SometimeWorldBlog → My Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums: #10 - #6
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Mar 21 2012, 6h29
Still just brainstorming for a bigger thing.
#10 Main Source - Breaking Atoms
I fought with myself to slide "Madvillainy" or "Black On Both Sides" into this number 10 spot. But as much as I love the both of those I guess I'm just a sucker for the classic 90's sound found on this album and the nine that follow it. Kicking the list off is this classic from one of my personal favourite beat-makers, Large Professor. He just has a way with what he does that is just classic. The highlight for me being "Vamos A Rapair", with it's funky ass beat. Whenever I pull this one out I have vivid memories of watching through The Wire for the first time. Must have been a couple of nights there where I was marathoning through Season 4, listening to this each night beforehand and getting in the mood to watch that bad motherfucker Marlo and those poor kids' struggles haha. Having said that, the album isn't faultless by any stretch. While Extra P himself certainly is no slouch as a DJ/MC, he does leave a lot to be desired on the mic at times. Don't get it crossed though, from time to time he will pull out an absolute pearler of a rhyme. However, I love his voice and delivery so I don't really care what he's saying half the time. Bonus points for introducing us to the kid from the bridge named the rapper Nas. "The person you least expect to slit your neck nine times out of every ten crimes is the prime suspect."
#09 Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca & The Soul Brother
Might as well get it outta the way, T.R.O.Y.G.O.A.T. Nothing more need be said, everything comes together on this track. The perfect example of arguably my favourite MC and one of the best beatmakers there ever was. Then you got hot shit like "Straighten It Out" & "Can't Front on Me". The problem here is that while this is all unquestionably dope, it's just a little too long and repetitive, running over 70 minutes long. It's taxing to listen to as a whole, with almost every track pushing 4 or 5 minutes. And while every single fucking beat Pete Rock did here is gloriously packed fill with delicious drums and lovely jazzy samples, they kinda play out the entire length without changing all that much. Don't get me wrong, C.L. is insane. Not many can touch him lyrically. I love him, but his momentum and delivery is pretty much the same on every track he ever got his hands on. I don't intend to sound so negative here. I guess what I'm trying to say is that taken in small shufflin' doses, it might just be the greatest shit ever. Even at number nine I still can't help but wonder what could have been. "Took me from a boy to a man so I always had a father when my biological didn't bother."
#08 GZA/Genius - Liquid Swords
Sick wicked nasty. the GZA had fucking attitude. the RZA was on top of his game here. Each Wu member that happens to drops by flat out kills it. Particularly on the track "4th Chamber". Ghostface Killah & Killah Priest warm it up for RZA, who goes fucking off the wall insane. My favourite RZA versue ever. The Genius then proceeds to bring it on home as he does oh so well. All that and it's not even the highlight of the album for me. That'd be the emotionally uplifting album closer "B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)" in which a game Killah Priest steps out on his own and absolutely crushes it with some seriously thought provoking words. I can't help but think Nujabes was heavily inspired by this one. Too much knowledge might break up the rhyme, he did it anyway just to wake up the mind! "I'm on some tax free shit by any means whether bound to hit scheme or some counterfeit cream."
#07 A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
In the early 90s between De La & Tribe in particular, the art form was just plain fun. Humour and Positivity were critical, they just knew how to have a good time and it pours out through these amazing records. I'm of the opinion that this one is quite underrated. Obviously it's not going to top the following two but it really ain't that far off. I will say this is the most diverse, even experimental of the first three. It bursts with confidence and good times. I absolutely adore that one sample used throughout the album to segue in and out of a couple of the tracks. Also loved how Monch & 'Po used it (and in turn tracked down and loved the sampled original by Eugene McDaniels). The boys are honing their craft here. They would of course go onto greater things. "Afrocentric livin', Africans be givin' a lot to the cause 'cause the cause has been risen."
#06 Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers
Tell ya what, not much gets me more pumped up than blasting "Bring Da Ruckus" & "..Aint Nuthing Ta F' Wit" does. Man, they just get so fucking into it. Ridiculous energy. It would have been crazy to hear this shit when it was first dropping. The ultimate posse cuts reside with the mighty Wu. I place this higher than "Liquid Swords" purely on what my ears drank first. The beginning of all the madness. C.R.E.A.M. deserves all it's fucking props and then some. This is seriously one of the greatest of all time. I often find myself impromptu busting out Inspectah Deck's insane versue (when nobody is around, obviously.) His delivery and word play is just fucking perfect. The entire posse brang it, this album rules. "And the survey said... ya dead. Fatal flying guillotine chops off your fuckin head!"
