| Somberlain's Top 10 Hip-hop Albums |
| 10 |  | Wu-Tang Clan
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
An incredible assembly of talent the likes of which have never been seen since as far as quantity OR quality backed by the RZA's incredible production fav track Protect Ya Neck |
| 9 |  | NWA
Straight Outta Compton
A revolutionary album where all members showed flashes of brilliance and of what was to come from them individually fav track Fuck the Police |
| 8 |  | Kool G Rap and DJ Polo
Live and Let Die
Sadly overlooked album because of record label troubles and the controversial album art this is crime-storytelling at its finest, not a whole lot of variety but who needs variety when your this good at what you do? fav track Ill Street Blues |
| 7 |  | Ice Cube
Death Certificate
Lacking the radical bomb squad production of his debut Ice Cube nevertheless commands the mic with a ferocity and anger rarely heard, he also uses this as an opportunity to rape all of NWA (with no Vaseline) fav track No Vaseline |
| 6 |  | Beastie Boys
Licensed to Ill
Just a fun party album but as mindless as the lyrics may be they are delivered in an entertaining fashion and the chemistry between the 3 Mcs is superb fav track Paul Revere |
| 5 |  | Eric B and Rakim
Paid in Full
Widely recognized as the best MC of all time Rakim truly shines on this album with a style that continues to be imitated fav track Paid in Full |
| 4 |  | Jay-Z
Reasonable Doubt
The legendary DJ premier assist on Jay's debut as well as other lesser known producers but Jay is the true star here with his smooth flow and amazing wordplay fav track D' evils |
| 3 |  | Beastie Boys
Paul's Boutique
Light years ahead of the debut production-wise while lyrically the Boys are up to the usual shenanigans but the beats are out of this world, a truly amazing listen fav track Sounds of Science |
| 2 |  | The Notorious B.I.G.
Ready to Die
One of the best MCs ever, great lyricism subject matter wasn?t groundbreaking but he did it as good if not better than anyone else fav track Everyday Struggle |
| 1 |  | Nas
Illmatic
I know its cliché to put this at #1 but you know why so many people say it's the best? Because it is. An incredible assembly of great producers providing awesome beats for one of the most talented MCs ever fav track Represent |
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