most defensible album in Complex's The 50 Worst Rap Album Fails

every nas record has some great tracks on it imo

this list is just trolling bullshit mostly

half of The Dynasty is the exact same kind of soul beats by the same trio of producers that did 2/3rds of The Blueprint, the whole aesthetic associated with The Blueprint started on The Dynasty.

like, including more than one Nas album would be stupid anyway. "Nastradamus" is the consensus 'worst' of his albums so it makes sense that you'd include that one & not any others.

but yeah fucking ... that fabolous album is a "fail"?? wtf

from his blurbs u can tell he has an anti-pop / anti-jiggy / rap nerd bias that makes his opinions suspect imo

wouldn't exactly call anyone riding for Kid N Play's "Funhouse" "anti-pop"

plus his blurbs are all on one page, so i'll actually read them

^^

his Monie Love blurb is OTM

lol yeah dude his idea of 'pop' is two decades old

poisonousparagraphs.blogspot.com/ was his site

also while a commercial flop, Nice & Smooth's Jewel Of The Nile is like all-time rap-nerd "slept-on canon" fodder so whatev

some of those blurbs are v. otm -- im just saying hes one of those dudes whose idea of contemporary rap is narrow & in hock to 90s idealism

he does say "jiggy" a lot

deej, what would you say your single favorite rap album of all time would be if u had to choose one

i couldnt really answer that but for whatever reason the thing that popped into my head was 'hard to earn'

kind of modest for a 'FAV ALBUM EVER' but its one ive come back to for years so its kind of comfort food

I was working on a theory that you could tell what type of rap fan someone was by their favorite album. I bet Bastard Swordsman is an Illmatic guy.

not really following the current strain of conversation but that Lauryn Hill album is simultaneously heartbreaking and hilarious when she starts ranting

mine is Low End Theory -- should this be a thread (or possibly a 'what Sex And The City character are you' type web quiz)

some dude OTM, although sometimes it's De La Soul Is Dead or Fear of a Black Planet

(but usually LET)

Dan def strikes me as the type of dude who fav rap album is De La Soul Is Dead, no offense

none taken! luv that shit

yeah i mean it's hard to turn that into an insult. "you like old stuff...really really great old stuff, but old stuff"

xp Hmm, sounds like I should go back to Dynasty. Back when he was putting out an album a year it was easy to dismiss the weaker ones.

wait how the shit did Tical 2000 not make any of these lists? Just because it had 5/25 dope songs doesn't mean it wasn't the biggest mess and FAIL

Mines is probably ATLiens.

^my #2 Rhythm-al-ism is #1 for me.

cuban linx for me.

the infamous.

28. Eazy-E, It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa (1993)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsdLn46UXnA

sex & violence by bdp is kinda up and down, but so is every bdp album after criminal minded

love "duck down" off that

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDyYHIDJ1CQ

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

41. Lil B, I'm Gay (I'm Happy) (2011) 7

are you guys just that big of stans for this guy or is everyone on this site secretly 17?

whiney otm x10000

is there a CD on this list that got a vote that isn't better than "i'm gay (i'm happy)"

is there a CD on this list that got a vote that isn't better than "i'm gay (i'm happy)"

― D-40, Wednesday, 31 August 2011 00:09 (2 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Electric Circus.

Voted Cube iirc. Lol @ lil b, some of those votes should have gone to Big Daddy Kane.

the thing about meme rap is that you can never feign too much enthusiasm

u sure never have that problem

good zing but really, al otm

wow, didn't see this. I have a beef w/ the following inclusions:

13. A Tribe Called Quest, Beats, Rhymes, & Life (1996)

Man, Beats Rhymes and Life is like a Dean's List student suddenly getting straight Bs one semester. I mean it's a huge dropoff from Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders, but it's still an enjoyable listen, even if arguably not essential. Just not as focused and the inclusion of Consequence (whom I like) was weird.

41. Lil B, I'm Gay (I'm Happy) (2011)

I like "I'm Gay" -- and I also like shit like Blue/Red Flame. Don't think it's impossible to like both 'sides' of the artist. Think this is just too easy of a potshot.

43. Mystikal, Tarantula (2001)

This is by far the biggest pile of bullshit in the entire list. The defense of its inclusion is very vague and lacking in detail, and makes me wonder when the last time the author listened to this album was. "Pussy Crook" is a great song, yea, Mystikal's later actions do make it a bit o_O, but it's a fucking banger of a song when removed from that. And the entire album is fucking fire -- I mean loving Let's Get Ready and hating Tarantula to me is like loving Super Tight and hating Ridin' Dirty. I prefer Let's Get Ready, but Tarantula ain't much of a dropoff.

36. Hammer, The Funky Headhunter (1994)

I thought this list was supposed to be for awesome rappers making wack albums? If anything, the only Hammer album that is still listenable (even if it is admittedly corny and phony sounding) is this one.

27. Shyne, Godfather Buried Alive (2004)

Man gtfo with this. I actually prefer this to his debut as he actually manages to evolve beyond generic gangsta tropes on several tracks on this one and come up with some semblance of identity. I like the debut too but it isn't like it was a classic or anything.

i'm not necessarily excusing the rest, there's a few I haven't heard.

i didn't even notice mystikal was on there. i voted for the winner but now i wish i could change my vote.

36. Hammer, The Funky Headhunter (1994)

I thought this list was supposed to be for awesome rappers making wack albums? If anything, the only Hammer album that is still listenable (even if it is admittedly corny and phony sounding) is this one.

Let's Get It Started is p dope, fuiud

Maybe 70% of this list could be repurposed as "Actually Kind-of-Dope Albums You Can Get Used on Amazon for $1.99"

would no one stan for Das EFX?

I wanna say Kingdom Come cuz of the Just Blaze trifecta but a) that still was a fail and b) I'm not familiar with all these

the album's subject matter—the War in Iraq on "Casualties of War"?—wasn't on par with what we'd come to expect.

Such an odd criticism of Eric B & Rakim. Rappers addressing the Iraq war? Not that crazy an idea really. Great track too.