# Your favorite hiphop record? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 6, 2007, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959 "2007-05-06T05:20:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/1 "2007-05-06T05:20:45Z")
I’m looking here for favorite album that holds together as a piece, that you almost have to listen to from beginning to end. For me it’s probably Mos Def & Talib Kwali’s Black Star project. I just never get tired of it, and it keeps getting better no matter how often I play it. The Coup’s _Genocide and Juice_ is dear to me as well, as are _Enter the Wu_, both Nas’ records _Illmatic_ and _Stillmatic_, The Roots’ live album, and Aesop Rock’s _Labor Days_ – all get maximum overplay in my eardrums as well. If we’re counting triphop, Tricky’s _Maxinquaye_ never gets old. But that Black Star record, no matter what, if I hear the first notes I have to hear the last ones, and then probably play it again. What does that for you? ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/2 "2007-05-06T05:28:27Z")
Agree with Black Star. Also really liked Jay-Z’s Black Album, and Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet. I’m noticing a trend here… ---
**Author:** ![Grey\_area](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Grey\_area](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey_area)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/3 "2007-05-06T06:07:19Z")
_Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde_ by the Pharcyde (duh) is a good one. _Revolutions_ by the X-ecutioners is a pretty solid record with songs with guest rappers as well as scratch tracks. Check out “Live From the PJs” with guests Black Thought, Ghostface Killah and Trife. _Quality Control_ by Jurassic 5, kickin it old-school. _Things Fall Apart_ is my favorite Roots studio album, but you’re already familiar with them. _The Marshall Mathers LP_ is probably my favorite Eminem. If we’re doing trip hop, _Endtroducing…_ by DJ Shadow of course deserves a mention. Massive Attack’s _Mezzanine_ is another good one. There’s probably so many I’m forgetting but that’s all I got for now. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/4 "2007-05-06T06:19:59Z")
How could I forget that Pharcyde record! Thanks r4and0m, & I’m seeking out Revolutions now. Also love J5. The thing about Em is that while I love his shit, for me the hang-togetherness of his whole albums isn’t quite as strong as some of these others, but that’d be my favorite too. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/5 "2007-05-06T06:32:11Z")
“A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing” by Black Sheep “Derelicts of Dialect” by 3rd Bass “Act Like You Know” by MC Lyte “It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” by Public Enemy “Raising Hell” by RUN-DMC “Edutainment” by BDP “Ain’t a Damn Thing Changed” or, for that matter, anything by Nice N’ Smooth Yes, I’m a product of the Golden Age of hip-hop. And no, nothing that’s come out since even comes CLOSE. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/6 "2007-05-06T06:49:23Z")
probably the Black Star album - just such a timeless classic that still sounds as fresh today as it did when it was released (gasp!) 9 years ago. A close second is Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s _Mecca and the Soul Brother_. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/7 "2007-05-06T07:17:54Z")
I also forgot DELTRON 3030 – I mean, how many hiphop concept albums are there? (I saw Prince Paul & Dan the Automator as Handsome Boy Modeling School, and Kid Koala by himself once, so that’s like 3/4ths right there). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/8 "2007-05-06T17:34:36Z")
Does **Speakerboxx/The Love Below** count as hip hop? Because it’s absolutely brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/9 "2007-05-06T19:08:16Z")
Holy crap. [QUOTE=Happy Scrappy Hero Pup] “A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing” by Black Sheep “Derelicts of Dialect” by 3rd Bass “It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” by Public Enemy “Raising Hell” by RUN-DMC “Edutainment” by BDP [/QUOTE] MC Lyte and Nice N’ Smooth I can take or leave, but the rest of the list is _exactly_ what I came in to say. Scary. I’d also add in Ice-T’s _Freedom Of Speech_. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/10 "2007-05-06T19:20:12Z")
I still listen to _3 feet High and Rising_ quite often, so that has certainly demonstrated staying power. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/11 "2007-05-06T20:30:55Z")
Dr. Dre’s _The Chronic_ and Snoop (Doggy) Dogg’s _Doggystyle_. I never get tired of those. ---
**Author:** ![1point618](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/c57346/32.png) [@1point618](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1point618)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/12 "2007-05-06T20:42:17Z")
[QUOTE=Ensign Edison] I’m looking here for favorite album that holds together as a piece, that you almost have to listen to from beginning to end. [/QUOTE] Blackalicious’ [Blazing Arrow](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blazing_Arrow) is that album to me. There have been others since, but that was the first hip-hop album that I couldn’t stop listening too, the whole way through, without skipping a single track. I think I spent a week listening to nothing but it. Every song has its own place on the album, some are witty, some fun, some hard-hitting, and some can only be described as epic. My favorite song on the album is 4000 Miles, done with Chali 2na from J-5 and Lateef the Truth Speaker. It’s a damn fine album that deserves many listens. I’ll have to agree with others who have said that Speakerboxxx by Big Boi (I found it a much better album than The Love Below, which has great songs but doesn’t quite fit together in the same way as Speakerboxxx) and Things Fall Apart by the Roots are great full albums, and I’ll also recommend Original Pirate Material by the Streets, and Ozomatli’s self-titled album. I unfortunately don’t have all of Deltron 3030’s album, but I LOVE what I do have, and I love the concept behind the album. I should get that soon. ---
**Author:** ![Grey\_area](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Grey\_area](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey_area)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/13 "2007-05-06T21:41:25Z")
I just remembered “Let’s Get Free” by Dead Prez. Only minor complaint is that it’s political to the point that veers near self-parody at points. But the great album nonetheless, and hip hop with something say (in the spirit of Public Enemy). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/14 "2007-05-06T22:02:36Z")
**Stankonia** is definitely the best hip-hop record of all time. Quite possibly the best record of any genre ever recorded. Those of championing **Speakerboxxx/The Love Below** need to go back and listen to **Stankonia** , it’s at least an order of magnitude better. **Aquemeni** was nearly perfect as well, much better than the double album. Honorable mentions go to **Illmatic** , **Liquid Swords** , **The Chronic** , and **Hell Hath No Fury** (yeah, it only came out a few months ago, but it’s just that good.) ---
**Author:** ![Grey\_area](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Grey\_area](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey_area)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/15 "2007-05-06T22:07:55Z")
I need to stop doing this, but one more. “The Score” by the Fugees. I can’t believe I forgot this one. The talented Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras all in one group. Truly hip hop at its finest. (Side question: Whatever happened to Pras anyway?) ---
**Author:** ![Mooch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mooch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooch)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/16 "2007-05-06T22:36:30Z")
I still listen to “Blowout Comb” by the **Digable Planets** regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/17 "2007-05-06T23:01:14Z")
Nobody’s mentioned Bone Thugs’n’ Harmony yet? East 1999 was one of the best rap albums ever. I haven’t heard anyone mention “All Eyez On Me” or “Life After Death” yet. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/18 "2007-05-06T23:25:27Z")
[QUOTE=Mooch] I still listen to “Blowout Comb” by the **Digable Planets** regularly. [/QUOTE] Me too. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/19 "2007-05-06T23:27:28Z")
Outkast - Idlewild Aesop Rock - Labor Days ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2007, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959/20 "2007-05-07T00:28:53Z")
[QUOTE=Happy Scrappy Hero Pup] “A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing” by Black Sheep “Derelicts of Dialect” by 3rd Bass “Act Like You Know” by MC Lyte “It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” by Public Enemy “Raising Hell” by RUN-DMC “Edutainment” by BDP “Ain’t a Damn Thing Changed” or, for that matter, anything by Nice N’ Smooth Yes, I’m a product of the Golden Age of hip-hop. And no, nothing that’s come out since even comes CLOSE. [/QUOTE] Word. That is a _dope_ list. “Daily Operation” - Gang Starr “Original Gangster” - Ice-T “Business Never Personal” - EPMD “Cypress Hill” - Cypress Hill (the first album was so good, people who got into them for “Black Sunday” are missing out!) “Death Certificate” - Ice Cube “Fear of a Black Planet” - Public Enemy “You Can’t Hold Us Back” - Awesome Dre and the Hardcore Committee (does anyone know this album? Obscure, but Awesome.) “One For All” - Brand Nubian (I could even nominate “In God We Trust” - I thought they got better when Grand Puba left!) “The Geto Boys” - The Geto Boys I would endorse “Derelicts of Dialect” and “Ain’t A Damn Thing Changed” as well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-hiphop-record/402959.md?page=2)