Boston Tea Party: The Best Albums Outta Boston

What's the science folks?!  We're about done with the city/state salutes, as still to come we have Queens, L.A., and Brooklyn (possibly Miami as well).  This time, we will head back to the northeast.  The home of the Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins, and the constant NFL Super Bowl Champions, New England Patriots, Boston, Massachusetts.  If you know anything about American history, you know the significance of Boston, and trust me this isn't the platform for it, but you should already know.  You may also be aware of many entertainers that are Boston natives such as the Wahlberg brothers, as well as wrestler-turned-actor John "Don't call me the next Rock" Cena (BTW, his hip-hop album was actually not too bad.  I'm very serious).  With Boston receiving a bad reputation in the news as of late with cries of racism coming from this city, Boston isn't without it's fair share of negative headlines.  Who can forget the Boston Marathon massacre?  However, Boston also has a fairly underrated and underestimated hip-hop scene.  Aside from the late, great Guru originating from here, emcees such as Big Shug, Ed O.G., Mr. Lif and Krumbsnatcha likewise are from here, as well as rapper/entrepreneur/former reality star Raymond "Benzino" Scott.  Just how cold does Boston get down with their hip-hop?  Has any legit classics emerged from this city?  Well, let's take a look.

20. The Almighty R.S.O.- Doomsday: Forever R.S.O.

One of the very first times we had ever known Benzino was when he was simply Ray Dog as a member of the group, Almighty R.S.O., along with E-Devious, Tony Rhome, and DJ Deff Jeff.  The reality is this crew has been around since the mid-eighties, at least locally.  Controversy followed them with the riotous "One In Da Chamber" from their debut EP, Revenge Of The Badd Boyz, as it was reportedly their version of "Fuck The Police" due to the killings of two youths in Boston from Boston PD.  However, they secured a deal with Rap-A-Lot, and released their long-awaited second album, Doomsday: Forever R.S.O., which was actually a very enjoyable album.  Very hard and rugged, this album had high moment after high moment, especially cuts like the Mobb Deep-assisted "War's On" and the reflective "Gotta Be A Better Way".  Very impressive outing.

19. Made Men- Classic Limited Edition

Benzino, before finally deciding to go the solo route, wanted one last try in a group, as he got together with Cool Gzus (he was now starting to go by Mr. Gzus) and frequent collaborator and homeboy E-Devious (he had renamed himself as Antoinio Twice Thou) to become the Made Men.  They hype was pretty big for their debut, Classic Limited Edition, based upon their blistering cut on the Belly soundtrack "Tommy's Theme".  Although it didn't necessarily live up to the noise, it was still a decent project.  Led by the infectious collab with Master P "Is It You (Deja Vu)", which was a rework of Dionne Warwick's "Deja Vu", and "Just You & I", the album had more high moments than low moments, and shouldn't have been as slept-on as it was.

18. Statik Selektah & Termanology- 1982

When it was announced that Termanology and Statik Selektah would become a duo and become 1982, heads were anxious for the finished product.  This was definitely a marriage made in hip-hop heaven, as this album was just simply hot.  It seems that Statik brings the best out of Term arguably more than anyone else consistently, and with this album, Term was on fire. Standouts like the Saigon and Freeway-assisted "Life Is What You Make It" and "Things I Dream" make this album a constant rotator.  Along with other guests such as Lil' Fame, Cassidy and Inspectah Deck, they aimed to be the next great DJ/MC duo much like Gangstarr, Reflection Eternal, and Showbiz & AG.  With more outings like this, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

17. Wiseguys- Wiseguys/In The Company Of Killaz

Benzino had his hands in quite a few projects in the mid-nineties.  At the time, he was a member of Almighty R.S.O., as well as CEO of The Source magazine, but he was also a member of a group of up-and-coming emcees known as The Wiseguys.  With a Def Jam deal in place, they finished their debut originally called In The Company Of Killaz, but for commercial purposes, it became reportedly self-titled.  The album was quite frankly very dope.  Almost wall to wall crazy, with cats such as Cool Gzuz, Tangg Da Juice, Mann Terror, Mike McNeill, and Masta Criminal handling their business, this would've been a very big situation, however the album ended up getting shelved and nothing became of it.  It's floating around online so if you're able to find it, do yourself a favor and listen because this had the potential to be a Wu-Tang like takeover.

16. Statik Selektah- Lucky 7

Originally thought and perceived to be his final album, Statik Selektah decided to drop his seventh album, ironically entitled Lucky 7.  Much like What Goes Around and Extended Play, Lucky 7 it has more of an accessible sound more so than prior albums such as Population Control and Stick 2 The Script.  Regardless, this album goes hard as always, and with emcees such as Rapsody, Joey Bada$$, Your Old Droog, Dave East, and the late Sean Price all ripped apart some very searing production from Selektah.  With a very consistent overall discography, if this was the last run for Selektah in terms of studio albums, he went out on a sincere high.

