The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

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StevieFan13
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The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

Post by StevieFan13 »

http://theboombox.com/50-greatest-east- ... the-1990s/
50. Black Sheep - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
49. Busta Rhymes - The Coming
48. Queen Latifah - Black Reign
47. Masta Ace Incorporated - Sittin' on Chrome
46. Naughty by Nature - Naughty by Nature
45. Digable Planets - Blowout Comb
44. Bahamadia - Kollage
43. EPMD - Business Never Personal
42. Helktah Skeltah - Nocturnal
41. Redman - Whut? Thee Album
40. Camp Lo - Uptown Saturday Night
39. A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
38. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
37. Redman - Muddy Waters
36. LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out
35. Capone-N-Noreaga - The War Report
34. De La Soul - De La Soul is Dead
33. Puff Daddy & the Family - No Way Out
32. Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus
31. Lil' Kim - Hardcore
30. KRS-One - KRS-One
29. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - The Main Ingredient
28. Nas - It Was Written
27. The Roots - Things Fall Apart
26. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Wanted: Dead or Alive
25. De La Soul - Stakes is High
24. Ghostface Killah - Ironman
23. Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
22. Eric B. & Rakim - Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em
21. Black Moon - Enta da Stage
20. Big Punisher - Capital Punishment
19. GZA - Liquid Swords
18. Main Source - Breaking Atoms
17. DMX - It's Dark and Hell is Hot
16. Black Star - Mos Def and Talib Kweli are...
15. Organized Konfusion - Organized Konfusion
14. Gang Starr - Daily Operation
13. Fugees - The Score
12. Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
11. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca and the Soul Brother
10. The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death
9. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
8. Mobb Deep - The Infamous...
7. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
6. Gang Starr - Step in the Arena
5. The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
4. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
3. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
2. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
1. Nas - Illmatic

Pretty predictable top 5. They also have standout tracks for each album that I'll transcribe later.
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
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Re: The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

Post by StevieFan13 »

50. The Choice is Yours, Flavor of the Month, Strobelite Honey
49. Woo-Hah!! (Got You All in Check), It's a Party, I'll Vibe
48. U.N.I.T.Y., Just Another Day, Rough
47. The I.N.C. Ride, Sittin' on Chrome, Born to Roll
46. O.P.P., Ghetto Bastard (Everything's Gonna Be Alright), The Wickedest Man Alive
45. 9th Wonder (Blackitolism), For Corners, Jettin'
44. Unknowhowedo, 3 the Hard Way, I Confess
43. Crossover, Head Banger, Chill
42. Operation Lock Down, Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka, Therapy
41. Time 4 Sum Aksion, Tonight's Da Night, Blow Your Mind
40. Luchini (This is It), Black Nostaljack, Cooley High
39. Bonita Applebum, Can I Kick It?, Footprints
38. Earth People, Blue Flowers, 3000
37. Whateva Man, Smoke Buddah, Creepin'
36. Mama Said Knock You Out, Jingling Baby (Remixed But Still Jingling), Around the Way Girl
35. T.O.N.Y. (Top of New York); Illegal Life; L.A., L.A.
34. Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey), A Rollerskating Jam Named Saturdays, Keeping the Faith
33. Can't Nobody Hold Me Down, Been Around the World, All About the Benjamins
32. 8 Steps to Perfection, Blind, Population Control
31. Crush on You, Not Tonight, Queen Bitch
30. Ah Yeah, MCs Act Like They Do, Rappaz R. N. Dainja
29. Searching, I Got a Love, Take You There
28. Street Dreams, If I Ruled the World (Imagine That), Affirmative Action
27. You Got Me, The Next Movement, Dynamite!
26. Streets of N.Y., Riker's Island, Kool is Back
25. Stakes is High, Itsoweezee (HOT), Big Brother Beat
24. Daytona 500, All That I Got is You, Camay
23. Umi Says, Miss Fat Booty, Mathematics
22. Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em, Mahogany, Keep 'Em Eager to Listen
21. I Gotcha Opin, Buck 'Em Down, Who Got Da Props?
20. Super Lyrical, You Ain't a Killer, You Came Up
19. Liquid Swords, Shadowboxin', Cold World
18. Just Hangin' Out, Looking at the Front Door, Live from the BBQ
17. Get at Me Dog, Stop Being Greedy, Ruff Ryders Anthem
16. The DEFinition, Respiration, Brown Skin Lady
15. Fudge Pudge, Who Stole My Last Piece of Chicken?, Organized Konfusion
14. Take It Personal, Ex Girl to the Next Girl, Soliloquy of Chaos
13. Fu-Gee-La, Zealots, Cowboys
12. Fight the Power, 911 is a Joke, Burn Hollywood Burn
11. Straighten It Out, They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.), For Pete's Sake
10. Hypnotize, I Got a Story to Tell, Sky's the Limit
9. Heaven & Hell, Glaciers of Ice, Incarcerated Scarfaces
8. Give Up the Goods (Just Step), Shook Ones (Pt. II), Survival of the Fittest
7. Award Tour, Electric Relaxation, Lyrics to Go
6. Just to Get a Rep, Step in the Arena,Who's Gonna Take the Weight?
5. Warning, Big Poppa, Gimme the Loot
4. C.R.E.A.M., Can It All Be So Simple, Da Mystery of Chessboxin'
3. Can't Knock the Hustle, Can I Live?, Friend or Foe
2. Check the Rhime, Jazz (We Got), Scenario
1. The World is Yours, It Ain't Hard to Tell, Life's a Bitch
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
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Pierre
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Re: The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

