not most sales. not most imitated. i'm not even concerned with the long term reverberations of the album; just the flat out, best hip hop album ever made. i don't want to hear rationalizations either; you know, "well if it weren't for so-and-so, _____would never have done what he did.". i don't care about concensus opinions. i don't want to hear arguments citing what everyone else tends to agree is the best because it doesn't matter. if the opinion of others weighs heavily on your choice, don't even bother.

i'm talking the album that, to YOU, on it's OWN MERITS, stands head and shoulders above the rest. this isn't a challange. i'm not daring you to prove me wrong. this is just about your personal choice for that number one spot, and why. fair enough?

me? i'm rolling with, drumroll please........

Even the sun goes down. Heroes eventually die. Horoscopes often lie, and sometimes Y. Nothing is for sure; nothing is for certain- nothing lasts forever, but until they close the curtain.... it's him and i...

AQUEMENI.

this is hip hops peak album to me. it does not get better. much has been made of this album, and rightly so. thing is, i don't think it gets lauded ENOUGH. it stands alone to me. it's not neck and neck, it does not stand shoulder to shoulder with any other.

why? just listen. it's a creative masterpiece on all fronts. lyrically it goes places you don't find too much of in hip hop. dre's verse on rosa parks might be the most creative, insightful verse on a mainstream rap song- period, and it KILLS in a club setting to boot, which is just gravy. dre creatively snaps again on the title track in two verses that don't really have peers. da art of storytelling lives up to it's name as perfectly as any. synthesizer is something you genuinely don't expect and yet makes perfect sense for these two. return of the g opens the album up with fire.

plenty of albums can match the sense of adventure on display here, heading out to relatively uncharted waters as a whole, but how many of those albums can match the execution of this one? the follow up upped the anti and holds the five best songs on any of their albums- but the dropoff is steep after that. the three previous efforts were all much better top to bottom.

the fact that aquemeni stands out amongst their own albums- which are ALL stellar through the first five- is saying a lot. everything is here, in droves: social commentary, creative risks, superb lyricism, excellent story telling, adventurous production, it delivers on things you expect and smacks you in the with everything you don't. it's grown up hip hop at it's most refined. it stands alone and does not have a peer in my eyes. it is rightly held in extremely high regard but in my eyes it's never held in high enough regard unless it's considered the very best, hands down. maybe it's not the "right" one. chances are many will disagree. that's all good; this is just how i personally feel about this album. no other album elicits such strong emotion and passion from me.

but that's just *my* take.
what's your pick?

Just the perfect balance of everything. Ambitious without sounding like it's trying too hard. Fun without being corny. Nostalgic but timeless. Smooth but gritty. Accessible but risky. Jazzy but also straight boom bap. Iconic but personal.

how does it make you *feel* from a personal standpoint.

i didn't go too much into that with my post but that's something i kinda wanna delve into as well.

like, for my pick... i still get excited listening to it like it's brand new. it's not an emotional album to me but i just get flat out geeked listening to it. it's the one album that reduces me back to that first time, wide eyed listener who is just awed at what i'm hearing. i don't feel that with too many albums after awhile but this retains that effect.

Gza-Liquid Swords

beats and lyrics, from start to finish, just breathtaking.

"I'm on a mission, that n***as say is impossible, but when I swing my sword, they all choppable"

this is the one album where the spliced audio from the movies were so ingrained with the whole of the album that removing them drops the overall feeling and quality of the album down a few pegs.

In that it feel so damn comfortable. It feels like hanging out with old friends. (Which is one of the great traits of ATCQ--they make the listener feel like their friend, probably why so many white kids love them)

I do remember being amazed when I first heard Check the Rhyme, but that isn't the sensation I get anymore. So it doesn't surprise me every time. It reminds me, oh yeah, my favorite hip hop album of all time.

it's also one the albums that makes me consistantly marvel at the engineering.

>In that it feel so damn comfortable. It feels like hanging
>out with old friends. (Which is one of the great traits of
>ATCQ--they make the listener feel like their friend, probably
>why so many white kids love them)

C/S

Mainly, due to its ability to have repeat listens.

Vast topic structure, incredible vibes, and timeless..

Same here. From the moment "Excursions" comes on to the moment "Scenario"' ends, it's just perfect. No filler material. Just classic shit for 14 straight tracks. It brings back good memories everytime I listen to it I can remember being 12 and riding in my uncle's car from Atlanta to Covington and LET was the soundtrack to that 35 minute ride.

