Sirens sounded, they seemed astounded: THE ILM RAP MUSIC OF THE GODS ALL TIME 100 GREATEST ALBUMS OFFICIAL THREAD

pun way too low, how can anyone hate on capital punishment? i put it top 5

big ups on 'tha carter II'

pun is the sickest

Pete Rock & CL Smooth way too low, i voted for 4-5 things here i think, good list so far

voted for quasimoto, pete/cl, mos def, kanye (late reg.), dj quik. might have voted for viktor vaughn, cant remember. voted for other albums by gang starr, wayne, wu-tang. almost voted for that kool keith, so so good. like a bunch of the others. haven't heard 5-6 or so, will check 'em out.

The results look cool so far, the run from the 90th place to 84th is especially worthy. Out of the 25 albums I voted for these:

89. Cypress Hill - Black Sunday (#13 in my ballot)
87. Wu-Tang Clan - The W (#23 in my ballot)
85. Heltah Skeltah - Nocturnal (#8 in my ballot)
84. Organized Konfusion - Stress: The Extinction Agenda (#9 in my ballot)
77. Big Pun - Capital Punishment (#47 in my ballot)

Yeah, I was one of those savages who voted for Black Sunday, even though I didn't include the first Cypress Hill album in my ballot at all! There are two reasons for this: 1) Black Sunday was one of the first rap albums I was really into, me and my friends were listening to it all the time when we were 14. 2) I just like beats on Black Sunday better. The first album is still much influenced by the early 90s "jazzy" sound, whereas Black Sunday was (alongside 36 Chambers) a herald of a new murky, weeded-out production style. Muggs took this sound even further on Temples of Boom, but the raps on that album are somewhat inferior to Black Sunday, that's why I voted for BS.

I also placed The W above 36 Chambers in my ballot, again because of the beats. RZA had some great ideas for 36 Chambers, but some of the beats still sound weak, especially the drum parts. (Even though RZA imitated Muggs' style on "Protect Ya Neck", in 1993 Muggs was still a better producer than him.) Whereas The W has some incredibly crisp, innovative and off-kilter beats - soundwise, nothing on 36 Chambers compares to, say, "Careful (Click, Click)". And of course The W also has "I Can't Go to Sleep", the best Wu single of all time (alongside "Triumph"). Don't get me wrong, I still love 36 Chambers, especially the raps, but I thought that since it was a lock for the top 5, I might just as well give The W a few more points.

Fair reasoning, cant argue with the context/history of the listener. These are the kind of points that make these kind of threads worth while, even if I disagree.

With polls, everyone has different reasons and styles for/of voting. Like you kind of knew deep down that 36 Chambers is better, but you figured it would place high, so you in turn "threw some points" at something else. Not sure I agree with that line of thinking, but it probably makes for a more unique outcome (maybe worse, idk), like we have so far. I feel like 20-100 will have some wtf moments, but doubt there will be any big surprises (other than specific placement) in the top 20.

never even heard of son of bazerk, feeling fucking BLINDSIDED!!!!

Yeah and Life After Death was a triple

Maybe on vinyl but it was only a double CD/tape.

yeah its not like everyone was clamouring for lil wayne on vinyl

75. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Nigga Please [7 votes, 148 points, 1999]

http://dkpresents.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/30if4pj.jpg

rmde

74. Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill [6 votes, 151 points, 1986]

http://mimg.ugo.com/200808/16335/Licensed-to-ill.jpg

why rmde?

I always kind of avoided Licensed to Ill because of Fight For Your Right but in the past year I have had my eyes open to its greatness. The New Style, Girls, Slow & Low - that record is an all time great.

Back with the classic artwork too. Great sleeve.

xpost Interesting, I have never listened to it for the very same reason despite being a big fan of the three albums they made after it.

(tie w/ #72). Organized Konfusion - Organized Konfusion [5 votes, 154 points, 1991]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eSzTgDTdB54/SxG-iMDHchI/AAAAAAAAEDA/Hwkn5hXoIPg/s1600/Organized+Konfusion+Front.jpg

as much as i love stress and solo monch&po - for some reason i've never listened to other ok.

