| Top 10 Essential Hip Hop Albums |
| 1 |  | NaS
Illmatic
To describe the feeling of listening to this album for the first time is like making love for the first time. It holds on to you and sticks with you for the rest of your life and although it might not have that same effect through more playthroughs, that first experience is a revolution in itself. Illmatic is so perfect that it's like listening to the mona lisa. |
| 2 |  | Wu-Tang Clan
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Hardcore wouldn't begin to describe the feeling of this album. So many emotions and heart was poured onto this disc that you could hear the hunger from each of the verbal perfect mcs. Every style is so different but so good and yet it all comes in nicely with RZA?s razor sharp production. |
| 3 |  | Notorious B.I.G.
Ready To Die
Listening to this album is like watching a movie. Every song is a different scene while every lyric has meaning. The music matched the lyrics in vibe and feeling. Biggie?s rhymes were so good that even college English teachers would be impressed. |
| 4 |  | NWA
Straight Outta Compton
A new era in music as a whole was presented on this album. Ice Cube brought out the rage filled hard rhymes while Dr. Dre and DJ Yella presented the listeners as to what anger sounds musically. This album is funny, misogynistic, violent, and a little crazy but with a message that?s not hard to decipher. |
| 5 |  | Jay-Z
Reasonable Doubt
This album perfectly gives you what the American dream sounds like. With awesome rhymes and tight production, Jay-Z not only shows you what it?s like to be a hustler, he also shows you what it feels like to be a hustler. |
| 6 |  | Public Enemy
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us
Chuck D was looking for a revolution when this album came out and it damn right sounds like one too. Flavor Flav was the opposite of Chuck D but gave the listener great hype. The Bomb Squad?s use of samples ended up with some of the most genius rage filled music ever put on tape. |
| 7 |  | OutKast
Aquemini
This album feels like a futuristic musical on steroids. Big Boi and Andre 3000 have never sounded more different and unique than on this album. Never boring and always on a different level, Aquemini is a perfect example of an under achievement in music. |
| 8 |  | Eric B. and Rakim
Paid In Full
If you want an example of what Hip Hop sounds like, this shows almost every aspect in perfect quality. Rakim is no story teller but he is a poet that shows of his gift with great fluidity and perfect presence. Eric B. shows us the foundation of a dj. When added together it equals awesome music. |
| 9 |  | Run DMC
Raising Hell
To have the one of the best producers of all time work with the best Hip Hop group of all time, you would think that the album would be perfect. Well it is and Run DMC took chances that no mc even dreamed of making with covering a rock song and influencing a whole new genre of music in itself. Live instrumentals truly pay off. |
| 10 |  | 2pac
All Eyez On Me
2pac perfected all his styles from the past and added a new feeling to his music with party anthems and catchy choruses. Any of these songs could be top hits on the radio with it?s fuck the world mentality and gangsta swagger. This is the true greatest hits album for 2pac and modern gangsta music as a whole. |
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