OB4CL... is a close second due to the fact it was released on my 16th birthday. The best b-day gift I received to this day!

I put that album on for the first time in YEARS a couple weeks ago, and goddamn that's some good music. Almost forgot how ridiculous it was. I'll never hate on someone who picks that as the GOAT, mainly because I can jam it from front-to-back and almost ALWAYS pick a different "favorite song."

For what it's worth, today it's "The Art Of Storytelling (Pt 1)"

hey

Aquemini is also one. Resurrection is another.

I'm having a hard time deciding on just one with this criteria.

not really much criteria except it's gotta be YOURS, you know? this isn't a consensus post so there's a lot less to take into account. it's just the one that does it for yuo like no other. if three are equal to you, pick one and pour on the adulation. gush like you made it, lol.

And that said I think I go with Resurrection. The reason I had a tough time was because with Aquemini and 3 Feet High there's so much creativity it's hard to pick against them.

But while Resurrection doesn't have the creative angle those two have, what it DOES have is incredibly dense lyricism and wordplay. This was just brought up in a post recently: to this day, I listen to that album and pick up lyrical nuances and wordplay that Common used that I never noticed before. And even the ones I already picked up on get me going to this day. I still rewind parts of verses and laugh to myself while listening to all that wordplay, it's just so damn fun and impressive lyrically.

And in terms of production, the backdrop couldn't have been better for that type of wordplay. Soulful, simple, boombap beats with short and sweet hooks that just complement the density of the lyrics/the personality of the MC better than any album I've ever heard.

I can't think of another album that I've listened to more that still holds the power this album does over me when I hear it. I'm almost giddy when I hear some of the lyrics. It's literally like a class in how to engage people in what is being said rather than just the beats alone. The consistency of the sound with No ID and Ynot for inhouse production just couldn't have been better.

So yea. That'd have to be my #1. Not one bad moment on that album, not one.

>But while Resurrection doesn't have the creative angle those
>two have, what it DOES have is incredibly dense lyricism and
>wordplay. This was just brought up in a post recently: to
>this day, I listen to that album and pick up lyrical nuances
>and wordplay that Common used that I never noticed before.
>And even the ones I already picked up on get me going to this
>day. I still rewind parts of verses and laugh to myself while
>listening to all that wordplay, it's just so damn fun and
>impressive lyrically.

This is part of the reason why it's so painful for me to listen to Common these days. He either got lazy, or tried to dumb down for his audience to double his dollars...and still failed. His delivery is slow as shit, his punchlines don't really hit anymore, and his spirituality and insights are not as sophisticated as he thinks they are...some of it sounds like 8th grade poetry to me.

Yea. His shit is contrived and corny these days, it's uncomfortable to listen to, and SO damn unfortunate because albums like Resurrection all the way through even Be show what the man is capable of. He just dumbed it down way too much and got lazy, like you said.

just, like, the one that stands out to you on a personal level.

.

lyrics impeccable. best RZA production ever. a true album, cinematic from start to finish. masterpiece.

too tired right now

short, shabby hooks on the last three songs and large professor's production has aged poorly in comparison to the other beats/lyrics.

one of us is just plain wrong

he'd much rather be a dick than actually contribute something of substance. this thread isn't about trashing each others picks or arguing a consensus. it's entirely about each posters personal choice.

"I'll take, invent shit to dislike about Illmatic for
200."

>short

i.e. the correct length. Especially because all the
songs are good, no filler, at all. No bullshit interludes.
Even the intro is outstanding (probably the best introduction
to an album, ever).

>shabby hooks on the last three songs

"Shabby hooks."

LOL


Yeah, maybe Skylar Gray should have sung the hook.

But wait...you don't like Lupe's music either, eh?


LOL



>and large
>professor's production has aged poorly in comparison to the
>other beats/lyrics.

LOL.




----------------------------

Young Broadway Star Urgently Needs a Bone Marrow Donor. Is it you? http://MatchShannon.com/







O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

no one has disputed any of my three criticisms yet.

A comment about an album's length isn't a "criticism".

Shabby hooks on the last three songs is a matter of opinion. I don't think they're shabby. And hooks are the last on the list in order of importance, regardless.

