- Your Top 5 Rap Albums -

List your 5 favorite Rap/Hip-Hop albums of all time and why you think they're dope.

I'm expecting a few people to jump on my list and tell me why it's shit or why they hate it but, hey, these lists are all preference. We all like shit for different reasons.




5. Eminem - Marshal Mathers LP

I felt like he perfected the vision of Slim Shady LP in this one. It was heavy hitting and had some serious word play. Definitely changed my outlook on rap in ways. I can remember rewinding it over and over to learn all the words. (I also died my hair bleach-blonde that summer when it came out. Lmao)



4. Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter 2

A better day when Wayne put his heart into it. I felt this so much. This is a real classic. It had everything you could want along with that album/story feel, which is really important to me.




3. Nas - Illmatic

Self explanatory. The Homer's Odyssey of Rap. My second memory of listening to rap. My uncle used to spin the vinyl and mix it up.




2. Kayne West - Late Registration

Probably his best lyrically - This album takes me back to the best days of my life. It's a powerfully crafted work, that I feel is Ye's Masterpiece. Inspiring and something to just get lost in. Had to roll up a hundred to this album. Appreciable in it's form, sculpted straight from the mind of the artist. He made the beats, wrote the bars, and brought his vision to a Grammy winning and timeless chunk of his career.




1. Jay Z - Reasonable Doubt

I loved this album. I grew up on rap and these are some of my first musical memories. I was 5 years old, homeless most times and unable to attend school. Some of my family were involved in gang and drug lifestyles I never understood. One day my uncle picked me up and we took a drive to Atlanta where my new life would begin. I had no clue where I was going I just remember being completely enveloped in this album, it helped me look at the lifestyle of all these fucked up people around me and painted an amazing, vivid picture.
He eventually gave me the cassette and a year later my cousin showed me how to rip and make mixtapes on this crappy radio. I probably listened to that tape 100+ times back then.

Some honorable mentions for my list are:
Slim Shady LP
Ready To Die
All Eyez On Me
The Chronic

1. Illmatic
2. Rip the Jacker/Liquid Swords can't decide
3. Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers (It was a narrow pick over Wu-tang forever)
4. Life is Good
5. The 18th Letter

Honourable mentions:
Paid in Full
93' til Infinity
It was Written
For Whom the Beat Tolls

5. Get Rich Or Die Tryin
4. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. Take Care
2. Raw
1. Recovery

I know. Mainstream bullcrap.

1. Illmatic
2. Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous
3 Rip The Jacker
4. Ready to Die
5.Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.

1. marshal mathers lp
2. all eyes on me
3. stillmatic
4. second rounds on me
5. tha last meal

honourable mentions:

season of the assassin
lifestylez ov da poor & dangerous
laugh now, cry later
survival skills
servants in heaven, kings in hell
it was written

its so hard to choose only 5 and i know my list is not as weird as some others (@Nidac_7) lol but its still pretty out there

1. K.O.D.
2. Everready
3. RAW
4. Marshall Mathers LP
5. Genius

achmed420 wrote:1. marshal mathers lp
2. all eyes on me
3. stillmatic
4. second rounds on me
5. tha last meal

honourable mentions:

season of the assassin
lifestylez ov da poor & dangerous
laugh now, cry later
survival skills
servants in heaven, kings in hell
it was written

its so hard to choose only 5 and i know my list is not as weird as some others (@Nidac_7) lol but its still pretty out there

lol how do you have stillmatic & it was written and no illmatic?

1. Illmatic
2. Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous
3. Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme- Reks
4. The Language of My World- Macklemore
5. Gas Mask- The Left

Honorable Mentions
Music, Magic, Myth-The Last Emperor
El Foto Grande- Robust
To Whom it may concern- Freestyle Fellowship
Revolutionary Vol. 1 & 2

Kind of a diverse top 5+HM but really are all albums I would recommended to any Hip Hop head.

