DAYTONA is probably my favourite of the Wyoming Sessions albums (with Kids See Ghosts coming close)

I discovered "No Vaseline" from the Straight Outta Compton movie and you pointing out the Anti-Semitic bar reminded me of that scene where Heller turned off the CD player and (understandably) got mad at the line.

92. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing... 1996 3.5/5

 

Highlights: Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt, Changeling, Stem / Long Stem - Medley

 

 

DJ Shadow is a DJ from San Jose, California known for his Hip-Hop instrumentals created using extensive sampling. Shadow has released 6 studio albums in his career with his latest, 'Our Pathetic Age' being released in 2019. He was inducted into the Guinness World Records for producing the first ever album fully created using samples with his debut which is in fact the album that is making an appearance today.

 

The samples on this album were created using vinyls that Shadow bought from Rare Records in Sacramento. The cover for the album is a picture taken at this shop showing producer Chief Xcel and rapper Lyrics Born who's excellent 'Later That Day...' album has already made an appearance here at 191. The reason why I fell in love Hip-Hop is because of MCs and their ability to tell storytelling through their rap so a fully instrumental record just isn't for me. I found this quite nice to listen to but I just can't fully invest in a Hip-Hop album without some rap and lyrics to latch on to. I think the fact that this is purely samples is fascinating and you genuinely wouldn't be able to tell if you didn't know and I admire the way Shadow has managed to create a story through others work but I find that fact more interesting than the actual album. I appreciate the skill and the unbridled creativity and inspiration here but it just isn't for me.

A fantastic countdown this, Lewis. This is a great thread that you are doing.

 

 

DAYTONA is probably my favourite of the Wyoming Sessions albums (with Kids See Ghosts coming close)

I discovered "No Vaseline" from the Straight Outta Compton movie and you pointing out the Anti-Semitic bar reminded me of that scene where Heller turned off the CD player and (understandably) got mad at the line.

 

I think I would agree out of the Wyoming Sessions albums I've heard. Although my favourite individual tracks appeared on 'ye'.

 

Straight Outta Compton is a great film. I'm sure I will be discussing that album and song again pretty soon.

 

 

A fantastic countdown this, Lewis. This is a great thread that you are doing.

 

Thanks Mack :D

91. Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded 1987 4.5/5

 

Highlights: South Bronx, 9mm Goes Bang, Dope Beat

 

 

Boogie Down Productions are (I think) the first artists to have a second project appear in this countdown after 'By All Means Necessary' at 111. That was their 2nd album but it is their debut from a year earlier that we're checking out today. This was their only release as a trio as DJ Scott La Rock was tragically murdered shortly after its release. This album is one of those that is very culturally significant as it's focus on gritty descriptions of street life is seen as being a precursor for the Gangtsa Rap genre. The album cover, showing KRS-One and Scott La Rock posing with a bunch of weapons, a concept that was virtually unheard of for album art at the time.

 

I've rated them both 4.5 but I think it is the right decision to put this one higher than 'BAMN'. This was so close to being my first 5/5 from the 1980s. While he doesn't exactly sound modern, KRS-One does sound lightyears ahead in terms of flows and schemes than anyone else I've heard from the 80s albums. That's why is feels so weird when you get to 'The Bridge Is Over'. The track is one that has popped up in my research for quite a few of the previous albums and is a diss-track against the Queens Rap scene and more specifically Juice Crew artists such as MC Shan, Roxanne Shante and Marley Marl, all of which we have already appeared during this countdown. The song is actually starts with a sample of Shan's 'The Bridge' and is the most famous 'battle' from what has been known as 'The Bridge Wars' set of disses. The bar that seems to get the most focus is "Roxanne Shante is only good for steady f*ckin'". It's made all the more harsh with Shante not even being at the forefront of the beef up to that point.

 

This album is based around some eccentric samples (The Beatles, James Brown) and most notably AC/DC on 'Dope Beat' where the backing track is just 'Back In Black'. But the album has also became itself a bit of a mecca for artists looking for samples. The most notable will be Jennifer Lopez sampling 'South Bronx' for her ode to her home 'Jenny From The Block. This album has some reggae influences and the dancehall song on here is much stronger than when we've heard other artists trying it on previous albums (looking at you, Eve for the only wack track on Scorpion).

 

90. Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: The End Of Day 2009 4.5/5

 

Highlights: Day 'N' Nite (Nightmare), Soundtrack 2 My Life, Simple As...