Large Pro's beats not aging well is also a matter of opinion that I don't agree with, and he had a lot to live up to anyway so even if it WERE true that doesn't make them bad beats.

it's 40 minutes long. 6 of those are the intro and a song that appeared on a soundtrack. to say that 36 minutes of music is the "best hip hop album of all time" is pretty unfair to LPs that are longer than 9 songs (2 of which aren't that great, either).

i think it's a top five album, with arguably better highs than any other LP and impeccable rapping. "memory lane" might be my favorite song ever. i just can't put it above nation of millions, cuban linx, amerikka's most wanted, etc.

>it's 40 minutes long. 6 of those are the intro and a song
>that appeared on a soundtrack. to say that 36 minutes of music
>is the "best hip hop album of all time" is pretty unfair to
>LPs that are longer than 9 songs (2 of which aren't that
>great, either).

I still think that's a petty reason. I don't care if it's 10 minutes long. If it makes me feel some sort of way more than any other album in history, it's the best album in history IMO. Funnily enough, I'm not even arguing for Illmatic being the best ever, personally, I just don't think your argument about length holds any weight as to why it COULDN'T be the best ever.


>i think it's a top five album, with arguably better highs than
>any other LP and impeccable rapping. "memory lane" might be my
>favorite song ever. i just can't put it above nation of
>millions, cuban linx, amerikka's most wanted, etc.

Word. And again I'm not even arguing it as the best ever, for me or for the majority. I just really don't think length should come into the equation.

but i don't think illmatic was a perfectly-wrapped, cohesive 40 minutes either.

"halftime" was a jolly battle rap about having "mad, phat fluid when i rhyme" bookended by densely poetic and visual tracks like "the world is yours" and "memory lane." and, with "represent" and "one time for your mind" at the end with similar beats, similar content and similar hooks, it felt like they'd run out of ideas. then "it ain't hard to tell" is another song about nothing (albiet a classic one).

i basically think the nas/large pro tracks aren't exceptional enough to comprise a third of the "greatest album of all time." that's why the length of "illmatic" matters to me.

thats why its so good. .

a bunch a muhfuckas yelling RESPRESENT, REPRESENT! is so DOPE.

Nas' raps should be locked in a cell. . It Ain't Hard To Tell"
and then he justs lets the beat ride. its actually one of the
best examples in Hip-Hop history as to when to just shut up and not use a hook.

the notion that hooks aren't important in hip-hop is comedy. even on illmatic, the best songs all have the strongest choruses ("ny state of mind," "memory lane," "life's a bitch," "the world is yours," "one love"). there's a reason no one ever mentions "represent," "halftime," "it ain't hard to tell" or "one time for your mind" as among the best tracks on the album.

not a coincidence.

Seriously.

But it's also bizarre for a hiphop fan to criticize Illmatic so heavily.

faults the chorus to Represent and then credits the chorus to One Love.

talk about being oblivious to ones own hypocrisy.

and I must admit, the fact you type "lulz" every time coupled with your pink avitar makes me dislike you even more.

weaker tracks on that album

...that is my answer...

People have their own tastes, but that is the correct
answer.

Anyone who tries to nitpick 'Illmatic' is dishonest.

----------------------------

Young Broadway Star Urgently Needs a Bone Marrow Donor. Is it you? http://MatchShannon.com/







O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

but then so is The Score and i know how the lesson hates that one.

>but then so is The Score and i know how the lesson hates that
>one.

Seriously??

Who the fuck hates that album??

----------------------------

Young Broadway Star Urgently Needs a Bone Marrow Donor. Is it you? http://MatchShannon.com/







O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

Because it just is.

~Austin

*CROCKA*



HSUBAKCITS

www.smokingsection.net



http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r9/chowyunskinny/Gold%20Chef/iron_chef.jpg

Sounds a bit stannish for an OKP'er, but I love that album. In 2006 I had just moved out of the house and really got my first taste of independence. I traveled out to Philly to visit friends just about every-other weekend, and hearing Bunny Sigler's hook on "Long Time" always reminds me of turning that bend on the Schuylkill and first seeing the skyline. Yeah, it's real corny, but nothing else has that kind of impact on me.

