The remaining 4 in my current top 5 are Paul's Boutique, Fear Of A Black Planet, De La Soul Is Dead,
― Alacrán, Thursday, 15 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Sterling Clover, Thursday, 15 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― dave q, Thursday, 15 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 15 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Lord Custos, Thursday, 15 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― David Raposa, Thursday, 15 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Joebob, Thursday, 15 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Rest of the top 5 and why they're not as good:
PE, Nation of Millions: Incredibly influential production, though more outside of hip-hop than in. The skits invented cinematic hip- hop, the vertical sampling brung the noise, Chuck D is a booming hit of authoritarianism. But it's a little patchy, not very funky and Flavor Flav has not worn well.
Tribe, Midnight Marauders: The ultimate in lush jazz beats. Not as pretentious as Low End Theory, they just let it all hang out here, nothing to prove. "Electric Relaxation" sexiest Quest song ever. But gets a little samey, more a collection of dope tracks than an album that flows.
Eric B and Rakim, Paid in Full: Holds up amazingly well. Beats are hard as hell, work on an abstract, almost electronic as well as rhythmic level. Rakim is at his peak, album has at least 5 stone-cold classics. "My Melody"... But hip-hop hadn't quite flowered to its full conceptual grandeur yet.
Ghostface, Supreme Clientele: The sheer rush of Ghost's half-sensical rhymes, the humor, the wit, the gibberish. The no-expense-spared old- school soul samples that most won't pay for anymore. The brilliant track sequencing, beats tumbling on top of each other. "Cherchez La Ghost"! But it's after the fall, more of a look back at past glories than the new new thing.
― Ben Williams, Thursday, 15 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I couldn't name one but Jay-Z's The Life and Times of Sean Carter would be there simply for having, as far as I can hear, no weak links whatsoever (apart from the track I refuse to mention he tacked on after the outro). Not the best hip-hop album in the last five years, but the best mainstream rap record of that time (however you want to describe it) by far, IMHO.
At the time I thought Company Flow's Funcrusher Plus was awesome but I really need to listen to it again to see whether it was an inspirational one-off that is lasting, or an inspirational one-off that isn't.
― Robin Carmody, Thursday, 15 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Douglas, Thursday, 15 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Any more recommendations for the Redman/Method Man collabo? It seems like the sort of album I'd enjoy, but I'm too tight these days to take chances.
― Tim, Thursday, 15 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― ernest, Thursday, 15 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― gareth, Friday, 16 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tom, Friday, 16 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― jk, Friday, 16 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Michael Bourke, Friday, 16 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― michael, Friday, 16 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― ethan, Friday, 16 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Supreme Clientele: Ben encapsulated what I like about it really, and I can only refer you to his words. It wasn't a radical-sounding record or a massively innovative one but every moment works and there are no faults or weaknesses anywhere. A thrilling *experience* to listen to: you can't dip in and out of it. For its own territory of hip-hop circa 2000, I'd say the same thing about it as I said about The Life and Times of Sean Carter for *its* field: the defining moment.
― Robin Carmody, Friday, 16 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Kris, Friday, 16 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Implying it's suspect thereafter. I've been pondering whether this is true and if so, why that should be. I decided the implication is probably bollocks. But judge for yourselves. Here's an (ex) indieboy's Top 10 rap albums for the period 1992-2001. I tried to get in one for every year, and also more female rapping, but just failed on both counts - sorry Missy Elliot.
Oh, and those Wu-Tang albums are really dating badly, aren't they? That said, I just bought "Supreme Clientele" on the basis of the recommendations upthread, and look forward to playing that tonight.
1. The Roots - Things Fall Apart2. Jeru - Wrath of The Math3. Fugees (Tranzlator Crew) - Blunted On Reality4. Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty5. Common - Like Water For Chocolate6. Snoop - Doggystyle7. Saïan Supa Crew - X Raisons8. Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy - Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury9. Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Blackstar10. Method Man - Tical
― Jeff, Monday, 19 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
As for your list, though - one I hate (Beasties), one I like (Snoop), two I've never heard (or 3 if I'm thinking of a different Saian album) (Fugees and Roots), two I respect but find a bit hard going (Jeru and Meth) and four I found boring (Black Star, Saian, Disposables, Common). And I think that is a fairly typical indieboy list, yeah.
― Tom, Monday, 19 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Sterling Clover, Monday, 19 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― ethan, Monday, 19 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Dan I., Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tom, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― ethan, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― matt riedl (veal), Sunday, 13 October 2002 14:18 (twenty-one years ago) link
― s trife (simon_tr), Sunday, 13 October 2002 21:47 (twenty-one years ago) link
― blueski, Sunday, 13 October 2002 22:52 (twenty-one years ago) link
What hasn't been mentioned yet? RUN-D.M.C.'s debut?
