The 100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums (85-81)by Henry Adaso, About.com 100-96|95-91|90-86|85-81|80-76|75-71|70-66|65-61|60-56|55-51 |
85. Scarface
|
"After defining the down South gangsta during the late '80s with Geto Boys, Scarface began a solo career that earned him a couple of gold albums and saw some of the biggest names in rap... The highlights... find Scarface morphing back into Jordan the bottom-line businessman, banking on the familiar names: "Guess Who's Back" is more a Jay-Z track with a little room for Scarface than the other way around, and the same goes for the Nas feature, "In Between Us." And Pharrell from Neptunes takes over "Someday," with Faith Evans adding a little sugar to the chorus to make up for the patented Scarface growl on the verses. Though The Fix has him reaching for the charts as well as focusing on the personal, the inimitable Scarface balances the competing concerns well." ~ John Bush, All Music |
84. Pharoahe Monch
|
"After three cultishly revered albums with Organized Konfusion, underground legend Pharoahe Monch cut a solo deal with Rawkus and delivered his debut, Internal Affairs, in late 1999. Both Monch and Rawkus seemed to want to push their music farther above ground, and some longtime followers were shocked to hear a harder, angrier, more profane Monch, who seemed to be courting a more thugged-out audience. But it's a reinvention that doesn't compromise his high lyrical standards, making Internal Affairs a success on its own terms... in terms of bringing an underappreciated hip-hop great to a (somewhat) wider audience, Internal Affairs generally gets it right. " ~ Steve Huey, All Music |
83. The Roots
|
"Illadelph Halflife solidifies the Roots' place in the new wave of rap – still highlighting urban blight but not drowning in despair and hopelessness. Determined to reach a wider audience, the Roots have made their sound (much of it produced by the band's home-grown collective, the Grand Negaz) more spare this go-round. The lyrics are stripped to the bone as well... On Illadelph Halflife, the Roots are not afraid to take rap to places it's never been. Hip-hop manifested for the new millennium, the Roots are spontaneous, innovative and all the way live. " ~ Kevin Powell , Rolling Stone |
82. Busta Rhymes
|
"Busta Rhymes' second album, When Disaster Strikes, is a sprawling, often brilliant mess that confirmed his status as one of hip-hop's most singular characters. Restraint isn't Rhymes' strong suit, and thus the album careens from sheer genius to repetitive indulgence and right back again. When Rhymes is on, there's no one like him, and when he isn't, it's like the calm before the storm... The second half of the album slows down the momentum somewhat, with a bevy of guests, collaborations, and posse cuts; a few offer some welcome variety, but often they don't replace Rhymes' manic energy with anything quite as exciting. Still, nearly every rap album from this era has its share of filler, and it doesn't prevent When Disaster Strikes from ranking as arguably Rhymes' definitive original album." |
81. MC Lyte
|
"MC Lyte is woman. Hear her roar. On her 1988 debut, Lyte as a Rock, the savvy Brooklyn native balances her obvious battle skills with perceptive street-corner observations, delivered fresh over funky drum-machine beats (provided by Audio Two, and Prince Paul, among others)... Though her dating guidelines may seem quaint compared with the raunchy raps of Lil' Kim or Foxy Brown, they remind one that in 1988 female MCs were rocking the rap world with skills, not skin. Lyte still does" ~ Lizz Mendez Berry, Amazon |
100-96|95-91|90-86|85-81|80-76|75-71|70-66|65-61|60-56|55-51 |
Send us email
Phone: (206) 543-6051
Last modified:
Friday March 20, 2009
(bl)
