Hip Hop's Golden Era/decade?
When do you think was the best 10 year span of hip hop music?
I think it started in 88 and ended 1998.
First 5 albums are from 88, next 5 are from 89, and so on. |
| 50 |  | Will Smith
Big Willie Style
1997 Alright i gotta throw in one album from 97 cuz I truly feel bad for you if you
have never gotten jiggy wit it. |
| 49 |  | Outkast
aquemini
1998 dope spiritual shit, outkast's best and also an all time great and classic. |
| 48 |  | DMX
It's Dark and Hell is Hot
1998 Anger is safely released into rap songs and rap becomes a serious form of
therapy for those with troubled pasts like DMX. |
| 47 |  | Gang Starr
Moment of Truth
1998 One of the greatest hip hop albums of all time, my pick for the best as a matter
of fact. No hip hop album is more meaningful than this, and damn does this sound
good on the ears. Essentially perfect, easy classic, a masterpiece. |
| 46 |  | Black Star
Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star
1998 Yeah i miscounted the spaces for this list, but 1997 sucked anyway, so im
skipping it. This is similiar to outkast, all around dope, skillful, chill, fun and down to
earth. |
| 45 |  | Ghostface Killah
Ironman
1996 Yes, this shit is raw, you start to scream out loud WU TANGS BACK FOR MORE |
| 44 |  | Westside Connection
Bow Down
1996 Ice Cube meets two emcees who can hold their own among arguably the
greatest rapper living at the moment. |
| 43 |  | Fugees
The Score
1996 Lauryn Hill establishes herself as the best female emcee, and a GOAT emcee
overall. Wyclef is cool too but he stole a buncha money from charity so fuck em. |
| 42 |  | Outkast
ATLiens
1996 The duo of a lyricist and flow-specialist combine into a legendary partnership. |
| 41 |  | Jay-Z
Reasonable Doubt
1996 Real dope shit, the precise opposite of what Jay-Z makes today, flow is insane. |
| 40 |  | 2pac
Me Against the World
1995 A coward dies a thousand deaths, a soldier dies but once. |
| 39 |  | Big L
Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous
1995 Best punchlines ever. |
| 38 |  | AZ
Doe or Die
1995 AZ surpasses Nas in lyricism but does not appeal to mainstream audiences
because he is simply too raw. A hypnotic flow that fools the listener into being
lackadaisical and missing the brilliant lyrics. The most underrated lyricist in hip hop
history. Period. |
| 37 |  | GZA
Liquid Swords
1995 Lyrics, vocabulary, rhyming, technicality and wordplay are not only the primary
quality here, they are some of the best of all time. Beats are not lacking at all, but still
pale in comparison to the lyrics on this album. |
| 36 |  | KRS-One
KRS-One
1995 Combination of everything hip hop has stood for to this point. Down to earth
political message that can appeal to a radically different culture and audience than the
artist. Overwhelming amounts of passion and aggression on the mic. Well thought
lyrics that have more playback value two decades later than most albums today have
after two days. A masterpiece. |
| 35 | | Common
Resurection
1994 Concept songs and double entendres reach another level |
| 34 |  | GraveDiggaz
6 Feet Deep
1994 Horror rap is born and popularized by other groups like triple six mafia. |
| 33 |  | The Notorious B.I.G.
