How many "classic" albums in hip-hop have there been in the past 10-12 years or so? Name two...

[q46tothee]

What makes an album a "classic?" Obviously you have LP's like Ready to Die, Illmatic, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), which have little tono debate as to where they stand in rap history. However, in this forum the term "classic" gets thrown around more than Brandon Marshall'sgirlfriend. It seems like you can't have any sort of thread without someone saying something like Sweat/Suit was "classic." I think thattotally discredits some of the legendary albums that actually live up to that billing. A lot of albums IMO like the Game's Documentary, Deltron 3030, etcare all GREAT albums, but I don't think they necessairly fall in that "classic" category....

and to answer the original question...these two albums (to me) are definitely classic...

&

The bar for an album reaching that legendary status, was set REALLY high....I strongly feel like these two albums (more so Lauryn Hill's) will withstandthe test of time, and forever be talked about and respected.

 

[hiphopdoc09]

you said last 10 to 12......the score wasnt in that time frame

 

[36 ounces]

Blueprint
Stillmatic
Thug Motivation 101
Lord Willin
Hell Hath No Fury
The College Dropout
Black On Both Sides
Black Star
Train Of Thought
I'm Serious
Trap Muzik

 

[q46tothee]

Originally Posted by HipHopDoc09

you said last 10 to 12......the score wasnt in that time frame

Yeah...it was 13...but whatever

 

[King of Trash Style]

The Blueprint
Food and Liquor

 

[scott frost]

 

[m16]

Violent by Design. (Revolutionized underground hip hop, sounded like nothing like it before, encompassed the entire time period with epic production andmatching lyricism)

Rip The Jacker. (Like Canibus says on Poet Laureate II he took lyricism and "turned it to the right full throttle" with some of the finest productionhip hop has ever seen)

Revolutionary Vol. II. (Once again, it was like nothing before it other than maybe Vol. 1... changed what hip hop could touch upon and expanded on theprecedents set by groups like PE)

Capital Punishment. (Pun was a different kind of monster on the mic, the things he does on this album match and in some cases far surpass the gold bar of whatbeing a MC meant)

etc

Basically, a classic is an album that encompasses the finest aspects of hip hop. It has to be timeless, near flawless start to finish, have tremendous replayvalue and be revolutionary for its time. Sales, popularity etc have nothing to do with it.

How many ? Probably 15-20 using a strict definition of the word. Maybe 5-10 mainstream. Anything more and you reaching...

 

[q46tothee]

Originally Posted by 36 OUNCES

Blueprint
Stillmatic
Thug Motivation 101
Lord Willin
Hell Hath No Fury
The College Dropout
Black On Both Sides
Black Star
Train Of Thought
I'm Serious
Trap Muzik

So you think an album like Thug Motivation 101 is up there with Illmatic, Ready to Die, etc? I mean, 20 years from now...are people REALLY going to be bumpingsomething like Thug Motivation 101 or Lord Willin?

I'm not calling you out or anything, but I'm just curious as to why.....

Basically, a classic is an album that encompasses the finest aspects of hip hop. It has to be timeless, near flawless start to finish, have tremendous replay value and be revolutionary for its time. Sales, popularity etc have nothing to do with it.

How many ? Probably 15-20 using a strict definition of the word. Maybe 5-10 mainstream. Anything more and you reaching...


That's really well put....

 

[36 ounces]

Originally Posted by Q46totheE

Originally Posted by 36 OUNCES

Blueprint
Stillmatic
Thug Motivation 101
Lord Willin
Hell Hath No Fury
The College Dropout
Black On Both Sides
Black Star
Train Of Thought
I'm Serious
Trap Muzik

So you think an album like Thug Motivation 101 is up there with Illmatic, Ready to Die, etc? I mean, 20 years from now...are people REALLY going to be bumping something like Thug Motivation 101 or Lord Willin?

I'm not calling you out or anything, but I'm just curious as to why.....

Basically, a classic is an album that encompasses the finest aspects of hip hop. It has to be timeless, near flawless start to finish, have tremendous replay value and be revolutionary for its time. Sales, popularity etc have nothing to do with it.

How many ? Probably 15-20 using a strict definition of the word. Maybe 5-10 mainstream. Anything more and you reaching...

That's really well put....
IN the south it will def be classic...

 

[moeree5e]

 

[incredibleev]

To me, a classic Hip Hop album is timeless. It can be picked up at any time in history (past, future) and can be enjoyed and appreciated for what it is andwhat it was at the time, at the same time. Hardcore fans of hip hop should undoubtedly say it is classic, and so-so fans of hip hop should recognize the albumas great and also have some idea of how special the album is. It has to relate to the history of the genre, in that it fits somewhere on the timeline where ucan say "OK, this album came out at this point in hip hop's history and really made it's mark."