#10 Main Source - Breaking Atoms
I fought with myself to slide "Madvillainy" or "Black On Both Sides" into this number 10 spot. But as much as I love the both of those I guess I'm just a sucker for the classic 90's sound found on this album and the nine that follow it. Kicking the list off is this classic from one of my personal favourite beat-makers, Large Professor. He just has a way with what he does that is just classic. The highlight for me being "Vamos A Rapair", with it's funky ass beat. Whenever I pull this one out I have vivid memories of watching through The Wire for the first time. Must have been a couple of nights there where I was marathoning through Season 4, listening to this each night beforehand and getting in the mood to watch that bad motherfucker Marlo and those poor kids' struggles haha. Having said that, the album isn't faultless by any stretch. While Extra P himself certainly is no slouch as a DJ/MC, he does leave a lot to be desired on the mic at times. Don't get it crossed though, from time to time he will pull out an absolute pearler of a rhyme. However, I love his voice and delivery so I don't really care what he's saying half the time. Bonus points for introducing us to the kid from the bridge named the rapper Nas. "The person you least expect to slit your neck nine times out of every ten crimes is the prime suspect."
#09 Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca & The Soul Brother
Might as well get it outta the way, T.R.O.Y.G.O.A.T. Nothing more need be said, everything comes together on this track. The perfect example of arguably my favourite MC and one of the best beatmakers there ever was. Then you got hot shit like "Straighten It Out" & "Can't Front on Me". The problem here is that while this is all unquestionably dope, it's just a little too long and repetitive, running over 70 minutes long. It's taxing to listen to as a whole, with almost every track pushing 4 or 5 minutes. And while every single fucking beat Pete Rock did here is gloriously packed fill with delicious drums and lovely jazzy samples, they kinda play out the entire length without changing all that much. Don't get me wrong, C.L. is insane. Not many can touch him lyrically. I love him, but his momentum and delivery is pretty much the same on every track he ever got his hands on. I don't intend to sound so negative here. I guess what I'm trying to say is that taken in small shufflin' doses, it might just be the greatest shit ever. Even at number nine I still can't help but wonder what could have been. "Took me from a boy to a man so I always had a father when my biological didn't bother."
#08 GZA/Genius - Liquid Swords
Sick wicked nasty. the GZA had fucking attitude. the RZA was on top of his game here. Each Wu member that happens to drops by flat out kills it. Particularly on the track "
4th Chamber". Ghostface Killah & Killah Priest warm it up for RZA, who goes fucking off the wall insane. My favourite RZA versue ever. The Genius then proceeds to bring it on home as he does oh so well. All that and it's not even the highlight of the album for me. That'd be the emotionally uplifting album closer "B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)" in which a game Killah Priest steps out on his own and absolutely crushes it with some seriously thought provoking words. I can't help but think Nujabes was heavily inspired by this one. Too much knowledge might break up the rhyme, he did it anyway just to wake up the mind! "I'm on some tax free shit by any means whether bound to hit scheme or some counterfeit cream."#07 A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
In the early 90s between De La & Tribe in particular, the art form was just plain fun. Humour and Positivity were critical, they just knew how to have a good time and it pours out through these amazing records. I'm of the opinion that this one is quite underrated. Obviously it's not going to top the following two but it really ain't that far off. I will say this is the most diverse, even experimental of the first three. It bursts with confidence and good times. I absolutely adore that one sample used throughout the album to segue in and out of a couple of the tracks. Also loved how Monch & 'Po used it (and in turn tracked down and loved the sampled original by Eugene McDaniels). The boys are honing their craft here. They would of course go onto greater things. "Afrocentric livin', Africans be givin' a lot to the cause 'cause the cause has been risen."
#06 Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers
Tell ya what, not much gets me more pumped up than blasting "
Bring Da Ruckus" & "..Aint Nuthing Ta F' Wit" does. Man, they just get so fucking into it. Ridiculous energy. It would have been crazy to hear this shit when it was first dropping. The ultimate posse cuts reside with the mighty Wu. I place this higher than "Liquid Swords" purely on what my ears drank first. The beginning of all the madness. C.R.E.A.M. deserves all it's fucking props and then some. This is seriously one of the greatest of all time. I often find myself impromptu busting out Inspectah Deck's insane versue (when nobody is around, obviously.) His delivery and word play is just fucking perfect. The entire posse brang it, this album rules. "And the survey said... ya dead. Fatal flying guillotine chops off your fuckin head!"