 

 

Kid Cudi is a rapper, singer and actor from Cleveland, Ohio who rose to prominence after his mixtape ‘A Kid Called Cudi’ caught the attention of Kanye West who singed Cudi to the GOOD Music label the same year. Cudi’s autobiographical music often focuses on topics such as depression, addiction and spirituality. Cudi has released 8 studio albums with his most commercially successful being his ‘Man on the Moon’ trilogy of albums released in 2009, 2010 and 2020. Alongside his solo albums, he has also released two collaborative projects, the rock album ‘WZRD’ with Dot da Genius and the Kanye assisted ‘Kids See Ghosts’. Cudi has won 2 Grammy awards and earned his first Billboard #1 single with ‘THE SCOTTS’, the first single of a new partnership with Travis Scott. Outside of music, Cudi has found success in acting appearing in movies and shows including Don’t Look Up, One Tree Hill, Westworld and Need For Speed. Despite having commercial success, Cudi is an artist whose influence and legacy has always seemed to outweigh his sales with his introspective, melodic style being an inspiration on much of the artists that have followed in his wake.

 

Man on the Moon: The End Of Day was released in 2009 as Cudi’s first studio album and stood out for sounding completely different to pretty much anything out there at the time. There’s a sense of honesty and introspective thought that not many other rap albums chose to adopt. A lot of the socially-conscience albums we’ve seen so far focus on broad, societal issues and concepts like racism and street life but Cudi made the intentional choice to keep this album fully fixated on himself. This album really is a journey into his mind and is unafraid to go to areas that don’t always make him seem very cool. But it’s not just in the lyrics where this album really feels unique. The album has some pretty psychedelic, atmospheric production that shies away from the traditional bass and soulful instrumentals that dominate Hip-Hop and instead incorporating elements from pop and rock that better suits his slightly off-kilter style of sing-rap and, of course, his now iconic humming.

 

The album is a concept album that shows a Cudi dreaming about his issues before imagining how he will get better and have a successful career and is split into 5 ‘acts’. The first act is ‘I: The End Of Day’ and is my personal favourite. It lasts for the first 3 tracks and introduces the concept of the dreams and starts the album off on a fun note before ‘Act II: Rise Of The Night Terrors’ takes it into a much darker place. Over these 3 tracks, Cudi opens up about his father’s death and his loneliness and insecurities, while introducing us to the first ‘nightmare’ track, ‘Solo Dolo’. The third act ‘Taking a Trip’ begins with a ‘nightmare’ track, the now iconic ‘Day ‘N’ Nite’ before starting to introduce some more hopeful thoughts and concluding with the fully upbeat ‘Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part I)’ that is about forming a connection with someone over shrooms. The album then moves on to the longest act ‘Stuck’ that shows how Cudi starts to find solace and peace in himself through getting stoned each night. This act does have the albums big dud though in ‘Make Her Say’. Cudi and guest features Kanye and Common all provide good verses but the Lady Gaga ‘Poker Face’ sample the beat is based on is pretty annoying and the relating it to getting head just seems like a pretty weak concept. The album then closes out with two more tracks in 'Act V: A New Beginning' that leave the album on a positive note and with the narrator (Common) basically doing the musical equivalent of a Marvel post-credit sting by promising that the end is never the end and that the Moon Man will return.

89. Brand Nubian - One For All 1990 4.5/5

 

Highlights: One For All, Ragtime, Try To Do Me

 

 

Brand Nubian are a Hip-Hop group from New York that consisted of MCs Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar and DJ's DJ Alamo, DJ Sincere and DJ Stud Doogie. After the release of their debut album' One For All in 1990, Grand Puba and DJ Alamo fell out with the other members and left for solo careers. The group officially split up fully in 1995 but the whole group have reformed multiple times since, most notably in 1997 and 2004. I must say I had never heard of this group before today and I was only aware of Lord Jamar through his beef with Eminem when he said that white rappers are 'guests in Hip-Hop'.

 

This album won me over from the start by including a Engelbart Humperdinck reference less than a minute in. For an 1990 album, all of the MCs have a pretty unique flow with some punches that still land today. The production is perfectly played with each sample working well to add to the track with DJ scratches used sparingly but effectively to add to the excitement. The trio work well together with their contrasting techniques keeping the album interesting, even if it is Grand Puba who takes up most of the verses and, in turn, most of the best moments.

 

However, one thing that has followed the group's career is controversy. This album was controversial for the time for it's frequent themes of militant 'Five-Percenter' rhetoric. This is an Islamic Black nationalist movement that preaches that black men are gods of civilization due to their status as being the original people on Earth. But this mainly comes through on this album with messages of unity and togetherness. Even the track that discusses the killing of an unarmed teen (Concerto in X Minor) feels more hopeful than despairing. None of the lyrics relating to Islam or black nationalism feel that they deserve to be controversial to me but there was one line on this album that really struck me cold. Towards the end of the album, Grand Puba drops the line "Don't like gays" completely out of nowhere (on the track 'Grand Puba, Positive & L.G.') and that really puts a damper on the messages throughout the rest of the album. Reading up about them, it comes as no surprise to see that they followed this album with the infamously homophobic track 'Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down'. The only surprise is that this was released after Puba (who dropped the line on this album) had left the group. Even more recently, Lord Jamar has been causing controversy for releasing a transphobic diss track against Kanye West, disputing the amount of Jewish people who died in the Holocaust and claiming that Black Lives Matter is a fake movement started by George Soros. Reading all of this really has taken the shine off an album that I really enjoyed but it would be unfair to cloud my judgement of this album because of what happened afterwards. This is still a pretty astonishingly great piece of art, I just don't have any desire to check out more of their discography.

88. Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill 1991 4/5

 

Highlights: Real Estate, Hand On The Pump, The Phuncky Feel One

 

 

Cypress Hill are a Hip-Hop group originally formed under the name 'DVX' by brother MCs Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace alongside DJ Muggs and B-Real. They adopted the name 'Cypress Hill' after Mellow Man Ace left the group before they released any singles to start a solo-career. Eric Bobo, formally a percussionist for the Beastie Boys joined the band in 1994. The group are known for their legacy in legitimising Latino rap and for their advocation for the use of marijuana in their lyrics. Cyprus Hill have released 10 studio albums, their most recent being 'Back In Black' released earlier this year but it is their 1991 debut that has a place in this countdown.

 

On their self-titled debut, B-Real and Sen Dog go back and forth mixing in stereotypical tales of street life but also combining it with lots of stories of smoking weed and getting high. Getting high might be a staple of a lot of rap music nowadays, with rappers like Wiz Khalifa basing a whole career of it, but Cypress Hill were the first to make it such an explicit part of their rhymes and by the next year Dre was releasing 'The Chronic' and the scene has never looked back since. One thing I did enjoy about this album was the interplay between the two rappers. Their styles are contrasting, B-Sharp is high-pitched and nasally while Sen Dogg is much more smooth but it does allow each MC to have a pretty distinct personality that shines even when the lyrics start to blend in with each other.

 

However, this album just didn't hit me as much as the last few in this countdown have. I liked a lot of DJ Muggs' production but there were times where the production just felt a bit too similar to what had come before and there were too many tracks that just didn't leave any impact. This is a pretty unglamorous, murky album that takes a few steps towards the rockier side of Hip-Hop but it's the more upbeat production on tracks like Real Estate and The Phuncky Feel One that appealed to me most.

87. Ultramagnetic MCs - Critical Beatdown 1988 4.5/5

 

Highlights: Ain't It Good To You, Travelling At The Speed Of Thought (Remix), Ego Trippin' (MC's Ultra Remix)

 

 

Ultramagnetic MCs are a Hip-Hop group from New York consisting of MCs Kool Keith, Ced Gee, TR Love and Moe Love. The group have released 6 studio albums with their most recent apparently being released earlier this year to little fanfare. Kool Keith has since gone on to have a prolific solo career releasing critically-acclaimed albums under different pseudonyms such as Dr. Octagon and Dr. Doom. Keith is known for his abstract, often incomprehensible lyrics but it's a style he was yet to commit to during his Ultramagnetic MCs heyday.

 

As I've read up about this album, the first thing that always comes up is how innovate and influential the production on this album was, which has a sense of irony as so much of this album's lyrics are dedicated to talking about 'biters' of their style. In Rolling Stone's commentary they say "producer Ced-Gee all but invented late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop with his intricate sample chops. Critical Beatdown is like Citizen Kane — its innovations became so ubiquitous it might be hard to hear, more than 30 years later, what the big deal was". That's some claim :lol: But maybe it's true because while I thought the production was solid throughout the album it never really stood out as being something special. Ced-Gee was largely uncredited on it, but he did also produce most of Boogie Down Productions' 'Criminal Minded' that recently appeared in this countdown. Lyrically, this album is not quite as eccentric as Kool Keith's reputation would suggest even if a lot of it was going straight over my head. One thing I really did enjoy was that, for an 80's album, the flows are pretty varied and complex. At the start of the album I was really enjoying staccato flow and was glad he was taking the lead but Ced Gee's verses really won me over in the second half of the album and by the end I was wishing that he got more of the album. It's no surprise that the crew had some many collections to KRS-One (he was considered to be added as a member when they were first formed) because he's the only other MC from the 80's that I've listened to for this list that doesn't sound completely off their time. I would have completely believed this was mid 90's if I didn't already know.

 

One part of this album's legacy that I'm sure will be more familiar with most comes from a lyric on the track 'Give The Drummer Some': "change my pitch up, smack my bitch up". This line was obviously used by The Prodigy to make their controversial top 10 single that took its name from the lyric.

