07 June 2011
So 5th Element was hit with this question the other day...
”If someone that has never been exposed to hip hop music wanted to be exposed to the music. Which 5 hip hop albums would you recommend?”What sayeth you? Hit us with your Top 5...and why you chose them. I'll start with mine...This list is anachronistic by the way. (look it up...LOL)
1. It Takes a Nations of Millions to Hold Us Back- Public Enemy-1988
My personal favorite hip-hop album of all time. To me, it defines what hip-hops original premise was. Dope beats, dope rhymes, enlightenment in all forms and just a flawless album to me. Chuck D., who has arguably the most commanding voice in hip-hop, does not waste a word on this album. There is little to no braggadocio. Every verse relays a message. Some 20 years later, I still listen to this record and still get new nuggets of wisdom that I hadn't received before in my, well over, hundreds of listens to this album. This album taught me the strength of black unity, and more so the strength and power of hip hop as a means to relay the message of empowerment to the people. Undoubtedly, Rakim is my favorite MC. However, Chuck D. has definitely influenced me to be an effective MC.
2. Straight Outta Compton- NWA-1988
This album is what made America scared of hip-hop. It was the perfect mixture of anger, social awareness and consciousness, and just undefiled "real nigga-ism." NWA made people like myself, who were unaware of life on the other coast, aware and very afraid. LOL. I personally never wanted to meet Cube in a dark alley. I had to hide this tape from my parents. They went from "F*ck The Police" to "Express Yourself" to "Dope Man"and somehow manage to keep their message consistent. They showed us the side of the angry, frustrated, young black male that America fears. They were gangster. They were intelligent. They were hip-hop.
3. Illmatic-Nas-1994
The quintessential hip-hop album. If you don't own, or have never owned this album; you're not hip-hop. Period. You suck and your life has little purpose. LOL. Just kidding. This album, I feel, was the album that rebirthed the Rakims and the Big Daddy Kanes. Nas was street savvy, yet rarely raised his voice above a conversational tone, a vocabulary that made cats open dictionaries, and a crop of producers on the album that will probably never be duplicated. Nas painted pictures with words that would make a nun understand that intricacies of a street kid's life in Queensbridge. In my opinion, Nas has yet to top this first album. Honestly, I don't think he should try to. It belongs on a different shelf with the likes on Whats Going On, and Legend.
4. Raising Hell-Run DMC-1986
I chose this album because it let the world know that HIP-HOP IS HERE...DEAL WITH IT. In a genre that was mostly ignored by the mainstream, Run DMC went triple platinum with this album and made corporate America take notice. There were so many groundbreaking moments on this album. Most notably, the first successful collaboration of rock and hip hop, with the Queens natives joining forces with rock legends Aerosmith. Also, it solidified hip-hop's obsession with being fly with "My Adidas." Had it not been for this, there would be no Rocawear, Phat Farm, or Mecca. It let the world know that, yes, we value our sneaks like you value your fine China. Just an all around groundbreaking album.
5. Radio- LL Cool J-1985
I chose this record for several reasons. It was Def Jam's first full length release...bringing to light the strength of the hip-hop record label. Secondly, I think it was the unveiling of what we know as the "hip-hop icons." In my opinions, Uncle L was the first. On the strength of this album LL was the first hip-hop act on American Bandstand, and was responsible for bringing hip-hop to the forefront. Radio was the mixture of all things hip-hop. The sampling on "Rock The Bells", the album title cut which was an ode to the young black males love of music and how we "liked it loud." Also, it was one of the first albums to explore the black mans frustration with loose women on "Dear Yvette." A very well rounded album, with "Rock The Bells" still having some of the dopest bars to EVER exist over a beat, as showcased by Eminem and The Roots MC, Black Thought, when they traded LL's verses on Def Jam's VH1 Honors. These rhymes sounded like they could have been penned last week both either poet. I remember stealing by brother's Radio tape, and playing it in my walkman when he would forget to take it with it. Needless to say, I have been a hip-hop head ever since.
