A ranking MY PERSONAL FAVORITE rap albums for each year, written with the benefit of hindsight and emphasizing longevity.  I stress: These are my favorites, i.e., the ones I most like to listen to–not the most important rap albums of each year (although there is definitely crossover) and not your favorite rap albums.  If I’ve missed any, fee free to drop me a comment and lmk.

Y2K was a very strange year for hip hop.  There were some really great “real hip hop” albums by innovators and powerful voices.  There were also many extremely well-produced “top 40” rap albums that went platinum–and several of those were also very good.

Of all the years I’ve done for this series, I think this is the one I’m most “embarrassed” about.  By that I mean that about half my picks aren’t “cool.”  Like, not only do I still really dig Nelly’s album, but also I didn’t include Common and J Dilla’s Like Water for Chocolate, which might just be everybody else’s #1 release for this year.  What can I say?  I enjoy pop rap sometimes and 2000 was a watershed year for it, and also I’m just not a fan of most Common albums.  I appreciate what he brings to the table, but I rarely choose to listen to him.  Ditto Talib and Slum Village, who also released albums lots of people would have included in a list of GOATs for this year.

8. Pimp to Eat by Analog Brothers.  This is my obligatory “off the wall” pick for 2000.  Analog Brothers are Kool Keith and Ice-T.  Ice-T at the time was fading in popularity a bit, but was one of the best-known rappers around and had produced several top-notch albums that made my top 10 lists.  Kool Keith was (and is) Kool Keith: Eccentric, experimental, always interesting to listen to–and least once.

7. Notorious K.I.M. by Lil’ Kim.  Say what you want: Yoko of rap.  Coat-tail-riding sex rapper.  Flash in the pan. There may be a bit of truth to all that, but her talent and charisma is also undeniable.  Standout tracks: How Many Licks featuring Sisqo; Lil’ Drummer Boy with Cee-Lo and Redman; and, of course, Suck My Dick.  It’s hard to imagine we’d have a Megan Thee Stallion without Kim.

6. Supreme Clientele by Ghostface Killah.  Here’s the thing about GFK: His skills are undebatable, but his content is often obscure and dense, which can make him a hard listen.  That said, if you’re a fan of Tony Starks (and I am), then this is one of the best things he’s ever done.  Two of the best cuts: Apollo Kids featuring Raekwon, and Wu Banga 101 with a bunch of Wu Clanners.

5. Power of the Dollar by 50 Cent.  Here’s the thing about 50 Cent: This album and his “big” bestselling official debut are fantastic, even if nobody wants to admit they like them because they were hugely popular and so much of the rest of his catalog is just derivative.  Maybe it’s okay if you have to copy yourself after making one of the best mixtapes of all time (this one) and one of the biggest-selling rap albums that didn’t also suck?

This mixtape is great start-to-finish.  It’s got his seminal, frequently copied “How to Rob,” of course, and other great tracks include: Your Life’s On the Line, That Ain’t Gangsta, Ghetto Qur’an (Forgive Me), Slow Doe, You Ain’t Gangsta, and I’m a Hustler.  All of these were top shelf in 2000 and still hold up today.

4. Back for the First Time by Ludacris.  For his first official album, Ludacris included (with some remixed) the best cuts from his mixtape debut, Incognegro, and filled out the shorter release with additional cuts.  Ludacris is best known as part of the whole Fast and the Furious team nowadays, but before that albums like this gave him lots of credibility.  If you want to see a great Luda movie, go check out Hustle & Flow–which basically has him playing himself.

3. Country Grammar by Nelly.  Hot shit!  My kids knew a lot of the lyrics to several songs on this album while they were still in car seats.  (I’m a terrible father.)  I’m also a terrible music blogger with no cred whatsoever because I still love this album and laugh whenever his verse about Vanna White comes on.  If you don’t like Nelly, you’re cooler than me.  But he’s still fun to listen to.

2. The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem.  If you’re reading this site, I don’t need to tell you about one of the best known and most popular rap albums of all time.  It’s extraordinary.  It could easily have been #1 on my list but for me and my personal preferences.  Today, when I’m writing this, Outkast just gets the edge.  Barely.

1. Stankonia by Outkast.  This is the best example of a rap album that can serve both the “true” fans of the genre and the tourists who just wanna hear something cool.  It’s got hard-hitting cuts suitable for clubs or even crossover (Gasoline Dreams and B.O.B.), smooth dance tunes (So Fresh, So Clean and Ms. Jackson), cuts for the streets (Snappin’ and Trappin’ with Killer Mike), raunchy sex (I’ll Call Before I Come), and even an appearance by Erykah Badu.  This is about as close to a perfect album as you can get.

Other Notables….Albums I really dig but they’re just not quite good enough to be in my list of GOATs for the year.

