So what exactly was the last classic Hip-Hop album...

Orizio · 26-11-2006 10:17pm #1

Looking back classic albums seemed to be coming out of every region and city in the mid 90's in particular, but stretching my mind back there has hardly been many classic albums released this century(I can think of about 5if I really pushed it and a dozen possibles).So what exactly was the last classic Hip-Hop album?

For me, it was Little Brother's The Listening released in 2002 if I remember correctly.Its consistent in that you can listen to it the whole way through but it has those three or four tracks that everyone has as personal faves(for me Speed,The Getup and The Listening).There can be no doubting 9th's production or the hooks throughout.Hell even the skits stand up to repeated listening.The only problem you can have with the album is the MC'ing-Phonte and Pooh are hardly the most lyrical MC's.But even still they hold your attention, have great arrogance and humour running through their rhymes and clearly respect the art of rapping.

The only albums that may be classed as classics in my mind after The Listening are Kanye's Late Registration( a few skipable tracks) and Andre 3000's The Love Below (one half of an album, so maybe it shouldn't be accepted,also has a few repetitive tracks )

Jay Ru · 27-11-2006 1:06am

i'm with ya on the little brother and maybe the kanye but u can't be serious bout andre 3000, that whole album was terrible. IMO the last good outkast album was aquemini.

with the exception of the dj quik track jay z's black album is a pretty solid release

Orizio · 27-11-2006 1:16am

There has been thousands of 'solid' releases.

The Soul Below is to me a rather brilliant and eclectic mixture of soul and Hip-Hop.I would strongly suggest going back to listen to it.

Umaro · 27-11-2006 2:26am

I think The Documentary could become a retrospective classic in a few years. Game just needs to keep evolving and pushing himself harder.

spacecoyote · 27-11-2006 9:08am

Don't see how the games album can ever be classed as a classic as it didn't really bring anything remotely new to the scene. The latest Roots album Game Theory has the potential to be seen as a classic & i think Cut Chemists effort is the best (mostly) instrumental album to be dropped in quite a while

shane86 · 27-11-2006 12:03pm

Jay Ru wrote:

i'm with ya on the little brother and maybe the kanye but u can't be serious bout andre 3000, that whole album was terrible. IMO the last good outkast album was aquemini.

Ive said it before and Ill said it again, Andre 3000 is the biggest clown in music. P Diddy, Louis Walsh, Pete Doherty, they are all tossers granted, but when it comes down to it there is simply nobody more embarrasing to the genre.

I havent heard it all yet, but if that song Compton is anything to go by, The Games new one is even better than the first.

Orizio · 27-11-2006 12:32pm

I don't think you can have a classic album from an average MC, who has so few lyrics he must name drop every few lines.

Game Theory is a few tracks short of a classic imo.You reach the last track and think 'where's the rest?'.

This thread isn't about Andre's character but his album.Suffice to say the disrespect people show to this absolute legend for apparently petty reasons like his fashion sense, just goes to show the lack of respect in Hip-Hop in general for the genre's trailblazers.

So back to his critically acclaimed album, not Andre himself.

spacecoyote · 27-11-2006 12:34pm

seriously, people are sitting there singing the praises of the latest "gangsta" clone, while slating someone who is not only one of the best MCs around today, but also one of the most creative artists in music, let alone hip-hop. Sure Andre's stuff is a little hit & miss sometimes but at least he's attempting to do something original. He's also an integral part of a group thats released 2 or 3 of hip hops all time classic albums

ghostdancer · 27-11-2006 5:19pm

either way, his latest stuff has indeed been hit and miss as you just said. i personally thought Spearboxxx/Love Below was a hilariously awful album full of nonsense.
the fact that he happened to be part of a group who made some great albums 10 years ago is neither here nor there.

and if we're calling Late Registration a classic, then there's a **** load of albums that are fitting into that classic bracket, including Game's 2, as LR is nowhere remotely near reaching the criteria i would associate a classic album with.

Orizio · 27-11-2006 10:10pm

the fact that he happened to be part of a group who made some great albums 10 years ago is neither here nor there.

Of course not.;)

and if we're calling Late Registration a classic,

Um no I didn't.

then there's a **** load of albums that are fitting into that classic bracket, including Game's 2, as LR is nowhere remotely near reaching the criteria i would associate a classic album with.

Fair enough.

Hey, here's a novel idea-how about someone tell me what they think the last classic Hip-Hop album was?

ghostdancer · 27-11-2006 10:45pm

Orizio wrote:

The only albums that may be classed as classics in my mind after The Listening are Kanye's Late Registration( a few skipable tracks)

....yeah, you did.

Orizio · 27-11-2006 11:05pm

I said LR may be a classic, whilst also highlighting the reason I think it isn't in brackets afterwards.

With all due respect, I don't want this thread to fall apart because of your weak command of the English language.

Back on topic cheers.

Jay Ru · 28-11-2006 1:46am

shane86 wrote:

Ive said it before and Ill said it again, Andre 3000 is the biggest clown in music. ........................................ they are all tossers granted, but when it comes down to it there is simply nobody more embarrasing to the genre.

have to disagree with u there, andre might be a bit out there with his dress sense alright but, dude is far from an embarrasing.

Game Theory is a few tracks short of a classic imo.You reach the last track and think 'where's the rest?'.

might thoughts extactly, and although is a solid release for the crew its far from there strongest album.

spacecoyote · 28-11-2006 8:44am

I'm not saying that Game Theory is the Roots best work, but it is considerably better than the previous two (both of which i really liked anyway) and whereas it might not match up to the earlier albums (all of which i would call classic albums) i still think it's a quality album which hasn't imo got a bad track on it

evil_seed · 28-11-2006 9:39am

I'm probably gonna catch a lot of flak for sayin this but i'm puttin it out anyways. I think the last classic album, which is what Orizio started the thread asking in the first place is..... (drum roll please)

Lord Willin' - The Clipse

Raekwon · 28-11-2006 12:18pm

evil_seed wrote:

Lord Willin' - The Clipse

Seriously? :rolleyes: Apart from 'Grindin' this album doesn't stand up to repeated listens. I'd even go as far to say that this is the album that made me start to hate The Neptune's beats (Btw their new album Hell Hath No Fury should be released soon).

Makaveli · 28-11-2006 12:27pm

Their new album is getting rave reviews, I don't see why. It's not nearly as ground breaking as people would have you believe. It's alright, nothing special.

Last classic album, I'll answer that later when I have more time to think about it.

shane86 · 28-11-2006 6:21pm

Orizio wrote:

This thread isn't about Andre's character but his album.Suffice to say the disrespect people show to this absolute legend for apparently petty reasons like his fashion sense, just goes to show the lack of respect in Hip-Hop in general for the genre's trailblazers.

Ill admit I find his style of dress outlandish. However, my main reason for hating him is that his lyrics are ****e. Check out Prototype for example, its toe curlingly bad. Nobody in hip hop history, be it Chingy, Diddy, J-Kwon or any of the rest hjave ever come up with such appaling ch....its not even cheese ffs.

Critically acclaimed? So was Get Rich or Die Tryin, which judging from many of the posts here isnt exactly 5 mic material in your eyes.

Orizio · 28-11-2006 6:23pm

Lord Willin' didn't even come into my mind.Released in 2002 right?So where Aziatic,The Listening and Lord Willin' all released around the same time?My dates are little fuzzy.

The Clipse's debut was good but over rated.A few awesome tracks and the rest was a little hit and miss,it was also a little short to me and unsastifying.Gotta love Pusha T and Malice on the mic though.

Hell Hath No Fury has gotten a pretty lukewarm response from what I can tell, outside of that XXL review.

Orizio · 28-11-2006 6:28pm

shane86 wrote:

Ill admit I find his style of dress outlandish. However, my main reason for hating him is that his lyrics are ****e. Check out Prototype for example, its toe curlingly bad. Nobody in hip hop history, be it Chingy, Diddy, J-Kwon or any of the rest hjave ever come up with such appaling ch....its not even cheese ffs.

Critically acclaimed? So was Get Rich or Die Tryin, which judging from many of the posts here isnt exactly 5 mic material in your eyes.

I've never mentioned GRODT on this forum, so I don't know where you are getting this from.Its a 4 mic album imo almost completely because of the production.

The Soul Below is an overwhelmingly corny album, but it was intended as such. Andre didn't just go from being an incredible lyricist on Aquamini to being a bad one-he changed his style, and as corny as the hook on Prototype is, it suits the style of the production perfectly imo.

gamb1or · 29-11-2006 1:00pm

Makaveli wrote:

Their new album is getting rave reviews, I don't see why. It's not nearly as ground breaking as people would have you believe. It's alright, nothing special.

Last classic album, I'll answer that later when I have more time to think about it.

The new album is excellent.

Every track is great except "ain't cha", which is still good if you can get past the hook.

Album of the year so far...hopefully Nas can top it

If it counts, the last classic was Nas - The Lost Tapes

mountainyman · 30-11-2006 11:49am

Last Classic Hipp Hop Album was OG.

The Game is just peddling **** that Ice T was dropping back in the day.

MM

Orizio · 30-11-2006 4:11pm

gamb1or wrote:

The new album is excellent.

Every track is great except "ain't cha", which is still good if you can get past the hook.

Album of the year so far...hopefully Nas can top it

If it counts, the last classic was Nas - The Lost Tapes

I would put TLT up there with Mega's The Realness as the two best albums released this decade.But again, I think the likes of The Listening(which I assume people have actually listened to) should be defined as a classic.Its basically faultless and just straight great fun.

dumbeldore · 01-12-2006 11:45pm

The beautiful struggle and Quality . Showtime and boy in the corner by Dizze Rascal.track 8 on showtime called respect is just as good as the track of the same name on the greatest album off all time which is ?

Orizio · 02-12-2006 5:56pm

dumbeldore wrote:

The beautiful struggle and Quality . Showtime and boy in the corner by Dizze Rascal.track 8 on showtime called respect is just as good as the track of the same name on the greatest album off all time which is ?

What is Aretha Franklin's I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You.

I liked a lot of the tracks on Quality(especially the Res track)but still its nothing special.TBS was very mundane and dull imo.

Dizze Rascal's stuff is very under rated imo.Some of the most distinctive Hip-Hop from this decade, but again a little inconsistent.

Endurance Man · 02-12-2006 6:32pm

Think differently music was awsome.

Orizio · 02-12-2006 6:55pm

Think Differently was good but again you'll find very few people who would define it as 'classic' material.The production for one thing was standard enough, and there was more then a few weak verses on it.And Aesop's Rock was on it...

dumbeldore · 02-12-2006 9:33pm

no i meant ready to die and track 14 respect by the greatest of all time bigge

Orizio · 02-12-2006 10:02pm

lol.BIG's track didn't even come into my mind.

Tells you the kind of music I've been listening to of late.

Brand New Day was always my fave Dizze Rascal track though.

BRM · 03-12-2006 4:43pm

i think Common - Bewill be a classic its always good to listen to.

Gorillaz-Demon Days is also one of those never get tired albums.

elshambo · 12-12-2006 12:31am

Aesop Rock, Float

So what exactly was the last classic Hip-Hop album...

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