He's only done 10-5 so far. But here they are...
10 - De La Soul - 3 feet high
9 - Wu Tang - Enter 36 Chamber
8 - Lauryn Hill - Miseducation of...
07-Notorious BIG ‘Ready to Die’
Now my MTV counterparts spent days going back and forth trying to decide which was the better album ‘Ready to Die’ or ‘Life After Death’. No such debate for me. The main criteria in choosing is overall impact. In other words, what did it mean for Hip Hop when Biggie unleashed this masterpiece?
Well for starters Biggie made it cool for one to be flashy and overtly commercial. He was also the start of the modern day Hip Hop ‘Bad Boy bling, bling era’. A lot of folks look at the work P-Diddy and Mase did and attach this distinction to them, However when you really look at it was Biggie who first started kicking verses about sipping Moet and wearing Coogi sweaters.
What’s interesting is that because Biggie was so nice on the mic and such a gifted storyteller he rarely gets blamed for bringing forth the very things that so many people complain about when the discussion of ‘what’s wrong with Hip Hop?’ comes about.
For example, if you check out his lyrics, dude talked about having lots of riches. He rapped about macking on women in the most unflattering terms. He bragged about sticking up fools and shooting people. However, Brooklyn Born Biggie moved the crowd and became the embodiment of New York style Hip Hop for years to come. He was truly King of New York.
The other thing about Biggie was he completely changed the game. In my last column I noted that Wu-Tang brought the spotlight back to New York and reminded people that the Big Apple was gritty and had cats who had serious rhyme skillz. I honestly felt folks we re going to continue in that vein at least on a mainstream level. Biggie flipped that. Not only did he overshadow the work of Wu-Tang who dropped the year before, but he also made us forget about Craig Mack who started off being Bad Boy’s signature artist. Craig’s hit record ‘Flava in Ya ear’ seemed more in line with the direction Wu had taken us, but when Biggie dropped Juicy which was about as commercial sounding as you can get it was game over. When he followed it up with hit songs like ‘Big Poppa’ and ‘Hypnotize’, the sound and style of Hip Hop was changed with us still feeling the effects to this day.
Again no one could really point a finger at Biggie and accuse him of selling out because dude had unquestionable skillz. He used to do his thing at the Lyricist Lounge and he rarely wrote down his lyrics. Biggie also personified the important difference new York sought to have in terms of separating itself from the Gangsta vibe of the West Coast which was starting to morph into the G-Funk era. While LA was gangsta, New York was smooth and sharp.
With respect to Biggie’s follow up album ‘Life After Death’, although it was classic, because he was killed just as it was coming out, we never had a chance to see how he would’ve impacted the rap world. The sentiments in this album were basically represented by P-Diddy and Jay-Z who I felt took the cool and smoothness of Biggie to the next level.
Biggie for the most part was New York’s first true rap King. He changed the door in a major way and because of that we simply cannot put Jay-Z’s ‘Reasonable Doubt’ on the list. I know a lot of folks are going to say that’s crazy. And yes, we all agree that Jigga is probably tone of the best to ever bless the mic, But Reasonable Doubts impact was never as big as Biggie’s ‘Ready to Die’. It was an extension of groundwork that was already laid. And also I hate to say this, but lets be honest, and please this is no disrespect to Jay-Z-Our initial love affair with Jay-Z came about because we missed Biggie after he was died. We were rebounding..
Lucky for us, Jigga had lots of talent and street smarts and for the most part was able to effectively step in and rise to the occasion. He became New York’s next King. But he didn’t change the game the way Biggie did…
06-2Pac ‘All Eyes on Me’
2Pac and Biggie will forever be linked because they were out at the same time and captured the sentiment and desires of their audience. 2Pac was to Cali what Biggie was to Brooklyn and this highly anticipated album which was Pac’s first after his highly scrutinized jail stint was a landmark.
‘All Eyes on Me’ was a double album which was the short lived trend at the time. Unlike most artists who gave us lots of filler and would’ve been better off giving us a fewer songs, Pac’s album had hit after hit that people still bump to this day. Tracks like ‘2 of Amerikkaz’s Most Wanted’, ‘All About U’ ‘I Ain’t Mad At Cha’ and ‘How Do Want It’ continue to be mainstay songs.