• MF EP by MF DOOM and MF Grimm.  I’m not putting EPs on my top 10, but if I were this would be above #4.  Excellent release.
• Murs Rules the World by Murs. This is the underground legend’s third album.  He’s still not nearly as good as he’ll get, but this is the first album that really shows all his potential for greatness.
• Since I Left You by Avalanches.  I’m on the fence whether this qualifies as a rap album.  It’s good though.
• Quality Control by Jurassic 5.  Their sound feels more late ’90s than early ’00s, but it’s still great!
• The Unseen by Quasimoto.  Unseen is an insane, dj-driven, sample collage.  The creator, Quasimoto, is Madlib and it is as wild as anything you’d get from any of MF DOOM’s personae (DOOM occupies a similar space in rap history).  Madlib takes credit as his “rap” identity, Lord Quas, in addition to his producer name of Madlib.
• Deltron 3030 (eponymous) and Both Sides of the Brain by Del the Funky Homosapien.  Del the Funky Homosapien’s 2000 output was very good.  “Both Sides” was his solo album, and Deltron was a sci-fi concept album co-created with Dan the Automator and DJ Kid Koala.

Worst Rap Album of the Year…This year there were an alarming number of candidates for this “award,” which tries to look at sales, the artist(s) responsible and other factors (not just quality) to find the album that most exemplifies the worst rap had to give for any given year.

But the winner has to be WWF Aggression.  Why?  Because it took legends like Ice-T, Rass Kass, Run-DMC, Snoop,, and many others and had them rap over wresters’ entrance music.  Have I actually listened to it all the way through?  Of course not.  Do I have to do that to give it this award?  Of course no.

Note: A wrestler (The Rock) also appeared on Wyclef Jean’s “Ecleftic” album, which came out this year.  It was a light record, but pretty good.

I’m ranking my personal 10 favorite rap albums for each year.  I stress: These are my favorites, i.e., the ones I most like to listen to–not the most important rap albums of each year (although there is definitely crossover) and not your favorite rap albums.  If I’ve missed any, fee free to drop me a comment and lmk.

1999 was a good year, but not a great year.  It has two UK hip hop albums, which is kinda interesting.  I’m pretty comfortable with my GOAT list–I think all of the entries are classic albums–but I have to admit that a couple of them are not perfect listens all the way through.

9.  Who Framed the A-Team by The A-Team.The A-Team were Aceyalone and Abstract Rude.  Just about every track on this album is great.  I know I said this list would be reserved for albums that are consistently great straight through but…Not a lot to choose from this year so I kept it on.  Plus, I have a lot of sentimental love for it.  Real old school, ’90s-style, East Coast grit.

8. Da Real World by Missy Elliott.  I think people forget this album because it is so different from the ones that preceded it, but it’s still good.

7. Brand New Second Hand by Roots Manuva.  Is this album his best or does that award go to Run Come Save Me?  Not sure.  But I think I like this one a little more.

6. Vol. 3…The Life and Times of Sean Carter by Jay-Z. Vol 3 is definitely not top tier Jay-Z, but there are some huge hits here. Most notably, “Big Pimpin.”  It’s got a lot more great songs than mediocre ones, and no bad cuts, so in a thin year like 1999, it makes my list.

5. Chronic 2001 by Dr. Dre.  We waited a long time for this album and, yes, it did in fact disappoint.  Listen to it without expecting “Chronic 2,” though, and you’ll find that most of the tracks here are very good and more than half of them are excellent.  Especially, of course, “Forgot About Dre,” which is might just be Eminem’s greatest song of all time.

4. …And Then There Was X by DMX.  DMX gets his first Grammy nom for an album that has party songs (“Party Up, Up In Here”), hard-hitters (“The Professional”) and hard-hitting party songs (“What These Bitches Want feat Sisquo”).

3. Amplified by Q-Tip.  Q-Tip proves he can do it without the rest of ATCQ.  I forgot how much I love this album, and after listening to it for my research I put it back into heavy rotation.

