The
year 2015 has been good for the members of N.W.A. First their biopic Straight Outta Compton became one of the
biggest surprise hits of the summer. In collaboration with the film, Dr. Dre
released his third studio album Compton
to critical acclaim. Even though the group’s reign was short lived, this past
week it was announced they will be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The
film Straight Outta Compton lived up
to all expectations. We see how a young Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, DJ Yella and
Eazy-E came out of South Central Los Angeles to become the most dangerous group
of their generation. Although MC Ren was a major writing contributor and has a
substantial presence on the groundbreaking record Straight Outta Compton, the film mainly focuses on Ice Cube, Dre
and Eazy-E. We are taken down the
paths the three take after money and egos led to the group’s demise, and learn
of an almost reunion that never happened due to Eazy-E’s death in 1995. It is
the story of how West Coast gangsta rap became a landmark on the pop culture
map.
There’s
no denying that the album Straight Outta
Compton is one of hip hop’s best. Now that the film has brought the record
back to life, where does it rank all time? To answer that question, the record itself as well as its contemporaries would need to be reviewed. Regardless
of the order, all of these albums deserve to be on this list, or at least are in the
discussion. If you agree or disagree, the following selections have not only heavily
influenced the hip-hop genre, but all of music.
10. Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt
Release Date: June 25, 1996
Before
Jay-Hova became a successful entrepreneur, he was rapping about hustling and
the success of the criminal underworld. What Jay-Z did differently on his debut
album was elevate himself to Don status while his west coast contemporaries
were still rapping about the street’s violent and ugly side. Reasonable Doubt is filled with laid
back beats and catchy hooks, but more than anything it’s a lyrical revelation.
Its guest artists like Mary J. Blige and Foxy Brown add to the album’s key
singles “Can’t Knock the Hustle” and “Ain’t No N***a,” but the album’s true
highlight is “Brooklyn’s Finest,” with The Notorious B.I.G. It’s one of the
only tracks where you’ll find two of the top MCs sparring back and forth. Fans
could argue that The Blueprint is
Jay-Z’s finest album, but Reasonable
Doubt is both a classic New York landmark and a hip-hop breakthrough.
9. Run-D.M.C., Raising Hell
Release Date: May 15, 1986
The
rap pioneers had already established their signature sound on their first two
albums, which incorporated loud beats and heavy guitar riffs. What Raising Hell did was not only introduce
Run-D.M.C. to the mainstream, but the hip-hop genre as well. The album is
chock-full of classic staples like “My Adidas,” “It’s Tricky” and “You Be
Illin’,” but it was the crossover hit “Walk this Way” that took over the
airwaves and became a regular video on MTV. The album reached a wider audience
and went on to become a commercial success. Being one of the first rap albums
to be influenced by Rick Rubin’s production, its classic sound is just as fresh
today as it was almost twenty years ago.
8. A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory
Release Date: September 24, 1991
The
year 1991 was filled with quality hip-hop releases, including Ice Cube’s Death Certificate, Cypress Hill’s
self-titled debut and Public Enemy’s heavily anticipated Apocalypse 91…The Enemy Strikes Black. While many of these albums
take on more of a hard-core sound, Tribe’s second album is filled with funky
bass lines and beats, mastering the fusion of jazz with hip hop. More than
anything it’s Tribe’s smooth delivery, led by Q-Tip, which is the highlight of
their laid-back, underground sound. With the help of Leaders of the New School
and Busta Rhymes’ signature growl, the track “Scenario” has become a hip hop
classic. A Tribe Called Quest might have operated under the radar compared to other
rap acts, but there’s no denying that The
Low End Theory rises above many its contemporaries.
7. N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton
Release Date: August 8, 1988
At the time of Straight Outta Compton's release in 1988, a
majority of breakthrough artists such as Run-DMC, LL Cool J and the Beastie
Boys were rapping about the boroughs of New York. Straight Outta Compton aimed
a bullseye right at South Central Los Angeles. Although topics include some of
the shocking aspects of the gangster lifestyle, the album was widely accepted
by a large suburban white audience. Dr. Dre's production mixed with Ice Cube
and MC Ren's lyrics had the potential to produce more memorable and rebellious
music for many years, however Ice Cube left a year after Compton's
release due to royalty disputes. The rest of the group only ended up making one
more full-length album together. As the film reinforces, both N.W.A. and Straight
Outta Compton left their definitive mark on the hip-hop world. It's their
legacy that leaves us to imagine what could have been.
