a lot of classics were classics in their own time, either by big sales or being recognized as musician's music.

a record like the miseducation of lauryn hill or the score or the first eminem record didn't need time. they were classics fresh out of the box. same shit with the chronic records. nobody was overlooking enter the 36 chambers. there are some *good* records out there in the mainstream today, but nothing like those.

then let's look at something like camp lo's uptown saturday night, which developed an instant cult following. the tribe and de la records were kind of like that on a bigger scale. or going into another genre, some shit like the band's music from big pink or jimi's are you experienced. they might not have been all over the three networks or anything, but anybody who knew music was into them and saw the long-term potential immediately.