Rap's 25 Greatest Albums, according to Chris Rock

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I'm sure these are his words, probably spoken over the phone or something and transcribed by someone at the mag.. he's way too hardcore a fan (from everything I've heard) to have someone ghostwrite it.

I posted a little quote from Prince Paul on the topic:
http://www.hiphopmusic.com/archives/001288.html

― Jay Smooth (jsmooth995), Monday, 19 December 2005 20:16 (eighteen years ago) link

the 'make this my last one' in the dizzee blurb would seem to reaffirm the transcription theory.

― 'Twan (miccio), Monday, 19 December 2005 20:21 (eighteen years ago) link

As much as I like the Wu solo stuff, it's difficult to rate it above "36 Chambers".

― Nick H (Nick H), Monday, 19 December 2005 21:09 (eighteen years ago) link

two months pass...

This was originally in Rolling Stone. I can't believe that the list doesn't have Biggie on it, yet Dizzee Rascal makes it. Other than that, it's a pretty good list.

― J.R., Sunday, 26 February 2006 19:36 (eighteen years ago) link

To the guy who said he's never gotten into De La Soul, I hadden't really either until recently, and holy SHIT, their first 3 albums are fantastic.

So is the first Gravediggaz actually. And the second one is better than you'd expect. Also been getting into that first Tribe record as well. Phenomenal.

Cool to see "Stillmatic" is on there but not "Illmatic". Finally someone else who doesn't think "Illmatic" was the be all and end all of Nas' career. It's likely that he still has his best album in him.

― Eroc LAzron, Sunday, 26 February 2006 20:32 (eighteen years ago) link

Good to see some props for the D.O.C, still love his stuff. And to see 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' getting bigged up over the others is good for a change, that's a fucking brilliant album. Insanely good. And, yeah, NWA still holds up.

― beaux knee (boney), Sunday, 26 February 2006 21:29 (eighteen years ago) link

I actually think that this is probably the most OTM list from a celeb I've ever read. Not just cos he knows this stuff, but also because he knows exactly why he likes it. And, to be honmest, I never would've picked him as a Dizzee fan. Fantastic. Of course I would've liked Atliens, Dah' Shinin' etc, but fuck, this is close enough!

― paulhw (paulhw), Sunday, 26 February 2006 22:53 (eighteen years ago) link

I agree with paul, but I think this is one of the best lists I've read in general in a long time. Regardless of whether he got it "right" or not he has very specific, personal, interesting reasons for liking what he does, and makes some rather accurate remarks about hip-hop in general in the process. Maybe more music critics should be not-really-a-music-critic music critics. or something..

― sovietpanda (sovietpanda), Sunday, 26 February 2006 23:31 (eighteen years ago) link

odd how he calls tracks "records" i.e. "there's a record on there..." ??? there's a record on the record?

― lil' flipper (eman), Monday, 27 February 2006 01:59 (eighteen years ago) link

eh, some people just talk that way, maybe just older folks. Jay-Z does it a lot too ("I decided to put only 12 records on this album" etc)

― Alex in Baltimore (Alex in Baltimore), Monday, 27 February 2006 02:34 (eighteen years ago) link

'Mama Said Knock You Out' is way too high though.

― beaux knee (boney), Monday, 27 February 2006 03:11 (eighteen years ago) link

Hardly.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 27 February 2006 03:13 (eighteen years ago) link

I don't really like Illmatic so I'm glad it's not on there -- just don't get that album.

Reasonable Doubt is definitely the best Jay-Z album but, like, even David Duke agrees with that.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Monday, 27 February 2006 04:24 (eighteen years ago) link

"most otm celeb list" seconded. even though there's some i wouldn't have in my list, i can't fault *him* for having them in *his* list. there's no "OMGWTFLOL what a moran" selections.

― oops (Oops), Monday, 27 February 2006 04:42 (eighteen years ago) link

i like his scarface, geto boys, and EPMD picks.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 27 February 2006 07:15 (eighteen years ago) link

Solid list.

― Brian O'Neill (NYCNative), Monday, 27 February 2006 14:05 (eighteen years ago) link

"Record" implies an individual track, going back to the 7"/12" heyday.

"Album" implies the full-length product with multiple records on it.

I think you might have to be over 30 to remember when that was common parlance.

Maybe more music critics should be not-really-a-music-critic music critics. or something..

This is a massive understatement.

― Dan (Go 'Head, Chris) Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 27 February 2006 14:32 (eighteen years ago) link

It's a sweet list. I've got reservations about Straight Outta Compton as an album, a good half of it's filler, but he seems spot on about its importance. I wish Supreme Clientele was higher. It's a classic-centrist list: no Dirty South stuff at all? And Unfinished Business is a cute choice, but EPMD sound soooooo old now. Fuck it, I just wanted to say I Like This List Lots. Oh, and Illmatic is great, amongst other sings, cos it's the most blam blam blam all killer no filler Hip Hop album I can think of.