Slow and Low is probably their finest moment for me. A Run DMC cast off.

(tie w/ #73) 72. MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday [6 votes, 154 points, 1999]

http://theovun.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/51x0oz6azl_ss500_.jpg

I only voted for my #1 btw. I planned to figure it all out but I got so pissed off after doing the tallying within two days that i never did. If I did - Operation Doomsday would have easily been top 10.

Yeah, I've never picked up the first OK album either, despite owning Stress and The Equinox (which is a very good case for why rap albums should never have skits). The few tracks I've heard from it I liked okay, but somehow they sounded too "goofy" compared to the more dark and ponderous stuff on the latter two albums... Maybe I'm wrong and I should check out the debut though?

(xx-post)

71. T.I. - King [7 votes, 156 points, 2006]

http://www.mixmatters.com/hot/images/ti_king.jpg

70. A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm [6 votes, 158 points, 5 mics, 1990]

http://design-milk.com/images/2009/11/tribe-called-quest-1.jpg

(tie w/ #67) 68. Eric B & Rakim - Follow The Leader [8 votes, 162 points, 1988]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PZYScm1NuZ4/S7P6m32PhsI/AAAAAAAAAZg/ImEqzwNWo7c/s1600/B0008KLVUU.jpg

^^^not that good tbh, even if it has Microphone Fiends. Pt. 2 in 'i want that old school rapper jacket' tho.

(tie w/ #68) 67. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP [5 votes, 162 points, 2000]

http://passionweiss.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/502qc1t.jpg

66. DJ Quik & Kurupt – Blaqkout [7 votes, 164 points, 2009]

http://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/covers/blaqkout.jpg

where did 69 go?

looooooool oh shit. brb let me sort that.

69. Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded [3 votes, 159 points, 1987]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-V2I94F2g3s/TH8ZgSPM_AI/AAAAAAAAARU/seCZf7xAbc8/s1600/bdp.jpg

and on we go let the trumpets blow

65. Ice-T - O.G.: Original Gangster [6 votes, 167 points, 1991]

http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a474/johmbolaya/covers/IceTOG.jpg

when King showed up i thought "i wonder if that's the most recent album on the list," then BlaQKout popped up and i thought the same thing

my answer to that is maybe, considering i can't remember when the next one came out.

need to go out for a couple hours, so the next is the last till for about 4 hours.

64. J Dilla - Donuts [7 votes, 168 points, 2006]

http://www.fifthelementonline.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/353x/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/j/d/jdilla.jpg

"Fight For Your Right" is literally the WORST song on Licensed To Ill and completely unrelated to anything else going on on that album, which is an all-time great.

I love OG so much! Only three votes for Criminal Minded? Really should have voted

Things getting a little more canonical today, which is cool. But low placement of stuff like Licensed to Ill, Tribe and Donuts makes me feel like maybe there'll be room for at least a couple of surprises toward the top.

DJ Quik & Kurupt will totally be the most recent album to make it. Unless Cuban Linx II sneaks in there (or MBDTF, which knowing this crowd won't).

I will be stoked if Late Registration and Graduation make it, but College Dropout doesn't.

did Last Train to Paris get nom'd?

sam you know you're doing the first part of the list at like 730 am american time right? and like 430 am shakey time - not going to get a lot of discussion

interesting list so far tbh - nothing out and out terrible, altho some of the placings are kind of weird

also deej not sure what you were referring to upthread as "canonical" (Black Moon? OK?)

fwiw I am very curious about the Black Moon album, dunno how that one passed me by at the time - very strange

more albums i left off, more i voted for...p good list so far.

black moon is pretty boom bap backpacker roots canonical imo.....

it gets props iirc

I was hoping Eminem would somehow not show up.

x-post Didn't Buckshot once claim that the Backpacker thing started because he and his crew used to wear backpacks so they didn't have hide their guns in their pants?

I listened to Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady Lp for the first time in 3 years this morning. Thought they were both still pretty fucking great tbh.