50 Albums You Must Buy Before You Die

In this booty-rap era where Hip Hop has made an ugly transition into disposable arts, going to the record shop has become a pain in the ass for many reasons. No wonder bootlegging is at an all time high. Good albums are rare to find, much more excellent ones. You’ll find a new breed of dinosaurs before you find a flawless CD with a very high ‘replayability’ value. That’s why I’ve delved into a stack of records spanning over a period of 30-plus years to bring you the best of the best. Take a cue from my friend Jason who often refers to a print-out copy of this list, especially when deciding what albums to purchase.

50.The Listening – Little Brother
49.Long Live The Kane – Big Daddy Kane
48.Mecca & the Soul Brother – Pete Rock & CL Smooth
47.The Sun Rises In The East – Jeru the Damaja
46.Run-DMC – Run DMC
45.40 Dayz and 40 Nightz – Xzibit
44.De La Soul Is Dead – De La Soul
43.AZiatic – AZ
42.It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot – DMX
41.Things Fall Apart – The Roots
40.Licensed To Ill – Beastie Boys
39.No One Can Do It Better – D.O.C.
38.ATLiens – OutKast
37.Quality – Talib Kweli
36.2001 – Dr. Dre
35.Capital Punishment – Big Punisher
34.Do You Want More?!!!??! – The Roots
33.Black on Both Sides – Mos Def
32.The Infamous – Mobb Deep
31.Radio – LL Cool J
30.The Slim Shady LP – Eminem
29.Mos Def & Talib Kweli are BlackStar – Black Star
28.Straight Outta Compton – N.W.A.
27.Doe or Die – AZ
26.Aquemini – OutKast
25.Liquid Swords – GZA/Genius
24.The 18th Letter – Rakim
23.The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill
22.Doggystyle – Snoop Dogg
21.By All Means Necessary – Boogie Down Productions
20.Strictly Business-EPMD
19.Stillmatic-NaS
18.The Fix-Scarface
17.Criminal Minded – BDP
16.Midnight Marauders – ATCQ
15.The Chronic – Dr. Dre
14.Daily Operation – GangStarr
13.The Great Adventures of Slick Rick – Slick Rick
12.The Score – Fugees
11.Reasonable Doubt – Jay-Z
10.Death Certificate – Ice Cube
09.It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back – Public Enemy
08.36 Chambers(Enter The Wu-Tang)
07.The Low End Theory – A Tribe Called Quest
06.Ready To Die – The Notorious B.I.G.
05.Me Against The World – 2Pac
04.The Diary – Scarface
03.Paid In Full – Eric B. & Rakim
02.Only Built 4 Cuban Linx – Raekwon
01.Illmatic – NaS

Rizoh

Rizoh is the most powerful man in all the lands. He lives in Houston where he earned a BS in Nerf Herding. He's the founder of The Rap Up, the editor of Roc4Life.com, and is in the Grammy-awaiting band Pervertable Disciples.

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