― Raw, Uncompromising, and Noodly (noodle vague), Monday, 27 February 2006 14:43 (eighteen years ago) link

EPMD sound soooooo old now

u get the bozack

― ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Monday, 27 February 2006 15:27 (eighteen years ago) link

lol @ mp3 newjacks giving self-dap 4 hating illmatic

― ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Monday, 27 February 2006 15:28 (eighteen years ago) link

It was kind of like the British Invasion for black people.

That's pretty funny and OTM.

― Brian O'Neill (NYCNative), Monday, 27 February 2006 15:45 (eighteen years ago) link

two weeks pass...

he is OTM about that tupac mixtape. one of the best things ive heard in a long time.

― cheshire, Tuesday, 14 March 2006 01:00 (eighteen years ago) link

I completely agree with De La Soul's "Buhloone Mind State" being on that list. It's always been overshadowed by the others, but has been my favourite from the first time I heard it.

― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 01:56 (eighteen years ago) link

J-Rock: Buhloone Mind State is where I came in, and I never really managed to get into any other DLS albums because of it.
This is a fun list though.

― js (honestengine), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 04:39 (eighteen years ago) link

I remember when Ice Cube played at the Apollo on this tour.

I do too. I was 20% of the white people in the crowd. Had a blast.

― Brian O'Neill (NYCNative), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 08:31 (eighteen years ago) link

Great list. At least 15 of those albums would easily be in my top 50 rap albums, so it's hard to complain about it too much. Some shit is missing but so what.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 08:44 (eighteen years ago) link

two months pass...

dj shadow's entroducing would be nice, but theres no rapping on it

― Rob Cooper, Thursday, 25 May 2006 16:50 (seventeen years ago) link

THAT'S WHY IT'S NOT A RAP ALBUM.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 25 May 2006 17:17 (seventeen years ago) link

I don't know what happened afterward, but the first Pharcyde album is incredible

The 2nd Pharcyde album is just as good...

― PappaWheelie B.C., Friday, 26 May 2006 02:59 (seventeen years ago) link

THAT'S WHY IT'S NOT A RAP ALBUM.

Shhhh, you're giving it away!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 26 May 2006 03:02 (seventeen years ago) link

great list - although Stillmatic instead of illmatic ?

buhloone mindstate is easily one of the best hip hop albums ever....

the one album i would put in there is the first brand nubian

― grapple (grapple), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 22:27 (seventeen years ago) link

I sent for the 2Pac mixtape a few days ago. Hope it lives up to the hype.

― Marmotdeth (marmotwolof), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 22:37 (seventeen years ago) link

Ah, it just came in the mail. I'm about halfway through it, good stuff. It doesn't make me want to kill anyone, though

― Marmotdeth (marmotwolof), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 00:15 (seventeen years ago) link

i don't like it, it's like a highlight reel...all the songs under 3 minutes...lots of gratuitious spliced-in cameos from other rappers.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 03:37 (seventeen years ago) link

That's par for the mixtape course though.

― Marmotdeth (marmotwolof), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 03:43 (seventeen years ago) link

I love how we're still parsing the choices that an actor made on his personal top 25.

Where's all your top 25s? I wanna see some lists dammit.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 04:21 (seventeen years ago) link

Here is a quick top 25 off the top, of albums that I've been coming back to a lot these days, albums from this year excluded. Don't pay too much attention to the order.

1. Notorious BIG - Life After Death
2. Scarface - The Diary
3. Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle
4. Too $hort - Get In Where You Fit In
5. The Big Tymers - I Got That Work
6. Kurious - Constipated Monkey
7. Outkast - Aquemini
8. Ice Cube - The Predator
9. Mia X - Unlady Like
10. Fat Joe - Jealous Ones Envy
11. T.I. - Trap Muzik
12. Rappin' 4-Tay - 4 tha Hardway
13. Big L - The Big Picture
14. Kool G Rap - 4,5,6
15. Dr. Dre - 2001
16. Ma$e - Harlem World
17. Do or Die - Picture This
18. Nas - Illmatic
19. Jay-Z - Vol 2 Hard Knock Life
20. Black Moon - Diggin in Dah Vaults
21. Gang Starr - Hard to Earn
22. B.G. - Chopper City in the Ghetto
23. Three 6 Mafia - Choices Soundtrack
24. Tru - True
25. Beanie Sigel - The B. Coming

― deeej, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 04:59 (seventeen years ago) link

I meant to put Suga Free's "Street Gospel" in there but I forgot.

