madvillain - madvillainy
mobb deep - the infamous
mos def - the ecstatic
nas - illmatic
jay-z - reasonable doubt
okay. madvillainy has everything you could possibly want in a rap album. underground hip-hop titans both handle the lyrics and production. the infamous is just one of those albums that represents its era and location perfectly. if there was one album I could choose that could encapsulate the more grim side to 90s new york, it would be it. the ecstatic is just an incredibly well rounded project. illmatic is there because of its historical prestige, and influence on other hip hop acts. reasonable doubt is probably my favorite album from any genre of all time. it's like the musical version of the wire for me. way ahead of its time, regardless of whether or not it got any recognition prior to a million jay-z references on later albums.
honorable mention:
only built for Cuban linx is definitely up there, but it isn't as easy on the ears as these 5. I feel horrible for not having a roots album in here somewhere. as far as underground goes, celestial clockwork by illogic is also a fukkin masterpiece. graduation by kanye is also a standout in history, as it will certainly age well.
Nas- Illmatic
Biggie- Ready To Die
Rakim- Paid In Full
A Tribe Called Quest- Midnight Marauders
The Roots Illadelph Halflife
Honorable mentions:
Ice Cube AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Live and Let Die
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back- Public Enemy
Some of the best debates to be had are comparing ATLiens vs Aquemini and The Infamous vs Hell On Earth. I thought Mobb's follow up to The Infamous was a better record overall too, though we differ on Outkast.
everything good mobb deep had going for them was displayed in the infamous. not to say that hell on earth was a bad record at all, but it's a bit hard to take seriously. hood niccas is what mobb deep were, and I felt like the more atmospheric approach with the production style was a bit of a turn off considering the grimey 90s niccas that they were. they really don't have much to offer lyrically in comparison to guys like nas, jay, or big, but what they did have was an incredibly dark perspective best presented from the straight-from-the-projects type of sound, if you get what I mean
everything good mobb deep had going for them was displayed in the infamous. not to say that hell on earth was a bad record at all, but it's a bit hard to take seriously. hood niccas is what mobb deep were, and I felt like the more atmospheric approach with the production style was a bit of a turn off considering the grimey 90s niccas that they were. they really don't have much to offer lyrically in comparison to guys like nas, jay, or big, but what they did have was an incredibly dark perspective best presented from the straight-from-the-projects type of sound, if you get what I mean
Yeah, "Give Up The Goods" is probably my all-time favorite Mobb track. It's definitely close between the two, although the point is well made as far as the authenticity of it. Hell On Earth is still a grimey album, but the subject matter had switched up a little to go with the added texture to Havoc's production... Everybody was getting on that mafioso train in the mid-90s. I still appreciate shit like It Was Written simply for the level of lyricism put into it, regardless of the fact that Nas was peddling a completely false persona or that he was coming of Illmatic.
For all the coke rap that was abound at the time, I actually thought GZA executed it as well as any of the cats that were putting themselves face-first in the powder in first-person mode on wax. Examples being Gold and Killah Hills 10304. It's told from such a cold and objective standpoint, amazingly descriptive and vivid.
Re: Your Top 5 ATG Hip-Hop Albums
