Top 25 Best underground Albums...Of All Time

What's going on folks!  Thanks for hanging with me once again, and trust me I do appreciate the love, and even we don't agree on all things hip-hop, thanks for at least the healthy discussions and viewpoints.  Now let's get to this weeks matter.  With all these lists going around (thank you Billboard Magazine for putting new fuel into hip-hop lists again), I feel there's another list deep within my soul.  No I'm going to do an "All-Time Best MC" list because as much controversy as these other lists have garnered, that particular matter would create firestorms and would even cross the line of potential heat.  However, I will go for an area very close to my hip-hop heart: the underground.  I've been anti-radio for the most part since I was thirteen years of age, and since then I've only gotten worse, or better depending upon how one looks at it.  Looking back on it, 90s radio wasn't terrible, at least compared to today's garbage (please don't dispute me on this).  I can stomach blatant radio accessibility like Diddy (when he was Puff Daddy) and Mase, and even some bits of No Limit, but overall I was so much into mixtapes and what the streets were into on a non-mainstream level.  Call me biased, but I still think the best hip-hop is the stuff not heard and blared all over your radio stations, some aren't even played on your XM radio stations like Shade 45.  With all this being said, let's go into the 25 best underground albums ever heard.  These albums changed the underground and became staples in the genre.  Don't expect major label releases here (Loud, Def Jam, Interscope, etc.).  This is for the subterranean labels and projects that need to get brought up as seminal albums all across the board in hip-hop period.  Let's begin!

25. INI- Center Of Attention

This Pete Rock-produced banger should've been a monster for his crew from Mount Vernon.  Unfortunately, the project was shelved for years and never saw the light of day unless you came across good music sharing sites at that time like Napster or Bearshare.  If you did access it, you knew this was a special album.  We all knew "Fakin' Jax", but what else was there?  I'll tell you what, a whole album filled with some of the juiciest PR tracks ever heard consistently to this day.

24. Jean Grae- This Week

Heroine of the underground, the emcee formerly known as Whut? Whut? of Natural Elements was consistently putting out hit after hit after hit.  With this album, this still stands as perhaps her most complete album to date.  Little to no guests accompany her on this album, and it allows us to fully digest all of her incredible talent.  While we still wait on Cake Or Death, let's still keep bumping all of her excellent material, and there's plenty to go around.

23. The U.N.- U.N. Or U Out

If there was one word to describe this album, it would be BRUTAL.  The crew of Laku, Dino Brave, Mike Raw, and Roc Marciano delivered a sincere tour de force with their debut album.  If this album had come out in the mid-90s, this would've been an undisputed champ of that time period.  With today's standards, it almost sounds dated but at the same time, refreshingly good as it has that Black Moon/early Mobb Deep/Onyx feel to it.  While Pete Rock and Large Professor handle a few of the tracks, it's Marciano that compels this album with some of the most knocking NY beats you'll hear and honestly it's rare to find an album this hard in today's standards.

22. Apollo Brown & O.C.- Trophies

One of hip-hop's most impressive production newcomers over the past decade has been Detroit's Apollo Brown.  In 2013, he got up with veteran Brooklynite, and D.I.T.C. member, O.C. to create a profound release in Trophies.  It had been many a year since we've heard Omar Credle sound this focused and this polished, and with the overtly soulful sounds of Brown, this album was a complete winner.

21. Fashawn- Boy Meets World

What an impressive full-length debut by Fresno's Fashawn.  This album was filled with very relatable topics that had the innocence of a young man trying to make it out of his troubled surroundings to achieve prosperity and it 1000% worked.  Fellow west coast producer Exile provided some of the most beautiful soundscapes heard since Below The Heavens, and was capped off with the chilling, yet touching, ode to depression and suicide "When She Calls".  This put the kid known as Fash right on the map and continued to show just how amazingly talented of a producer Exile was, and still is.

20. Aesop Rock- Labor Days

This Oregon, by way of New York, act burst on the scene with his albums of Music For Earthworms and Appleseed, but it was his Definitive Jux debut, Labor Days, that officially put Aesop Rock in higher regards.  With ethereal production from Blockhead, Rock had a familiar concept album of the everyday 9-5 working class with, at times, indecipherable lyrics, as he was a tremendous wordsmith with extensive vocabulary.  Nevertheless, this was the beginning of great albums from him, but none reached the level of acclaim this one did.

19. Illogic- Unforseen Shadows

This Ohio native delivered a very decent debut that was filled with very impressive rhymes and relatable content, but it was the production from Blueprint that was as much of the story to this album, if not more.  If you can't feel something from the self-devaluing "Hate In A Bottle", I don't know what to tell you.  Also, the production on "Favorite Things" is just immaculate!

18. Mr. Lif- I-Phantom

I mentioned earlier how Aesop Rock's Labor Days album was the album dedicated to the workaholic and the 9-5er.  If that's the album for the 9-5er, than Mr. Lif's debut is the album for the ultimate pessimist.  The person that works to achieve their dreams only for it to crumble all at the end of existence.  Although he keeps getting up and getting up, it ultimately ends in disaster.  This was a creative and highly acclaimed work that was thoroughly enjoyable and is among Definitive Jux's most prized possessions.

17. Atmosphere- You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having

Yeah, you can call Slug an Emo rapper if you want to, but regardless, you can't deny Ant and Slug's impact to underground hip-hop as a whole.  They have put out some of the most intriguing hip-hop one can remember.  Definitely a staple of the Rhymesayers collective, along with Brother Ali, this album was at their creative and focused best.  Not long after the powerful God Loves Ugly, Atmosphere was starting to go through the roof, and this album took them there.

