THE TOP 10 MOST IMPORTANT AND INFLUENTIAL ALBUMS IN HIP-HOP HISTORY!

WHAT'S GOOD YA'LL? THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST THOUGHT PROVOKING POSTS YET, AS I WANT TO DISCUSS THE TOP 10 MOST IMPORTANT AND INFLUENTIAL ALBUMS IN HIP-HOP HISTORY! HERE IS MY RUNDOWN:

10. STRICTLY BUSINESS - E.P.M.D. (THE DYNAMIC DUO FROM BRENTWOOD L.I. REALLY REDEFINED THE TAG TEAM APPROACH OF HOW A GROUP CAN ROCK THE MIC)

9. RUN-DMC - RUN-DMC (THE TRIO FROM HOLLIS QUEENS HAD EVERYONE REALIZING THE STAR POWER AND POTENTIAL OF A TRUE HIP-HOP GROUP AFTER THIS CLASSIC DEBUT)

8. STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON - N.W.A. (THIS GROUP LIKE P.E. BEFORE THEM REALLY HELP REVOLUTIONIZE THE GAME, BY NOT BEING AFRAID TO VOICE THEIR DISDAIN FOR THE POWERS THAT BE IN A CONFRONTATIONAL, UNAPOLOGTEIC, STANCE THAT SHOWED THE IMPORTANCE OF FREE SPEECH AND THE POWER OF SELF EXPRESSION!

7. THE LOW END THEORY - A TRIBE CALLED QUEST (3 REASONS: CHECK THE RHYME, JAZZ & SCENARIO ARGUABLY ONE OF THE BEST POSSE RECORDS OF ALL TIME. NUFF SAID! AND IF THAT WEREN'T ENOUGH THIS ALBUM ALSO HELP SOLIDFY AND MAGINFY THE WHOLE JAZZ ERA VIBE IN HIP-HOP DURING THE EARLY 90'S!)

6. THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF SLICK RICK - SLICK RICK (THIS ONE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE RANKED IN THE TOP 5 IF RICK'S ALBUM WOULD HAVE INCLUDED CLASSIC CUTS LIKE "THE SHOW" & LA DI DA DI" AS WELL! STILL MONA LISA, TEENAGE LOVE, & HEY YOUNG WORLD ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO HOLD DOWN HIP-HOP'S BEST STORYTELLER AS OWNERS OF ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ALBUMS IN HIP-HOP HISTORY!)

5. DE LA SOUL IS DEAD - DE LA SOUL (LAUGH, HATE, DISCRIMINATE AGAINST THE FORMER HIPPIES I MEAN BACK PACKERS FROM THE DAISY AGE ALL YOU WANT, BUT THESE GUYS HAD SOME CLASSIC SHIT! I KNEW FROM THE OPENING SKIT WITH THE SCHOOL KIDS MAKING COMMENTS ABOUT VANILLA ICE, THIS ONE WAS GONNA BE ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS. DE LA'S USUAGE OF SKITS TO ILLUSTRATE A STORY WITHIN AND IN BETWEEN THEIR ALBUM IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST DUPLICATED THINGS IN HIP-HOP SINCE (FROM NAS, PAC, BIGGIE WHO DID IT MASTERFULLY ON READY TO DIE, ETC. THEY ALL BORROWED THAT FROM DE LA. RESPECT THE ARCHITECTS!)

4. IT'S A BIG DADDY THING - BIG DADDY KANE (KING ASIATIC NOBODY'S EQUAL, YOU KNEW HE HAD TO BE UP ON HERE SOMEWHERE. THE FATHER TO BIGGIE AND JAY-Z'S BROOKLYN SWAGGER, HE WILL FOREVER BE THE ILLEST TO DO IT FROM BK TO ME. HIS FLOW WAS FLAWLESS, THE SONGS & BEATS CRAZY, AND SUBJECT MATTER VARIED FROM BATTLING, TO STORY TELLING, TO JOINTS FOR THE LADIES, TO PARTY RECORDS. THERE WAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY, AND KANE WAS SO AHEAD OF HIS TIME FLOW AND LYRCIS WISE THAT THIS GEM OF AN ALBUM IS STILL A TIMELESS CLASSIC TO THIS DAY!)

3. CRIMINAL MINDED - BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTIONS (ONE OF THE FIERCEST DEBUTS EVER, KRS AND SCOTT LA ROCK PICKED UP THE BX WHERE GRANDMASTER FLASH AND THE FURIOUS FIVE LEFT OFF, AT THE TOP. WHO ELSE DO YOU KNOW CAN MAKE A DIS RECORD ABOUT ONE OF DOPEST STARS OF THAT DAY (MC SHAN) AND THE BIGGEST PRODUCER OF THAT TIME (MARLEY MARL) AND THROW IT ON THEIR DEBUT ALBUM WHICH TURNS OUT TO BE A CLASSIC? I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT I CAN ONLY THINK OF 1 AS IN KRS-1)

2. FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET - PUBLIC ENEMY (GROUNDBREAKING, LEGENDARY STATUS WAS ACHIEVED ON THIS ALBUM FOR P.E. AFTER IT TAKES A NATION, MANY PROBABLY THOUGHT THEY WOULD FALL OFF. ESPECIALLY AFTER THE CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENTS PROFESSOR GRIFF HAD MADE IN AN INTERVIEW ABOUT JEWISH PEOPLE THAT EVENTUALLY GOT HIM BANNED FROM THE GROUP! BUT P.E. GOT UP GOT OUT AND BANGED OUT A 5 STAR CLASSIC FROM BROTHER'S GONNA WORK IT OUT, TO THE POLITICAL CHARGED ANTHEM "FIGHT THE POWER" THIS JOINT IS FLAWLESS! TRULY A HIP-HOP MASTERPIECE)AND NOW FOR THE NUMBER ONE MOST IMPORTANT AND INFLUENTIAL ALBUM IN HIP-HOP HISTORY IS

1. PLEASE HAMMER DON'T HURT'EM - MC HAMMER (C'MON YOU KNOW I'M JUST MESSING WITH YOU, LOL :)SERIOUSLY THE NUMBER ONE JOINT IS:

1. PAID IN FULL - ERIC B. & RAKIM ( THIS JOINT RAISED THE BAR COMPLETELY FOR WHAT A D.J. AND EMCEE SHOULD DO, ACT, THINK, AND RECORD! HEARIN GJOINTS LIKE MY MELODY, MOVE THE CROWD OR PAID IN FULL STILL SEND CHILLS UP MY SPINE. CRAZY!)


AND FOR THE FEW HONORABLE MENTIONS THAT DIDN'T QUITE AMKE THE CUT IN NO SPECIFIC ORDER...................................................

READY TO DIE - THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G./ ALL EYEZ ON ME - 2 PAC/ MAKAVELI THE 7 DAY THEORY - MAKAVELI/ ENTA DA STAGE -BLACK MOON/ THE CHRONIC - DR. DRE/ THE SUN RISES IN THE EAST - JERU THE DAMAJA/ REASONABLE DOUBT -JAY-Z/


BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU, WHO DO YOU THINK HAD THE TOP 10 MOST IMPORTANT AND INFLUENTIAL ALBUMS IN HIP-HOP HISTORY? YOUR THOUGHTS...............