Rolling Stone Magazine - The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time

dilbert

Tannin said:

See below for my list of the 20 greatest hip-hop albums of all time. 















.

I wasn't sure whether to flag this post up for a Wizz or a LOL but I'm with you 100% 

diap

#4 should've been #1.
A lot in the top 20 that I've never heard, and I thought I quite liked hip-hop, to a certain degree anyway.

Blueingreen

duotone said:

Blueingreen said:

I'm interested enough in hip hop to have heard 29 of the top 50 and 41 of the top 100.  Not enough of an aficionado to have an informed opinion about whether it's a good list. 

@Blueingreen ;;;;
I think you are the most qualified person on here to give their opinion tbh!

I’ll have a check through and see how many I’ve heard.

edit:
1-50 - 26
51-100 - 15
101-150 - 15
151-200 - 5

Nice of you to say so, but I'm really not!

It's not just about hearing the albums it's how well you know them.  Some I know really well but there are others I've maybe only heard a couple of times. 

There might be 30 or so albums on the list I can really claim to know well.  That's only 15%.

roberty

This is an oddly rational conversation about hip hop for a guitar forum

barnstorm

Philly_Q said:

There's a strong temptation to just say meh, it's all shite, who cares etc... but it's not very constructive.

I guess the truth is, not many of us on here are into hip-hop, that's just a fact. 

There's not a great deal that I like (probably telling that the only hip-hop album I own is Enter the Magical Mystery Chambers), but I'd much rather listen to the little I do enjoy than to lots of forms of guitar-based music, e.g. songs about pestilence screeched by people in Halloween costumes. Imagine there's a good number of others who feel the same way.

Placidcasual79

I am assuming hip hop is like most other genres - it has its good, bad, innovative, classic, classy, cheesy, oddball, mainstream, populist and pretentious takes. 

I've never really explored metal, jazz or country - but I guess its a similar story. 

A best of list is evidently an overtly contentious exercise. Its what you like - just like any other genre.

Nation of Millions is the rap London Calling. I like a lot of the Wu stuff - Supreme Clientele, Only Built 4 Cuban lynx, Liquid Swords..... Roots Manuva - Brand New Second hand is my favourite hip hop album - its as British queuing and marmite toast - he's lyrically brilliant, humorous, unique, rhythmic and complex and the music has a musical, lo-fi London via Jamaica feel. Its an immersive album. 

Philly_Q

barnstorm said:

Philly_Q said:

There's a strong temptation to just say meh, it's all shite, who cares etc... but it's not very constructive.

I guess the truth is, not many of us on here are into hip-hop, that's just a fact. 

There's not a great deal that I like (probably telling that the only hip-hop album I own is Enter the Magical Mystery Chambers), but I'd much rather listen to the little I do enjoy than to lots of forms of guitar-based music, e.g. songs about pestilence screeched by people in Halloween costumes. Imagine there's a good number of others who feel the same way.

I'm sure that's true.  But personally I'm more in the screeching about pestilence camp, given the choice.

Reverend

Placidcasual79 said:

I am assuming hip hop is like most other genres - it has its good, bad, innovative, classic, classy, cheesy, oddball, mainstream, populist and pretentious takes. 

I've never really explored metal, jazz or country - but I guess its a similar story. 

A best of list is evidently an overtly contentious exercise. Its what you like - just like any other genre.

Nation of Millions is the rap London Calling. I like a lot of the Wu stuff - Supreme Clientele, Only Built 4 Cuban lynx, Liquid Swords..... Roots Manuva - Brand New Second hand is my favourite hip hop album - its as British queuing and marmite toast - he's lyrically brilliant, humorous, unique, rhythmic and complex and the music has a musical, lo-fi London via Jamaica feel. Its an immersive album. 

Unfortunately the weed seems to have taken its toll with him. 

Jfingers

I've just read the entire list. I like Hey Ya from the Andre 3000 disc by Outkast, both of the Eminem albums mentioned and D La Soul's 3 feet high and rising.

 Really happy that The Streets got a mention because I like them too.

Bit sad that Jamie T didn't get a mention because a lot of his stuff is rap (cue amusing spelling correction)

The paper planes tune by an English born Sri Lankan Woman whose name escapes me was very good, but also very Jamie T.

Placidcasual79

Reverend said:

Placidcasual79 said:

I am assuming hip hop is like most other genres - it has its good, bad, innovative, classic, classy, cheesy, oddball, mainstream, populist and pretentious takes. 

I've never really explored metal, jazz or country - but I guess its a similar story. 

A best of list is evidently an overtly contentious exercise. Its what you like - just like any other genre.

