top 3 hip hop albums

[NESK]

digable planets - reachin...

grand puba - 2000

pharcyde - labcabincalifornia

[Ahlvahroe]

im doing my 5, cause 3 feels weird, not a biggest impact or whatever, just the ones i like.

eric b. and rakim- follow the leader

outkast- aquemini

big pun- capitol punishment

scarface- the diary

ghostface killah- supreme clientelle/ pretty toney (love em both equally)

[GoodHustle]

Not necessarily the 3 greatest albums, but these 3 definitely put a smile on my face everytime I hear them:

Arrested Development - '3 years, 5 months, and 2 days in the life of...'

De La Soul - 'Buhloone Mindstate'

Fugees - 'The Score'

[ProfMonnitoff]

Illmatic and Life After Death are 1 and 2 in no particular order, but there's about a billion candidates for the 3rd place.

[heBAY]

1. it takes a nation of millions to hold us back- Public Enemy.

If you dont know why this is #1 you need to just go out and buy it, listen to it, and then imagine you were back in 1988. thats all that needs to be said

2. Criminal Minded- B.D.P.

Once upon a time, it was a new thing to hear James Brown samples. it was new to hear someone saying something in a song. it was new to get your ass handed to you by some kid from the shelter. KRS, Scott LaRock, D-Nice made these things standard. This album made it harder to put out a dope record, you had to be able to compete, and not many can, even still.

3. Low End Theory- A Tribe Called Quest

perfect album. everything is in place here. tribe set out to create a good record, and changed the way that we look at hip hop forever. great listen begining to end, and still sounds fresh 14 years later

This is hte first time I'm traversing into this side of the SuFu forums...and I immediately see this post...thank you my dude...P.E. all day..."It Takes A Nation" is STILL incredible. Those dudes are INSANE live (saw them at BB Kings recently).

Dammit this is difficult...but off the top of my head...my 3 favortes that have got recent spin...in no particular order:

1. Raekwon (& Ghostface) - "Only Build 4 Cuban Linx" (stays in my CD changer...there's no day when this album cannot be put on)

2. Public Enemy - "It Takes A Nation..."

3. Smif n Wessun - "Dah Shinin" (along with Black Moon's "Enta Da Stage")

I definitely have to disagree with the Common thing...he WAS on some gay shit when he was fuckin' Erykah...ironically, the moment he started workin' with Kanye, he got back his 21st century Resurrection shit. "Be" was one of my favorite albums that year...imo it just sounded like a complete album start to finish. He's always been nice lyrically, just the beats he chose to put on his albums post-Resurrection/pre-Be (started with about 1/4 of "One Day It'll All Make Sense") were kinda soft and left-fieldish.

...but then again, what do I know, I think Styles-P is what conscious music should sound like (the closest thing to Chuck D...well at least in getting a message across with an edge and no compromise).

[heBAY]

Also...seriously...how hard is it for anyone to list just ONE Wu Tang album in a thread like this. Jeez.

Also, some members have been posting mixtapes as favorites...therefore:

1. Styles-P - "Ghost In The Machine/Ghost In The SHell/Ghost Stories" (just can't choose)

2. Beanie Sigel - "Public Enemy Number 1"

3. Peedi Crakk - "P. Crakk For President"

Honorable mention goes to the Re Up Gang mixtapes...I would add those if there were more slots.

[ILLset]

me personally:

Talib Kweli and Mos Def- Blackstar

Mobb Deep- The Infamous

Nas- Illmatic

although could so easily change. next week could be OB4CL, Resurection and Midnight Marauders. i basically have definite top 10 but the order of them changes all the time

[Guest StuckOnStupid]

comon is a bit fo a fag now... havent liked anything since ressurection. and you put co flow above all of the tribe albums? seriously?

yeah, i dunno. aside from all their big singles and low end theory, i never liked tribe or any of the native tongues hippies. just never did it for me. i can still pretty much recite all that shit line for line, but its the same way i know my timestables or whatever., like school shit.

[dizzhizz]

How come people are so into the Aquemini album from Outkast? If anything, his first album Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik was the shit.

