Saturday
Aug012009
My Top 20 Greatest Rap Albums
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
01. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
02. The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death
03. Dr. Dre - 2001
04. BDP - Criminal Minded
05. NaS - Illmatic
06. Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full
07. Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
08. EPMD - Strictly Business
09. LL Cool J - Radio
10. RUN-DMC - Raising Hell
11. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle
12. Big Daddy Kane - Long Live The Kane
13. Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
14. Jay-Z - The Blueprint
15. Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill
16. Brand Nubian - One For All
17. Raekwon - Only Built For Cuban Linx
18. 2Pac - All Eyez On Me
19. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
20. The D.O.C. - No One Can Do It Better
What are yours?
tagged 
20 Greatest Rap Albums
20 Greatest Rap Albums 
Reader Comments (36)
What's the last 5?
Your list is way too typical. I don't like it.
cool list! here's mines, although it might be a little stale by now...
http://benjurr.wordpress.com/2008/01/14/the-ttfraoat/
Here's my top 20, no particular order -
Ready to Die, Black on Both Sides, It Takes a Nation of Millions, Amerikkkas Most Wanted, Seperate But Equal, Enter the Wu Tang, Paid in Full, The Blueprint, 1st Infantry, The Infamous, Warriorz, Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Criminal Minded, 2pacalypse Now, The Truth, Yeaah Baby, Enta Da Stage, A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, The Marshall Mather LP, Long Live the Kane *with honorable mention for The Funky Technician
Cool-ass list... all bangers for sure. not a bad one (or even an average one) in the bunch...
@ Rankin... it's not all that typical really. if it was the "typical list", it'd have Ready To Die, The Chronic, DoggyStyle... and either Illmatic or Nation of Millions would be #1, lol
I'd have an MC Lyte Album on my list of 20, but most dudes never include female MC's even in their top 50 MC's list..
10 - can i borrow a dollar (common sense)
9 - carnival (wycleff jean)
9 - low end theory (a tribe called quest)
8 - strictly business (epmd)
7 - check your head (beastie boys)
6 - paid in full (eric b. & rakim)
5 - illmatic (nas)
4 - the chronic (dr. dre)
3 - ATLiens (outkast)
2 - no need for alarm (del tha funkee homosapien)
1 - blowout comb (digable planets)
Each one of these albums i can listen to & not skip one track-that why they're on my list. Blowout comb never got the props it deserved. classic album....ahead of its time. Also one of the dopest concerts i've ever been to. Thanx DP's
Interesting..no ready to die but life after death..
anyway, here's my top20, one album by each artist and in no particular order:
the chronic/doggystyle(same thing basically), strictly business, midnight marauders, illmatic, reasonable doubt, ready to die, resurrection, cuban linx(counts for all wu albums), fear of a black planet, mama said knock you out, mecca&the soulbrother, college dropout, return of the boom bap, the infamous, boy in the corner, ameriKKKa's most wanted, sun rises in the east(but jeru to date is the worst live mc I've ever seen), paid in full, the platform, whut? thee album
In no particular order...
Public Enemy It Takes A Nation...
2 Pac All Eyez On Me
Snoop Doggystyle
Nas Illmatic
Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek Reflection Eternal
Wu-Tang Clan Enter The 36 Chambers
Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Jay-Z Blueprint 1
Mobb Deep "The Infamous"
Lunatic "Temps Mort" (That's a french group I had to represent ! )
Good list. I'd replace Radio with Mama Said Knock You Out.
Here are my top 20 (in no order):
-Illadelph Halflife
-Ironman
-Cuban Linx
-Enta Da Stage
-36 Chambers
-The Chronic
-Death Certificate
-Be
-Illmatic
-Midnight Marauders
-Aquemini
-Paid In Full
-It's a Big Daddy Thing
-Mama Said Knock You Out
-Strictly Business
-It Takes a Nation of Millions
-Fear of a Black Planet
-Supreme Clientele
-Blueprint
-Moment of Truth
You got a cool list, but i would replace Jay-z blueprint with wu-tang 36 chambers and the low end theory with midnight marauders.
