Forget the comic genius or the harrowing tales of violence. I honestly don't know how anyone can deny the simple yet penetrating underclass angst of songs like "If I Had" and "Rock Bottom". Unless they've never struggled in the real world, or just lack or lost empathy or compassion, which I gather Em's worst critics probably have (and I don't mean anyone here).

These are the kinds of songs that make you feel you're not crazy or alone in such a universal struggle, one that leads you to feeling fed up with all the conveniently pious, uppity, unrealistic standards bludgeoning us in the media and from elites. In the real world, sh*t happens, pressures provoke bad behavioral tendencies, and without people provoking thought about them, it would have little chance of getting better. These songs are still relevant, 20 years later. That is my connection to those particular songs.

The Roots' How I Got Over album resonates in the same way, albeit with a more sophisticated, mature approach to exploring moral, existential, and financial anxieties. That means much more to me in adjudging something a classic. Why else would a work of art endure the test of time if it does not connect on some universal and human level? That is a big reason why these albums belong in the same discussion.

What are your connections to the albums you've named?