1.De La Soul
ReplyDelete3 Feet high and Rising (1989)
This album solidified my introduction to Hip Hop Music and that it was not a fad. I had been exposed to hip hop music prior to this album with the likes of Sugar Hill Run n em as well as just growing up in the NY scene where it was almost hard to avoid but as a youngster my appreciation level for the art did not peek until I hear 3 feet high and rising. Up until De La dropped the music although creative did not create a feeling of relatability. For anyone that has never been exposed to Hip Hop music at all I recommend this album for the diverse musicality and abstract art with words that you will gain from De La Soul
2.A Tribe Called Quest
The Low End Theory (1991)
ATCQ has always been my favorite group, not taking away from EPMD another of my favorite Hip Hop groups but I grew up in a jazz and eclectic surroundings so I gravitated to them on that level. However, bias opinion aside this album exposes the listener to history by way of the use of samples that were used. By providing a rich and layered back culmination of rhymes and ideals The Low End Theory is one of the most mentioned albums in the midst of a time when Hip Hop Music seemed to be Hardcore.
3.Nas
Illmatic (1994)
To be honest with you there is nothing about this album that I can say that has not been said already. Slick Rick would be the only comparison to anyone’s ability to create a vivid picture with the use of words. I mean even if you had never seen or been to the projects the way Nas paints the picture you would hear the images all the way don’t to the chipped paint that once covered the concrete animal statues in the playground or hear the feeling of hearing shots ring out and resorting to your ability to survive until you find even yourself out of breath as if you was running from the shots themselves. This recommendation is would be to give the listener an understanding of how Hip Hop music can embrace the surroundings and relay a clear message just a well if not better than some of the prominent poets of our time.
4.MC Breed
MC Breed & DFC (1991)
Coming from NY I was not that partial to west coast hip hop music until I heard MC Breed. Yeah I was up on NWA and others the likes but they spoke on topic that I didn’t live or had been exposed to b/c
NY Gang life was very diff so I found myself poking fun instead of relating to those groups and if I wanted to be to hear about what I could do socially in my hood I would listen to PE or X Clan. But
MC Breed really closed the Gap between East and West coast hip hop in that he was cleaver with the use of his words yet was able to maintain a genuine west coast swag in his subject matter and topic selection. I would recommend this for album to a new comer so they can enjoy a full spectrum of what the west coast hip hop scene had to offer and not per say be turned away from most of the social and so called "Gangster Rap". RIP MC Breed
5.Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
The Message (1982)
This Album is the best choice for anyone looking to start their Hip Hop music appreciation for several reasons. The message culminated everything from the inception of music form block parties to just everyday living which led to why we had to create and outlet for ourselves in the form of music.
The Message also depicts the social awareness as well as the advocating self worth of a people with all odds against them. The reality and hard fact expressed in this album paved the way for our conscience artist such as PE, Poor Righteous teachers x clan and on to Mos Def Common just to name a few
HONORABLE MENTION
ReplyDeleteLL Cool J
14 Shots to the Dome (1993)
I chose this album because this was the album in which LL Peaked. This album gave you all that he gave in his prior 4 albums (Radio '85, Bigger and Deffer '87, Walking with a Panther '89,
Mama Said Knock You Out '89) coming from the true school of battle rapping LL in this album gives takes you to Battling school and really evolves the concept of battle rapping from what it once was. This album will provide a good ground of the culture of hip hop music from that prospective as well as putting together a complete body of work in an album from start to finish.
Group Home
Livin' Proof (1995)
I am suggesting this as an Honorable mention. Reason being is that Hip Hop Music is not just about the
MC a huge part of it if not half is about the production and in my opinion this album is one of the best produced albums to date by one of the greatest producers. With that said there is very little that can be said about the actual MC's on this album except that if the production was not as great as it was they would have probably never been even mentioned in any circle of hip hop music conversations.
These needed to be mentioned b/c they were dope. Don’t Front.
GZA
Liquid Swords (1991)
Redman
Dare Iz a Darkside (1994)
EPMD
Strictly Business (1988)
Kid n Play
2 Hype (1988)
Salt N Pepa
Hot, Cool & Vicious (1986)
1. Big Daddy Kane- Long live the Kane
ReplyDelete2. 2pac Me against the World
3. Biggie Life after death
4. Nas- illmatic
5. Outkast- ataliens
honorable mention
jazzy jeff and the fresh prince "He's the Dj im the rapper"
Eminem- the Eminem show
Ty...I find it very interesting that you, being from NY, have MC Breed on your top 5 albums. Man...that was quite intriguing. Good read man.
ReplyDelete