My 15--In No Particular Order
93 til infinity-Souls of Mischief
LabCabinCalifornia-Pharcyde
Low End Theory-Tribe
It Takes a Nation-PE
Fear of a Black Planet-PE
All Balls Don't Bounce-AceyAlone
InnerCity Griots-Freestyle Fellowship
Liquid Swords-GZA
Mama said Knock You Out-LL
One For All-Brand Nubian
No need for Alarm-Del Tha Funkee
Paid in Full-Eric B. and Rakim
Illmatic-Nas
Criminal Minded-BDP
The Renaissance-Q-Tip
These are always in some rotation on the IPOD. although right now, i'm in Michael and Prince mode.
In no particular order
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca & The Soul Brother and The Main Ingredient
The Roots - Illadelphhalflie
De La Soul - Stakes is High
Ice Cube - Death Certificate
Dr.Dre - Chronic 2001
Eminem - Slim shady (the first album)
Outkast - Stankonia
A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory
Jay-z - Rasonable Doubt & Blueprint
Black Sheep - A Wolf in Sheeps Clothing
Wu Tang clan - Enter da 36 chambers
Common - Be
Run DMC - Raising Hell
Nas - Illmatic
The Beatnuts - The Beatnuts (first album)
Souls of Mischief - 93 to infinity
2pac - 2pacalypse now
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
im glad u put THE D.O.C. in there! alot of people 4 get that he was one of the best mcz!
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
Nas - Illmatic
Jay-z - Rasonable Doubt & Blueprint
Wu Tang clan - Enter da 36 chambers
Ghost-Supreme Clientele
The Chronic
Snoop Doggystyle
Wu-Tang Clan Enter The 36 Chambers
Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Mobb Deep "The Infamous"
Biggie- Ready to Die
Big Pun-Capital Punishment
Nwa straight outta compton
8 ball mjg COMIN OUT HARD
Pac-Makaveli\
LL COOL J- Bad
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back ~ Public Enemy
Black moon enta da stage
Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full
BDP - Criminal Minded
Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
____________________________________________
The Blueprint
50 Cent - GRODT
Lupe The Cool and Food and Liquor
FUNKMASTER FLEX VOLUME 1 60 MINS OF FUNK
In no particular order:
Paul's Boutiqe
Paid in Full
Ready to Die
Blueprint (KRS)
the other Blueprint
Nas Is...
Reflection Eternal
Stankonia
Blacksmith
Fishscale
Muddy Waters
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Bizarre Ride on the Pharcyde
Aquemini
Carnival
In no particular order....and liable to change like the wind...
Personally... think my list is the best!
The ones with a star, for various reasons, changed my life...
Gangstarr- Step in the Arena *
De La Soul - 3ft High
Brand Nubian - All for one
Tribe - Midnight Mauraders
Tribe - Low End Theory
Tribe - Peoples Instinctive Travels *
Jungle Brothers - Done by the forces of Nature * (1990- same time that I turned from a boy to a man)
Public Enemy - Its takes a nation...
Main Source- Breaking atoms
Eric B and Rakim - Paid in Full
3rd Bass - The cactus album
mc solaar - prose combat (superb production, slept on by the US?)
Big Daddy Kane - Taste of chocolate
Katch 22 - Diary of a blackman living in the land of the lost ('Uks public enemy?)
BlackSheep - A wolf in sheeps clothing
Caveman - Positive reaction * (Great production... urge all to buy this if possible)
EPMD - Strictly business
UMCs - Fruits of nature (for the first track and the use of a cello)
Ultramags - Critical Beatdown *
Nice and Smooth - Nice and Smooth (..we gotta get paid :) )
oh got one left...
D-Nice - Call me D-Nice :)
The Big 20 no order:
1. Infamous Mob Deep
2. Death Certificate -Ice Cube
3. Main Source Breaking Atoms
4. OC-Word Life
5.Labcabincalfornia-Pharcyde
6.Illmatic-Nas
7.KRS-One-sneak Attack
9.Immortal Technique-Rev Vol 2
10.MisEducation of Lauryn Hill
11.Criminal Minded-BDP
12. Stake is High-De la Soul
13. De la Soul is Dead
14.Foundation-Brand Nubians
15.Follow the Leader-Eric B. & Rakim
16.Pyscho-Jedi Mind Tricks...can's spell the name of the album
17.Adventure-Slick Rick
18. Canibus-Rip the Jacker
19.All for One-Brand Nubians
20.One day it will all make sense-Common.