15. Krumbsnatcha- Snatcha Season Pt. 1

Boston native, and Gangstarr Foundation member, Krumbsnatcha first started making his buzz known with this heat-seeking debut album, Snatcha Season Pt. 1.  A no holds barred delivery and a lyrical no chaser about him, this album was packed with dynamite, especially one of the most vivid autobiographical cuts you'll ever hear in the DJ Premier-crafted "Closer To God" and the bananas "Killer In Me".  Quite an impressive debut release.

14. Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs- Roxbury 02119

Veteran emcee Ed O.G. was not the most known cat outside of his region, but he did have a few nationally recognized cuts.  He got up with his team called Da Bulldogs in '91 for Life As A Child In The Ghetto, but followed it up with Roxbury 02119, which is a reference to his city and zip code.  While not quite as impactful as their debut album, this one still provides enjoyable moments.  The album is most known for the touching ode to his deceased loved ones, "Love Comes & Goes", but the album doesn't stop with this standout, as this crew did overall another very good job showing us life in and around Boston from a hood perspective.

13. Termanology- More Politics

Termanology has been knocking out full-lengths and mixtapes for a number of years now.  From his ferocious collaborative albums with Statik Selektah as 1982 and M.O.P.'s Lil'Fame as Fizzyology to his extensive solo releases, Term stays putting out material and nine times out of ten, it's gonna fairly hot.  In 2016, he delivered More Politics, which is the sequel to his excellent debut album of 2008, Politics As Usual and continuing his Politics mixtapes series.  Over hard-nosed production from the likes of Just Blaze, Statik Selektah and Buckwild, this lyrical knockout artist spit with precision and venom, and showed why he's one of the coldest emcees out the northeast today.

12. Krumbsnatcha- Long Awaited Snatcha Season Pt. 2

It had been a few years since we had heard anything from Krumbsnatcha, as he hadn't put out material since his debut, Snatcha Season Pt. 1 came out in '98.  No fret though because he picked up where he left off with hardcore rhymes and raw delivery.  This was a slightly better album than album number one, as songs were more tightly put together and it seemed a bit more fluid.  In any event, Krumb was two for two, and this was a sick album.

11. 7L & Esoteric- The Soul Purpose

One of the most known acts within the underground is the DJ/emcee pair of 7L & Esoteric.  Their debut, The Soul Purpose, was a very decent showing of how good they could be and this was a grade-A sleeper.  Esoteric's fairly slicing rhymes are very adequately matched with 7L's consistently blistering production, and practically every track was a different type of banger.  With cuts like "Play It Cool" and "Operating Correctly", this pairing proved that they weren't anything to play with, and the album reflected this.

10. Krumbsnatcha- Respect All, Fear None

With two buzzwworthy albums under his belt, KS secured a deal with D&D Records, and the result was Respect All, Fear None.  Practically as hard-hitting as both Snatcha Season releases, this album is more polished, yet still gritty and hard.  He delivered the seqauel to"Closer To God", entitled "Strike Back", as well as the thumping ode to hustling "Rich Man, Poor Man", and showed why he belonged in the talented group of emcees known as the Gangstarr Foundation some four years after his show-stealing verse on Gangstarr's "Make 'Em Pay".

9. Special Teamz- Stereotypez

Supergroups are very interesting in hip-hop.  Groups like Slaughterhouse, Random Axe, and eMC all csme together and for the most part sounded like they were all cohesive units instead of individuals.  Surprisingly, such was the case with Slaine, Ed O.G. and Jaysaun.  Collectively, they were Special Teamz, and their debut album, Stereotypez, was a knocker almost from start to finish.  Many sleep on Slaine and Jaysaun, as Ed O.G. is the only truly recognizable name, but each one holds their respective own on this album.  With beatmaker extraordinaires like Premo, Pete Rock, MoSS, Marco polo, and Jake One providing the boardwork, each emcee sounds crazy over these impeccable beats, but the chemistry is the bigger story, as this group sounds like it should've come together way before 2007.

8. Akrobatik- Absolute Value

Perceptionists member Akrobatik is a rhyme machine. One of the most slept-on, yet highly intelligent, emcees you'll find from this region.  His second album, Absolute Value, was a highly acclaimed piece of lyrical showmanship.  While his debut, Balance, was a decent introduction to him outside of The Perceptionists, it was this album that needed some polish in spite of its bright spots.  This album does in fact sound more polished and more nicely put together, as this is more poignant and personal overall.  Of course, lyrically, the "Ak you're a legend" line is still genius.  Cuts like "Front Steps Pt. 2", "Kindred", and the crazy "Soul Glo" highlight an excellent album and one that still gets replay value nearly ten years later.

7. L'Orange & Mr. Lif- The Life & Death Of Scenery

After an incredible career resurgence with Don't Look Down, Mr. Lif collaborated with amazing, yet criminally slept-on North Carolina producer L'Orange, to deliver, the Life & Death Of Scenery.  Anyone familiar with the breathtaking stylings of L'Orange on the boards knows that it takes a special kind of emcee to be able to do the production justice, but Lif does his thing and does it well.  This intriguing conceptual album, which has a city being deprived of anything arts related including music, has such grim messages in this EP, but every track served its purpose for the concept and the result is another milestone for Mr. Lif and for the enigma known as L'Orange.