In many ways ‘All Eyes on Me’ was the ultimate beef album because it was here that 2Pac boldly called out all his enemies. From C Delores Tucker to Biggie and Puff, no one was spared. We had never seen or heard anything like that before. His willingness to ‘keep it real’ at all times and show heart at a time when so many were either being elusive and fake is what made him the pride of the West Coast.
During his last radio interview which was done with Sway for Westside radio, 2Pac spoke about ‘All Eyes on Me’ and the rationale behind him using the album to kick up dust so the West Coast could be recognized. He felt his beef with Biggie was necessary because for too long NY had refused to open the doors and recognize the West Coast.
Was this a good or bad thing for Hip Hop? We can debate this all day. There are two things to keep in mind. First, what Pac spit cats out here really felt and second, his brazen ‘recklessness was no different then the brazenness that was being spit by Biggie in some of his songs. Pac just had specific targets who he called out. But when we go back in to time to that era 95, 96, that’s where we as Hip Hopper were at…What we were experiencing during that era was the antithesis to the Afro-centric consciousness and the West Coast gang truces that came about and were alive and well several years before.
Pac and Biggie represented a new generation of Hip Hoppers who for the most part were the younger brothers and sisters of the Afro-centric crowd and this new breed was determined to make noise and be heard. If we go back to that time period, you may recall that things were getting so wild to the point that it sparked the Million Man March.
It’s also interesting to note that for all the distain Pac had toward Biggie he too ushered in a commercial, flashy, bling era with ‘All eyes on Me’. The difference was where Biggie was apt to be smooth and laid back, Pac was down to show the world the true meaning of the term ‘Ride or Die’ which was an aggressive West Coast attitude and mindset all while sipping on a glass of cristal.
Lastly, a lot of people may argue that ‘Makavelli’ was Pac’s greatest album or ‘Me Against the World’ were he had songs like ‘Dear Mama’. Yes, these albums were good. But lets be real, when we think of Pac are immediate thoughts go back to the Death Row ‘All Eyes on Me’ era…That’s where he really made his mark and ultimate impact..
5 - A tribe called Quest - Low end theory
I'll post the next 5 when he updates his post. Also I only posted his reasons for Biggie and Pac as these were the 2 albums that were heavily debated from MTV's list.
10 - De La Soul - 3 feet high
9 - Wu Tang - Enter 36 Chamber
8 - Lauryn Hill - Miseducation of...
07-Notorious BIG ‘Ready to Die’
Now my MTV counterparts spent days going back and forth trying to decide which was the better album ‘Ready to Die’ or ‘Life After Death’. No such debate for me. The main criteria in choosing is overall impact. In other words, what did it mean for Hip Hop when Biggie unleashed this masterpiece?
Well for starters Biggie made it cool for one to be flashy and overtly commercial. He was also the start of the modern day Hip Hop ‘Bad Boy bling, bling era’. A lot of folks look at the work P-Diddy and Mase did and attach this distinction to them, However when you really look at it was Biggie who first started kicking verses about sipping Moet and wearing Coogi sweaters.
What’s interesting is that because Biggie was so nice on the mic and such a gifted storyteller he rarely gets blamed for bringing forth the very things that so many people complain about when the discussion of ‘what’s wrong with Hip Hop?’ comes about.
For example, if you check out his lyrics, dude talked about having lots of riches. He rapped about macking on women in the most unflattering terms. He bragged about sticking up fools and shooting people. However, Brooklyn Born Biggie moved the crowd and became the embodiment of New York style Hip Hop for years to come. He was truly King of New York.
The other thing about Biggie was he completely changed the game. In my last column I noted that Wu-Tang brought the spotlight back to New York and reminded people that the Big Apple was gritty and had cats who had serious rhyme skillz. I honestly felt folks we re going to continue in that vein at least on a mainstream level. Biggie flipped that. Not only did he overshadow the work of Wu-Tang who dropped the year before, but he also made us forget about Craig Mack who started off being Bad Boy’s signature artist. Craig’s hit record ‘Flava in Ya ear’ seemed more in line with the direction Wu had taken us, but when Biggie dropped Juicy which was about as commercial sounding as you can get it was game over. When he followed it up with hit songs like ‘Big Poppa’ and ‘Hypnotize’, the sound and style of Hip Hop was changed with us still feeling the effects to this day.