16. Cannibal Ox- The Cold Vein

This album has been called one of the pinnacle underground albums of the entire 90s, and perhaps even ever.  That's a bold statement, and then some, but I won't lie and say I can't see where these critics were coming from.  This is a vicious punch to the abdomen as Vast Aire and Vordul Mega gave us a no holds barred look into the dark, cold streets of Harlem, USA.  With impeccable production by El-P (you're going to see more of him on this list), this was and is an album to be fucked with, on any level.

15. Elzhi- The Preface

Detroit's own Elzhi has been a lyrical jackhammer since we were all introduced to him when he teamed up with Baatin (R.I.P.) and T3 to form the new Slum Village.  His confident swag and his superb gift of gab and wordplay made him a standout.  While a few knew him from Prequel To A Classic and Witness My Growth (both quality mixtapes to begin with), it was his Black Milk-produced gem, The Preface, that got him officially open.  Different and unique concepts per song, the lyrical swordsmanship of this cat was matched only by the seemingly flawless production of Black Milk.  The term 'instant classic' comes to mind when peeping this.

14. Murs & 9th Wonder- Murs 3:16...The 9th Edition

Let's face it folks.  Anything 9th Wonder touches turns to guaranteed white gold.  We were really just starting to see the greatness of him as he teamed up with Cali-bred emcee Murs for a sonically enriching, yet intrinsically soulful, album full of jewels, for only 10 tracks that is.  With tracks like the Phonte-assisted "Animal" and the epic 3-part cut "Walk Like A Man", this was one of those rare albums that didn't miss a single beat, not one!

13. Brother Ali- Shadows On The Sun

Truthfully folks, there's a chance I should've put this one higher, because this album is nothing short of immaculate.  While his debut, Rites Of Passage, introduced us, it was this follow-up that catapulted Ali into one of the game's most impactful emcees.  This was an album that achieved immediate classic status within most circles of hip-hop and it became clear, we had a new star.  Produced by Atmosphere's Ant, this was one of the most breathtaking albums in many years.  Tackling everything from social commentary to battle rapping to the emotional with "Forest Whitaker", this album covers it all and is one of hip-hop's most defining moments, under or above ground.

12. Blu & Exile- Below The Heavens

A star was born with this incredible debut of '07.  This PK from LA presented all his faults, vulnerabilities, and deep thoughts into a very soulful masterwork that could easily be considered among the best debuts of the millennium.  With Exile behind the boards, this became a sonic breath of fresh air.  No gangsterisms, no cliches, no gimmicks, just Blu, and we were more than fine with that.  

11. Little Brother- The Listening

We got our first taste of 9th Wonder, Phonte Coleman, and Rapper Big Pooh in the early 00s with this wonderful and enchanting debut.  An instant throwback to the days of Tribe and De La, They were NC's version of the beginnings of a new Native Tongues collective, or at least it seemed at the time.  This trio had all it took to be the next big thing for soulful, down home hip-hop.  Although they disbanded after their next big release, the almost equally potent The Minstrel Show, it was this album that was as close to perfect as you would get for a debut in these times.  

10. Deltron 3030- Deltron 3030

One of the most creative and prodigious albums of modern times was created when producer Dan The Automater (Gorillaz, Rage Against The Machine, etc.) linked up with west coast underground hero Del The Funkee Homosapian to become Deltron 3030.  This link-up formed an album that could only be classified as "2001 Space Odyssey in hip-hop form".  The concept has us all living in a world where technology and robots take over mankind and hip-hop, which made for simply mesmerizing results.  How often do you hear sci-fi mixed with hip-hop??  Ingenious.

9. Immortal Technique- Revolutionary Vol. 2

It was truthfully very hard to separate both Revolutionary series, but there were slight distinctions between the two.  This was slightly more personal, more introspective, but also more conceptual.  Of course, one would say "Why would you put this down the list if it's this good?"  Well, truthfully it's only because the production isn't as consistent as Vol.1, but by no means is this a slight to the album as a whole, in fact tracks like "The Cause Of Death" and "Internally Bleeding" will pierce you with stinging lines about the state of the nation as a whole, while "Peruvian Cocaine" is a brilliantly woven-together track about the transportation of cocaine in much the same fashion as Nas' "I Gave You Power".  Insane release!

8. J-Live- The Best Part

Pure hip-hop.  No gimmicks, no filters, just fun, ol' school spirited hip-hop.  That's what we have here with J-Live's heralded debut.  This was another shelved album that didn't see the light of day until many moons later, but we're glad it surfaced.  With production from Premo to 88-Keys to the legendary Price Paul, this was a hip-hop purist's delight in all facets.  Don't believe me, just peep "Braggin' Writes"

7. El-P- Fantastic Damage

One of the most landmark albums in underground hip-hop, El-Producto constructed an explosive release that was filled with angst, conspiracy theories, and paranoia in such a beautifully riotous way.  There's no denying the force Definitive Jux had the mid-late 90s with releases from Company Flow (see later), Aesop Rock, Murs & 9th Wonder, and Cannibal Ox, but this album went into another stratosphere with electro-fused, thumping production the likes of which mutilated your ears.  Although we know him now with his success with Killer Mike as Run The Jewels, El-P's breakout performance was this sonic beatdown.  Rarely in this day and age do you hear an album this raw!

6. Immortal Technique- Revolutionary Vol. 1

The first installment of the series bangs out with harder subjects and an angst that's more pronounced than his second volume.  Compared to PE classics like Fear Of A Black Planet and It Takes A Nation Of Millions..., Immortal Technique spares no expense sounding off on political ratfaces and Black jiggaboos in this magnificent release.  Viewed as the angriest release heard in hip-hop in the past couple of decades, he's walking, talking rage while discussing the disenfranchised of various parts of the globe.  For only pressing just over 20,000 units, this album made tons of noise in its rhetoric.  This is an album that's among the most important of our time and era.  