86. Common - Like Water For Chocolate 2000 4.5/5

 

Highlights: The 6th Sense, The Questions, Geto Heaven, Pt. 2

 

 

For Common's second appearance in this list (after 'Be', #145) we go back to his 4th (but major label debut) album Like Water For Chocolate. Having now heard both albums I think I would admit that this is probably the better album in terms of lyricism and concept, 'Be' is the album that I preferred. This album is great but 'Be' had something special. That album was concise and cohesive, with all the fat cut off that didn't waste a second. This album feels like the more important project and it feels epic but just like a Judd Apatow movie, it feels like they didn't want to cut anything. A lot of the tracks, especially on the 2nd half, run long and the album even opens with a near 7 minute track where (especially for the first two minutes) not much seems to happen. Just like Kanye West on 'Be', what makes this album really shine the brighest is when J Dilla is producing the track. I mentioned it when we listened to his group's album (Slum Village - Fantastic, Vol. 2, #137) but his beat work always steals the show away from the MCs. I think if I was going to give Common a criticism based on these two albums is that he is constantly getting upstaged on his own tracks, be it Kanye and Dilla's production or Mos Def and MC Lyte's verses on this album. Dilla even provides a crazily well-performed hook on one track [Nag Champa (Afrodisiac for the World)] and a solid rapped verse on another showing he really is a jack of all trades. In fact, we got to hear our first song that has appeared twice as the song in which Dilla raps on 'Thelonius' also appeared on the aformentioned album and just misses out on being in my top 3 on both.

 

I've always thought of Common as being a kind of 'holier than thou' rapper so I was surprised to discover that not even he was immune to the scourge of homophobia in 90's/00's Hip-Hop with a couple of unfortunate references across the album. They just feel so at odds with the considered and thoughtful nature of pretty much everything else on the album. There's some high-concert ideas, like the storytelling 'Payback is a Grandmother' and the metaphorical 'A Film Called (Pimp) where Common and MC Lyte discuss what its like to be a socially conscience rapper in terms of Common taking the role of a pimp trying to convince a girl to work for him (Lyte as a representation of the rap scene) while she laughs him off and instead encourages him to sell-out and work for her. It feels like 'We Cry Together' with the boxing gloves taken off. But the emotional heft of this album comes from the second-to-last track 'A Song For Assata' that features Cee-Lo Green on the chorus. The track is dedicated to Assata Shakur (godmother to Tupac), a woman who is currently on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list after escaping from prison and being granted political asylum in Cuba. She was a member of the Black Panther party who was convicted in 1977 of murdering a police officer in a ruling that has been deemed very contentious. The song tells her story and describes the unjust treatment she received (she was also trialled for seven other charges that were either dismissed or led to her being acquitted) and uses her story to try and encourage everyone to appreciate their freedom ("All of this just so we could be free. So dig it, people") and work for her freedom.

85. Eminem - The Slim Shady LP 1999 5/5

 

Highlights: My Name Is, Guilty Conscience, Role Model

 

 

Eminem is a rapper who was born in Missouri but is more commonly associated with Detroit, Michigan where he moved to as a young child. Eminem is simultaneously one of the most controversial and most successful musicians of all time being awarded 15 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was named as the best-selling artist of the 2000's decade alongside being investigated twice by the Secret Service and causing endless headlines for his transgressive lyrics and Slim Shady persona. Eminem is almost universally considered as one of the greatest rappers of all-time and is the artist who is responsible for the legitimisation and acceptance of what rappers in the genre. Eminem has released 11 solo studio albums with his the last 9 all reaching #1 on the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Aside from his solo work Eminem is also a member of the group D12 and the duo 'Bad Meets Evil' with Royce da 5'9".

 

For today we go back to 1999 and Eminem's second studio album (his debut 'Infinite' was released independently in 1996 and has been reported as selling around 70 copies) and first since being signed by Dr. Dre and releasing 'My Name Is' that made him an overnight star. An iconic album, 'Slim Shady' is the voice of a generation and as a white kid born in the 90's who loves rap, Em's output at this era is like a bible to me. To talk about this album and 'Slim Shady' alter-ego I think it's important to understand where Eminem was when he recorded this album. Coming from a family that struggled with poverty and after the negative reaction (local Detroit radio stations wouldn't play his music because he was white) and complete commercial disaster of his first album, Eminem was struggling to afford to provide for his young daughter which led to substance abuse and eventually a suicide attempt. Eminem's way to deal with his anger was to create Slim Shady: a character whose sole purpose is to be offensive and be a creative way to let Em vent out all his frustration. But what makes this album work and elevates it above just being pure shock rap is how creative a writer Eminem is. There is not many people with a better control of the English language than Em and he is an expert in creating his desired mood through his words. Whether he wants you to feel disturbed ('97 Bonnie And Clyde is not as explicitly violent as you might remember but it's so successful in making you feel uncomfortable often through what he choses to omit and leave to suggestion more than what he does say), laugh (My Name Is) or a bit of both (Brain Damage, As The World Turns), he knows exactly how to get the maximum impact. But it's not all controversy for controversy's sake. Eminem explained that this album is supposed to be enjoyed in the same way we enjoy horror movies. The lyrics are deliberately over the top to allow people to enjoy some of the most deprived thrills in a safe way. One thing that I don't think is talked enough in regard to this album is just how much of it is dedicated to his real-life struggles. Tracks like 'If I Had' and 'Rock Bottom' (which was recorded during a time where Eminem overdosed on pills) are completely serious tracks with little to no jokes in them that are purely about the struggles of poverty ("My daughter wants to throw the ball, but I'm too stressed to play", "My daughter's feet ain't got no shoes or socks on 'em", "I'm tired of jobs startin' off at $5.50 an hour). There are a few skits on here but they're not really as annoying as you'd fear aside from 'Ken Kaiff' which is very irritating and it's a shame that it's a skit that Em keeps going back to across his albums.