6. Eric B. & Rakim, Paid in Full
Release Date: August 25, 1987
Listening
to this album today, it’s hard to imagine that it was released in 1987. From
two of the best in the business, Paid in
Full is the debut album from the DJ and MC duo. Similar to Raising Hell, the record is packed with
influential tracks that include “I Ain’t No Joke,” “My Melody” and “I Know You
Got Soul.” Over Eric B.’s beats and production, Rakim implemented his signature
rhyming style, which still stands up as one of the best ever. Being sampled
numerous times over the course of hip hop history shows the reach of the
record’s influence. Eric B. and Rakim continued on for several more years and
released three more albums, but none was as impactful as Paid in Full.
5. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Release Date: November 9, 1993
Coming out of Staten Island, the Wu-Tang Clan was nothing the rap world
had ever seen before, and they ended up taking the hip-hop world by storm. At
the time a majority of rap groups featured one or two MCs, but Enter the
Wu-Tang allowed all nine members to display their individual skills and rhyming
styles. Led by producer RZA, the album infused underground beats and samples
from classic kung-fu movies. Bringing a gangster edge to East Coast rap, we
were schooled in "C.R.E.A.M." (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) as
well as to "Protect Ya Neck." Building on the record's success, five
of the MCs (Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Genius/Gza, Raekwon and Ghostface
Killah) released solo albums within three years of Enter the Wu-Tang,
all with RZA's distinctive production. The result allowed Wu-Tang's influence
to dominate the 90's, all stemming from their classic debut.
4. Notorious BIG, Ready to Die
Release Date: September 13, 1994
An argument could be made that the late rapper never reached his full
potential, even though his limited body of work released while he was alive
deemed him one of the greatest MCs of all time. Ready to Die was the
catalyst. With his baritone voice, Biggie reintroduced us to gangsta rap with
his natural storytelling, and his delivery is effortless. The album boasts two
of the most recognizable rap songs of all time in "Big Poppa" and
"Juicy," with the latter being in the discussion of one of the
greatest hip hop songs ever. The record also did wonders for the career of Sean
"P. Diddy" Combs, who eventually benefited more from Biggie's death
than anyone. Biggie's tenure on top of the rap game might have been short
lived, but as evident with Ready to Die, he deserved to be there.
3. Nas, Illmatic
Release Date: April 19, 1994
Before Reasonable Doubt there was Illmatic, the original
hip-hop ode to New York. Nas's lyrics paint a picture of the ghetto and the
world around him, and like Biggie, storytelling comes naturally. Although where
Biggie was more in your face, Nas' delivery was more subtle. Illmatic
could be considered a gansta album, but it's laid-back sound and production
differentiates itself from its more hardcore contemporaries. Regardless of its underground feel, the record helped spearhead the shift of hip hop back to
the East Coast in the mid-nineties, even without a substantial radio hit. More
than anything it's a perfectly orchestrated album from start to finish. There
might have been more commercially popular albums, but Illmatic still
holds its place in time as one of the most influential hip hop albums of all
time.
2. Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation
of Millions to Hold Us Back
Release Date: June 28, 1988
Before hip-hop acts became all about sipping gin and juice, bitches and
hoes, and smoking blunts, there was Public Enemy. The follow up to their
blueprint debut Yo! Bum Rush the Show brought the noise, thanks in large
part to the production of The Bomb Squad. With an abundance of samples that
ranged from James Brown to Slayer, it revolutionized the standard hip-hop
album. Chuck D is more of a commanding preacher and commentator than a rapper,
focusing on social and political issues in his lyrics. On the opposite side of
the spectrum burst Flavor Flav, who brought a sense of satire to Chuck D's hard
demeanor. The result was a record that became one of the most influential in
all of music, while also launching Public Enemy to one of the most important
groups of their time. Although P.E. is still releasing new music, nothing will
ever resonate consciously and powerfully as Nation of Millions.
1. Dr. Dre, The Chronic
Release Date: December 15, 1992
The Chronic not only brought Dre's innovative production styles to
the mainstream, but it was a showcase for other talented rappers, including the
breakthrough of one Snoop Doggy Dogg. Thanks to continuous air play on MTV of
"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," "F**k wit Dre Day" and "Let
Me Ride," the album became a commercial success, spawning the launch of
Death Row Records. It also established the G-funk sound that would be
associated with popular West Coast hip hop throughout the early nineties. It
might not have had the emotional depth or lyrical genius of some of the other
records on this list, but The Chronic's influence reached farther and
wider than any other hip-hop album of it's time.
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