5. Masta Ace- Disposable Arts

We all pull for the underdog.  It's something we love to do.  Within his tenure in the Juice Crew, Masta Ace was considered as an underdog of sorts due to how prolific his counterparts were in the group.  He broke free and came out with decent releases like Slaughterhouse and Sittin' On Chrome, but it was when he decided to return to the game after a six year hiatus that saw him win his allusive championship, at least within the underground.  This is an inviting conceptual album that has him being released from prison and enrolling in "The School of Disposable Arts", while trying to adjust to life as a free man.  Production was top notched from top to bottom with guests such as Jean Grae, Rah Digga, Greg Nice, and the astute MC Paul Barman assisting him on his journey.  This is without question his crowning achievement and he followed up with a formidable sequel in A Long Hot Summer.  However, as is most cases in music and movies, the sequel may be good, but can't outdo the original masterpiece, and trust me folks, this is one of the best concept albums you'll ever hear.

4. Company Flow- Funcrusher Plus

Man oh man!!  Talk about a breakthrough release.  This landmark release shattered everything in its path in '97, and was hardly ever mentioned among the year's best.  However, if you look at it on a bigger scale, this arguably had most albums beat that year, and that's saying a mouthful.  This album goes at you like a razor the face or someone pounding your head against the pavement just for our satisfaction.  Don't expect anything big budget or over dramatic.  This is a minimalistic and stripped down work of art in its most brutal form.  This is not a conventional hip-hop album.  This is a challenge to absorb, but once you do, you'll realize it's nothing you've ever heard, and will likely never hear again in quite this aesthetic, yet dark and murky, masterwork.

3. MF Doom- Operation Doomsday

Welcome to the unorthodox world of MF Doom.  The emcee formerly known as Zeb Love X from KMD reemerged as a metal faced villain with penchant for quirky, yet strangely dope, lyrics.  Almost like a Ghostface for the underground if you will.  This official debut had him rhyming some other-worldly hip-hop vernacular, yet totally engulfing you with his rhyme style and voice to match.  The aura of Doom began with this release, and much like albums such as Return To The 36 Chambers and Critical Beatdown, it's the more you listen to it, where you'll either be more confused or more in tuned with how much talent this emcee has.  Don't expect off-the-chain hooks or radio banging production.  This is for the ones who want different and clever, yet slightly bizarre and brilliant.  You have all those elements with this one, and then we later knew just how much of giant this man would become.  Please don't forget, this man has been rhyming for twenty plus years.

2. Leak Bros.- Waterworld

Almost unanimously captured was a look of awe and glee when it was announced that Cage and Tame One of Artifacts were coming together as the Leak Brothers.  This drug-tinged duo presented one of the most acclaimed albums in recent memory over some of the most hypnotic, yet occasionally jarring, production ever brought forth under the Eastern Conference banner.  The concept of a drug-infested water park seems demented enough, but when the "water" in this case is the slang term for PCP, it makes for even more of a disturbing image.  The results, however, were fascinating and instantly made for an experience that makes you feel you're as drugged up as them.  Don't be too jaded, however.  These cats BROUGHT lyrics.  This album makes you almost want to get on the same ride with them...almost!

1. Madvillain- Madvillany

WOW!!!!!  This was the first word that came across my head by the end of the album.  This immediately put you back into the mind state after you finished with De La Soul Is Dead or Aquemini, which was there's something immensely special about this album...but what exactly is it?  The answer: EVERYTHING.  This album resulted in Doom's status as an underground legend and also solidified Madlib's title as hip-hop production's version of Albert Einstein: bizarre yet brilliant.  This became a match like we never thought before, and this completely caught us off guard.  We knew this would be quite the anticipated project, but when we pushed play, we had zero idea the magic that would ensue.  Qwerky, yet adventurous, this is not conventional hip-hop by any means, and with those two individually, you can't ever expect one.  That's the good part.  This album redefined the underground and became the underground treasure that we know and love today.  While we wait with Detox-like anticipation for the sequel, we can still rest assured that music like this can be defined by one word: ART.  

Honorable mentions:

Jedi Mind Tricks- Violent By Design

Various Artists- Lyricist's Lounge Vol. 1

Large Professor- The LP

Cage- Movies For The Blind

Ab-Soul- Control System

The High & Mighty- Home Field Advantage

Last Emperor- Legend Of Bigfoot

J-Live- All Of The Above

Juggaknots- Clear Blue Skies

Kool Keith as Dr. Octagon- Dr. Octagonacologist

El-P- I'll Sleep When You're Dead

Cunninlynguists- A Piece Of Strange

Oddisee- The Good Fight

Diamond District- In The Ruff

Homeboy Sandman- The Good Son

Quasimoto- The Unseen

J. Dilla- Welcome To Detroit

Brother Ali- Champion EP

Blackalicious- Nia

MF Doom as Viktor Vaughn- Vaudeville Villain

Swollen Members- Bad Dreams
Atmosphere- God Loves Ugly

There are many albums that easily could've made this comprehensive list, or even the Honorable Mentions list for that matter.  In short folks, hip-hop ain't dead, it just lives underground.  Again, let the debate begin, and I'm ready!  Until next time folks, have a great Thanksgiving holiday and be safe out there!

The Best Hip-Hop Beats...Of All Time

What's happening people!  Thanks for kicking it with me again this week.  This piece is a response to the controversial listing by Billboard Magazine article that listed the top ten beats of "all-time" in hip-hop.  You can view the article here, but needless to say it's caused a debate about the selections, although none were too terribly hostile.  I have my own list of top hip-hop beats, only twenty-five instead of ten.  Before I get into it, please don't confuse this with the top one hundred songs of all-time that I did earlier this year, and you can view that here by the way. With that being said, let's proceed.