RAW

The Only Color That Matters Is Green

Everready (The Religion)

2001 & The Chronic

Marshall Mathers LP

achmed420 wrote:1. marshal mathers lp
2. all eyes on me
3. stillmatic
4. second rounds on me
5. tha last meal

honourable mentions:

season of the assassin
lifestylez ov da poor & dangerous
laugh now, cry later
survival skills
servants in heaven, kings in hell
it was written

its so hard to choose only 5 and i know my list is not as weird as some others (@Nidac_7) lol but its still pretty out there

lol. in rural pennsylvania not much rap gets played so all i hear is current popular stuff.

Jeet wrote:

achmed420 wrote:1. marshal mathers lp
2. all eyes on me
3. stillmatic
4. second rounds on me
5. tha last meal

honourable mentions:

season of the assassin
lifestylez ov da poor & dangerous
laugh now, cry later
survival skills
servants in heaven, kings in hell
it was written

its so hard to choose only 5 and i know my list is not as weird as some others (@Nidac_7) lol but its still pretty out there

lol how do you have stillmatic & it was written and no illmatic?

lol i knew that was gonna come up. i do like illmatic and i do consider it a classic but i just feel like that wasnt nas' best work. that was when he first come out and he was still developing his craft. stillmatic was his best album imo

Nidac_7 wrote:5. Get Rich Or Die Tryin
4. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. Take Care
2. Raw
1. Recovery

I know. Mainstream bullcrap.

Not trying to be an asshole, but if Recovery, Take Care, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy are in your top 5 of all time then maybe you should listen to more rap albums lol

buddie wrote:

Nidac_7 wrote:5. Get Rich Or Die Tryin
4. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. Take Care
2. Raw
1. Recovery

I know. Mainstream bullcrap.

Not trying to be an asshole, but if Recovery, Take Care, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy are in your top 5 of all time then maybe you should listen to more rap albums lol

If Recovery is someones nr 1 they should either listen to older hip hop or they like hip pop.

1: Eyedea & Abilites - First Born



2: Sage Francis - Personal Journals



3: Twiztid - Mostasteless



4: Atmosphere - God Loves Ugly



5: Nas - Illmatic

buddie wrote:

Nidac_7 wrote:5. Get Rich Or Die Tryin
4. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. Take Care
2. Raw
1. Recovery

I know. Mainstream bullcrap.

Not trying to be an asshole, but if Recovery, Take Care, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy are in your top 5 of all time then maybe you should listen to more rap albums lol

Yesterday i found my collection of cassettes and found some actual classics.
My new list would be
5. All Eyez On Me
4. Raw
3. The Chronic
2. Marshall Mathers LP
1. Straight Outta Compton
To be honest, the albums i listed first are probably still in my top 30

PS, cassettes are a pain to deal with

BabySmacker wrote:1: Eyedea & Abilites - First Born



2: Sage Francis - Personal Journals



3: Twiztid - Mostasteless



4: Atmosphere - God Loves Ugly



5: Nas - Illmatic

Nice fucking list dude. God loves ugly and First born helped me through depression. By the Throat is fantastic too. I'm a really big atmosphere / E&A fan

Chokey wrote:

buddie wrote:

Nidac_7 wrote:5. Get Rich Or Die Tryin
4. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. Take Care
2. Raw
1. Recovery

I know. Mainstream bullcrap.

Not trying to be an asshole, but if Recovery, Take Care, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy are in your top 5 of all time then maybe you should listen to more rap albums lol

If Recovery is someones nr 1 they should either listen to older hip hop or they like hip pop.

i tend to forget about older hip hop because i hate dealing with cassette tapes, which are what most of my old hip hop is on.

