This is my list of top 100 rap and hip hop albums. Will this change in 5 minutes? Without a doubt…. Is it impossible to make a top list? I think so… Music is based on moods so it shifts dependent on the time of the year and where you’re at with your life. If you’re hype, go bump some Young Jeezy. If you’re hustling, maybe some early Weezy. You want to fall deep into a novel, Aceyalone. Ready to feel like a crazy watchdog is ready to attack you, you need some DMX. Some relatable in your life type rap, Murs always has those cuts. Need to rap/sing a bit, Nate Dogg and Devin the Dude got you covered. Need to get everybody to dance, DJ Quik on Rhythmalism was legendary when it dropped.
So this is my best rap albums list and just know it’s not your list… it’s not their list… it’s not our list… this is my list. Some albums you’ll see and go no way… not a best rap album ever… just remember our ears and lives are all different so some albums just hit differently. But now tell me… what do you feel I missed? which albums hit you different? This music is a really cool journey since you’ll never have the chance to hear everything that was good… everything that was bad… everything that was memorable… you get it… what are some albums that you’d have at the top of your all-time rap albums list?
And then here are some slept on projects you should try out. If you like them, go buy the cassette… go buy the CD. Listen to it more and experience the art right in your hands.
We need opportunities to disconnect at times from the WiFi and listening to some music physically is a great way to do it and/or experience it. If you find yourself listening to any of the albums and enjoying them front to back, you can probably find the cassette or CD for under $30. There are decent Walkmans out there for $30 - $40 now and you can get a really good portable cassette player for $150 - $200. This is a good hobby to share with friends and family. Vinyl has an even better experience but if you’re trying to ball on a budget, go the cassette or CD route. Trust me… you’ll have created your own vibe wherever you live. You might be able to find a new happy place.
In no kind of order whatsoever…. and some of these won’t have comments… I’ll keep adding to it… come back and check it out
Del the Funky Homosapien - No Need for Alarm - Go look at the photography… Listen to the album… Straight moment of time with skaters and rappers coming together as fans and helping further build the west coast underground hip scene.
Project Pat - Layin Da Smack Down - Project Pat is a goat. Go play this beginning to end and tell me the emcee doesn’t have you on your toes. It’s also worth noting that it is very hard to pick a favorite Project Pat album. He is that good.
Eightball & MJG - Comin’ Out Hard - You can’t lose with that album cover and the boys from Memphis, TN didn’t lose… This album was everything I needed from a 90’s rap album.
Aceyalone - A Book of Human Language - This is some go off in an old library, press play on your Walkman and just go and dust off some books while some friendly cat is just cruising by but that grandfather clock is staring at you. This is Alfred Hitchcock on wax over production from Mumbles which was simply lovely.
Do or Die - Picture This - Do or Die and Twista might have been the best rap group that never way… These boys from Chicago had that flow and that pimp game was hella strong.
Suga Free - Street Gospel - Did somebody say pimp game? Well mista playa patnah Suga Free is here to say with production from David Blake himself… you know… DJ QUIK.
Mac Dre - Young Black Brotha - You want to hear the earliest evidence of what being a cold a$$ emcee from the west coast meant? Go listen to “Gift of Gab” and come back my way… So dope.
Dubee the Sugawolf Pimp - Dubee aka Sugawolf - Khayree on the beats and Dubee on the rhymes. The beat changes were legendary and Dubee was too damn smooth.
Kendrick Lamar - Section.80 - WHEN THIS DROPPED?!?!?!?!? Whoa. Such a great album… mixtape… nah… album for me.
Mac Miller - Faces - I remember this dropping on Mother’s Day. It was sad to hear where Mac was at but man were those words real. He spoke to anybody who was in the darkness… Count me in.
Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist - VOIR DIRE - I really like this album. Nah… I REALLY like this album. Earl always had it… ALC gave him some dope beats… Earl picked some dope beats? How does their creative process even work?? New Earl is dope by the way… Earl is an amazing artist.
The Geto Boys - We Can’t Be Stopped - They literally couldn’t be stopped. Willie Dee remains slept on.
Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyes See Your Future - Oh wow… This album is so good. I had always heard of Denzel Curry but I didn’t really hear Denzel Curry until this album dropped… The production in addition to his raps is something.
Eazy-E - Eazy-Duz-It - No comments needed.
N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton - No comments needed.
N.W.A. - Efil4zaggin - The Dre production was his best of all time? If not, 2nd best?
Ice Cube - Death Certificate - Cube is so nasty. He has like 4 albums that could be on this list.
Jeru the Damaja - The Rises in the East - Jeru over Premier. It gave me something that Gang Starr didn’t. Premier told me he could back an emcee with amazing beats and bring out the best in them. Wrath of the Math also really good too.
