track feels like it was truly based around the chorus and each track, in turn, lives and dies by how good it's particular chorus is. The sing-songy hooks certainly sounds like so much of what we hear today from Polo G and even Migos.

 

My favourite track is 'Hate Bein' Sober', mainly due to some solid guest verses from 50 Cent and Wiz Khalifa but also just because it's the only track where Keef sounds like he isn't heavily sedated during the album and shows any actual emotion. He notoriously didn't show up to the video shoot so the official video is just 50 and Wiz riding around in some apocalyptic buggies and lip-syncing Keef's vocals. :lol: It's also the track that led him into a random Twitter beef with Katy Perry after she criticised the title of the song which is worth looking up.

 

Influential album, though it may be, I don't think I could really call it a good album. It's perfectly listenable and has a few moments you'll enjoy but Chief Keef is a (honestly slighter below) average rapper who lacks the lyrical ability and skills on the mic to create something truly engaging from start to finish.

I kind of hated the singles from 'Finally Rich' when I first heard them at the time but I'll give him they're definitely memorable (I find that I still get them stuck in my head from time to time, and I have occasionally been compelled to relisten to them which is something I don't often do with older songs really so there has to be something to them). I guess they're good as ignorant bangers you can just turn your brain off to, an itch that has more recently been scratched for me by the likes of Lil Durk, 21 Savage and Nardo Wick. The critical acclaim especially to this degree is a little mystifying still but then I guess it's fair to say that he has been a very influential artist.

Yeah, i never really got or liked Keef's music but the influence is massive. You can easily see the influence in todays music from "Finally Rich" & The Weeknd's "House Of Balloons"

I kind of hated the singles from 'Finally Rich' when I first heard them at the time but I'll give him they're definitely memorable (I find that I still get them stuck in my head from time to time, and I have occasionally been compelled to relisten to them which is something I don't often do with older songs really so there has to be something to them). I guess they're good as ignorant bangers you can just turn your brain off to, an itch that has more recently been scratched for me by the likes of Lil Durk, 21 Savage and Nardo Wick. The critical acclaim especially to this degree is a little mystifying still but then I guess it's fair to say that he has been a very influential artist.

 

It's the choruses that will be bringing you back I think. He has a knack of making them undeniably catchy even if there's not much actual substance there. He deserves credit for creating the sound but I think plenty have surmounted him in the style since.

 

Yeah, i never really got or liked Keef's music but the influence is massive. You can easily see the influence in todays music from "Finally Rich" & The Weeknd's "House Of Balloons"

 

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one going who doesn't think Keef's music is up to all that much.

31. Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday 2010 4/5

 

Highlights: Moment 4 Life, Blazin', I'm The Best

 

 

Nicki Minaj is a rapper who was born in Trinidad & Tobago but moved New York as a child. After releasing three mixtapes and building a following, she was discovered by Lil Wayne and signed to the Young Money label, quickly becoming one of the label's public faces alongside Wayne and Drake, forever cementing their association. Nicki is known for her eccentric artistry and use of different, often contrasting personas, most famously the gruff, angry, faux-British 'Roman Zolanski' and the demure, girly 'Harajuku Barbie'. Nicki Minaj is the best-selling female rapper of all-time with over 100 million singles and albums sold worldwide. Nicki has released four studio albums in her career so far. For someone who has undeniably been one of the biggest names in the genre over the past 15 years, I couldn't even think of Nicki appearing on any of the albums so far in the countdown. I've become a little bit obsessed with finding where she may have featured and after a good while of going down the rabbit hole and researching I can finally confirm there's at least one: she was a feature on 'Throw Some Mo' from Rae Sremmurd's 'SremmLife' (#152).

 

Pink Friday is Nicki's debut album and was an instant success, entering at #2 on the Billboard album charts (it did eventually climb to the top) with the 2nd highest sales for a female rap album. It couldn't have had much better promotion as it dropped only a few months after she provided one of the greatest verses of all-time on Kanye West's 'Monster' where she absolutely bodied Kanye and Jay-Z. After she did that to two of the most legendary MCs in the game, the hype surrounding her was gigantic and she was on the top of the world. This album was eventually released on the same day as the album that featured on and I'm certain that album is still to come so I'll say no more. When I'm reviewing these albums, I always go for the standard version which makes this album a weird one to talk about. This album is completely defined by a bonus track. When people think back to this era of Nicki, they're thinking 'Super Bass' and it doesn't even appear on the standard version of the album first released. The track is the perfect archetype that infuses all of the different styles that made Nicki such a unique artist at the time. It has the bright, bubble-gum pop influences but also contains a flow that sometimes verges into aggressive that lets you know that Nicki can get down to 'rapping rapping' when she needs to. It's the perfect blend of the contrasting styles and shows her at her peak creatively before her follow-up went a bit too pop and overdone the EDM beats. My favourite track (on the standard edition) is 'Moment 4 Life'. A collaboration with Drake, it allows Nicki to show off her singing on the hook and is the first song I remember really getting into from her. I'd still rank it well up there amongst my favourites she's ever done. In fact, the most 'pop' songs on this album are often my favourite parts. 'Right Thru Me', another of her sing-yer songs just missed out on making my highlights. I really like the lane she finds for herself on those tracks and I think she's pretty underrated when it comes to providing sung hooks for her own tracks. However, my praise does extend to 'Check It Out' with will.i.am. There is some competition for this accolade but I think it's the worst thing Nicki has ever recorded. The sample is obnoxious, will.i.am is embarrassingly bad on his verses ("I stay ni***rific, you don't need to ask why") and the addition of Cheryl Cole for the UK release still just unreasonably annoys me. If we include the deluxe tracks, that might be enough to bump the album to a 4.5. 'Super Bass' is obviously the stand-out track but I've always had a soft spot for 'Girls Fall Like Dominoes' too. I just wished she left will.i.am behind.

 

Just like Chief Keef, this is another album that I think is on this list more due to cultural impact and the legacy of the artist instead of musical merit. I really like the album but I certainly wouldn't have it anywhere near this high on a list like this. This got pretty average reviews at the time and didn't really make many EOY critics lists which I think is probably a more fair reflection of where this album is truly at within music circles. A fan favourite for sure, but not one that truly won over the critics.

30. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique 1989 4/5

 

Highlights: Egg Man, Shadrach, The Sounds Of Science

 

 

The second entry for Beastie Boys after their debut album (Licensed To Ill, #57). This was their follow-up, released three years later and a lot had changed in that time. They had fallen out with previous previous mentor Rick Ruben and had left Def Jam Records to join Capital Records. Their debut album had been a crazy commercial success but the band were scarred by accusations of them being a one-hit wonder and the disparaging label of 'frat music' given to them after 'Fight For Your Right' became inescapable. They wanted to prove themselves on their second album. They wanted it to be a step away from the party music of the first album and create something deeper with experimental sounds. They recruited the Dust Brothers, who were famous for their production style of creating whole tracks through the use of multiple samples. And that's what they did with this album. The production on here is a mile away from their debut. An eclectic mix of 105 different songs are used as samples to create this album and you can feel the influence of every single one. There's always something interesting happening throughout and you never know where it's going next. This was seen as a huge departure by many fans and has been attributed as being the reason why the album was a complete bomb. It missed the top 10 in the Billboard album chart and only had one single reach the Billboard Hot100. However, listening to it now, it doesn't sound to me that far away from their debut and the reason for this is the three MCs. Ad-Rock, MCA and Mike D retain their tag-team style of rap where they often perform in unison or alternate between words and it still sounds just as clean. Lyrically, they are all over the place which makes them impossible to ignore. Their often at their best when they're at their most childish (my favourite track is 'Egg Man' which is about throwing eggs at people) but their diverse references and intellectual thoughts show that they had matured a lot since some of the cringier moments on 'Licensed To Ill'. This was decently reviewed at the time but it's legacy has only increased every year (including a 10/10 review by Pitchfork for the 2009 reissue. Public Enemy's Chuck D has been quoted as saying that it was a dirty secret at the time amongst the black rap community that this album had the best beats in Hip-Hop and with the sheer amount of samples (including The Beatles!) I'm amazed that they've been able to license this to streaming with no issues!

 

I was not a huge fan of their debut album but I found this one to be such a large improvement. There was still a weaker period towards the album where it lost a little bit of stream for a few inconsequential tracks but, for the most part, I was really digging this throughout and started to see why they are so highly esteemed.

29. 2Pac - All Eyez On Me 1996 5/5

 

Highlights: Got My Mind Made Up, Can't C Me, Holla At Me

 

 

The second appearance for one of the most legendary figures in Hip-Hop after Me Against The World (#134). This is widely considered to be his magnum opus so I guess this is his highest entry but #29 seems so low for the highest album from such an icon. 'All Eyez On Me' was Tupac's fourth studio album and the final one to be released during his lifetime and it could not have had a more apt title. This was his debut release on Death Row Records after he agreed a deal with Suge Night that meant that he paid the $1.4 million bail to release Tupac from jail on the agreement that Tupac record three albums for his label. Only the year before, Tupac had been hospitalised in a shooting that he claimed of which Biggie and Diddy had prior knowledge, that led to the ultimately tragic East-West Coast rivalry. The eyes of the music world were very much on Shakur at the time and the world wanted to hear what he had to say and he let no-one down with this epic, sprawling 2 hour+ double-album that touches upon his rivals that set him up, his legal troubles, thug life and of course, the ladies. He was rewarded with his only two Billboard #1 singles (the double-A side single of California Love and How Do U Want It) and a Diamond certificated album.