Post by Pierre »

StevieFan13 wrote: Pretty predictable top 5. They also have standout tracks for each album that I'll transcribe later.
Is it? I would have thought Public Enemy would dominate it hands down. I'm not from the East Coast or even America of course, so maybe it's just a foreigner's view.
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Re: The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

Post by StevieFan13 »

Pierre wrote:
StevieFan13 wrote: Pretty predictable top 5. They also have standout tracks for each album that I'll transcribe later.
Is it? I would have thought Public Enemy would dominate it hands down. I'm not from the East Coast or even America of course, so maybe it's just a foreigner's view.
Over here, while it’s well-loved, it isn’t nearly as beloved as Nation of Millions. The top 5 are pretty much obligatory on any rap list, especially pertaining to the ‘90s.
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
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Re: The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

Post by Pierre »

StevieFan13 wrote:
Pierre wrote:
StevieFan13 wrote: Pretty predictable top 5. They also have standout tracks for each album that I'll transcribe later.
Is it? I would have thought Public Enemy would dominate it hands down. I'm not from the East Coast or even America of course, so maybe it's just a foreigner's view.
Over here, while it’s well-loved, it isn’t nearly as beloved as Nation of Millions. The top 5 are pretty much obligatory on any rap list, especially pertaining to the ‘90s.
I see. Yeah, here in France, the 1990s rap album featured ahead would probably be Fear of a Black Planet (in trad rock outlets wanting to keep up with younger audiences but not actually liking hip-hop much, I've even seen Apocalypse 91 in older lists, thanks to (or because of) the Anthrax collaboration). And that's all the more preposterous knowing that the album most generally acknowledged as the best French hip-hop album ever, IAM's L'École du micro d'argent, is basically considered a Wu-Tang album (to the point that on one track, a few second-rate Wu-Tang affiliates are featured claiming the album as such)! But French rock critics have trouble catching up.
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Re: The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

Post by StevieFan13 »

Pierre wrote:
StevieFan13 wrote:
Pierre wrote:
Is it? I would have thought Public Enemy would dominate it hands down. I'm not from the East Coast or even America of course, so maybe it's just a foreigner's view.
Over here, while it’s well-loved, it isn’t nearly as beloved as Nation of Millions. The top 5 are pretty much obligatory on any rap list, especially pertaining to the ‘90s.
I see. Yeah, here in France, the 1990s rap album featured ahead would probably be Fear of a Black Planet (in trad rock outlets wanting to keep up with younger audiences but not actually liking hip-hop much, I've even seen Apocalypse 91 in older lists, thanks to (or because of) the Anthrax collaboration). And that's all the more preposterous knowing that the album most generally acknowledged as the best French hip-hop album ever, IAM's L'École du micro d'argent, is basically considered a Wu-Tang album (to the point that on one track, a few second-rate Wu-Tang affiliates are featured claiming the album as such)! But French rock critics have trouble catching up.
I mean, a Wu-Tang association is considered an honor over here, but how much affiliation do they have?
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
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Re: The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