25. "Drop It Like It's Hot" Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell
Production: The Neptunes

In 2004, The Neptunes scored a monster hit for Snoop, fresh off the heels of the incredible "Beautiful" in '02, Snoop and Pharrell constructed a track full of mouth clicks and a sharp 808 drum beat.  This hit propelled his album Rhythm & Gangsta: The Masterpiece into double platinum land, and rightfully so, as there was no escaping that trunk rattler.

24. "Player's Ball (remix)" Outkast feat. Sleepy Brown
Production: Organized Noize

Nothing against the original beat for this cut, for it was definitely funky in its own right, but the more melodic remix touched another part of your soul.  The two note, piano version of this put it at another level.  This single introduced us to the future icons known as Outkast, and helped their debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik into legendary status and a new benchmark for the South.

23. "The Light" Common
Production: J Dilla

God Bless the legend of James "J Dilla" Yancey for this amazing hip-hop love song by one of the game's all-time best emcees.Dedicated to his then girlfriend Erykah Bedu (who makes an appearence in the video), this excellent reworking of Bobby Caldwell's "Open Your Eyes" earned him a Grammy nomination and sent Common into then-uncharted waters, Gold status for his breathtaking album, Like Water For Chocolate.

22. "Hold It Now, Hit It" Beastie Boys
Production: Rick Rubin

Truly a funky cut by three White Jewish guys from NYC, multiple samples were used in this dope cut off their seminal Licensed To Ill debut album.  This track fit in perfectly with other notable pieces like the equally cold "Paul Revere" and the rock-tinged "No Sleep Til Brooklyn".  This, along with "Brass Monkey", was hip-hop at its most elementary, yet effective.

21. "So Whatcha Sayin" EPMD
Production: artist

For this to be the only cut released from their sophomore album, Unfinished Business, it was all Erick and Parrish needed to make another Gold-selling album.  A bit harder than their singles from their debut Strictly Business, this cut was made to give a middle finger to all those who thought they were a flash in the pan duo and how Parrish was always compared vocally to Rakim.  The gregoraian chants and the funk involved with this made this single a knocker to this very day.

20. "NY State Of Mind" Nas
Production: DJ Premier

Out of all the magnificence that was Illmatic, this one was the most dark.  This was a bloody stroll through the streets of Queensbridge, USA with a murky Premo beat that aurally captured what Nas was about to paint for us as listeners.  Seen as one of Preme's finest production moments, this was the perfect intro cut to what would become nearly seventy of the best moments hip-hop has ever heard and possibly will ever hear!

19. "C.R.E.A.M." Wu-Tang Clan
Production: RZA

The magnum opus on what would become a landmark in hip-hop with the Wu's debut Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), this haunting cut, although filled with champagne bottles and a subsequent lavish lifestyle in the video is a brooding, piano-laced, melodic sample that at the time made RZA an anomoly in hip-hop.  This cut remains a treasure.

18. "Grindin'" Clipse
Production: The Neptunes

What could honestly be the most insane of any Neptune production of their discography, the very heavy percussion lead that's also reminiscent loosely of Eric B & Rakim's "My Melody", this presented The Clipse onto the hip-hop mainstream.  This production from Pharrell and then production partner Chad Hugo was also seen again on Snoop's aforementioned "Drop It Like It's Hot", but the percussion here was so knocking it was undeniable.  Although the rest of their debut, Lord Willin' was quite hard, this was the staple of the album.

17. "My Philosophy" Boogie Down Productions
Production: Scott La Rock

So much of KRS' early stuff involved some memorable beats, and this one was no exception.  Released just after the untimely and tragic death of parther in crime Scott La Rock, this was as hard of a cut as yould find in '88.  Scott La Rock would be proud.

16. "Next Level (DJ Premier remix)" Showbiz & AG
Production: DJ Premier

From these D.I.T.C. members' sophomore banger, Goodfellas, comes the craziest beat not just on the album, but one of the best beats of the entire nineties.  The original version was dope in itself, but the remix by preme was even featured in a battle scene or two in the iconic hip-hop movie 8 Mile.  These beat is hard enough to where you almost never hear about any battles done without this particular cut's instrumental.

15. "T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You)" Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Production: Pete Rock

One of the most melancholy cuts to ever hit wax, this is the flagship euology cut in hip-hop.  Pete Rock's use of an old Jefferson Airplane cut redone by saxophonist Tom Scott, along with a sharp bassline, makes this one of the most recognizable beats ever in the genre.  Pete Rock has since gone on to become a legendary producer in the game, but this will always and forever be his most prized beat possession.  While their debut, Mecca & The Soul Brother, is considered one of the most shining moments in early nineties hip-hop, it's this cut that remains a staple, and you'll always know where you were you were the first time you heard the sax.

14. "Tha Shiznit" Snoop Doggy Dogg
Production: Dr. Dre

Without question, one of hip-hop's most flawless production albums is Snoop's revered debut, Doggystyle.  The track most people seems to give credit as the most outstanding cut on there that was never released as a single was "Tha Shiznit".  Complete with the signature G-funk Dr. Dre provided, along with an appropo flute loop in there and a hard-hitting bassline, this was the hottest song on one of the hottest albums ever heard, and no doubt, Snoop's crowning moment.

13. "The Formula" D.O.C.
Production: Dr. Dre

Only the good Doctor could construct a hip-hop version of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues", but he did it, and put a then up-and-comer named D.O.C. on it.  The rest was history.  His debut, No One Can Do It Better, is an album that doesn't get nearly enough credit for being a big moment in the late eighties/early nineties.  Unfortunately, the horrific car crash that costed D.O.C. his voice for nearly twenty years came right afterwards, but this track put him on the map and is one of the slickest beats in Dre's discography.