Legit downloaded (already had my pre-order in, shush) the night before I moved into my dorm. Was actually listening to it earlier today at work and I swear everytime I put it on it puts me right into freshmen orientation week and exploring the city for the first time. Like you, it reminds me of the first time I was living independent of my parents. Awesome album, my favorite from the Roots, and in my top 5 of the 2000s.

For me, it's Whut Thee Album by Redman. I'm not usually an album guy, I prefer taking my favorite tracks and making a tape/ CD but this is one that I enjoyed from start to finish.

I was a huge EPMD fan but I wasn't feeling the first single "Blow Your Mind". The late Kenny K (Digital Underground) used to have a radio show on the weekend where he played uncensored tracks from the latest albums. He played "Redman vs Reggie Noble" one night and that's what piqued my interest.

The vibe and fun in the album is what got me. The only album that felt nearly as fun was "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing". It was well produced in the same way that "Niggaz4life" was. Not necessarily speaking about the beats, just the way it all comes together from the skits to the sound EFX etc. Just a fun listen.

The songs sound better in the context of the album, which to me is the mark of a great album. They're still dope standalone but they sound better when you listen the whole way through.

Listening to it takes me right back to late '92-early '93 when I used to alternate between this album and Bushwick's "Little Big Man". I got them both for X-Mas '92.

I wouldn't rank it as the +BEST+ album but it's my favorite.

That album still bangs after a decade.

Aquemeni is a good pick tho, can't argue with that album. i wanted to say ATLiens is on par with it, but after thinkin it over it's really not.

who is that? i was trolling this post and im not ashamed to admit that caught my attention more than the "illmatic" argument lol

yep

has everything to me.

Yes this one and P.E. "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back" definitely my all time top 2 albums. I've been a hiphop head since '88. Gang Starr and Nas will battle it out for the number 3 slot.

www.kvbeats.com - check my producer album with features from: Slum Village, Royce Da 5'9, Prince Po, Mic Geronimo, Chaundon, Oddisee etc. Much flava and raw soulfulness, chopped up breaks the way your daddy loves 'em.

if i listened to this album objectively and critically, i'd say the songs lack focus, theres a bit of filler, a few annoying hooks, it ends like 3 different times none of which are really a great way to end an album; all kinds of shit that could weigh it down.

but its the greatest hip hop musicians at their best.

a lot of people love illadelph black thought or perhaps more recent BT, but thought was droppin his smoothest bars and killinest flow in Table of Contents, act too, and hell ill say it, even the random ass hidden track that ends the album for the 3rd time has some favorite BT verses.

the way it opens with ToC 1&2 is CRAZY. like, the best opening you could possibly have, no opener is matchin BT lettin off over them crazy ass cymbals and simple but sweet keyboard (which could even be another fault with the album)

the roots never again captured the same atmosphere and vibes of tracks like Aint sayin nothin new or 100% dundee.... and Dynamite? fughetabout it

tfa has a sound which im not sure ill ever hear again... cool, raw, ILL

love those two joints.

Call me a Dilla stan or whatever, I fucking love that album. Run it back, I fucking LOVE that album.

Cus believe me i am WITH YOU on this. fuckin love the album all the way around for reasons questo explained way better than i could ever in his baatin eulogy post

front to back

minus the Fuck Me interlude
*wich IMO should be sequenced between either Me & My Bitch and Big Poppa OR Big Poppa and Respect*

But yeah.. RTD was is and always be my #1..
there are countless other albums i fox with but this shhh right here
blew my mind when i was in high school..
from Things Done Changed till Suicidal Thoughts just f*ckin MUAAH! Stewed to a perfection©Dave Chapelle

BEATS = 8.5 *Easy Mo Bee KILLED those joints!* could a been a 10 if Finesse had more joints..
LYRICS = 9 *Psshhhh.. first i talk about how dresses this in diamond necklaces..* come on son?!

Not the first album i owned *wich was actually Snoop's Doggystyle*
but THE album that always gets a monthly rotation..

B.I.G. is the GOAT, no ? IMO

No one could do the Street anthem, Club banger, and Storytellin jawns on his level...No ONE

It was always hard for me to sit through that whole album when it first came out, mostly because after I hear going back to Cali, it's just weird...

