This is a personal and subjective list of the twenty-five hip-hop records that I hold in the highest esteem. These albums are not ranked. If I had to come up with some sort of qualitative ranking system, I know that Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and Illmatic would be near the top of the list. That's about as close as I can get to naming an all-time favorite rap record. I have ordered the albums chronologically, to give a sense of the art-form's progression; from the early party-centric crews (Sugarhill, Stetsasonic) to the aural and political revolution of Public Enemy, to the rise and ultimate mainstreaming of "gangsta" rap, and the ascendancy of the Wu-Tang Clan. Running through this roughly thirty year history is a lineage of left-field underground artists that, I would argue, are the truest creative legacy of the genre. I'm thinking of The Ultramagnetic MC's, De La Soul, and MF DOOM (the artist who probably comes closest to my ideal emcee). I have previously written about some of these albums and artists in greater depth. Feel free to check out my blog entries on MF DOOM, Raekwon's masterpiece Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, and Dälek's Gutter Tactics.
I want to emphasize that this list is entirely my own. There are innumerable "objective" lists of the Greatest Hip-Hop Records Ever, the majority of them placing Dr. Dre's The Chronic in a place of honor. My list does not include any records by Dr. Dre, Eminem, Ice-T, LL Cool J, N.W.A., and many other mainstays. These are not oversights, but preferences. Without in any way questioning their varying influence on the genre, those artists are not particularly interesting to me, and I see little point in duplicating the prevailing hierarchy. As for the reverse problem, many albums were left off my list for the sake of concision. Some albums I would like to have placed on my list include: Big Daddy Kane's Long Live the Kane, Gang Starr's Daily Operation, Little Brother's Get Back, the Mos Def & Talib Kweli collaboration Black Star, Slick Rick's The Great Adventure's of Slick Rick, and any of the five studio albums by A Tribe Called Quest. Follow the jump to view what did make my list.
 | The Sugarhill Gang (1980) - The Sugarhill Gang Find it in the catalog! |
 | Critical Beatdown (1988) - The Ultramagnetic MC's Find it in the catalog! |
 | Strictly Business (1988) - EPMD Find it in the catalog! |
 | In Full Gear (1988) - Stetsasonic Find it in the catalog! |
 | It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) - Public Enemy Find it in the catalog! |
 | Road to the Riches (1989) - Kool G Rap and DJ Polo Find it in the catalog! |
 | Cypress Hill (1991) - Cypress Hill Find it in the catalog! |
 | De La Soul is Dead (1991) - De La Soul Find it in the catalog! |
 | Mecca and the Soul Brother (1992) - Pete Rock & CL Smooth Find it in the catalog! |
 | Don't Sweat the Technique (1992) - Eric B. & Rakim Find it in the catalog |
 | Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993) - Wu-Tang Clan Find it in the catalog! |
 | Illmatic (1994) - Nas Find it in the catalog! |
 | Liquid Swords (1995) - GZA Find it in the catalog! |
 | Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995) - Raekwon Find it in the catalog! |
 | Things Fall Apart (1999) - The Roots Find it in the catalog! |
 | Operation: Doomsday (1999) - MF DOOM Find it in the catalog! |
 | Supreme Clientele (2000) - Ghostface Killah Find it in the catalog! |
 | The Blueprint (2001) - Jay-Z Find it in the catalog! |
 | Madvillainy (2004) - Madvillain Find it in the catalog! |
 | Donuts (2006) - J Dilla Find it in the catalog! |
 | Hell Hath No Fury (2006) - Clipse Find it in the catalog! |
 | I'll Sleep When You're Dead (2007) - El-P Find it in the catalog! |
 | 8 Diagrams (2007) - Wu-Tang Clan Find it in the catalog! |
 | Gutter Tactics (2009) - Dälek Find it in the catalog! |
 | Fluorescent Black (2009) - Antipop Consortium Find it in the catalog! |