 

More than anything, the one thing I came away with most is how much the melody of the hook in 'My Fault' sounds like the one in Sean Paul's 'Like Glue'.

84. Vince Staples - Summertime '06 2015 4/5

 

Highlights: Norf Norf, Loca, Jump Off The Roof

 

 

Vince Staples is a rapper from Compton, California but who moved to Long Beach at a young age. There's going to be some pressure on any rapper born in the city of NWA and Kendrick and growing up in the city of Snoop Dogg to be good and Vince has created a successful career for himself. :lol: He has released 5 studio albums so far with his most recent being this year's 'Ramona Park Broke My Heart'. I don't know why I've never really gave him much of a chance before, his Gorillaz's feature (Ascension) is of my highlights of their career and 'Opps', his contribution to the Black Panther soundtrack, is a massive banger.

 

I had four tracks that I really wanted to include as the highlights but one had to miss out so instead I'll give the one that eventually ended 4th it's own comments here. 'Surf' is a track that I think perfectly represents the strongest part of this album and that is Vince's ability to adapt his flow to work on any beat. The production of the track is pretty wild and unorthodox but Vince makes it sound easy with how smoothly he rides it. It's actually a fairly similar sort of instrumental to the aforementioned Black Panther track that he also killed. He has a really unique style that makes this album stand out even when the track is quite filler (which we'll get to).

 

This is a double album and I think 'Summertime' (side 1) is by fair the better half. One thing that I found slightly disappointing on ''06' (side 2) is that there were a few tracks that were already quite short (2-3 mins) that ended with at least 30 seconds of instrumental. These tracks were all good but I couldn't help but feel they could have been more epic if there was an extra minute of vocals. This is a problem for the whole of the second half really where it feels a tad unfinished and too much of each song's runtime seems devoted to long instrumental outros. I think Summertime is a 5/5 experience and '06 is a 3/5 so it equals out to a solid 4 which is a shame because when Vince is on top form in the first half this album is absolutely electric. Maybe he used up all his ideas on the first half. But this is a debut album so he has hopefully learned as time progressed and I'm sure I would find an album of his I enjoy more consistently.

83. M.I.A. - Kala 2007 4.5/5

 

Highlights: Paper Planes, Bamboo Banga, Jimmy

 

 

What a day to do an M.I.A. album after she announced herself as a massive anti-vax conspiracy theorist yesterday :lol:

 

M.I.A. is a British rapper who was born in London but moved to Sri Lanka when she was just 6 months old before returning to London at 10 years old due to the Sri Lankan Civil War. I said before that 'The Streets' was the highest placed British artist but I hadn't studied the list that closely so missed out that M.I.A. was still to come. M.I.A. has released 6 studio albums since her debut in 2005 with her latest, Mata, actually being released today. M.I.A. is known her her unique sense of style and her overtly political music. She was awarded an MBE in 2019.

 

Kala was M.I.A.'s second studio album and is titled after her mother after her 2005 debut was named after her father. As far as this list goes, it's certainly one of the more unique entries as it's such a genre-bending album. This could just as easily be considered dance or pop with influences from all over the world including Bollywood samples, African chanting and even the use of a didgeridoo. It's interesting to hear how close this album was to being something completely different. This album was originally going to be largely produced by Timbaland, who was at the top of this game in 2007 but she was unable to gain a long-term visa to travel to the US and conflicting schedules led to this idea having to be scrapped. M.I.A. instead travelled and recorded all across the globe (India, Trinidad, Liberia, Jamaica, Australia) with different producers. Unusually for an artist from the U.K., this album peaked higher in the US than it did over here (#18 compared to #39). Her visa issues led to what is undoubtedly the most important song of her career.