But now, it's unbelievable...biggie smalls is the illest

I mean on this album you have:

Street anthems like 10 crack commandments and Kick in the door (all-time bangers)
Club bangers like Hypnotize, Mo Money, Nasty Boy (all-time bangers)
Storytellin jawns like What's Beef and Got a story (got a story covers all 3, you can play that ish in the club, he's storytellin, and it's a street anthem)

And you still got jawns on there like Sky's the limit, Notorious thugs, and Long Kiss (my personal favorite)

So I'm pulling into my stop, and I don't feel like getting out of my car, there's still 1 more jawn left on CD 2...you're nobody til somebody kills you...and I remember why it was hard to listen to this album when it first came out...just weird

Mamacita sucks imho.
And after SpottieOttie it doesn't really flow/feels uneven.

I could've sworn the original post said something about "YOUR PERSONAL OPINION" on what's the greatest album of all time or something like that.

it's all good. i like the turnout overall.

>Mamacita sucks imho.
>And after SpottieOttie it doesn't really flow/feels uneven.

>Mamacita sucks imho.
>And after SpottieOttie it doesn't really flow/feels uneven.

Outta line like titties in the open. The system of industry is kitty-litter ocean. - CH

twitter dot com slash onejdunn

He didn't say Spottie was uneven or bad.

My double take needed to be a triple take.

Chonkyfire is my shit though.

--
Outta line like titties in the open. The system of industry is kitty-litter ocean. - CH

twitter dot com slash onejdunn

I can't imagine any self respecting human being would ever honestly say they dislike Spottieottie.

...I was working at Tower Records village NYC at the time, and heard Spottieottie... quite often and it wasn't nuthin' to me.

I liked "elevators" and a few other songs off "Atliens" but I really didn't like "Aquemini" at all.

Whatever I guess. I just don't see what's not to like about it.

> I just don't see what's not to like about it.

the fact it's just a repetitive loop of some agreeable sounding music with some speaking here and there. Nothing about it grabs the listener. Sounds like they're trying to be cute and clever or slick.

That's why De la "3 feet..." is tops, cause their vibe seemed real. Most "creative" type hip-hop acts got some phonyness to me-they're good, but some songs seem like "we're being cute/clever here!!!"

I really don't like that "damn,damn,damn,damn" thing too on "spottieottie..."

>Nothing
>about it grabs the listener.

cause like I said you're the first person I've ever "spoken" to about this who doesn't like the song. Seems like most people were grabbed by it. If you weren't, that's fine...but I'd say the majority were.

then there are no great hip hop albums

I must be the only person that likes Mamacita. The beat is tough, Dre and Big's verses are dope. The chick is kinda annoying but it doesn't bring down the entire song for me.

don't know if you want me to cosign...lol.

It's still not my favorite but it's an alright song. The chorus is kind of eerie and I like both of Kast's verses (although the anti-lesbian rhetoric from Dre still makes me scratch my head a little bit). Not a terrible song.

only part i don't like is the stouffer's lasagna stuff.

________
Big PEMFin H & z's
█▆▇▅▇█▇▆▄▁▃
http://concretesoundsystem.com
The Underbelly - http://bit.ly/f5BmBR
RIPL - http://bit.ly/e5wzxn
Read me write - http://themoshi.tumblr.com/

Y'all slipin....

________
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█▆▇▅▇█▇▆▄▁▃
http://concretesoundsystem.com
The Underbelly - http://bit.ly/f5BmBR
RIPL - http://bit.ly/e5wzxn
Read me write - http://themoshi.tumblr.com/

Best of the genre, better than the best albums of other genres.

it's perfect

As a continuous and complete work, it's my favorite hip hop album ever. The only one I rarely listen to bits and pieces of - when I'm in the mood for it, I'm in the mood for the whole thing, from the tone-setting intro to the amazing melancholy of "Growing Old" (I tend to think of the "Elevators" remix as a bonus track and therefore not part of the album proper, but it's nice too). The production is my favorite of all time and I can't believe it wasn't more influential, or that Organized Noize didn't continue in that vein a little longer. And both MCs are about at the top of their game - they might have gotten a little better and more full of their respective personalities later on, but at that point they merged into this awesome, cohesive whole and yet stimulated different sides of my brain, and brought different things to the table.

Measuring objectively I think "Aquemini" might be a bolder creative statement with higher highs, but "ATLiens" is the best single-album statement I can think of.

Not often listed as one of the best, but most everyone I know loves it. My opinion, anyway.