12. "Hard Knock Life" Jay-Z
Production: Mark The 45 King

Who thinks of redoing a piece from the musical "Annie"? Jay-Z did, and with paying 45 King (who was also responsible for constructing Eminem's "Stan") only a reported $10,000 for a beat from a $0.25 record, it became one of his biggest selling singles to date.  Love him or hate him, how could you not go in on this superb beat, which resulted in a memorable song altogether from his excellent Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life album.

11. "Microphone Fiend" Eric B & Rakim
Production: Eric B

Over the Average White Band's "School Boy Crush", Eric B & Rakim pounded our speakers with what considered a major cut for him in his career.  Rakim was already on his way to earning legendary status up to this point, and with this cut from his classic sophomore album Follow The Leader, he sealed it.

10. "Nuthin But A G Thang" Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg
Production: artist

Ahhhh...the official introduction of Dr. Dre-post NWA to the world and boy was it a smooth one.  One of those laid-back cuts to roll out to on a Sunday evening in the summer with the top down, Dre sampled "I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You" by Leon Haywood and created a iconic record.  So much so that it's in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame's Top 500 of all-time list.  This debut cut from his equally iconic The Chronic shaped would be one of the most successful careers in all of popular music.

9. "Rapper's Delight" Sugarhill Gang
Production: Sylvia Robinson

Come on, who doesn't know this one?  Like at all?  Over the popular "Good Times" cut by disco group Chic, this is THE staple of hip-hop, and is irresistible at karoake bars and at parties in general.  The ultimate ol school feel good record, there would be no hip-hop on a mainstream level without this cut.  Period.

8. "I'm Bad" LL Cool J
Production: The LA Posse

WOOO!!!  Talk about a cut to do the Wop dance to!  This was the first hard-hitter out of his collection, and wouldn't make another quite this live for another five years when "Mama Said Knock You Out" would get in constant rotation.  I dare you to put the bass all the way up on this one.  I dare you.

7. "Shook Ones Pt. 2" Mobb Deep
Production: Havoc

The ultimate wylin out, rusty-shank holding, stick up kid anthem.  The debut offering from Hav and P's breakout macabre masterpiece The Infamous is chilling and dark.  Perfect backdrop for the apocalyptic and vivid lyrics from the Queensbridge duo.  Considered an all-time classic, the Mobb would put out cuts that were also brooding and menacing and equally as impressive, but nothing has surpassed this unbelievable piece from the "official Queensbridge murderers".

6. "The Message" Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Production: Sylvia Robinson, Duke Bootee, and Jiggs

Before Diddy and Mase got their hands on it for "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", this was considered the social commentary anthem in the early days of mainstream hip-hop, and is still seen as one of the important songs in all of music.  There's no room for shaking asses on this one, just a simple snyth and a bassline that was fairly elementary and that was enough to present a powerful piece of music.

5. "Bonita Applebum" A Tribe Called Quest
Production: artist

One of hip-hop's first true love songs, or at least tremendous infatuation, this silky smooth cut that sampled Little Feat and RAMP will cause the listener to get caught up in the hypnotic, melodic vibes from this love letter to this unknown female.  Seen as Tribe's magnum opus, this cut will go down as one of our ears most celebrated moments, and made their debut Peoples Instinctive Travels In The Paths Of Rhythm a new standard in artistic hip-hop.

4. "U Gots 2 Chill" EPMD
Production: artist

Dear GOD what a bassline!!!  That's the first thought that came into my head when I first heard this amazingly funky second single from their prodigious debut album, Strictly Business.  This obvious reworking of Roger & Zapp's "More Bounce To The Ounce" is EPMD's song de force and is irresistible in any party.

3. "South Bronx" Boogie Down Productions
Production: Scott La Rock

By Nas' own admission, even though he was pro-Queensbridge in the "Bridge Wars" between MC Shan vs. BDP, he couldn't front on at least the beat of "South Bronx" claiming it was "tough".  Indeed it is.  This was a response to MC Shan's "The Bridge", and although verbally KRS brought it in spades on this one, the production hit every bit as hard.

2. "Top Billin" Audio Two
Production: Daddy-O and Milk D

The unmistakable, undeniable bass line with no instrumentation defined this record.  Although other cuts during this time period incorporated the same formula, the neck-snapping effects from this put this one as head and shoulders above most during that age.  With the "Go Brooklyn" chants very faintly used in the backdrop, Milk D goes off on this culturally impactful cut.  Simple, yet highly effective.

1. "The Bridge Is Over" Boogie Down Productions
Production: Scott La Rock

Monstrous and menacing.  Those are the two words anyone would use when describing this landmark single to put a stamp on the Bridge wars between BDP and Shan.  This cut, with its brooding piano melody and sharp drum kicks, pretty much ended the career of Shan and greatly injured the status of The Juice Crew for a while.  Much like "South Bronx", the production was as much of the story as the lyrics were, as it was rare to find a B-boy-esque track this hard-hitting and vicious during the mid-eighties.  To a degree, it still is.


There you have it folks.  Let the debate continue on and keep moving.  There are surely many, many others that belong on an all-time list.  However, these are the ones that i feel were and are game changers.  Whether it's my list, Billboard Mag's list, or your own list, one thing's for sure: in an age where hip-hop gets increasingly dumbed down and virtually minimzed of any significant cultural value, these beats and cuts are timeless.  That's all for now folks!  Come back soon.

What Is The Definition Of A Classic Album??

What's happening, peeps!  Welcome back for another epic moment in hip-hop blogging history...okay, maybe not anywhere near that dramatic, but regardless, this will still be another thought-provoking and meaningful piece brought to you by me, myself, and I.  Earlier this week, I presented a piece on the wide gap (both musically and in terms of respect) between nineties hip-hop and current millennial hip-hop.  I cited examples of genre-defining, landmark-shifting albums from both the nineties (Illmatic, Ready To Die, The Chronic, Ridin' Dirty, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, etc.) and this current millennium (Madvillainy, The College Dropout, BE, To Pimp A Butterfly, etc.).  I had to, then, ask myself a question that would end up serving as quite the conversational piece and that was, "What really defines the term 'classic' in terms of hip-hop?"  Well, let's examine that, shall we!

When one hears the term 'classic', it garners a few different responses and quite the thought process (or at least it should).  We hear this term thrown around very much to a very unsettling amount in today's culture.  My opinion on the term is simple, yet very complex.  The term 'classic' in terms of hip-hop means any album or single that not only separates itself from the bunch, but it does so in such unique and counter-cultural fashion.  It requires delicate timing and thought, the type of which is bold enough to challenge the status quo and create new boundaries to which one needs to reach.  A 'classic' hip-hop release serves as a new flagship in artistic merit that completely shakes down lazy, plain, typical art into deep levels of brilliance, provocation, and the desired outcome of achieving masterpiece work.  In short: the audacity to be different in positive and creative ways.

We often know that there's a very thin line between brilliance and insanity, and most times, they tend to lean towards the former later on.  In cases like the late, great Ol' Dirty Bastard's eccentric, yet meticulous, debut, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, ODB's "drunken style" ways were different in many, many aspects.  He often stated that he was named Ol' Dirty Bastard because "there was no father to his style".  When he dropped that debut, many were stating that this was a weird, almost incoherent, mash up of quirky stylings, confusing rhymes, and bizarre themes over brooding, yet superb, production by RZA primarily.  When you first heard him on "Protect Ya Neck" by Wu-Tang, he was clearly one of the standouts in that track, as well as his other guest appearances on cuts like "Da Mystery of Chessboxing" and "Shame On A Nigga" from another landmark album, the Wu's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), with his different, yet clearly rugged, stylings.  However, one he ventured out on his own with his debut, he developed into a more unconventional character, even more so than a traditional emcee.  The album is now considered a 'classic' because of how different and against the mold it was and how it came to define the musical legacy of the great Osirus.  Another album that somewhat represents this is the aforementioned Madvillainy by Madvillain, which was comprised of underground icon MF Doom and highly regarded and esteemed producer Madlib.  The two of them together presented one of the most unique and enigmatic recordings hip-hop has ever heard simply because of the same qwerky formula that made ODB's debut so fascinating.  Doom, himself, is a capricious emcee lyrically so you mix this along with Madlib's beats that are oft times left-of-center itself, and you had an album that was unlike anything out in conventional hip-hop.  This album was one of those albums like De La Soul Is Dead, Outkast's delightful Aquemini, and Ghostface Killah's masterful Supreme Clientele, in which it strikes you as a different album, one that's special but that you can't quite place your finger on it until around the sixth, seventh, or eighth time you grasped it due to it's odd structure, yet very creative landscape.

There are albums out here that are socially conscious and movement provoking, that these albums provide more than just a nod factor.  These albums make you FEEL something.  Something in your heart as a human, and in your spirit as a hip-hop breather.  Conceptually and thematically, these albums are above just hip-hop music, they're life and the human where-with-all to perceive and grasp change.  There isn't an album that better illustrates this than another aforementioned album, Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back.  Many have called this album "the angriest hip-hop album ever heard that's more than just idiotic noise".  That's right folks, this isn't an Onyx, M.O.P. scream fest, full of angst while still aiming to bring down people by shooting and sticking up people (don't get it twisted, both acts have made DOPE albums, I'm just speaking in context), PE's noise was simple: the powerful movement of uprising against racist and bigoted societal control and the suppressive government takeovers that were killing our Black communities.  While their debut album, Yo! Bumrush the Show was a nice introduction, it was their hostile gospel of a sophomore album that really became the epitome of Black rage on wax.  Over production that feels like punches to the stomach from The Bomb Squad, this album went away from anything party like their debut and completely became the Black community's CNN or Headline News for its supreme social commentary and outcries.  To this day, this album is regarded as the most important hip-hop release of all-time and many others would say it's the hip-hop equivalent of Michael Jackson's Thriller, in terms of influence and crossing all genres in terms of relevance and sustainability.  Albums such as The Coup's Steal This Album and dead prez' debut let's get free continued the momentum and the spirit of this ingenious album, bringing political and social fire to the masses over production that matched the impeccable aura of these releases.  Today, it's Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, which is clearly the hip-hop album of our generation.  While you can read about why this album is the best pure constructed, originally conceived album post-Illmatic here, Kendrick officially became the leader of the new school and becoming a much needed conscious emcee without the overtly preachy elements that tend to go over heads.

There are, however, albums that immediately grab your attention as game changers and bringing in a new sound, new climate, and a new era in the game and in music.  With Dr. Dre's The Chronic, A Tribe Called Quest's People's Instinctive Travels In The Paths Of Rhythm, Nas' Illmatic, and Outkast's Southernplayalistcadillacmuzik, there was no doubt that these releases were instant and immediate 'classics' due to how fresh the sound was, plus how different their approaches were to hip-hop than their peers during their time.  We all know I could go on and on about Illmatic, but in most cases, the same can be said about other albums because of one other word I left off: influence.  We've seen highly successful albums over the years and decades use formulas that made albums like these so legendary.  When the term 'influential' is mentioned, we must look at groundbreaking albums from the the richest time, artistically, in hip-hop, the eighties.  There would be no Illmatic if it wasn't Eric B & Rakim's Paid In Full.  Without EPMD's eponymous debut Strictly Business, there would be no Mobb Deep's The Infamous (albeit this album was far more sinister and dark than anything Erick and Parrish put out), and there would be no Grip It On Other Level from The Geto Boys without Straight Outta Compton.  One would say, these albums, that were classics themselves, turned around and spawned other classics to create others down the road.