― Nate Patrin, Monday, 14 October 2002 01:15 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Charlie (Charlie), Monday, 14 October 2002 01:25 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Charlie (Charlie), Monday, 14 October 2002 01:33 (twenty-one years ago) link
― s trife (simon_tr), Monday, 14 October 2002 02:26 (twenty-one years ago) link
1. Mos Def - Black On Both Sides - Powerful stuff2. Latyrx - The Album - Deep, dark disco rock and mind bending linguistics.3. Black Eyed Peas - Behind The Front - Solid singalong stuff, a lot different to the Elephunky demos we've heard.4. Roots Manuva - Brand New Second Hand - He's crazy but he's Hip Hop's knight in shining armour. 5. anything by DJ Vadim - as one reviewer recently wrote, he makes it blunted but not boring.
Agreed re: Latryx - classic in my head at least...
― Charlie (Charlie), Monday, 14 October 2002 02:45 (twenty-one years ago) link
― s trife (simon_tr), Monday, 14 October 2002 02:59 (twenty-one years ago) link
― boxcubed (boxcubed), Monday, 14 October 2002 03:06 (twenty-one years ago) link
Thoughts on Sage Francis please?
― Charlie (Charlie), Monday, 14 October 2002 03:09 (twenty-one years ago) link
― bnw (bnw), Monday, 14 October 2002 03:46 (twenty-one years ago) link
― jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 14 October 2002 03:48 (twenty-one years ago) link
― s trife (simon_tr), Monday, 14 October 2002 03:56 (twenty-one years ago) link
― jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 14 October 2002 04:01 (twenty-one years ago) link
No Scarface isn't obscure just never heard that as the best ever, ever.
Do you really think that 'It Takes a Nation' is the best ever? Good, but wouldn't think that.
Jiminy I like that list and Low End Theory yes I think that needs to be considered seriously.
I hate Ice Cube and his retarded rant against Koreans so fuck his record.
― humansuit, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 02:50 (sixteen years ago) link
STOP DISRESPECTING TUPAC
― luriqua, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 04:05 (sixteen years ago) link
digital underground - sex packets
― Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 04:09 (sixteen years ago) link
luriqa that's not even the best 2pac album!
― J0hn D., Tuesday, 24 July 2007 04:41 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.thuglife.ic.cz/obaly/All%20Eyez%20On%20Me%20(pred).jpg
― am0n, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 05:14 (sixteen years ago) link
I never got the love for Makaveli.
But then, I never really got the love for Pac either.
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 13:13 (sixteen years ago) link
He had a pretty face.
― humansuit, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 15:39 (sixteen years ago) link
i never really got people who 'didn't get' pac
even when i was at my most reactionary 'pac is overrated' college-era pretentiousness i still 'got' why he resonated.
― deej, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 15:41 (sixteen years ago) link
i do understand the impulse to say he's 'overrated,' he does inspire some passion in folks that is hard to reconcile with all the time, especially for a music nerd crowd that tends to avoid anything so directly emotional and finds such genuine-ness heavy-handed but it still seems abundantly clear why he resonated w/ so many people
― deej, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 15:46 (sixteen years ago) link
So it's clear why he resonated and yet he's overrated. Check.
― humansuit, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 15:48 (sixteen years ago) link
I suppose I phrased that wrong, didn't mean to come across anti-Pac on principle. What I was trying to say is that I never really liked him (mainly because of his voice, which I just can't get into and am surprised so many people can, hence 'not getting'), but I can certainly understand why he's got resonance.
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 15:52 (sixteen years ago) link
this is right up there for me...
http://image.com.com/mp3/images/cover/200/drc400/c433/c433738d7uh.jpg
― M@tt He1ges0n, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 15:54 (sixteen years ago) link
am0n otm although I've always struggled with how nihilistic All Eyez is - Shock G had a great line on "Fear of a Mixed Planet" that ran "his special special gift was his love side/so many tryin' to be 'Pac, but only copped the thug side" but All Eyez is pretty short on the "love side" - there's "Life Goes On" and "I Ain't Mad Atcha" but these are a long way from the "conscious" stuff he'd done before, that political passion took a back seat to G stuff although it's fair to ask "isn't that where your head might be at if you'd just gotten out of prison?"
It's an uneven record but that's some of its strength for me, it's like this huge uncontrollable avalanche of creative energy. Some days though I think "Ready to Die" is better, but I am emo and R2D even when it's pissed off unhinged is pretty tightly controlled, while "All Eyez" is more raw imo and that's what I favor at the end of the day.
― J0hn D., Tuesday, 24 July 2007 16:00 (sixteen years ago) link
I'll second Tuomas [...]
-- Tom Breihan (Tom Breihan)
never thought i'd see the day
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 16:01 (sixteen years ago) link
(also the DOC getting in that car accident and losing his voice is one of the great tragedies in rap imo)
― M@tt He1ges0n, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 16:18 (sixteen years ago) link
i agree. he was great.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 16:23 (sixteen years ago) link
there is more than one greatest rap album of all time. there are a bunch.
Just reading about that in Third Coast, shit was fuckin tragic. How is his most recent record? I hear the voice is coming back a little? xxpost
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 16:24 (sixteen years ago) link
Scott - agreed. Especially since 'rap' covers such a broad spectrum of styles, but I love arguing over this.
― humansuit, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 16:34 (sixteen years ago) link