The 100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums (30-26)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 |
30. LL Cool J
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"Increasingly dismissed by hip-hop fans as an old-school relic and a slick pop sellout, LL Cool J rang in the '90s with Mama Said Knock You Out, a hard-edged artistic renaissance that became his biggest-selling album ever. Part of the credit is due to producer Marley Marl, whose thumping, bass-heavy sound helps LL reclaim the aggression of his early days. Mama Said Knock You Out isn't quite as hard as Radio, instead striking a balance between attitude and accessibility. But its greater variety and more layered arrangements make it LL's most listenable album, as well as keeping it in line with more contemporary sensibilities." ~ Steve Huey, All Music |
29. Makaveli
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"For this release, Tupac Shakur adopted the pseudonym "Makaveli" in honor of the philosopher Machiavelli, author of the devious politician's handbook The Prince. Contractually his final effort for Death Row, it was recorded in seven days and was released on schedule in October 1996, despite Shakur's death a month earlier… Overall, the Makaveli album feels so much like one man's complete exorcism of an overload of pent-up personal and professional pressures that it's hard not to believe that Shakur had all eyes on a new direction for the future." ~ Gregg Turkington, Amazon |
28. Scarface
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"A full-blooded member of the Geto Boys (a true PMRC nightmare and one of the first crews to toss word bombs so explosive as to alienate all but their faithful), Scarface kicks unrepentantly on this third solo set – and still effectively. Classical piano punctuates the tracks, but it's the only thing pretty on The Diary. An update of the Geto Boys' 1991 breakthrough, "Mind Playin' Tricks 94," "Hand of the Dead Body" (a rap with Ice Cube) and "The White Sheet" are notes from underground that ring terrifyingly and all too true." ~ Paul Corio, Rolling Stone |
27. Big Daddy Kane
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"Even though he spends a good 90% of the album boasting about his skills and abilities on the microphone, and cutting those of other MCs, Big Daddy Kane consistently proves himself a thrilling artist on his debut album, Long Live the Kane, one of the most appealing creations from the original new school of rap. This debut captures the Big Daddy Kane who rocked the house at hip-hop clubs and verbally cut up any and all comers in the late '80s with his articulate precision and locomotive power." ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music |
26. A Tribe Called Quest
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"Though the abstract rappers finally betrayed a few commercial ambitions for Midnight Marauders, the happy result was a smart, hooky record that may not have furthered the jazz-rap fusions of The Low End Theory, but did merge Tribe-style intelligence and reflection with some of the most inviting grooves heard on any early-'90s rap record. The productions, more funky than jazzy, were tighter overall — but the big improvement, four years after their debut, came with Q-Tip's and Phife Dawg's raps. Focused yet funky, polished but raw, the duo was practically telepathic." ~ John Bush, All Music |
100-96|95-91|90-86|85-81|80-76|75-71|70-66|65-61|60-56|55-51 |
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