As an 8 year old living in Germany at the time, this was my first real exposure to hip-hop as we didn't get an onslaught of media back in the day from home. I saw the video for "Bad" on the late night music show that had a hodge podge of country, rock, etc... and for days after viewing it I would jump around the house emulating LL's movements and yelling out the raps. My favorite line at the time "So forget Oreo's eat Cool J cookies I'm bad". Shit had a little nigga hype.

Illmatic, 14 years old coming back to the states for the first time in several years and this along with My Life were the first purchases I made in a stateside record store. Illmatic at the time was the most complex rap album I had ever heard and shit just amazed me how he rhymed and the things he said. I almost share a similar nostalgic love for My Life.

This album pretty much blew my mind, lyrically I'm not quite sure it can be topped. It has pretty much everything I could want from a hip hop album: it's got those straight up rappity rap tracks that no one could do better, storytelling, posse joints, songs for the ladies, etc. He rips damn nigh every track and the production is solid throughout.

Common at his best.
Dilla at his best.
Ya'll know da rest.

It's more like my favorite hip hop album.
I don't think it's necessarily the best.

Its absolutely flawless. Mastery.




----------------------------

Young Broadway Star Urgently Needs a Bone Marrow Donor. Is it you? http://MatchShannon.com/







O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

i listened to "bizarre ride" all the time when it came out, but never considered it a top-notch album. at this point, i haven't heard it in literally 15 years (other than "passin' me by" and "otha fish"). interesting that people regard it so highly.

as a point of comparison, i always thought "93 til infinity" was better.

is that I think labcabin is a front runner for MY PERSONAL favorite album.


lurkin since 1999. werd.

This album and Atliens are neck and neck, but since you went with Aquemini, I let that be the tie breaker...

Do You Want More was dope, and I was a fan as soon as I heard The Lesson as the B-Side to Distortion. Rahzel did my head in. Proceed to Silent Treatment, I was definitely checking for the follow up...

And then they take the live band sound digital. Black and Malik in straight beast mode. The coffee shop, incense burning, finger snapping vibe that dominated the 1st album was replaced with raw raps, back and forth, cameos, etc...

They really stretched out on that one. They kind of fell into a format on subsequent albums, but I feel like they made a sonic jump from the 1st to the 2nd album

"Intro"
"Respond/React"
"Section"
"Panic!!!!!!!"
"It Just Don't Stop"
"Episodes" (featuring Dice Raw)
"Push Up Ya Lighter" (featuring Bahamadia)
"What They Do" (featuring Raphael Saadiq)
"? vs. Scratch (The Token DJ Cut)"
"Concerto of the Desperado"
"Clones" (featuring Dice Raw & M.A.R.S.)
"UNIverse at War" (featuring Common)
"No Alibi"
"Dave vs. Us"
"No Great Pretender"
"The Hypnotic" (featuring D'Angelo)
"Ital (The Universal Side)" (featuring Q-Tip)
"One Shine" (featuring Cassandra Wilson & Joshua Redman)
"The Adventures in Wonderland (performed by Ursula Rucker)"
"Outro"

Who's f'n with that. Section got the hip-hop quotable (when the source still mattered). Concerto is my favorite Black. Shit One Shine gets me there, and no one is even spitting. Where did Ursula go? Malik's solo jawn...banger. Bahama D...c'mon son

>They kind of fell into a format on subsequent albums, but I feel >like they made a sonic jump from the 1st to the 2nd album

If you're talkin about Do You Want More?!??! to Illadelph like it seems like you are...

_______________________________

DUMHI - We Are The World
Snoop Doggy Dogg - The Doggumentary
One Gud Cide - Look What The Streets Made

ॐ शांति

...i dont even feel like typing out all the reasons cuz ive done it a million times before ...those who know the deal KNOW this LP is the goat

This album contains 1. dope beats 2. dope rhymes 3. dope DJ cuttin n scratchin. Who out did them on this? :http://www.amazon.com/Run-Dmc/dp/B00000J7IO/ref=sr_1_9?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1302186823&sr=1-9


Check out NEW Soul music at: www.myspace.com/starbeing

i love music!-THE MIGHTY O'JAYS

BLACK WOMEN RULE!

Bumpin in the STEREO:

Jennifer Hudson-I Remember Me
Various Slave albums
Sarah Vaughan-Vaughan And Violins
Babyface-Tender Lover
Prince-Parade

Jay kilts this CD - track by track.