[NESK]

that common hate is played. one day itll all make sense and like water for chocolate shit on resurection. no IDs beats cannot touch ?uest and dilla. ever. people hate on those albums because common was reaching back into a very forgotten mood that soul music used to provide. he was on some last poets, gil scott heron shit and it was the best music he ever made. better than i used to love HER and better than anything on BE. Kanye runs the soul sample these days and it just sounds like appropriation now that dilla and ?uest flipped it perfectly.

if your gonna hate on common hate on Electric circus. that was god awful. but the two albums before it were amazing. anything with d'angelo is bomb. if its not hard enough for you, thats when ya lost. that shit is smooth as fuck.

[ktothe]

How come people are so into the Aquemini album from Outkast? If anything, his first album Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik was the shit.

Return Of The G

Rosa Parks

Aquemini

Da Art Of Storytellin

Y'all Scared

Thats atleast 5 reasons.

ATLiens is my favorite album from them though. And I think you mean to their first album.

[soap]

NaS-Illmatic

Binary Star-Master's of the universe/waterworld

Wu-Tang-36 chambers

[poshpol]

3 i could think of right now...

Klashnekoff - The Sagas of Klashnekoff

Immortal Technique - Revolutionary Vol.2

Tech N9ne - Absolute Power

but there are many more

[brightbill]

I don't think anything has ever touched what Wu had with their first couple albums - talking specifically about 36 Chambers, Liquid Swords & Cuban Linx.

Those aren't necessarily top three ever, of course, but taken together I'd give em a top slot...

Then Illmatic.

Then possibly Ready to Die, but if we're going off favorites rather than best... I'd lean to Let's Get Free or Doomsday or College Dropout.

[Ari Gold]

so hard to list 3..

some of my personal favs. tho:

illmatic

only built 4 cuban linx

36 chambers

soul on ice

low end theory

midnight marauders

the score

doggystyle

[Leeacto]

Pretty tough, but.....

1)Illmatic

2)Ready to Die

3)Graduation......haha just kidding. The Chronic

[readytoignite]

my three (i'm not even going to pretend to be comprehensive)

paid in full

fear of a black planet (nation of millions was more revolutionary but this is a better album imo)

straight out of compton

i would have liked to put some del in there but 3... harsh realm

did nobody mention the beastie boys? wow have times changed or what

[DüM]

1. Midnight Marauders

2. Uptown Saturday Night

3. Supreme Clientele

(4. Lord Willin', I love it but there's a lot better)

just the ones I listen to the most I think.

[k.i.s.]

Hova -Reasonable Doubt

Esco -Illmatic

Biggie -Ready To Die

[Jkissi7]

IMO

#1 - Nas - Illmatic

#2 - Big - life after death

#3 - Jay - Reasonable doubt

If i could pick a 4 and 5 itll be

#4 - Big Pun - CapitalPunishment

#5 - AZ - Doe or Die ( very underated imo)

so many hot ass albums but there are mine

[DüM]

IMO

#1 - Nas - Illmatic

#2 - Big - life after death

#3 - Jay - Reasonable doub

lol

[fuhq]

At the moment:

1. Nas - Illmatic

2. Blu & Exile - Below the Heavens

3. ATCQ - Midnight Marauders

I've been listening to Blu way more than one should. Dancin' in the Rain and MyBoyBlu are on constant repeat this week.

[Fluke Walton]

How come people are so into the Aquemini album from Outkast? If anything, his first album Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik was the shit.

How come you think Outkast is one person? :eek:

[domdomdomdom]

Heres 3:

Gang Starr - Hard to Earn

KMD - Mr. Hood

Showbiz & AG - Goodfellas

Black Moon - Enta Da Stage (and the i got cha opin remix)

and I want to say unseen+further adventures of lord quas

[EerieVon]

Heres 3:

Wu Tang-36 Chambers

ATCQ-Midnight Marauders

Common-One Day It'll All Make Sense

[zombiefood]

Kool Keith - Dr. Octagonecologyst[/url]

Notorious BIG - Ready to Die

Tupac - Me Against the World

[dizzhizz]

How come you think Outkast is one person? :eek:

that was my mistake. thanks noob.

[readytoignite]

Kool Keith - Dr Octagon

do you mean dr octagon - dr octagonecologist? classic but no critial beatdown in the grand scheme of things

[astro black]

MOOD: DOOM

Aesop Rock: Labor Days

GZA: Liquid Swords

[heBAY]

I've probably already answered this...but without thinking about it at all...

-Public Enemy - "It Takes A Nation..."

-Raekwon - "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx"

-Beastie Boys - "Paul's Boutique"