Quicklist: Favorite 5 Hip-Hop Albums of All Time

[Cubfan06]

Go....

[scotto]

Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy, Yo! Bum Rush the Show
Keith LeBlanc, "Malcolm X" (12" single)
Boogie Down Productions, By All Means Necessary
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, "The Message" (12" single)

[Zip City]

In alphabetical order

Beastie Boys - Check Your Head
Blakroc - Blakroc
De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
The Fugees - The Score
Jay-Z + Danger Mouse - The Grey Album
Jaydiohead - Jay-Z x Radiohead
Outkast - Stankonia
Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
Run DMC - Raising Hell
Kanye West - Late Registration
Kanye West - My Dark Twisted Fantasy

[Smitty]

Outkast - ATLiens
2pac - Me Against the World
Nas - Illmatic
Ice Cube - THe Predator
Eazy E - Eazy Duz It

[John A Arkansawyer]

Nas - Illmatic

I probably don't know enough hip-hop to have five all-time favorites, but that one's just a killer album, period.

[tinnitus photography]

Dr Octagon - Dr Octagynecologist
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
Dan the Automator - A Much Better Tomorrow
Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030
The Roots - Things Fall Apart

[beantownbubba]

My $.02, which is worth far less than that:

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions
Outkast - Stankonia
The Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill (Probably not their "best" but easily my favorite)
Nas - Illmatic
(tie) PM Dawn - Of the Heart, Of the Soul and Of the Cross: The Utopian Experience
(tie) De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising

I never listen to it, but the list can't be complete w/out it:

The Notorious BIG - Ready to Die

Special mention: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - "The Message"

[JimmerDette]

Public Enemy and any of the first three

Beastie Boys-Pauls Boutique

De La Soul-Three Feet High and Rising

[dogstar]

Public Enemy - Yo Bum, Nation of millions, Fear of a Black Planet
Mos Def - Black on both sides
Jurrasic 5 - S/T
Company Flow - Little Johnny in the Hospital
The Streets - Original Pirate Material
DJ Shadow - Entroducing
De La Soul - 3 foot high and rising
Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five - The Message (album)
Slum Village - Fantastic Volume 2
Outkast - Speakerboxx/Love Below & Stankonia

[Cubfan06]

The Roots-Things Fall Apart
Wu Tang Clan-Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)
2Pac-Strictly 4 My Niggaz
NWA-Straight Outta Compton
Jay Z- Unplugged

[Flying Rabbit]

PE - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Beasties - Paul's Boutique
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
DLS - Three Feet High and Rising
EPMD - Strictly Business

But I could throw Illmatic or many of Outkast's records in there as well.

[Bill in CT]

Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
Kid Frost - East Side Story
Nas - Illmatic
Spectre - Retrospectre

[dime in the gutter]

[njMark]

Slick Rick: The Rulers Back
Beastie Boys: Pauls Boutique
De La Soul: Three feet high and rising
Flobots: fight with tools
Eminem: the first one, I forget the title

[emandrisdad]

Anyone else here like Urban Dance Squad beside me?

[dogstar]

Anyone else here like Urban Dance Squad beside me?

Yep. I saw them at the Marquee club in London back in 1990, fantastic live band.

[cortez the killer]

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy
Paul's Boutique - The Beastie Boys
Madvillainy - Madvillain, Madlib, MF DOOM
We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service - A Tribe Called Quest
Cheat Codes - Danger Mouse, Black Thought

[beantownbubba]

My list wouldn't be much different today, which says a lot more about me and my listening habits than about the genre but I am surprised I left out the Lauryn Hill and Neneh Cherry albums I mentioned in the other thread, especially Raw Like Sushi which I remember wearing out back in the day. The few albums I'd add (or which would cause me to reconsider if we're sticking to 5) are We've Got it From Here... or The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest (not sure how/why I whiffed on the latter the first time), probably To Pimp a Butterfly and maybe College Dropout.

The lists in this thread are among the most consistent I can think of on any topic we've addressed over the years.

[beantownbubba]

Reviewing the other thread, I see that I already commented on the consistency of the top choices. I guess I'm nothing if not consistent. I'm also reminded that I had a long ago project to delve into Eric B & Rakim and Gangstarr which fell by the wayside after some promising early results. I should get back to that.

[brettac1]

My list is probably pretty basic for a kid who grew up in the 90's:

1. Dr Dre - "The Chronic" (shout-out to my mom buying me the cassette from Camelot Music when I was 8 years old - still have it)
2. 2Pac - "All Eyez on Me"
3. Notorious B.I.G. - "Ready to Die"
4. Snoop Doggy Dogg - "Doggystyle"
5. Ice Cube - "The Predator"