160 Hip-Hop Albums
We could go on and on and on about hip-hop and our history with the genre. At one time the Ze Catalist office had over 1,300 hip-hop CDs on our shelves. We went to concerts constantly, hosted hip-hop radio shows, collected 12” records, wore Wu-Tang T-shirts, etc. We loved the genre dearly. Unfortunately, we’ve lost much of our interest over the last few years, and thus, this list might look a bit dated to anyone who keeps up. We apologize for that. We also realize that we’ve left quite a bit of the usual “Best Hip-Hop Albums Ever” staples off our list. Who cares.
160. Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full
159. Ultramagnetic MCs - Critical Beatdown
158. Wyclef Jean - The Carnival
157. Aceyalone - Accepted Eclectic
156. Sage Francis - Human the Death Dance
155. Quasimoto - The Unseen
154. Capone-N-Noreaga - The War Report
153. Nas - Stillmatic
152. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - E. 1999
151. Smif-n-Wesson - Dah Shinin’
150. RZA - Bobby Digital
149. Freestyle Fellowship - To Whom It May Concern
148. Rakim - The 18th Letter
147. Redman - Whut? Thee Album
146. Nas - The Lost Tapes
145. Sankofa - The Tortoise Hustle
144. Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill
143. Eric B. & Rakim - Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em
142. Little Brothers - The Minstrel Show
141. Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust
140. Digital Underground - Sex Packets
139. Kanye West - Late Registration
138. Heiroglyphics - 3rd Eye Vision
137. House of Pain - House of Pain
136. GZA - Beneath the Surface
135. Sankofa - The Rosetta Stone
134. De La Soul - Stakes is High
133. Atmosphere - Lucy Ford
132. Quasimoto - The Further Adventures
131. The Artifacts - Between a Rock and a Hard
130. Q-Tip - The Renaissance
129. Eazy-E - It’s On
128. DJ Shadow - The Private Press
127. J-Live - All of the Above
126. Wu-Tang Clan - Forever
125. Goodie Mob - Soul Food
124. Themselves - The No Music
123. Sankofa - Still Means Something
122. Ice Cube - Lethal Injection
121. Jeru the Damaja - The Sun Rises in the East
120. Del - I Wish My Brother George
119. Sankofa - SA-2
118. Aesop ROCK - Labor Days
117. Dosh - Dosh
116. Eminem - The Eminem Show
115. Aceyalone - All Balls Don’t Bounce
114. BDP - By All Means Necessary
113. ODB - Return to the 36 Chambers
112. cLOUDDEAD - Ten
111. Sole - Plastique
110. The Roots - Illadelph Halflife
109. Del - No Need for Alarm
108. The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death
107. Slum Village - Fantastic vol. 2
106. The Luniz - Operation Stackola
105. Digable Planets - Reachin’
104. Jay-Z - The Blueprint
103. Redman - Muddy Waters
102. Common - Be
101. Big L - Lifestylez ov da Poor …
100. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
99. DJ Quik - Safe + Sound
98. Jay-Z - Vol. 2
97. DOC - No One Can Do It Better
96. Digable Planets - Blowout Comb
95. BDP - Criminal Minded
94. Aesop ROCK - Float
93. Eazy-E - Eazy-Duz-It
92. Ras Kass - Soul on Ice
91. Rjd2 - Deadringer
90. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of
89. Dru Down - Can You Feel Me
88. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
87. Cypress Hill - Black Sunday
86. Jay-Z - The Black Album
95. Non-Prophets - Hope
84. EPMD - Strictly Business
83. Mos Def & Talib Kweli - Black Star
82. GangStarr - Hard to Earn
81. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
80. MF Doom - Operation Doomsday
79. Big Punisher - Capital Punishment
78. Soul Position - 8,000,000 Stories
77. Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030
76. Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II
75. Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca and the Soul Brother
74. Black Moon - Enta Da Stage
73. Jel - Greenball
72. Deep Puddle Dynamics - The Taste of Rain
71. Buck 65 - Talkin’ Honky Blues
70. OC - Word … Life
69. Kanye West - College Dropout
68. Black Sheep - A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
67. Organize Konfusion - Stress: The Extinction Agenda
66. De La Soul - Is Dead
65. Outkast - Aquemini
64. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
63. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions
62. Beneath the Surface
61. Too $hort - Get In Where Ya Fit In
60. Chino XL - Here To Save You All
59. OC - Jewelz
58. A Tribe Called Quest - Beats, Rhymes and Life
57. Common - One Day It’ll All Make Sense
56. Method Man - Tical
55. Nas - It Was Written
54. Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
53. Aesop ROCK - None Shall Pass
52. Outkast - ATLiens
51. Camp Lo - Uptown Saturday Night
50. Buck 65 - Weirdo Magnet
49. Ice Cube - Death Certificate
48. The Roots - Things Fall Apart
47. El-P - Fantastic Damage
46. Common Sense - Resurrection
45. Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique
44. Outkast - Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik
43. Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele
42. Freestyle Fellowship - Innercity Griots
41. Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
40. Blackalicious - Nia
39. Illogic - Unforseen Shadows
38. Outkast - Stankonia
37. Warren G - Regulate
36. Outkast - The Love Below
35. Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask
34. A Tribe Called Quest - People’s Instinctive Travels …
33. Edan -Beauty and the Beat
32. Buck 65 - Language Arts
31. Mobb Deep - The Infamous
30. Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted
29. Ice Cube - The Predator
28. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
27. Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus
26. De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
25. Buck 65 - Talkin' Honky Blues
24. Aceyalone - A Book of Human Language
23. Souls of Mischief - 93 ‘Til Infinity
22. Madvillain - Madillainy
21. Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
20. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
19. Sole - Selling Live Water
18. NWA - Straight Outta Compton
17. Ghostface Killah - Ironman
16. cLOUDDEAD - cLOUDDEAD
15. Buck 65 - Square
14. Dr. Dre - The Chronic
13. Buck 65 - Man Overboard
12. Sage Francis - Personal Journals
11. The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
10. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
9. Themselves - Them
8. Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers
7. Buck65 - This Right Here is Buck 65
6. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle
5. GZA - Liquid Swords
4. Sole - Bottle of Humans
3. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Mauraders
2. Nas - Illmatic
1. Buck 65 - Vertex
Written by G. William Locke