DGCK wrote:

BabySmacker wrote:1: Eyedea & Abilites - First Born



2: Sage Francis - Personal Journals



3: Twiztid - Mostasteless



4: Atmosphere - God Loves Ugly



5: Nas - Illmatic

Nice fucking list dude. God loves ugly and First born helped me through depression. By the Throat is fantastic too. I'm a really big atmosphere / E&A fan

Yeah, as am I man. I'd personally have to say that Eyedea is my all time favorite rapper.

achmed420 wrote:

Jeet wrote:

achmed420 wrote:1. marshal mathers lp
2. all eyes on me
3. stillmatic
4. second rounds on me
5. tha last meal

honourable mentions:

season of the assassin
lifestylez ov da poor & dangerous
laugh now, cry later
survival skills
servants in heaven, kings in hell
it was written

its so hard to choose only 5 and i know my list is not as weird as some others (@Nidac_7) lol but its still pretty out there

lol how do you have stillmatic & it was written and no illmatic?

lol i knew that was gonna come up. i do like illmatic and i do consider it a classic but i just feel like that wasnt nas' best work. that was when he first come out and he was still developing his craft. stillmatic was his best album imo

Jeet wrote:

achmed420 wrote:

Jeet wrote:

achmed420 wrote:1. marshal mathers lp
2. all eyes on me
3. stillmatic
4. second rounds on me
5. tha last meal

honourable mentions:

season of the assassin
lifestylez ov da poor & dangerous
laugh now, cry later
survival skills
servants in heaven, kings in hell
it was written

its so hard to choose only 5 and i know my list is not as weird as some others (@Nidac_7) lol but its still pretty out there

lol how do you have stillmatic & it was written and no illmatic?

lol i knew that was gonna come up. i do like illmatic and i do consider it a classic but i just feel like that wasnt nas' best work. that was when he first come out and he was still developing his craft. stillmatic was his best album imo

opinions man, everyone has them

I don't think I could narrow it down to 5

these are some of my favorites though

it takes a nation of millions to hold us back
midnight marauders
the darkest cloud
rip the jacker
a book of human language
3rd eye vision
live and let die

etc

Take Care - Drake.
Careless World - Tyga
Souljaboytellem.com - Soulja Boy.
Romans Revenge - Nicki Minaj.
Tha Carter IV - Weezy F Baby

N fuk ny nikka dat h8 on da gr8ts rapers eva...swag

Jeet wrote:1. Illmatic
2. Rip the Jacker/Liquid Swords can't decide
3. Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers (It was a narrow pick over Wu-tang forever)
4. Life is Good
5. The 18th Letter

Honourable mentions:
Paid in Full
93' til Infinity
It was Written
For Whom the Beat Tolls

Ok, after much deliberation and EXTENSIVE listening to both illmatic and liquid swords, I have to say liquid swords is the greatest hip hop record I've ever heard. Nas has an extremely slight advantage in terms of his impeccable flow, but the Genius' dense, intricate, complex lyricism can not be matched IMHO. New list:

1. Liquid Swords
2. Illmatic
3. Rip the Jacker
4. Life is Good
5. 36 chambers/ wu-tang forever (again, after listening to both in their entirety, I just can't decide)

Jeet wrote:

Jeet wrote:1. Illmatic
2. Rip the Jacker/Liquid Swords can't decide
3. Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers (It was a narrow pick over Wu-tang forever)
4. Life is Good
5. The 18th Letter

Honourable mentions:
Paid in Full
93' til Infinity
It was Written
For Whom the Beat Tolls

Ok, after much deliberation and EXTENSIVE listening to both illmatic and liquid swords, I have to say liquid swords is the greatest hip hop record I've ever heard. Nas has an extremely slight advantage in terms of his impeccable flow, but the Genius' dense, intricate, complex lyricism can not be matched IMHO. New list:

1. Liquid Swords
2. Illmatic
3. Rip the Jacker
4. Life is Good
5. 36 chambers/ wu-tang forever (again, after listening to both in their entirety, I just can't decide)

lol, youve been texting me about it all day.

1. Marshall Mathers LP
2. Slim Shady LP
3. The Eminem Show
4. Recovery
5. Hell: The Sequel

Oh man. That was tough. But usually I only put my favorite Eminem album so it seem more balanced. But I don't want to right now.