Smif-N-Wessun - Dah’ Shinin - I could have had 3 or 4 Boot Camp albums up here but I went with Tek & Steele. Love this album… So good.
Gang Starr - Moment of Truth - 10/10 perfection.
Cannibal Ox - Cold Vein - Top 5 beats of all time on an album? Up there with Deltron and Dr. Octagon. El-P came out of Rawkus with this??????? Whoa… DefJux.
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music - El-P brought out the best in Killer Mike. Killer Mike brought out the best in El-P. This was Run the Jewels before Run the Jewels.
OutKast - ATLiens
Three 6 Mafia - Chapter 2: World Domination
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - E. 1999 Eternal
The D.O.C. - No One Can Do It Better
DJ Quik - Quik is the Name
Spice 1 - Spice 1
Too $hort - Get In Where You Fit In
Migos - Culture
Lil Wayne - Carter 2
J. Cole - Forest Hills Drive
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation To Hold Us Back”
Souls of Mischief - ‘93 Til Infinity
DMX - It’s Dark and Hell is Hot
Mobb Deep - The Infamous
The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
2Pac - All Eyez On Me
Digable Planets - Reachin’ (A Refutation Between Time and Space)”
Redman - Dare iz a Darkside
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
E-40 - In a Major Way
The Game - The Documentary
Compton’s Most Wanted - Music to Drive by
MF Doom - Operation Doomsday
Devin the Dude - The Dude
Scarface - The Fix
Twista - Adrenaline Rush
Murs & 9th Wonder - 3:16: The 9th Edition
The Grouch - Nothing Changes
Eligh - A Story of 2wo Worlds
Latyrx - Latryx
The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride 2 the Pharcyde
Jay-Z - The Blueprint
Nas - Stillmatic
Mobb Deep - Hell on Earth
DJ Quik - Rhythm-A-Lism
Mr. Doctor - Setripn’ Bloccstyle
Big L - Lifestyles Ov Da Poor & Dangerous
Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
Habits & Contradictions
Black Star - Black Star
A$AP Rocky - LONG.LIVE.A$AP and LIVE.LOVE.A$AP (I’m including both… sorry) - Clams Casino on production mixed with A$AP Rocky is a sight to see… I sight to hear… A sight to feel. Words can’t explain how different Rocky was. Rocky is… Rocky will forever be.
Curren$y - Pilot Talk aka Pilot Talk 1 - Ski Beatz… Yeahhhhh Ski Beatzzzzzz. Go listen to this album and tell me it ain’t an absolute adventure.
Camp Lo - Uptown Saturday Night - Ski Beatz cooked up a marvelous round of beats on this and the cats from Camp Lo brought a flow nobody had ever heard before.
Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill - The production and the voices and the way they used their voices and the production and the production and the production.
OutKast - Aquemini - Return of the G had me from the jump. Spottieottiedopalicious moved me… that track with Raekwon… Rosa Parks right? Fire… The track Aquemini… Didn’t know rap had it in them.
Common - Be - Common and Kanye perfection.
Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist 2 - Alfredo 2 - Yup… I did it. Some of those beats on that album transcend time and space. Freddie showed maturation in the way he addressed sh*t and while I love Curren$y, if he didn’t want to promote an album that is pretty lame… And ALC letting everything ride let’s you know he didn’t disagree.
Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt - Top of the game kingpin type raps for somebody who put all their chips in on themselves. Now go listen to Jigga and Biggie…
Gang Starr - Daily Operation - Best album cover ever. Amazing album… Premier.. Guru… Gang Starr
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca & The Soul Brother
UGK - Ridin’ Dirty
Master P - Ghetto Dope - Just listen to that first track on the album and then let it all run. It’s a great vibe if you were planning to cook up some crack on a Monday morning…
Brotha Lynch Hung - Season of Da Siccness
X-Raided - Psycho Active (this should be replaced but I had it at this moment of time so let’s let it roll. I just like that early west coast gangsta rap with Brotha Lynch Hung on the production.
Del the Funky Homosapien - I Wish My Brother George Was Here
Ice Cube - Lethal Injection (This should be The Predator… I blew it… But let’s just let it ride)
The Dogg Pound - Dogg Food
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the 36 Chambers
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Juvenile - 400 Degreez
The Genius aka GZA - Liquid Swords
Raekwon the Chef - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Busta Rhymes - The Coming
Atmosphere - Lucy Ford
Too $hort - $hort Dog’s in the House
OutKast - Southernplayasticcadillacmusik - Did I spell it right? I never do… Crumblin Erb and Git Up, Git Out are legendary… The singles were amazing… The production was crazy. Everything was just perfect.
Warren G - Regulate: The G-Funk Era
50 Cent - Get Rich of Die Trying
De La Soul - 3 Feet High & Rising
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
2Pac - Me Against the World
Murs - F’Real
Big Pun - Capital Punishment
Nas - Illmatic
Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus
