Hey this isnt' a ranked list.....there just in order of when I wrote the description
FF: FUn Fact
FT: Favorite Tracks
1. Graduation(2007):Kanye West-Kanye’s third album kicks off my list. It’s a tremendously fun album to listen to. He did most of the production himself. A fun fact is that I bought this with 50 Cent’s Curtis and well, this blew that album out of the water. Favorite Tracks: Stronger, I Wonder, Can’t Tell Me Nothing.
2. Word of Mouf(2001): Ludacris-Luda’s best album (in my opinion) is also my 2nd or 3rd favorite all time. The album is so much fun to listen to. FF: This was actually the first album I ever bought back in 2001. FT: Rollout, Area Codes, Saturday
3. Get Rich or Die Tryin’(2003): 50 Cent-50’s best album without debate; It’s incredibly addictive. The production and hooks are stellar. Fitty proved to be a decent lyricist as well. FF: When I first bought this album it didn’t leave my cd player for about 2 straight weeks. FT: In Da Club, U Not Like Me, High All the Time
4. King(2006):T.I.- Another very addictive album; It’s arguably his best but I actually don’t think so. King has incredible production and nice bars from the King of the South. The first 5 tracks in fact are some of T.I.’s best. FF: I regard this album as a top 5 favorite and I listened to it an awful lot in 2006….really until I got his next album. FT: What You Know, Top Back, King Back.
5. The Black Album(2003):Jay-z-The Black Album was originally Jay’ s swan song. He was going to retire after it, and honestly, he could have. The lyrics and production are top notch. I love how he’s the only rapper rapping on it. There are many different producers on the album however. FF: I bought this the same day as Ludacris’ Chicken & Beer. FT: Change Clothes, Moment of Clarity,
6. The Cool(2007): Lupe Fiasco-This is another album that had a lot of hype and it delivered. Lupe came back with seemingly EVEN better lyricism. The production didn’t quite equal it, but it was still good. FF: This came out late in 2007, and I immediately was thinking it was better than Kanye’s Graduation…not quite tho. FT: Paris Tokyo, Superstar, Streets On Fire.
7. The Last Temptation(2002): Ja Rule-You knew you were going to see a Ja Rule album here at some point. This is actually his last great album. The hooks are really catchy and the beats are pretty good as well. FF: Someone asked me in 2003 was the album any good, and I said “yeah it is”. FT: Murder Reigns, Thug Lovin, Pop N**gas
8. Stillmatic (2001): Nas-I’m starting to believe this album is legendary. Nas had a lot to prove after being dissed by Jay-z on 2001’s Blueprint. The album is really what I think of when I think of Nas and it made me a fan of his. It’s got great lyricism, and he has creative tracks here. FF:I had a bootleg copy of this album for years, I didn’t buy it until recent years. FT: Ether, One Mic, Rewind
9. All or Nothing(2005):Fat Joe-Joey Crack is a good rapper; limited but good. This album has some terrific production. He claps back at 50 Cent on My Fofo. Then theres the two Temptation tracks which are very dark and memorable. Overall it might be his best album. FF: I really like this album, call it a cult classic. FF: So Much More, Lean Back(Remix), Temptation Pt. 2
10. Under Construction (2002): Missy Elliot-Missy was on fire in the late 90s early 2000s. This album is a testament to that. The beats are so creative. Missy is no slouch lyrically either. She really wanted to make this a fun listen. FF: I didn’t get it until 2003. FT: Gossip Folks, Work It, Funky Fresh Dressed
11. Man on the Moon-The End Of Days(2009): Kid Cudi-One of the most creative albums on this list. Kid Cudi came out the gates with a bang. He’s a great rapper and his singing is so effective as well. The album was just not like anything I’ve ever heard before. FF: I didn’t really like this album after hearing it the first time. FT: Day N Night, Hyyer, Sky Might Fall
12. American Gangster(2007):Jay-z- Jigga’s 2nd album out of retirement was a big improvement. I love how lyrical he was, and how the album seemed to flow together with one theme. FF: First Jay-z album to feature Nas. FT: Roc Boys, Blue Magic, Ignorant Sh**
13. The Eminem Show(2002):Eminem-This is actually my favorite Eminem album. It’s so great, there’s just a few songs that keep it from being a top 3 Em album. His flow is impeccable and he seemed to have a lot of fun on these tracks….FF:Another album I had bootlegged. I used to play it in my ps2….FT:Without Me, Business, Till I Collapse
14. The College Dropout(2004):Kanye West-This is a classic album anyway you want to look at it. Kanye came out of the box with a bang. I love every song. I think that the only thing that held him back here was a lyricism, but then again he’s only improved since then. The beats and samples are soooo good. He even tells his story on Last Call. FF: A friend of mine that passed away put me onto Kanye, so I always think of him when I hear this album. FT: All Falls Down, Through the Wire, Get Em High
15. The Recession(2008):Young Jeezy-Who would of thought that this Atlanta rapper could craft one of the best dirty south albums ever? Recession is cohesive and gritty. It also features a much improved lyrically Young Jeezy. There aren’t a whole lot of guest spots, but the ones that are there are really good. FF: I didn’t care much for some of the tracks but overtime I liked them more and I upped the album score to 9.5/10.
16. Miss E…So Addictive(2001):Missy Elliot-This is probably a top 10 album for me….It really is so addictive. The out of this world beats and nice bars from Missy. Get Ur Freak On is probably her best song. FF: Probably the first album that made me wish I had a cd player in mid 2001. FT: Get Ur Freak On, One Minute Man,
17. Paper Trail(2008):T.I.-His best album imo. It’s just filled with great songs. Lyrically T.I. is at his best. He’s been through struggle so, this album reflects that. The beats are really good too. The singles are just so great….He’s even got former rival Ludacris on a song. FF: I didn’t like the song Whatever You Like the first time I heard…in fact I thought it sucked. That changed real quick. FT: Live Your Life, No Matter What, Swagga Like Us
18. Untitled(2008): Nas-Easily my most anticipated Nas album. I remember looking at the reviews and wanting to cop it. The album is amazing and conceptual. Nas spits complex fire on every song. This album was kind of before its time when you consider how racially relevant it is. FF: The album was originally titled N*gger. FT: Sly Fox, Hero, Black President
19. Food & Liquor(2006): Lupe Fiasco-I remember back in 2006, this one album I just knew, was gonna be fire. The album has excellent lyricism which back then was pretty surprising for a guy we had only really heard on Touch the Sky off Kanye’s 2nd album. It’s aged well, I now like every song. FF: It could have been the 06 album of the year for me…but I graded it rather low back then. FT: Daydreamin, Kick Push, American Terrorist
20. Sir Luscious Left Foot-The Son of Chico Dusty(2010):Big Boi-This is an album that I immediately liked and then loved. In fact it was the best of 2010 for a good while. Big Boi has an ear for beats and he spits really well too. So much so I wouldn’t consider him the inferior member of Outkast at all. The album is loaded with hit songs. FF: Shutterbug was featured on NBA 2k11…FT: Tangerine, Turns Me On, Be Still
21. The Blueprint(2001)-Jay-z-Arguably the best rap album ever in terms of sheer execution. Jay spits with such relative ease and the production I think pushes it past Reasonable Doubt. FF: I really liked this album, and there’s really no telling how much I listened to It on my cd player in 2002. FT: U Don’t Know, Takeover, Girls Girls Girls
22. Thank Me Later(2010)-Drake-This is kinda of a weird album. Looking back it didn’t seem like a typical debut album, but man is it dope. Some songs weigh it down but for the most part every song with a feature is a win, its just some of the singing songs that are kinda average. Overall though this is one of my favorite Drake albums. FF: I downloaded and bought the album lol.
23. L.A.X.(2008)-The Game-This was arguably my favorite album of 08. Game’s first album to have a bunch of features. Its really unique, and its where Game changed up his style a bit. FF: I listened to this a whole lot when I visited Los Angeles in 2009. FT: State of Emergency, My Life, Touchdown
24. The Carter III(2008): Lil Wayne-A highly anticipated highly addictive album. Weezy was on top of the game, but it looks like this would be the last great album for Mr. Carter. FF: My desire to bootleg this album made me download many other albums, but it turns out I just ended up buying the album. FT:
25. Lets Get It-Thug Motivation 101(2005)-Young Jeezy-Arguably my most quoted album of ALL TIME. Jeezy’s debut is so addictive. He spits slow as molasses but hey those adlibs are funny(Ha ha, nope, Cheah, Ayyy) Lol. FF: And Then What, Bottom of the Map, Trap Star
Hey guys theres 75 more albums....so get ready for Parts 2,3,and 4.