Nation of Millions is the rap London Calling. I like a lot of the Wu stuff - Supreme Clientele, Only Built 4 Cuban lynx, Liquid Swords..... Roots Manuva - Brand New Second hand is my favourite hip hop album - its as British queuing and marmite toast - he's lyrically brilliant, humorous, unique, rhythmic and complex and the music has a musical, lo-fi London via Jamaica feel. Its an immersive album. 

Unfortunately the weed seems to have taken its toll with him. 

Hello @Reverend ;

Hope you don'd mind me asking but what makes you say that? I vaguely recalling hearing rumours that he'd experienced some mental health issues.......and there has been no music since 2015.... I really enjoyed that very unique first album. 

thanks 
J 

DesVegas

I listened to the first Pharcyde album for the first time in years today. So. Very. Good.

Reverend

Placidcasual79 said:

Reverend said:

Placidcasual79 said:

I am assuming hip hop is like most other genres - it has its good, bad, innovative, classic, classy, cheesy, oddball, mainstream, populist and pretentious takes. 

I've never really explored metal, jazz or country - but I guess its a similar story. 

A best of list is evidently an overtly contentious exercise. Its what you like - just like any other genre.

Nation of Millions is the rap London Calling. I like a lot of the Wu stuff - Supreme Clientele, Only Built 4 Cuban lynx, Liquid Swords..... Roots Manuva - Brand New Second hand is my favourite hip hop album - its as British queuing and marmite toast - he's lyrically brilliant, humorous, unique, rhythmic and complex and the music has a musical, lo-fi London via Jamaica feel. Its an immersive album. 

Unfortunately the weed seems to have taken its toll with him. 

Hello @Reverend ;

Hope you don'd mind me asking but what makes you say that? I vaguely recalling hearing rumours that he'd experienced some mental health issues.......and there has been no music since 2015.... I really enjoyed that very unique first album. 

thanks 
J 

My mate did an album with him and has has the inside scoop. 

Placidcasual79

Reverend said:

Placidcasual79 said:

Reverend said:

Placidcasual79 said:

I am assuming hip hop is like most other genres - it has its good, bad, innovative, classic, classy, cheesy, oddball, mainstream, populist and pretentious takes. 

I've never really explored metal, jazz or country - but I guess its a similar story. 

A best of list is evidently an overtly contentious exercise. Its what you like - just like any other genre.

Nation of Millions is the rap London Calling. I like a lot of the Wu stuff - Supreme Clientele, Only Built 4 Cuban lynx, Liquid Swords..... Roots Manuva - Brand New Second hand is my favourite hip hop album - its as British queuing and marmite toast - he's lyrically brilliant, humorous, unique, rhythmic and complex and the music has a musical, lo-fi London via Jamaica feel. Its an immersive album. 

Unfortunately the weed seems to have taken its toll with him. 

Hello @Reverend ;;;

Hope you don'd mind me asking but what makes you say that? I vaguely recalling hearing rumours that he'd experienced some mental health issues.......and there has been no music since 2015.... I really enjoyed that very unique first album. 

thanks 
J 

My mate did an album with him and has has the inside scoop. 

Ah wow....... i'd love to know what that experience was like. But no need to delve into the difficulties I am assuming he was experiencing. 

I am just going to assume it was a challenging experience for your friend? 

I apologise for going off topic here @Reverend - but I just want to say that you regularly blow my antiquated preconceptions of 'metal heads' out of the water..... I've never been a metal fan but the depth and detail of your appreciation of the genre and your opened mindedness even has this none believer intrigued - Your demonstrating that my belief that not many metal fans would be aware of brand new second hand is as ill-informed, unhelpful and wrong headed as the sort of prejudice I'd be so quick to decry in other forms. 

UnclePsychosis

Scanning through, I own about forty of the two hundred. 

Interestingly, I only own about 10 of the (200-100) range, and only a handful of the top 20. I think that probably reflects "where I am" with hip-hop: sufficiently interested to own "the good stuff" but too hipster for the seriously successful mainstream stuff (most of the top 20) and not sufficiently into it to know the more obscure. 

ewal

I've got your typical white indie boy (well 55 year old) from Glasgow knowledge of this area. So Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys, Run DMC, A Tribe Called Quest etc - not really my place to judge. But always remember Schoolly D as being pretty ground breaking. Didn't see it in list, therefore the entire list is now invalid 

Reverend

ewal said:

I've got your typical white indie boy (well 55 year old) from Glasgow knowledge of this area. So Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys, Run DMC, A Tribe Called Quest etc - not really my place to judge. But always remember Schoolly D as being pretty ground breaking. Didn't see it in list, therefore the entire list is now invalid 

Generally acknowledged as the first gangster rapper.