However, there are those that don't get the recognition that they truly deserve, and they present all or most of those elements that i mentioned earlier.  One of those is Ras Kass' amazing debut Soul On Ice.  While not necessarily the greatest production album ever heard consistently, this is by far one of hip-hop's most lyrically innovative gems of all-time.  Ras was something we never heard come from the west in this manner before.  Sure, there were great lyricists such as Saafir, damn near everyone from the Hieroglyphics camp, and Tha Alkaholiks from out that way, but Ras was truthfully head and shoulders above everyone.  An educated battler that was among the most feared lyricists of his time, and still is today.

It takes more than just mundane topics of drugs, hos, guns, and unoriginal, uninspired topics to get critical acclaim status of 'classic'.  It takes looking outside the book, both creatively and musically.  There must be a richness in the sound and quality of what is heard, and even more so, what's presented.  There are tons of outstanding albums out there.  I listed one hundred of them not too long ago and you can refer to them when reading this piece and why they're on there.  However, this is dedicated to the forward thinkers, the artists, the ones that wanted lasting acclaim and merit rather than momentary flashes of grandeur.  Albums the ones I've mentioned, plus others like Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., Black Star's self-titled debut, 2Pac's Me Against the World, Mos Def's Black On Both Sides, Scarface's The Diary, and Bone Thugs N Harmony's E. 1999 Eternal, deserve their titles of 'classics', but the question lies: what will be the next one?  From TPAB to Dr. Dre's triumphant Compton, Scarface's Deeply Rooted, and Game's Documentary 2, this year can end today and it'll be considered one of the finest in years.  I challenge these artists of today to create fine penmanship and artistic merit to not just be content with the status quo and earning C-grades.  Push for A-plus quality music, our youth and our culture deserve it.

That's all for now, kiddies, but I'm going to leave you with a cut from newcomer Kirk Knight.  This member of Pro Era is the next to blow, and based on tracks like "Heaven", this emcee/producer will be a problem for this game.  This comes from his debut, Late Knight Special.  Until next time, I'm out!

The Beef Between 90s Hip-Hop & Millennium Hip-Hop

What's happening everybody!  It's been a few months since you've heard anything from me, and trust me, it's been because I've been busy.  There hasn't been a ton of stuff to touch on within hip-hop that was too warranted, but that officially changed last week when up-and-coming west coast emcee Vince Staples made some comments he made to Time magazine about his views on 90s hip-hop. His full-length debut, Summertime '06, actually feels like a throwback nineties, early millennium album. The comment he made was that he felt the period was "overrated", stating that he was born in '92 and growing up, he was raised on Jay, Kanye, 50, and the likes therein.  Before I get into this any further, listen to his explanation here and soak in what he's saying.

After this interview, Queens cat N.O.R.E. called Vince out as "disrespectful", and many people echoed the sentiment of him, regardless if you are a fan of his.  This lead to a back and forth Twitter argument between the two.  Staples lists Bow Wow and Soulja Boy as his favorites during the early thousands, but quickly dismissed people like Nas, Rakim, and most other nineties cats.

He, then, went on "Sway In the Morning" to clarify his statements, and he stated that he never said the 90s weren't the greatest, but that he didn't understand why everyone was hating on him for not giving it the respect they felt it deserved (paraphrasing).  He and N.O.R.E. apparently talked on the phone to clear up any misconceptions and misunderstandings, however this leads me to a bigger and deeper issue about the generation gap of today.

Growing up as a very thorough hip-hop child, I was first exposed to it around six or seven and it was all Eric B. & Rakim, Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, and Stetsasonic, plus throw in some Fat Boys.  As I grew older, and as the music and culture continued to progress and evolve, I felt the need to see where all this came from, not so much out of any type of respect at the time, but just because of curiosity.  It was then when I was in a heavy period of Sugarhill Gang, Awesome Two, Treacherous Three, Funky Four Plus One, and Grandmater Flash & The Furious Five (like how I did that don't you ?)  I was then interested in early hip-hop oriented movies such as Krush Groove, Beat Street, and Breakin' because Afrika Bambaataa was still occasionally popping up at parties at the skating rink and on the radio randomly.  It was then I figured that the elements of before were as impactful as the era I had been living in at the time.  I could see how the earlier years really made lasting impressions on the era at the time.  Although the "golden era" started in '88, the elements and influence came from the early eighties.  Red hot artists at the time like Jungle Brothers, EPMD, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and Ice-T got all or most of their influence from not just early hip-hop, but other elements such as jazz, funk, soul, and in the JB's case, Chicago house music.  These artists showed respect to what they grew up to or what was even before them in hip-hop, and it was reflected in their music.

In come the nineties, we hit a new elevation of hip-hop music and culture.  What the eighties started, the nineties took and expanded it into something even more relatable and commercially viable.  Not one single artist that emerged in the nineties dismissed the eighties.  Not a single one.  In fact, most artists had some eighties soul with them.  From Nas' poetic, genius nasal flow like Rakim to Wu-Tang's no-holds-barred posse lyricism similar to the Juice Crew (especially Masta Ace, Craig G, Granddaddy I.U., Kool G. Rap and Big Daddy Kane), the influence was highly evident everywhere.  From female emcees like Rah Digga and Bahamadia giving props to MC Lyte and Roxanne Shante to southern acts like Outkast and Eightball & MJG giving it up to The Geto Boys, respect and love was always given to the ones that paved the way.

