I mean you have to take into account when it was released. this was '95, so it wasn't exactly the first of the hard ass boom bap east coast revival albums but it was still among the early albums and is understandably heralded as one of the best. So it was a part of something different at the time. In retrospect you can look at this as dime-a-dozen now that hundreds of others have emulated the likes of himself, mobb deep, black moon, wu-tang, nas, etc, but that would be to intentionally take it out of it's context in order to depreciate it. You can do that with any number of old albums that are considered quintessential to a movement of music past. But I think it's a pretty reductive and disrespectful approach personally.

No doubt part of this being lifted to new heights is his untimely death, but that can be said of a myriad of other hip-hop OG's, or even outside of hip-hop, anyone in the 27 club for instance lol.

Album Rating: 5.0

It's not super different, true. But you can play the production pretty straight and still come out with a classic. Kind of Blue is a quintessential jazz record, to a lot of people, expressly because of how accessible it is.

Album Rating: 4.0

What's ridiculous to me is that this is higher rated than any Kool G Rap. G Rap did this style better and much earlier. He also had way better production

Album Rating: 4.0

I feel like L's delivery and cleverness are fairly unique

Album Rating: 3.5

G rap is too old for this site

Love some Kool G Rap. And I'm not saying this album isn't a classic. It is imo. Just don't think the production is really that mind blowing even in the context of when it came out. It's a classic for me because Big L is that obnoxious supervillain you want to smoke a blunt with. Same reason some G Rap is classic imo too

Album Rating: 4.0

4,5,6 and Live and Let Die combined don't even have half as many ratings as this wtf is going on here lol

Album Rating: 5.0

"I feel like L's delivery and cleverness are fairly unique"



200% this as well. Like, it's rapper's rap record. Just bars all over the motherfucker. Master class.

was any of it "mind blowing" tho? sample based beats but with a thiccc ass bass and snare clap? not really. at least not from the perspective of people who grew up with much more incredible music technology like virtually everyone on this site. i don't think mind-blowing is the default across the board metric for classic music.

Album Rating: 4.0

just call it a clap

Back when I joined the sput rap was largely frowned upon tbh apart from an occasional Wu album. This was one of the first ones I remember getting praised here. Really up until Illmitch came around there was damn near no hip hop discussion on the site really. Agreed G Rap deserves some more attention here though. Definitely an innovative dude in the game

Album Rating: 4.0

G Rap is literally THE guy when it comes to hard hitting street rap. He paved the way in that lane

I thought The Infamous was pretty damn mind blowing really. RZA's production also blew my mind when I was first getting into this stuff. Memphis Underground sound a little prior to this is still mind blowing to me too. I prefer old school production over much of what is going on these days anyway though so I guess that doesn't apply to me much

Album Rating: 3.5

Unless you’re into the backpacker stuff the discussion for hip hop is limited on here

Album Rating: 4.0

I mean when it comes to sample based production nothing has pretty much even come close to Paul's Boutique which came out in '89.

Album Rating: 4.5



lifetsylez ov da poo

Album Rating: 3.5

You can also just see it in the ratings. The backpacker stuff has way more ratings compared to most classics from the west and south

"G Rap is literally THE guy when it comes to hard hitting street rap. He paved the way in that lane"

not really. 4,5,6 is a classic but i mean, again, '95 release. people were paving the way in that lane since '93.

Album Rating: 4.0

"not really. 4,5,6 is a classic but i mean, again, '95 release. people were paving the way in that lane since '93."



Are you trolling or do you really not know his work with DJ Polo?

live and let die was still goofy as shit brother

and im not saying that as a negative, i love me some goofy ass early 90s and late 80s shit but