Best Single of all times: BEATSTREET-Grandmaster Flash and the furious 5.
20 IS TOUGH...RANDOM ORDER HERE IT IS:
1) ULTRAMAGNETIC MCEEZ: CRITICAL BEATDOWN
2) BDP: ANY ONE OF YALLS FIRST FOUR
3) ERICB&RAKIM: ANY OF THEIR FIRST THREE
4) RUN DMC:ANY OF THEIR FIRST THREE
5) N.W.A.: ANY OF THEIR FIRST TWO LP'S, EP AND/OR EAZY DUZ IT(SOLO)+ NWA& THE POSSE
6) P.E. : ANY OF THEIR FIRST THREE
7) EPMD: ANY OF THEIR FIRST THREE
8) ATCQ: ANY OF THEIR FIRST THREE
9) JUNGLE BROTHERS : TIE BETWEEN 1ST & 2ND ALBUMS
10) DELASOUL: 3 FEET HIGH AND RISING
11) L.ON.S. : T.I.ME.
12) JERU THA DAMAJA: THE SUN RISES IN THE EAST
13) O.C. WORD LIFE
14) REDMAN: MUDDY WATERS
15) GZA: LIQUID SWORDS
16) DR.DRE: THE CHRONIC
17) WU-TANG CLAN: ENTER THE 36 CHAMBERS
18) 2PAC: ME AGAINST THE WORLD
19) DELASOUL: BULOONMINDSTATE/ STAKES IS HIGH
AND FINALLY
20) MAKAVELI: 7 DAY THEORY.....I PROBABLY GOT 20 MORE..BIZ 1ST FOUR, BDK 1ST THREE...PEACE
love your list! except I would take out 2pac and put in Gang Starrs Step in the arena. And swap Long live the Kane with It's a Big Daddy Thing. Oh.,.and add Mecca and the Soul Brother instead of Blueprint2 (thats a hard one but hey..)
From Amsterdam, here's mine:
nas illmatic
bone thugs east 1999, BTNHRessurection
the cronic
doggystyle
enter the wu tang
ready to die
opgezwolle: eigen wereld (dutch hiphop, worth checking out)
southernplayalisticcadilacmuzic
doggpound - doggfood
all eyez on me
eazy e - eternal e
Black album
Ice cube - Raw Footage (feel like this album is being slept on)
Mos def- Black on both sides
Daz - Retaliation, Revenge & Get back
Mobb deep - infamous
WC - The shadiest one (don't hate)
Canibus - 2000 BC
Sean Price - Monkey Bars
GZA - Liquid Swords
In no particular order
1.Illmatic
2.The Chronic
3.Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back
4.Paid In Full
5.DoggyStyle
6.Ready to die
7.Aquemini
8.Enter 36 Chambers
9.Only built for Cuban Linx
10.Liquid Swords
11.The Infamous
12.Midnight Marauders
13.Criminal Minded
14.3 Feet & Rising
15.Mecca & the Soul Brother
16.Labcabincalifornia/Cypress Hill
17.Reasonable Doubt
18.Resurrection
19.Straight Outta Compton
20.The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
No particular order:
Jurassic 5 - Quality Control
Dilated Peoples - The Platform
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Food
Snoop - Doggystyle
Common - Be
KRS-One - Return of the Boom Bap
Xzibit - 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz
Gang Starr - Moment of Truth
OutKast - ATLiens
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back
Busta Rhymes - Extinction Level Event
Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
High & Mighty - Home Field Advantage
2Pac - All Eyez On Me
Biggie - Life After Death
Main Source - Breaking Atoms
Mos Def - Black On Both Sides
LL Cool J (Radio)
Run Dmc Tougher than Leather
Eric B For President
epmd Strictly Business
De la soul Three High and Rising, De la soul is Dead
Nwa straight out of Compton
Public Enemy (fear of a black Planet
enter the 36 chambers (wu-tang)
Built for Cuban Links
Life Afer Death b.I.G.
Blueprint 1 Jay-z
American Gangster Jay-z
LL cool J B.A.D.aldum
Kool G Rap (road to the Riches)
Big Daddy Kane
Outkast stankiona
T.I. Paper trail
D.O.C the Formula
GZA liquid swords