Let's fast forward to today.  Zero respect, give or take a few.  This is very reflective of a narcissistic, entitled society of the youth of today.  It's not just in hip-hop, but it's in our culture and society as a whole.  People actually gave heat to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for shouting out hip-hop pioneers like Big Daddy Kane, Melle Mel, and Kool Herc and putting them in the video for "Downtown".  So let me get this straight, you're hating a White artist like Macklemore, calling it a "sellout" record, but most of you so-called rappers won't even give it up to them, not even mention them in shoutout credits?  We have a lot of sellouts and coons out here today camouflaging as "hit rappers".  We've even had people claiming Kendrick Lamar's landmark To Pimp A Butterfly is "not as good as everyone hypes it to be".  This serves as some ignorant, near-sighted mantra that also says that The Barter 6 and Major Without A Deal are game changers, when there's absolutely nothing artistic, creative, original, lyrical, or authentic about any of it...NONE.  I digress.

Here's the issue: the older cats don't respect the current generation of rappers, and today's generation don't respect or even give props to the earlier generations of hip-hop.  Where's the disconnect?  Sure, most nineties cats would heavily argue that the nineties were the single most lucrative and impactful time ever in the genre.  Look at all the masterpieces that emerged: Illmatic, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), The Chronic, We Can't Be Stopped, Ready To Die, and The Low End Theory (trust me there were a TON more).  These albums and more completely made a shift in what we considered authentic, genuine hip-hop and made the world take notice more than ever.  That's not to say the the first decade of the new millennium didn't deliver because man oh man did it!  Albums like Madvillainy, The College Dropout, BE, Trap Muzik, Food & Liquor, Get Rich Or Die Tryin', The Documentary, and The Black Album created a new bit of artistic competition in terms of critical acclaim.  Much like the nineties, these took a lot of components and took them to new levels much like the nineties did the eighties.  Artists and fans of the nineties make compelling points that, although there were occasionally questionable and even wack moments of the nineties (the shiny suit era, the blatant mafioso concept rip offs, and everyone out of the Midwest thinking they can double and triple time rhyme like Bone Thugs N Harmony), but there were far more victories and ambitious moments than there were head-shaking moments.  Over the past five to seven years, it's been a downhill turn in very dramatic fashion.  Many blame Atlanta for this issue, it's not just them.  Even cats like Gucci, Jeezy, Waka Flocka, and Yo Gotti have influences of Scarface, UGK, and Crime Boss within their rhyme styles and flows.  You see how most cats that people love to hate like Drake, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, and even Future have legitimacy and longevity because of who they were influenced by and who they studied under.  Clearly, Drake was influenced by people as vast as LL Cool J to Lil' Wayne and Nicky is a mixture of Lil' Kim and her own original ways (it's hit-or-miss most times but you get the picture).  I'm not saying take people's styles and bite to succeed, that's not what I'm saying at all.  I'm saying none of the music of today is reflective of a progression while giving respect and musical attribution to what was before them in any way, shape, or form.  This generation feels that props should be just given to them because they made the radio and Youtube made them get signed to deals overnight.  There's no meaningful, creative, against the grain, AUTHENTIC music out today, just radio popularity and it's all formulaic.  Why is Kendrick, Cole, K.R.I.T., and Skyzoo ignored or called "overrated" while cats like Thugga, K Camp, and others like them prospering?  It's not bitterness because I can absolutely choose to keep my Sirius Radio on Backspin and sometimes on Shade 45.  I can also stay up with my online hip-hop publications to keep up with what's sincerely great for my personal taste.  That's what I have to say to those that aren't keen up on today's sub-par music, there are options and lots of them.

Regardless of what side of the fence you're on, whether you're pro-today's hip-hop or you're not, there's a huge gap that needs to get filled that truthfully deserves work on both ends.  To my nineties heads, let's not just perceive all of today's cats as losers that don't get the art, there are a lot that do, they just express themselves differently or unconventionally, which if we tell the truth, is what made hip-hop unique in the first place.  To the generation of today, stop settling for being unoriginal, bland everyday, kindergarten cats, and be artists.  I stress, ARTISTS.  Push the boundary.  Be prolific writers.  Be thinkers and leaders.  Stop being sideshow coon shows from your lyrics and music.  Yes, we still have artists that sometimes still perform in the same way they did in the nineties with no progression or elevation.  Now, chances are they sound totally out of place or sound like they just need to hang the mic up.

One last point to be brought up is that across the board, there's no support.  A lot of younger guys disrespect the older generation to the point where they feel cats like Nas, Common, O.C., De La and LL aren't "relevant" anymore because of their age.  I recently heard someone say that Public Enemy, makers of the most explosive hip-hop album ever made with It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back were called "old and irrelevant" because they were in their fifties.  Here's the bullshit that disgusts me: we're the only genre and culture that won't sell a concert out if an old school hip-hop artist came to town.  To this day, Rock and Pop icons like The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, and Fleetwood Mac will completely sell out a show.  Even R&B icons like Stevie Wonder and Janet Jackson will sell out tours.  Reba McIntyre and Garth Brooks would sell out big venues today in country music.  Not us in hip-hop.  After ten to fifteen years, you're considered irrelevant or becoming irrelevant.  This is what I'm talking about, the disrespect.  Truth be told, KRS-One, Public Enemy, De La Soul, and Whodini can STILL tear up a stage and can do it better than most young cats today.  Did you check the BET Hip-Hop (?) Awards? The craziest cypher all night belonged to mid-late forty year olds Erick Sermon, Keith Murray, and most definitely Redman, who got the MVP award that night.  Not one person could hold up to how hard Def Squad went that night.  Take notes on how emceeing is done from them.

The argument will continue to get made about what the best era is.  It's all subjective, but to each their own.  Hip-Hop needs to be bigger than this beef.  This sounds like a dark skinned Blacks vs. light skinned Blacks issue: unnecessary.  Everybody has their opinion, including me, but at the end, it's still Hip-Hop, and it needs to get treated with respect by everyone.  On that note I'm out, but I'm going to leave with a comparison.  What's your favorite era?  I have a cut from the nineties, Outkast's monster debut single "Player's Ball" and a cut from today, Travi$ Scott's "Antidote".  Again, to each their own.  Until next time!