If you are truly serious about loading essential hip-hop albums and tagging everything properly and ensuring top quality, I would be more than happy to be of assistance to you.
Your initial list was enough to give you a pass in my books and "Illmatic" is the greatest hip-hop album of all time - You had that first on your list. New, old, underground, jiggy, WHATEVER.
I'm reaching out because I would hate to think of anyone losing, breaking, crashing their iPod and having to start over again. It's a b!t*h to do and I would hate to have to do it to any of mine.
A lot of really solid stuff has already been covered, so I will throw in a few lesser knowns:
Aesop Rock: "Labor Days" or "Float"
The Roots: "Illadelph Halflife" or "The Roots Come Alive"
Sage Francis: "A Healthy Distrust"
Buck 65: "Square" or "Situation" - I know this one is brand spankin' new... but it is just so darn good.
EDIT* Oops, I just saw that someone mentioned Sage Francis: "A Healthy Distrust" already.
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Last edited by vanisleflamesfan; 03-06-2008 at 08:45 AM.
Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forever (I consider this more essential than 36 chambers, and I love 36 chambers)
No curse, but how is Wu-Tang Forever even remotely, "more essential" than the biggest ground breaking, New York rap album to come out during a time when Death Row was owning the rap game?
No curse, but how is Wu-Tang Forever even remotely, "more essential" than the biggest ground breaking, New York rap album to come out during a time when Death Row was owning the rap game?
because as an overall listening experience it's better than 36 chambers
The following album I'm going to mention will get me laughed at, but I'm serious, you need to give it a chance. It was critically acclaimed, but sold really poorly for the same reason some of you are about to laugh at me:
Bubba Sparxxx- Deliverance
Last edited by Bill Bumface; 03-06-2008 at 09:50 AM.
Most (if not all) of this is post 1998, but is good hip hop nonetheless
I have to second:
-J-Live - The Best Part and All of the Above, fantastic albums.
-Wyclef Jean - The Carnival
-Foreign Exchange - Connected
-Blackalicious - The Craft, Nia
-Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt, Vol 1 In My Lifetime (i must be the only one who likes this album)
If you are into Blackalicious you should pick up:
-Gift of Gab - 4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up
Others :
-DJ Format, Music for the Mature B-Boy, If You Cant Join Em...Beat Em (many songs feature Canadian emcee Abdominal)
-Abdominal - Escape From the Pigeon Hole
-Common - Resurrection, Like Water for Chocolate
-Braintax - Panorama
-Cool Calm Pete - Lost
-Jurassic 5 - Quality Control
because as an overall listening experience it's better than 36 chambers
This is actually true. 36 is probably the greatest album of all time.. but when you've listened to every song at least 100 times each.. get's kinda old.
I'm not huge into hip hop, but a couple of albums I adore are:
Danger Doom: The Mouse and the Mask (this is seriously awesome in every aspect)
Jurassic 5: Everything before the last album they ever recorded
Cut Chemist: The Audience is Listening
Danger Mouse's: Grey Album is pretty cool too.
I really like Buck 65's new album (Situation is it?)
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Awesome! I knew I was forgetting some of the better Bay Area rappers!
Too $hort: My personal favorite albums were Shorty the Pimp and Get in where you fit in. Life is...Too $hort is the album that really broke him nationwide.
...and DOC is one rapper I never gave a lot of love to, but that LP mentioned gets a lot of props. Have to revisit that one.
I can't believe I forgot D.O.C. It's a great album, probably the best of any of Dr. Dre's work from that time period. Yes, it's a better album than Straight Outta Compton, even if doesn't have singles quite as epic.
because as an overall listening experience it's better than 36 chambers
Highly anticipated and completely overrated. 36 Chambers changed the New York rap game when it came out - MC-wise AND production.
Again - Death Row was running hip-hop and Doggystyle was about to drop. "What's My Name" was the biggest song out at the time - Every hip-hop club and station was killing the track, every DJ was scrambling to find doubles of the 12" and the West was rolling over (sales-wise) the critically acclaimed, yet classic albums from KRS-1 and De La.
36 Chambers... drops and New York was back with a vengeance. I had never seen an album take the crown for hip-hop standard, EVER. All the stations and DJs were playing 3, 4, 5 (Chessboxin', Bring The Ruckus and M.E.T.H.O.D. Man) singles off the album any chance they could. This was even before C.R.E.A.M. dropped.