Post by Pierre »

StevieFan13 wrote:
Pierre wrote:
StevieFan13 wrote: Over here, while it’s well-loved, it isn’t nearly as beloved as Nation of Millions. The top 5 are pretty much obligatory on any rap list, especially pertaining to the ‘90s.
I see. Yeah, here in France, the 1990s rap album featured ahead would probably be Fear of a Black Planet (in trad rock outlets wanting to keep up with younger audiences but not actually liking hip-hop much, I've even seen Apocalypse 91 in older lists, thanks to (or because of) the Anthrax collaboration). And that's all the more preposterous knowing that the album most generally acknowledged as the best French hip-hop album ever, IAM's L'École du micro d'argent, is basically considered a Wu-Tang album (to the point that on one track, a few second-rate Wu-Tang affiliates are featured claiming the album as such)! But French rock critics have trouble catching up.
I mean, a Wu-Tang association is considered an honor over here, but how much affiliation do they have?
It's loose, as you'd expect. But it exists. On L'École du micro d'argent, Timbo King, Dreddy Krueger & Prodigal Sunn (not the higher profile Wu-Tang guys, I know) are featured on the track "La Saga" claiming to "bring the listener to another chamber". More substantially, Method Man & Redman are featured on "Noble art", a track from their subsequent album Revoir un printemps. IAM themselves are featured on the track "Seul face à lui" from RZA's compilation The World According to RZA.

The album L'École du micro d'argent itself is self-produced by the band and the production imitates the style of RZA, with the cover art being a shoutout to the whole samurai thing although the "old movies samples" on IAM's albums generally evoke spaghetti westerns more than samurai movies, and are often forged. But if you play the album alongside a Wu-Tang one, the production style will appear similar, which is what the band had in mind.
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Re: The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

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Pierre wrote:
StevieFan13 wrote: Pretty predictable top 5. They also have standout tracks for each album that I'll transcribe later.
Is it? I would have thought Public Enemy would dominate it hands down. I'm not from the East Coast or even America of course, so maybe it's just a foreigner's view.
The only questionable one is Reasonable Doubt to me. I think it's a very good album but not better than some of the albums it's in front of on this list.
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Re: The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

Post by bootsy »

StevieFan13 wrote:
Pierre wrote:
StevieFan13 wrote: Pretty predictable top 5. They also have standout tracks for each album that I'll transcribe later.
Is it? I would have thought Public Enemy would dominate it hands down. I'm not from the East Coast or even America of course, so maybe it's just a foreigner's view.
Over here, while it’s well-loved, it isn’t nearly as beloved as Nation of Millions. The top 5 are pretty much obligatory on any rap list, especially pertaining to the ‘90s.
You're probably right but there are some days where I would take Fear over Nation. The production on that ablum is so good and intense.
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Re: The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

Post by StevieFan13 »

bootsy wrote:
Pierre wrote:
StevieFan13 wrote: Pretty predictable top 5. They also have standout tracks for each album that I'll transcribe later.
Is it? I would have thought Public Enemy would dominate it hands down. I'm not from the East Coast or even America of course, so maybe it's just a foreigner's view.
The only questionable one is Reasonable Doubt to me. I think it's a very good album but not better than some of the albums it's in front of on this list.
For sure, and it's definitely not Jay-Z's best (that's probably The Blueprint, although The Black Album and 4:44 are also making a bid for that title). It's more legendary for being his debut than for being his best album. I'd also say some of the standouts on Fear of a Black Planet hold their own with Nation of Millions, but I'd still take the latter over the former.
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
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Re: The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

Post by jimmyj »

No Jeru the Damaja? The Sun Rises in the East? DJ Premier production at its finest.

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Re: The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

Post by jimmyj »

Oh and Nation of Millions wouldn't appear on this list. It was released 1988.
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Re: The Boombox - 50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s (2017)

Post by StevieFan13 »

jimmyj wrote:Oh and Nation of Millions wouldn't appear on this list. It was released 1988.
Well yeah, we're talking about general opinion.
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
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