 

Paper Planes is a pretty incredible song. Diplo's best ever work and interpolating 'Straight To Hell' by the Clash, the song sounds both timeless a not-of-any-time. A weird mix of styles that comes out sounding like nothing before and not really much since either. The lyrics are a witty, tongue-in-cheek criticism of the US's immigration policy and the dong is delivered with such a confident swagger that she your demands attention. But the absolute genius of this track relies in that hook. Just the simple addition of the gunshot and cash register sound-effects takes this from a decent album track to a massive commercial, world-dominating single. These sounds give the song all of it's general appeal and is why the song was inescapable in the late 00's, appearing in every R-rated comedy trailer for some time, most notable in 'Pineapple Express'.

 

But there is so much more to this album that just Paper Planes. This is an album that I think everyone should listen to at least once. I can certainly see why it might be divisive, but I guarantee that you'll find something you'll like in it. This album is endlessly creative, every song tries something new and it genuinely doesn't sound like anything else in this list. There are a couple of duds for me, I thought 'Mango Pickle Down River' was awful and the album closer, Come Around, that does feature a guest verse from the elusive Timbaland is pretty naff, but I can happily forgive these transgressions because of how bold and inventive everything else is.

Oh M.I.A. being a nutter is not really news :kink: pretty sure she's been posting anti-vax stuff for years oops.

82. Slick Rick - The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick 1988 4/5

 

Highlights: Children's Story, Let's Get Crazy, Teenage Love

 

 

Slick Rick is an English-American rapper born in London but who moved to New York at a young age. As an infant, Rick was injured in an incident with broken glass that left him blinded in one eye and led to his distinctive eyepatch he often wears. Rick started his career as a member of 'Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew who released two classic early Hip-Hop songs in 'The Show' and 'La Di Da Di', the later of which has became one of the most sampled songs of all time, most notably on Snoop Dogg's 'Lodi Dodi' where Snoop raps almost Rick's whole verse, and The Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Hypnotize' but also in other tracks including Robbie Williams' 'Rock DJ' and Beyoncé's 'Party'. After the success of his first album, Rick was arrested for attempted murder after shooting his cousin and ex-bodyguard who had previously tried to rob Rick and threatened his mother. After being bailed out of Russell Simmons, he released his 2nd album (The Ruler's Back) that couldn't quite manage the success or acclaim of the original. He ended up spending 5 years in jail (2 for the attempted murder charge and a further 3 for issues with his immigration status) where he released his third studio album 'Behind Bars' that continued his downward trend. However in 1999, 2 years after being released from prison, Rick recorded his final studio album 'The Art Of Storytelling' that features plenty of big-name guest features and became his most successful album, being his first to reach the Billboard Top 10. However, just like later happened with 21 Savage, he faced attempts to deport him back to the UK and ended up facing another 17 months in prison. In 2008, he was granted a full and unconditional pardon by New York governor David Paterson. Slick Rick has a a legacy for being one of the best story-tellers in rap, with his clear enunciation (and the retention of the odd British pronunciation still popping through) and ability to adapt his voice to portray different characters in his rhymes being two of the defining characteristics of his style.

 

There's plenty to like in this album and when he gets it right, its really top tier storytelling. 'Children's Story' is definitely the absolute peak of the album. The song is Rick telling two children a cautionary bedtime story about a boy that is misled by another and becomes obsessed with robbery and ends up trying to mug an undercover police officer and losing his life. The song balances the tone of being irreverent and whimsical so it can convincingly ape the style of a kids story while also constantly building tension and getting you invested in what will happen to the boy. One of the final lines 'the cops shot the kid' was remixed into another pretty great track by Nas & Kanye West. However, this is a rap album from the 80's, so it is pretty inconsistent and there's still some dodgy parts. The track 'Indian Girl - An Adult Story' is pretty rough to listen to now. Surprisingly, it doesn't end up relying on racial stereotypes like you fear it might when you hear it's a song about a Native American girl but instead it's just feels very rapey and concludes with a pretty tasteless joke about STDs.

 

I've seen a couple of people describe this album at being hateful which I think is ridiculous. I mean, the album beginning with a track called 'Treat Her Like a Prostitute' is not a great sign but I think the track is so absurd and obviously meant to be satirical then I think any claims of misogyny are a bit misplaced.

81. Digable Planets - Blowout Comb 1994 5/5

 

Highlights:Jettin', Slowes Comb / The May 4th Movement Starring Doodlebug, The Art Of Easing

 

 

Digable Planets are a jazz rap trio based in Brooklyn, New York consisting of rappers Butterfly, Ladybug Mecca and Doodlebug. The members are from Washington', Maryland and Philadelphia respectively. They released two studio albums during their career, their 1993 debut 'Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) was their most successful, peaking at #15 and spawning their Grammy winning track 'Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)' and 'Blowout Comb' which was released the following year that proved divisive by abandoning the radio-friendly style of their debut and providing a darker, experimental follow-up. They then broke up due to creative differences but have reformed multiple times since for performances but no new music has been released. There's not really too much about the group on Wikipedia, only one of the three have their own page.