― deeej, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 05:02 (seventeen years ago) link

deeej your list is pretty good methinks even though I only have like three of those records. I will do a list that no one likes but it will take me a couple of days.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 05:04 (seventeen years ago) link

(Apologies to Brand Nubian, Beatnuts, De La, Tribe, Mobb Deep, Spice 1, MOP, DITC, etc etc etc to infinity)

― deeej, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 05:05 (seventeen years ago) link

thnx Matt.

― deeej, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 05:06 (seventeen years ago) link

Mine is a pretty male-dominated list.

― deeej, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 05:18 (seventeen years ago) link

Funny you say that because the one album on there that I was like, "Hmmm, I wonder what *that's* like!" is the Mia X one.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 05:21 (seventeen years ago) link

The Big Tymers - I Got That Work = bleh

Chronic >>> 2001

Reasonable Doubt >>> Vol 2

Illmatic > 4,5,6

― Some Guy, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 05:25 (seventeen years ago) link

But the rest of the albums I have ahead of Illmatic are OK?

― deeej, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 05:46 (seventeen years ago) link

Maybe, maybe not. I picked 4,5,6 to compare Illmatic to because it seems pretty derivative of Illmatic

― Some Guy, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 06:01 (seventeen years ago) link

Illmatic = pretty derivative of G Rap and Polo.

― deeej, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 06:15 (seventeen years ago) link

Sadly, no Erase Racism on Illmatic though.

― deeej, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 06:20 (seventeen years ago) link

As far as the others, I Got That Work is a good comedy album with unexpected depth, I've always found Reasonable Doubt to be pretty overrated (actually my favorite Jay track right now is Where I'm From). I love the singles from Chronic but never pull it out as much as '01.

― deeej, Wednesday, 31 May 2006 06:23 (seventeen years ago) link

Illmatic = pretty derivative of G Rap and Polo.
-- deeej (li...), May 31st, 2006.

Illmatic = pretty superior to all Kool G Rap albums.

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 13:04 (seventeen years ago) link

Skipping 58 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

me neither...? I mean, I guess I am aware that the Mayhem guy committed suicide but I don't really seek out photos of that kind of shit. Because I am not a morbidly obsessed teenager.

― Hyper Rescue Troop (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 24 March 2011 18:06 (thirteen years ago) link

you don't have to "seek it out" it was on the cover of an album iirc tbh otm afaik

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Thursday, 24 March 2011 18:24 (thirteen years ago) link

a bootleg live album iirc tbh otm wtf dude

― Hyper Rescue Troop (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 24 March 2011 18:28 (thirteen years ago) link

eleven months pass...

9. Mia X - Unlady Like

― deeej, Tuesday, May 30, 2006 11:59 PM (5 years ago) Bookmark

finally snagged a used copy of this. totally love it. fuck Allmusic saying she's No Limit's Lil Kim/Foxy Brown. she drops some topics that rarely ever make it in hardcore rap...domestic abuse from the point of view of the lady? Being a single mom? the last 4 tracks are really heavy but awesome. she had lyrics. def high point of No Limit, sad I waited so long to hear this.

― Bo Jackson Overdrive, Saturday, 3 March 2012 01:54 (twelve years ago) link

That record is classic

― what's a goon to garbus (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, 3 March 2012 02:57 (twelve years ago) link

I think it may be v well the best thing No Limit ever put out

― what's a goon to garbus (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, 3 March 2012 02:57 (twelve years ago) link

totally. not surprised why ethan listed her as his top female MC.

― Bo Jackson Overdrive, Saturday, 3 March 2012 16:17 (twelve years ago) link

deej and reverend are otm, ban Jordan S.

Suggest Ban Permalink
― Dom Passantino, Sunday, January 27, 2008 10:21 AM Bookmark

― marissa explains it all (The Reverend), Sunday, 4 March 2012 12:23 (twelve years ago) link

I was a huge fan of the Wyclef album, and it's a shame he's so maligned by the hipsterati. The Carnival is an eclectic and fascinating record.
So is anyone inclined to post their OWN top 25 hip-hop albums?

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Sunday, December 18, 2005 12:03 AM (6 years ago) Bookmark

so quaint to see him using terms as tame as 'hipsterati' back then

― some dude, Sunday, 4 March 2012 13:47 (twelve years ago) link

four years pass...

dj shadow's entroducing would be nice, but theres no rapping on it
― Rob Cooper, Thursday, May 25, 2006 12:50 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

THAT'S WHY IT'S NOT A RAP ALBUM.
― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, May 25, 2006 1:17 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― Neanderthal, Friday, 6 January 2017 01:22 (seven years ago) link

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