 

This is a very different album from what he had released before. This album is a huge departure from the conscious classics he was dropping earlier in his career (Brenda's Got a Baby, Dear Mama). This is an angrier, hungrier Tupac with his mind set firmly on revenge. Aside from a couple of tracks (the touching 'Life Goes On, the reminiscing 'Tradin' War Stories and the uplifting 'Picture Me Rollin'), this album is largely a celebration of the thug life. Spending time in jail really seemed to change his perspective and his music took a turn to the gangsta. Working with Death Row gave him the opportunity to work with Dre and Snoop and, especially on the first half of the album, the tracks with their involvement shine. Tupac sounds great over their signature sound and is a huge part on why I prefer Disc 1. For Disc 2, he recruits the 'Outlawz', a group of Bay Area MCs he founded after his release from prison who named themselves after dictators and pop up all over the second half. They're all pretty decent but you come into this album to hear Tupac and not them. For such a long album, there isn't really that much filler. I probably wouldn't want to listen to it in full often but there's very little I think could be cut out. You could probably lose a few from the 2nd disc but that's it.

 

Plenty of people have already expressed what makes Tupac so brilliant a lot more eloquently and vividly than I can so I won't say much more but that this is a true, massively important piece of art and is an essential listen for anyone with even the slightest interest in Hip-Hop.

28. Mobb Deep - The Infamous 1995 5/5

 

Highlights: Eye For An Eye (Your Beef Is Mines), Survival Of The Fittest, Give Up The Goods (Just Step)

 

 

Mobb Deep were a Hip-Hop duo from New York that consisted of MCs 'Havoc' and the late 'Prodigy'. The duo formed under the name 'Poetical Prophets' who tried to break into the industry by turning up at the headquarters of record labels and try to play their mixtym to Bad Boy Records. They eventually signed for 4th & B'way Records and released their debut album 'Juvenile Hell' in 1993. They were both teenagers at the time of release and after the album failed to chart, the duo were dropped from the label. They got a second chance with Loud Records and released 8 studio albums before Prodigy's untimely death in 2017 aged 42. It's funny that they would appear right after Tupac because they were part of the East-West coast beef that led to Shakur releasing disses aimed at the pair. Havoc spoke about the beef: ""I was happy about it, The n***a saying our names. I didn't know what the fuck the beef was about. I didn't even care. I was like damn, did you hear that? 2Pac dissing us. We about to sell some records." And we never got a chance to cross paths with him because he passed away. "I saw him from a long distance but I never met him. [i was a] Fan, but didn't even know him".

 

The Infamous was the duo's second album and is seriously good. This is one of the best albums I've heard in a long time. They were only 20 when they recorded it, but they clearly were shook by the failure of their debut and learned their lesson. Prodigy said "We was embarrassed that our first effort at hip-hop didn’t stand up to what was out there. It was like, are we going to be this wack-ass group who no one remembers? Who made an album that didn’t go nowhere? Meanwhile, all these other dudes are being successful and making incredible hip-hop. We needed to get our shit together". On their debut they had worked with top producers, like DJ Premier, but the budget was much lower for this album and Havoc ended up doing most of the production himself to great effect. He practically cemented the sound that we associate with hardcore rap. Minimalist beats with piano loops and distorted synths, it's grimy and raw and creates the perfect mood for the pair's chilling, poetic descriptions of life in the streets. They're so matter-of-the-fact in their rhymes. There's no doubt that they've lived this. It's not glorifying the violent lifestyle and they specifically ensure that they explain that they're a product of their environment.

 

It's a nice touch that the man who originally discovered them, Q-Tip helped the pair with this album. Aside from producing two of the beats, he also provides a verse on 'Drink Away The Pain (Situations)'. It's a dope verse but does feel like he made a weird choice. While Havoc and Prodigy employ an extended metaphor of talking about alcohol as if it was their girl in their verses, Q-Tip decides to rap about clothes in the same way. Their other features are insane too. Nas just so happened to be a childhood friend of Havoc and provides a verse on 'Eye For An Eye (Your Beef Is Mines)' and being on the same label means that Wu-Tang members Raekwon and Ghostface Killah make appearances. Big Noyd is a close compliance of the group and earns respect between his four features. The big single is 'Shook Ones Part II', a remake of an earlier release that has gained esteem due to it's use in '8 Mile'.

 

This is the first album I've listened to in a while that I wanted to just go straight back to the start and listen again as soon as it had finished. I see that a lot of their fans think that their next album, 'Hell on Earth' is even better so I cannot wait to give that one a spin.