10-12 years goes back to about '97, so i'll say these albums off the top of my head are classics:

Vol. 2
Its Dark and Hell is Hot
Doc's Da Name
Supreme Clientele
Chronic 2001
Aquemini
Capital Punishment
Things Fall Apart
I Am...
Slim Shady LP
Marshall Mathers LP
Soundbombing II (underground classic)
Train of Thought/Black Star
H.N.I.C. (maybe)
Blueprint
Stillmatic
Stankonia
Black Album
Speakerboxx/Love Below
GRODT
College Dropout
Late Registration
All 3 Carters (yes, all 3)
Madvillainy (underground classic)
Hunger For More (iffy on this)
Pick the best Luda album
The Documentary (iffy)
Fishscale
Food & Liquor (ehhh maybe)
Drought 3 (classic im sorry)
American Gangster maybe

i prob forgot some, didn't put a T.I. and he prob deserves one. I dunno I like my list

 

[yungmatt]

Originally Posted by Q46totheE

Name two...

Chronic 2001
Blueprint

 

[thousandaire]

The Documentary
Get Rich or Die Trying

 

[m16]

Originally Posted by IncredibleEv

Hardcore fans of hip hop should undoubtedly say it is classic

:

Vol. 2
Its Dark and Hell is Hot
Doc's Da Name
Supreme Clientele
Chronic 2001
Aquemini
Capital Punishment
Things Fall Apart
I Am...
Slim Shady LP
Marshall Mathers LP
Soundbombing II (underground classic)
Train of Thought/Black Star
H.N.I.C. (maybe)
Blueprint
Stillmatic
Stankonia
Black Album
Speakerboxx/Love Below
GRODT
College Dropout
Late Registration
All 3 Carters (yes, all 3)
Madvillainy (underground classic)
Hunger For More (iffy on this)
Pick the best Luda album
The Documentary (iffy)
Fishscale
Food & Liquor (ehhh maybe)
Drought 3 (classic im sorry)
American Gangster maybe

i prob forgot some, didn't put a T.I. and he prob deserves one. I dunno I like my list

Looking at this list... what kind of "hardcore hip hop fans" are you talking to ? I'll take the bold as un-deniable classics. A few are arguableor very close.. some are just

NT dilluted the meaning of the word. Classic =/= a good/great album/popular album. I listened to/have everything you listed in my collection... but somethingthat's solid like Fishscale for example is no where near a classic.

 

[solester]

CLASSSSICCCCCCC!!!!!!!

 

[incredibleev]

well when i think of those albums I listed I think of times in Hip Hop, certain eras I guess. They make me say, this album and that album are what shaped thistime period in hip hop. They resonate strongly with the "hardcore" hip hop fan as well as the moderate fan. I think popularity does play a part not ahuge part though.

Fishscale might be a reach maybe thats me personally coming through. To me, great solo Wu albums are hip hop classics, and there haven't been many in thepast 10 years.

 

[servejays4jays]

 

[q46tothee]

Maino??? Young Dro????

 

[numbah1grimey]

A lot of folk will mention the "Blueprint" so i will go against the norm. A few personal faves of mine (in no particular order) are:

Stankonia
Black on Both Sides
Food and Liquor
The Lost Tapes
Be

 

[im not you]

 

[pr0phecy718]

 

[mace40]

Madvillainy
The Cold Vein

 

[viiheaven]

I kid you not.

This is the most refreshing album I've heard in YEARS.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

The Black Album

 

[icandunkonu]

Supreme Clientele- i actually think this better than iron man but the casual ghost fan will yell out ironman similar to when the casual nas fan yells outillmatic, though a overwhelming amount of nas fans think it was written is his best album
blueprint- goes without saying, this was on repeat through the 2001-02 turnover
GRODT- i'm comfortable saying this album was the apex of fiddy's career
Chronic 2001- we waited a decade for perfection
Things Fall Apart- This is probably the most criminally underrated album to ever drop in my opinion
Black on both sides- The mighty mos hit zone few rappers have ever known on this album
Aquemini- I Think this album is the point where 3000 seperated himself as elite musician, not just a rapper
Capital Punishment- I'd venture to say that we hadn't seen a flow like this since kool g rap or early rakim, it's truly unfortunate that hisuntimely death outweighed his mic potential
It"s dark and hell is hot- this was one of the last few albums to be tremendously successful without a truly radio friendly/commercial single a la`fab's whole discography

Marshall Mather LP- Em's best album, end of story
Stillmatic- Classic nas material but it's kind of a tease because he puts out so much undesireable music between dope material
The Black Album- The production alone on this album cements it's classic status, and jay-z has been known to drop a hot verse or two in his career
Speakerboxx/Love below- Likely the most transcediary album since early Tupac, this album was an idea most folks couldn't even fathom just 6 months beforeit dropped, a classic in every sense of the word


Close but no cigar:
College Dropout, late registration- both had about 3-4 to many useless songs
American Gangster- If this album was boiled down to 8-9 best tracks it would like be jay's 2nd or 3rd best album
Bulletproof wallets- This album is like ghost dropped 60 in a basketball game but missed the game winner at the end
The tipping point- The transition from song to song mad parts of this album a little stagnant


can't think of anymore now