 

This feels like a difficult album to really judge properly after one listen. Calling it dense would be an understatement. The three MCs do not appear to have any interest in being commercial and spit highly-specific, reference-filled political bars that I don't feel I have the historical or theoretical knowledge to fully appreciate but it sounds brilliant and there's enough bars about simpler topics to mean you never feel too lost. But one thing you will notice when you listen is that the vocals are really low in the mix so you either have to truly commit and really listen to this deeply to understand the messages or just switch off and let the music wash over you. And that's because the true star of the show, and what is at the forefront when you listen, is the jazzy instrumentals that accompany each track. There's plenty of live instrumentals which is not always common in rap albums that give the album such a lived-in feeling. I think this album could have worked as a fully instrumental release with no vocals. However, my favourite track on here is the only song that sounds like it was made for mass appeal. 'Jettin' has a big hook and the vocals are pushed to the front. The song is an absolute banger and it's mad it was never pushed as a single.

 

Rolling Stone actually gave this a 3/5 at the time and described it as 'sluggish and formless' but look at it now :lol:

80. Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs 2018 4/5

 

Highlights: Nowhere2go, December 24, The Bends

 

 

Earl Sweatshirt is a rapper from Chicago, Illinois who rose to fame as a member of the Hip-Hop collective Odd Future. After releasing his first mixtape, Earl, at the age of 16 in 2010, he was sent to a boarding school in Samoa by his mother who was appalled at the lyrics of the project and his drug habit. Like all of Odd Future's releases, the lyrics were designed to be controversial with bars about drugs, rape, murder and violence. Since returning to America, Earl has moved away from the overtly controversial lyrics and has released 4 critically acclaimed studio albums with the most recent, 'Sick!' being released earlier this year.

 

The album included here is his third release, 'Some Rap Songs'. This album has a short run-length (under 25 mins) but certainly endeavours to try and do as much as it can in this time. Earl's father passed away in-between this album and his previous and when the album directly discuses that then I think it's at its strongest. This is a pretty atmospheric, moody album with the production built around looped samples. It's unapologetically weird and antagonistic. This is an album made by Earl Sweatshirt for Early Sweatshirt and you feel if it's enjoyable for an audience is almost an afterthought.

 

I'm not sure this album really worked for me in the way it has appeared to for many others. I've seen a lot of people talking about how dense the lyrics are but I read the lyrics when I listened along and there was not much said in here that really stood out to me and with each song rarely even lasting 2 minutes, a fair few of the tracks just felt underdeveloped. I'm certainly not accusing him of not putting the effort in because you can tell that this has been worked on and designed to sound exactly how he wanted it to but I can't help but feel this could have been something special if each track was fleshed out more.

79. Eric B. & Rakim - Follow The Leader 1988 5/5

 

Highlights: Microphone Fiend, Follow The Leader, Put Your Hands Together

 

 

Eric B & Rakim are a Hip-Hop duo from New York consisting of DJ Eric B. and MC Rakim. The duo met after a producer recommended that Eric B. start a duo with 'Freddie Foxxx' but after he didn't turn up to the meeting instead recommended Rakim and history was made. As a duo, they released 4 studio albums between 1987-1992 before they split after issues with their record label. They have reunited once in 2017 for a tour but have not stated any intention to record new music. Rakim is often considered to be one of the greatest and most influential MCs of all-time. His style was transcendent in the 80's and has more in common with modern rappers than it does to his own peers. Even the other greatest wordsmiths of the era (KRS-One, LL Cool J) all had an aggressive technique, but Rakim's manner is much calmer and considered and full of multisyllabic and internal rhymes that sound so smooth. Kool Moe Dee sums up Rakim's impact with the quote: ""Rakim is basically the inventor of flow. We were not even using the word flow until Rakim came along. It was called rhyming, it was called cadence, but it wasn't called flow. Rakim created flow". In 2012, the renowned Hip-Hop magazine The Source ranked Rakim and the greatest lyricist of all-time and MTV ranked him 4th in their 2006 ranking of the best ever MCs. As solo artists, Rakim has released three studio albums while Eric B. only released one. I don't know what it is about 80's Hip-Hop stars and playing members of the law in serial TV shows but Eric B. has played PC Mike Gee on the TV show 'Blue Bloods' since 2019.

 

While I strongly suspect this won't be their only entry, the album we're evaluating today is their 2nd release, 1988's 'Follow The Leader'. It was interestingly, re-released in instrumental form by Jonathan Hay under the title 'Follow The Leader Re-Imagined As Jazz...' in 2019 but it is the original that I've listened to today. This is the first 80's album to appear that I've given a full 5/5 score. I just really enjoyed this album. A common criticism I've said on other albums is that any instrumental tracks have always tended to be my least favourite parts of each project, but I was even loving the tracks on here that gave Eric B. his turn in the spotlight and featured no rapped verse from Rakim. I don't have too much to say about what makes this album so good. I just had a blast from start the finish. The production is top-notch through-out, it's never overplayed and works perfectly in tandem with Rakim's deliberate, buttery rhymes.

78. Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste 2014 4/5

 

Highlights: 212, JFK, Ice Princess

 

 

Azealia Banks is a rapper and singer from New York who is probably known for her frequent controversies than she is for her music. Just some of her controversies include a racist attack towards Zayn Malik, offensive remarks against the transgender community, posting videos of dead chickens and claiming she has been practicing witchcraft, supporting Donald Trump and making unfounded claims against Ukraine after Russia's invasion of their country. So far Azealia has still only released one studio album, although she has released 3 mixtapes too.

 

The easiest comparison with another album is this countdown would be with M.I.A.'s 'Kala'. Both albums are anything but pure Hip-Hop, taking influences from plenty of other genres. Across this album we get trap, we get garage, we get pop, we get Latin influences and we get whatever the hell 'Nude Beach A Go-Go' is. Like M.I.A.'S underwhelming collab with Timbaland on her release, the big single from this was supposed to be a collaborator with another leading producer, Pharrell. 'ATM Jam' was released as the 2nd single and got a pretty negative fan reaction and played it's part in Azealia's falling out with labels Interscope and Polydor. She ended up leaving the label and releasing this album 3 years after the originally announced date. What we eventually got is a weird, blend of songs originally on the originally intended version with some new, odder recordings. This feels like 4 different albums all merged into one. This eccentricity is not unexpected given what I know about Azealia but this album is just wild and crazy in a way I didn't expect. Lyrically, it has it's moments of surrealness but '212' aside, nothing else feels as fresh and creative as I'd expected. However, the biggest similarity with Kala and what is the massive elephant in the room when it comes to this album is just how much it is overshadowed by the success and impact of just one track. '212' was released 3 years before this album saw the light of day and in that time it cemented itself as being completely timeless and one of the best Hip-Hop songs of a generation. Rolling Stone certainly agree naming it the #485 greatest song and its video the 84th greatest music video of all-time. And listening to BWET, it's apparent that its still the best thing she's ever recorded and something that she's unlikely to ever get close to matching again. There's a complete mix of good and bad to be found on this album but nothing else even comes close to fulfilling the promise and hype that surrounded her after the world was introduced to her debut single.

77. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne 2011 5/5

 

Highlights: N****s In Paris, No Church In The Wild, Otis

 

 

Jay-Z and Kanye have always been closely associated since the start of Kanye's career. Jay was one of the first to ever give a young Kanye a chance into the industry. Ever since he was an up-and-coming producer, he has been popping up on the credits of Jay albums and as his legacy grew, they still frequently collaborated so no-one was too surprised to see them team-up for a collab album. But how can a project born from two of the most iconic rappers joining forces possibly ever live up to the hype? Well in terms of albums with killer singles, it would be hard to top 'Watch The Throne'. They probably did overdo it by releasing 7(!) singles but the three I've mentioned as my highlights are all absolutely legendary and haven't lost any of the impact despite being in full rotation for over 10 years. The tour for this album is probably the biggest wish-I-was-there moments for me. The tour got absolute rave reviews with both rappers performing some of their greatest solo songs and joining forces over the 38 song strong track-list. I can only imagine how insane it must have been at the infamous Paris show where they concluded by performing 'N****s In Paris' 11 times.

 

Earlier when looking at Rick Ross's 'Teflon Don' (#135) I mentioned that he calls his music 'luxury rap'. Well, this album is the true definition of luxury rap. This album could just have easily been called 'Capitalism: The Album' with Jay and Kanye both flaunting their wealth and influence over each track with braggadocios lyrics full of commercial brags, boasts of their own skill and as much egotism that you'd expect from Kanye. But you just cannot deny the greatness. The two MCs play their role to perfection. Jay-Z's the GOAT and takes the legend status with the complex, wiser rhymes ("Is Pius pious 'cause God loves pious?) while Kanye fully embraces his role as with his blunter, more comedic but no less impactful bars ("Thinking 'bout the girl in all leopard who was rubbing the wood like Kiki Shepard". The best duos have opposite strengths and Jay's smooth business-man persona just contrasts so beautifully with Kanye's nothing-but-rough-edges loose-canon identity. It's larger-than-life but so are the two rappers who wrote and perform the album. The production on here is absolutely crazy, it just sounds lavish and expensive. Most classic rap albums always try to keep a gritty edge to the production but on here it sounds like they've just decided to flex on everyone else in the scene with the extravagant, fancy beats matching the decadent and excessive nature of the rhymes. I don't know how to sum up the brilliance of this album more than just saying that you feel cool when you listen to it. I'll leave the final comment on this album to come from Mr West himself: "Luxury rap, the Hermès of verses".