6. 7L & Esoteric- DC2: Bars Of Death

Aiming to repeat, if not eclipse, the acclaim of their second album, Dangerous Connection, 7L & Esoteric provide us with the sequel, DC2: Bars Of Death, and for the most part they do in fact succeed.  Lyrically, Esoteric came with his arsenal and attacked the mic with every track, and even held his own with guests such as Celph Titled and some of the rest of he and 7L's crew Army Of The Phaorahs, which at times isn't easy to do.  In any case, these guys manage to pull off another enjoyable album and one that deserves to be mentioned among their best efforts.

5. Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs- Life As A Child In The Ghetto

This album from Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs, Life As A Child In The Ghetto, is seen as his best work even more so than Roxbury 02119.  This effort was all the way dope and had highlights all over the place, especially the emphatic ode to deadbeat dads, "Be A Father To Your Child".  It wasn't all deep, as "Got To have It", Bug-A-Boo", and "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy" were enjoyable cuts that are very Jeep-speakers accessible.  He deserved more recognition for this album than he received.

4. Termanology- Politics As Usual

After releasing a few quite impressive mixtapes and a decent debut album in The Cameo King, Statik Selektah protege Termanology delivered his sophomore full-length album, Politics As Usual, to high acclaim.  Quite frankly, dude can spit, like seriously.  Homie can rip a mic up.  Put his very talented lyrical abilities with quite the impressive production list of Premo, The Alchemist, Buckwild, Pete Rock, Large Professor, and Nottz giving him some of their best offerings.  This was one of those mighty cases where lyricism at its excellence overall met fantastic production and, along with the notoriety his single "Watch How It Goes Down" received, Term became the next big star to emerge from Massachusetts.

3. Mr. Lif- Don't Look Down

The return of Mr. Lif was an unexpected, yet very exiting, one.  Who can forget the monument that was I-Phantom in 2002?  Sure he's had a couple of decent follow-ups such as Mo Mega and I Heard It Today, but Don't Look Down makes his best release since that epic release of 2002.  Lyrically he sounds reborn and refreshed.  While I-Phantom was a look into the working class and its resulting despair and eventual death, Don't Look Down is more hopeful, as it reflects an album similar in concept to The Roots' breathtaking How I Got Over album.  It shows endurance, strength, and faith to overcome.  An incredible return to prominence.

2. Statik Selektah- What Goes Around

With the extensive catalogue of albums released by Statik Selektah, his sixth album, What Goes Around stands as his most complete and cohesive project.  Many argue about the length of the album, which is seventy minutes long and twenty tracks deep, but in spite of this fact, this album is wall to wall solid with little to no flaws whatsoever.  The production alone is enough to cause massive headaches, but emcees such as Phaorahe Monch, Talib Kweli, Styles P, Freddie Gibbs, Logic, and Heltah Skeltah one last time completely showed out on each and every track.  Even the weirdest of combos such as Joey Bada$$ and Freddie Gibbs sound simply delightful on this crazy album.  If you weren't a believer in his production talents beyond the DJ booth and host of his own Sirius XM show before, you became a believer with this one.

1. Mr. Lif- I-Phantom

In 2002, former Perceptionist member Mr. Lif delivered an amazing underground treasure entitled I-Phantom that tackled the struggles of the working class Black man who's trying to find his identity while trying to reluctantly pursue the American dream, whatever that might have been.  The majority of the album was produced by, at that time, underground powerhouse El-P, thus providing lo-fidelity production while occasionally throwing in some melodic undertones helped to compliment Mr. Lif's nasal yet authoritative delivery in what would turn out to be a tragic tale.  This album is considered almost in the same light as other underground classics such as Madvillainy, Funcrusher Plus, Fantastic Damage, and 3:16...The 9th Edition, and rightfully so.  From concept to production to insightful lyrics, Mr. Lif delivered an album that has finally gotten the stellar recognition it deserves.

Honorable Mentions

Big Shug- Who's Hard
Big Shug- Neva Say Die
Big Shug- Street Champ
Guru- Jazzmatazz Vol. 1
Benzino- Redemption
Benzino- The Benzino Project
Ed O.G.- A Face In The Crowd
Slaine- A World With No Skies
The Perceptionists- Black Dialogue
John Cena- You Can't See Me
1982- 2012
Termanology- Shut Up and Rap
Krumbsnatcha- Let The Truth Be Told
Hangmen 3- No Skits Vol. 1
7L & Esoteric- A New Dope
7L & Esoteric- 1212
7L & Esoteric- Dangerous Connection
Statik Selektah- Population Control
Statik Selektah- Extended Play
Statik Selektah- Spell My Name Right: The Album
Statik Selektah- 100 Proof: The Hangover
Statik Selektah- Stick 2 The Script

As you can see, Boston has a reputation for gritty, lyrical, and overall flames hip-hop, although somewhat slept-on as well.  Boston, with all its musical history (let's not forget this is also the home of New Edition), has a dope hip-hop scene, but it just needs that one crossover star to officially make Boston as much of a household name in mainstream commercial hip-hop as any other major city that contributes to the culture.  Regardless, Beantown should stop getting snoozed on as soon as possible.  Hopefully this list will help the cause.  Until next time folks!