Again no one could really point a finger at Biggie and accuse him of selling out because dude had unquestionable skillz. He used to do his thing at the Lyricist Lounge and he rarely wrote down his lyrics. Biggie also personified the important difference new York sought to have in terms of separating itself from the Gangsta vibe of the West Coast which was starting to morph into the G-Funk era. While LA was gangsta, New York was smooth and sharp.
With respect to Biggie’s follow up album ‘Life After Death’, although it was classic, because he was killed just as it was coming out, we never had a chance to see how he would’ve impacted the rap world. The sentiments in this album were basically represented by P-Diddy and Jay-Z who I felt took the cool and smoothness of Biggie to the next level.
Biggie for the most part was New York’s first true rap King. He changed the door in a major way and because of that we simply cannot put Jay-Z’s ‘Reasonable Doubt’ on the list. I know a lot of folks are going to say that’s crazy. And yes, we all agree that Jigga is probably tone of the best to ever bless the mic, But Reasonable Doubts impact was never as big as Biggie’s ‘Ready to Die’. It was an extension of groundwork that was already laid. And also I hate to say this, but lets be honest, and please this is no disrespect to Jay-Z-Our initial love affair with Jay-Z came about because we missed Biggie after he was died. We were rebounding..
Lucky for us, Jigga had lots of talent and street smarts and for the most part was able to effectively step in and rise to the occasion. He became New York’s next King. But he didn’t change the game the way Biggie did…
06-2Pac ‘All Eyes on Me’
2Pac and Biggie will forever be linked because they were out at the same time and captured the sentiment and desires of their audience. 2Pac was to Cali what Biggie was to Brooklyn and this highly anticipated album which was Pac’s first after his highly scrutinized jail stint was a landmark.
‘All Eyes on Me’ was a double album which was the short lived trend at the time. Unlike most artists who gave us lots of filler and would’ve been better off giving us a fewer songs, Pac’s album had hit after hit that people still bump to this day. Tracks like ‘2 of Amerikkaz’s Most Wanted’, ‘All About U’ ‘I Ain’t Mad At Cha’ and ‘How Do Want It’ continue to be mainstay songs.
In many ways ‘All Eyes on Me’ was the ultimate beef album because it was here that 2Pac boldly called out all his enemies. From C Delores Tucker to Biggie and Puff, no one was spared. We had never seen or heard anything like that before. His willingness to ‘keep it real’ at all times and show heart at a time when so many were either being elusive and fake is what made him the pride of the West Coast.
During his last radio interview which was done with Sway for Westside radio, 2Pac spoke about ‘All Eyes on Me’ and the rationale behind him using the album to kick up dust so the West Coast could be recognized. He felt his beef with Biggie was necessary because for too long NY had refused to open the doors and recognize the West Coast.
Was this a good or bad thing for Hip Hop? We can debate this all day. There are two things to keep in mind. First, what Pac spit cats out here really felt and second, his brazen ‘recklessness was no different then the brazenness that was being spit by Biggie in some of his songs. Pac just had specific targets who he called out. But when we go back in to time to that era 95, 96, that’s where we as Hip Hopper were at…What we were experiencing during that era was the antithesis to the Afro-centric consciousness and the West Coast gang truces that came about and were alive and well several years before.
Pac and Biggie represented a new generation of Hip Hoppers who for the most part were the younger brothers and sisters of the Afro-centric crowd and this new breed was determined to make noise and be heard. If we go back to that time period, you may recall that things were getting so wild to the point that it sparked the Million Man March.
It’s also interesting to note that for all the distain Pac had toward Biggie he too ushered in a commercial, flashy, bling era with ‘All eyes on Me’. The difference was where Biggie was apt to be smooth and laid back, Pac was down to show the world the true meaning of the term ‘Ride or Die’ which was an aggressive West Coast attitude and mindset all while sipping on a glass of cristal.
Lastly, a lot of people may argue that ‘Makavelli’ was Pac’s greatest album or ‘Me Against the World’ were he had songs like ‘Dear Mama’. Yes, these albums were good. But lets be real, when we think of Pac are immediate thoughts go back to the Death Row ‘All Eyes on Me’ era…That’s where he really made his mark and ultimate impact..
5 - A tribe called Quest - Low end theory
I'll post the next 5 when he updates his post. Also I only posted his reasons for Biggie and Pac as these were the 2 albums that were heavily debated from MTV's list.