We're talking "essential" hip-hop albums? Quote every skit on it and people who were there will answer back every line, every single time... in unison. No one does that with Forever. There is 1 song people remember. 25-or songs, sub-par rapping from EVERYONE, (Even Ghost and GZA) useless throwaways, (Black Shampoo, Older Godz) and there you have one of the biggest disappointments in hip-hop. And this was during a time when garbage was slowly seeping it's way on to the racks and mixtapes. 1997 & 1998 were some of the worst years for albums and this just happened to be one of the better ones for the time.
Highly anticipated and completely overrated. 36 Chambers changed the New York rap game when it came out - MC-wise AND production.
Again - Death Row was running hip-hop and Doggystyle was about to drop. "What's My Name" was the biggest song out at the time - Every hip-hop club and station was killing the track, every DJ was scrambling to find doubles of the 12" and the West was rolling over (sales-wise) the critically acclaimed, yet classic albums from KRS-1 and De La.
36 Chambers... drops and New York was back with a vengeance. I had never seen an album take the crown for hip-hop standard, EVER. All the stations and DJs were playing 3, 4, 5 (Chessboxin', Bring The Ruckus and M.E.T.H.O.D. Man) singles off the album any chance they could. This was even before C.R.E.A.M. dropped.
We're talking "essential" hip-hop albums? Quote every skit on it and people who were there will answer back every line, every single time... in unison. No one does that with Forever. There is 1 song people remember. 25-or songs, sub-par rapping from EVERYONE, (Even Ghost and GZA) useless throwaways, (Black Shampoo, Older Godz) and there you have one of the biggest disappointments in hip-hop. And this was during a time when garbage was slowly seeping it's way on to the racks and mixtapes. 1997 & 1998 were some of the worst years for albums and this just happened to be one of the better ones for the time.
Yes yes, we get it, 36 Chambers brought back New York, you said that already.
You're acting like it's one or the other which is ######ed. I like them both, I like Wu-Tang Forever better because it's better to just put in and listen to the whole thing.
If you seriously think it was one of the biggest disappointments in hip hop history then you obviously never gave the album a fair chance, you just wanted a repeat of 36 Chambers and you didn't get it and based your judgement on that. It's alright though, lots of people did the same which is why people talk about what a "disappointment" it is.
You're acting like it's one or the other which is ######ed. I like them both, I like Wu-Tang Forever better because it's better to just put in and listen to the whole thing.
If you seriously think it was one of the biggest disappointments in hip hop history then you obviously never gave the album a fair chance, you just wanted a repeat of 36 Chambers and you didn't get it and based your judgement on that. It's alright though, lots of people did the same which is why people talk about what a "disappointment" it is.
I am obviously, "acting" like it's one or the other because you had mentioned that "Forever" was a more essential album than "36 Chambers". It's a decision between the two, hence you are to choose one or the other.
And yes, it was obviously a disappointment, not because "I wanted a repeat of 36 Chambers", but absolutely because it was not even close to the efforts that had led up to it. "Tical", "Return To The 36 chambers", "...Cuban Linx" & "Liquid Swords". All produced by RZA and ALL of these are in the argument for Top 30 of all time. It is a disappointment because of what I just said in the last post...
25-or so songs, sub-par rapping from EVERYONE, (Even Ghost and GZA) useless throwaways, (Black Shampoo, Older Godz) and there you have one of the biggest disappointments in hip-hop.
Enter The 36 Chambers is 12 songs deep... Pick the 12 best songs on Wu-Tang Forever and it's not even a comparison. I can't even think of 5 good songs on that album.
I am obviously, "acting" like it's one or the other because you had mentioned that "Forever" was a more essential album than "36 Chambers". It's a decision between the two, hence you are to choose one or the other.
And yes, it was obviously a disappointment, not because "I wanted a repeat of 36 Chambers", but absolutely because it was not even close to the efforts that had led up to it. "Tical", "Return To The 36 chambers", "...Cuban Linx" & "Liquid Swords". All produced by RZA and ALL of these are in the argument for Top 30 of all time. It is a disappointment because of what I just said in the last post...
25-or so songs, sub-par rapping from EVERYONE, (Even Ghost and GZA) useless throwaways, (Black Shampoo, Older Godz) and there you have one of the biggest disappointments in hip-hop.
Enter The 36 Chambers is 12 songs deep... Pick the 12 best songs on Wu-Tang Forever and it's not even a comparison. I can't even think of 5 good songs on that album.
Ok so you don't like the album. I think it's a better overall listen than 36 Chambers, you don't. No point in either of us saying anymore about it.
It's a great album, probably the best of any of Dr. Dre's work from that time period. Yes, it's a better album than Straight Outta Compton, even if doesn't have singles quite as epic.