I feel ya on ATLiens and OB4CL tho.

Cuban Linx or Liquid Swords. Either one and nothing else. If I could only listen to one hip-hop album ever again...I just can't say which one for sure though. Damn!

I know many like the debut better, but to me, there is something about The Main Ingredient.

Illmatic can easily be number 1, because Nas on Memory Lane is MCing at it's finest, but that has been listed.

ATLiens is a personal favorite for many reason and I also see reasons for Aquemini.

Midnight Marauders is flawless as well.

Liquid Swords and Cuban Linx are right there.

I feel The Infamous deserves a mention.

I started listening heavy to hip-hop in 93, so I'm sure older albums are valid contenders for older heads.

but production-wise, The Main Ingredient is incredible from top to bottom to me.

that album IS hip-hop in my opinion.

the instrumental interludes.

the scratches incorporated.

the layered production.

the balance between CL and Pete.

I can listen to this album ALL DAY and it never gets old.

>I know many like the debut better, but to me, there is
>something about The Main Ingredient.
>
>Illmatic can easily be number 1, because Nas on Memory Lane is
>MCing at it's finest, but that has been listed.
>
>ATLiens is a personal favorite for many reason and I also see
>reasons for Aquemini.
>
>Midnight Marauders is flawless as well.
>
>Liquid Swords and Cuban Linx are right there.
>
>I feel The Infamous deserves a mention.
>
>I started listening heavy to hip-hop in 93, so I'm sure older
>albums are valid contenders for older heads.
>
>but production-wise, The Main Ingredient is incredible from
>top to bottom to me.


^^^^^^^ great choices all and to be honest.... a convincing argument can be made for each.
>that album IS hip-hop in my opinion.
>
>the instrumental interludes.
>
>the scratches incorporated.
>
>the layered production.
>
>the balance between CL and Pete.
>
>I can listen to this album ALL DAY and it never gets old.

i bought illidelph after hearing julio g (92.3 the beat) play the next movement on the 9 o'clock bomb. after bumping illidelph for 2 weeks, i found out the roots had another release. i rode by bike to blockbuster, and bought the cd. went home, and started playing DYWM on my grandmothers' stereo. it was so different from just about any hip hop i'd ever heard before. i've probably bought DYWM 10 times. bought it again in philly when i went last year.

now, midnight marauders, let the rhythm hit 'em, illmatic, and resurrection are all CLOSE, but DYWM will always be my favorite music album of all time.

>i bought illidelph after hearing julio g (92.3 the beat) play
>the next movement

LOL

whoops.

im 21 years old. i discovered this album at age 16, and ive played it probably at least once a month for 5 yrs.

There isn't an album in the world that makes me feel the way this album does. And to me that's almost kind of crazy, because there's certainly a lot albums I LOVE, but this album just hits in a whole other way.

I feel like the production is absolute euphoric perfection. If the album was only ever released as an instrumental album it would probably still be some of my favorite music ever created.

And then you add on Phonte's rapping. I place Phonte in my top 3 favorite rappers, and IMO, this is him at his peak (although I'd accept the argument for almost all of his discography pre-Getback). His lyricism is phenomenal, doing his every-man shit, while hitting some heavy topics. I honestly believe he was spitting some of the best rhymes you'll ever hear in this thing we call hip hop. But he sounds so casual and relateable that without really, really LISTENING, it's so easy for most to overlook how much he was able to completely master the art of rapping. No wonder he moved on to singing.

Add in the great melodies and numerous great singing and rapping guest appearances (e.g. Median, D-Brock) and I honestly think it's flawless. It sounds brand new every time I hear it, and although I think the album is perfect in general, on sunny Sunday mornings, it somehow sounds even better.

To top all of that off, I also consider the album cover to be my favorite, to the point that I have a blown up version of it printed on paper on my wall.

I struggle to think an album will ever mean as much to me as Connected does.

lyrics were absolutely flawless as well as the production which were ALL ORIGINAL live instrumentation, no samples.

I've always said that as time goes, it will have a greater appreciation amongst the listeners.

I remember the Source voted that and Illmatic as the 2 most overlooked albums in HipHop history.

deserves a mention.
http://www.discogs.com/Juggaknots-The-Juggaknots/release/146172
i dont know what album i would go with as best ever but its certainly in that top tier. all killer no filler.