Ready to Die
1994 One of the best combinations of flow and rhymes ever. Quality beats as well. |
| 32 |  | Scarface
The Diary
1994 Street poetry reaches a new high |
| 31 |  | Nas
Illmatic
1994 DJ Premier, the best DJ ever, I think, combines with young up and comer Nasty
Nas. Every single damn track is a classic. |
| 30 |  | Snoop Dogg
Doggystyle
Calling girls bitches becomes acceptable too all parties except Oprah, because rappers
begin naming themselves after dogs and consider dogs an archetype of humor,
loyalty and strength. Rappers ask media/politicians to shut up about language in a
genre they never previously cared about, and worry about the Gulf War and Genocide
in the Balkans. |
| 29 |  | Ice Cube
Lethal Injection
1993 Ice Cube improves over his previous masterpiece. Can ya blame him for
switchin lanes though? Are We There Yet was a real hoot! |
| 28 |  | KRS-One
Return of the Boom Bap
1993 The most talented DJ combined with the most talented lyricist in the game, ever. |
| 27 |  | Cypress Hill
Black Sunday
1993 Weed and hip hop become synonymous, like weed and jazz. |
| 26 |  | Wu-Tang Clan
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
1993 Group rap, shorter verses, alternating rappers and back and forths become
more frequent with this groundbreaking album that combines grit, imagery,
cartooniness and technical skill in the all around balanced technique of a masterful
shogun. |
| 25 |  | Dr. Dre
The Chronic
1992 First time beats play close to a central role in hip hop. |
| 24 |  | Pete Rock and CL Smooth
Mecca and the Soul Brother
1992 Nostalgia becomes a main ingredient in hip hop |
| 23 |  | Ice Cube
The Predator
1992 Rhythm, lyrics, rhyme, persona and message. A combination of everything that
is now forgotten due to his decision to switch lanes into the more respectful field of
family comedies. |
| 22 |  | DAS EFX
Dead Serious
1992 One of hip hop's miggidy-major landmarks, the discovery that 'iggidy' rhymes
with 'iggidy'. |
| 21 |  | The Pharcyde
Bizarre ride II The Pharcyde
1992 Calling girls bitches becomes even more hilarious, however it is now seen as an
expression of frustration with women passing you by. Now if you call girls bitches,
you are probably gay, or you might as well be. |
| 20 |  | DJ Quik
Quik is the Name
1990 Calling girls bitches becomes hilarious and those who refuse are assumed to be
gay. |
| 19 |  | Organized Konfusion
Organized Konfusion
1990 The combination of technical rhyming and meaningful lyrics reaches a hitherto, if
not all time, high. |
| 18 |  | A Tribe Called Quest
The Low End Theory
1991 The birds and the bees and all those groovy things |
| 17 |  | Del tha Funkee Homosapien
I Wish My Brother George Was Here
1991 Sad candid rap is cool |
| 16 |  | Gang Starr
Step in the Arena
1991 Emcee and DJ cohesion becomes a brotherhood |
| 15 |  | Brand Nubian
One For All
1990 flow starts becoming more solid |
| 14 | | MC Hammer
Please Hammer Don't Hurt Them
1990 Hammer Pants |
| 13 |  | Too Short
Short Dog's in the House
1990 Calling girls bitches becomes funny and acceptable |
| 12 |  | Boogie Down Productions
Edutainment
1990 album title says it all, probably the first time education and entertainment had
been combined hitherto, maybe ever. |
| 11 |  | A Tribe Called Quest
People's Instinctive Travels & The Paths of Rhythm
1990 Probably the chillest album to date |
| 10 |  | EPMD
Unfinished Business
1989 dope |
| 9 |  | Biz Markie
The Biz Never Sleeps
1989 hilarious |
| 8 |  | Kool G Rap and DJ Polo
Road to the Riches
1989 Storytelling gets significantly grittier. |
| 7 |  | De La Soul
3 Feet High and Rising
1989 Having good fun becomes a political message |
| 6 |  | Beastie Boys
Paul's Boutique
1989 Changing sound and personas in hip hop |
| 5 |  | Eric B and Rakim
Follow The Leader
1988 Excellent DJ-emcee cohesion |
| 4 |  | Big Daddy Kane
Long Live The Kane
1988 Insane revolutionary rhyme patterns and rhythm |
| 3 |  | N.W.A.
Straight Outta Compton
1988 Probably the album with the biggest political impact in hip hop history |
| 2 |  | Boogie Down Productions
By All Means Necessary
1988 As down to earth as anything in rap to date. |
| 1 |  | Slick Rick
The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
1988 Some of the best story telling in rap to date. |
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