1. & 2. The Slim Shady EP and Operation: Doomsday by MF DOOM (tie).  I have to put these as equals–and comparing the two reveals much about the state of hip hop in ’99. One came from studio money, the other from drug money.  Both have excellent production, with DOOM being lofi DIY and Em backed by the skills and budget of Dr. Dre.  Both have too many skits, but DOOM’s skits are much longer and create a theme (the way that De La Soul’s do on their albums), while Slim Shady’s are designed to establish how sick he is.  Both are cartoonish: Eminem’s misogynistic violence is so over the top as to be ridiculous–an expression of the depth his rage against his mother and frustrations with Kim.  It’s like watching a primal therapy session.  DOOM’s cartoonism is … Cartoons.  Cuts from the Fantastic Four show.  Both albums focus on being the villain.  Finally, both of these albums pushed hip hop into the areas of the personal, creating deep and detailed worlds that went way beyond the limits of the genre, which by this time was largely rooted in pop and sales.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• The Tunnel by Funkmaster Flex.  Mentioned just because it has one of the best Eminem songs of all time, “If I Get Locked Up Tonight.”
• My Vinyl Weighs a Ton by Peanut Butter Wolf.  Many people put this as one of the best albums of the year, but for me there’s more misses than hits.  It’s solid, though.
• Nia by Blackalicious
• War Zone by Black Moon
• Things Fall Apart by The Roots.  This is undoubtedly a great album but honestly, when was the last time you listened to it?  I’ll put it here, but it’s just not right for my top 10.  No Roots album will make it on my lists.  Every time I hear a Roots album I like it, but I never am eager to hear it again.
• Soundpieces: Da Antidote by Lootpack.  More great stuff from Madlib and a murderer’s row of West Coast underground rappers.
• A Prince Among Thieves by Prince Paul.The legendary producer and a dozen of his all-star friends make a great album.  In fact, it could be argued that Kool Keith and Big Daddy Kane have never sounded better.  My sense is that this one isn’t all that well-remembered these days–at least compared to the other albums on this list.  Chris Rock supposedly bought the rights to the record and hasn’t done any kind of re-release.  Oh, and if you do seek this out be warned: The skits are endless and annoying, and are the main reason this album didn’t make my actual list.
• Home Field Advantage by The High & Mighty.  The underground, unjustly forgotten duo’s debut is basically a rap party with appearances by Eminem, Mos Def, Kool Keith, Pharoahe Monch, Evidence,  Wordsworth and Thirstin Howl III, Alchemist (and many others).  And at no point do their guests outshine them.  I suspect many of you haven’t heard of this album.  Go get it.  Now.  It almost made my main list, but I’m trying to be brutally honest and about a third of the songs are really good but not great.  I do hit skip on them.

Worst of the Year: Nothing too, too terrible this year.  Except maybe for Puff Daddy’s album, but that was entirely predictable.  There were a whole bunch of subpar albums from guys who have done much better work in the past, making this a disappointing year for genre veterans.  Examples:

• P.E.’s There’s a Poison Going On, on which they return to their disgusting antisemitic roots
• Can’t Stay Away by Too $hort.  He should have stayed away, as this did nothing to add to his legacy.
• Seventh Deadly Sin by Ice-T.  Just stay with acting, Ice.  At this point, you’re much better at it.
• I Am by Nas.  Nas will make some legendary albums again.  Soon.  But this album…Not his best.

Also, the Sugar Hill Gang made a kids record called “Jump On It.”  Ugh.

I’m ranking my personal 10 favorite rap albums for each year.  I stress: These are my favorites, i.e., the ones I most like to listen to–not the most important rap albums of each year (although there is definitely crossover) and not your favorite rap albums.  It’s also not the albums I liked back in 1998–it’s the ones I look back on and would still rate as GOATs.  If I’ve missed any, fee free to drop me a comment and lmk.

1998 was a pretty good year.  Unlike last year, we at least got 10 albums for the list–and all of them are classics.  And yes, this is a 10-album list…Even though it starts with #9.  Read on and see why.

9. Masquerades & Silhouettes (The Ancients Series One) by Lewis Parker.  Easily the best release by this UK rapper/producer.  If you’ve never heard his stuff, this is where to start.  The flow might sound a little dated at first, but give it a couple songs and it will capture you.  M&S is meant to be heard as a full album, not singles.

8. Steal This Album by The Coup.  Honestly, this is here on the strength of “Me and Jesus the Pimp in a ’79 Granada Last Night”–one of my favorite rap songs of the decade.  The rest of the album is dope too, though–especially “The Repo Man Sings for You” (featuring Del tha Funkee Homosapien).  Boots Riley is the rare example of a politically active rapper who can speak on revolutionary themes with a biting sense of humor.  He’s like if someone mixed Chuck D with George Carlin.

7. Hello Nasty by The Beastie Boys.  Remember when artists took their time between albums?  When the vicious and relentless pace of life didn’t also rule creativity?  It had been four years since the last Beastie Boys album when the DJ Mixmaster Mike joined the group for this record.

Like the others after it on this list, every single song is a winner.  A few of the best are: Three MCs and One DJ; Body Movin’; Intergalactic; and Negotiation Limerick File (in which every verse is a limerick).

6. Moment of Truth by Gang Starr.  Making these lists is so much fun.  I keep rediscovering why I’ve been a hip hop fan since I first heard Newcleus back in High School.  One rediscovery: How much I love Gang Starr.  Guru and Preem had parted ways a few years before they reunited to make this album and this would be their last together for many years.  It’s got some of their biggest hits (You Know My Steez, The Militia) and some of their greatest deep cuts–like the title track and my favorite cut, “My Advice to You.”  Guru was always about empowerment and wisdom, but on Advice he tackles all of it: Stopping drinking and doing drugs, treating women with respect, avoiding needless conflicts, getting out of the drug-dealing game…It’s so unlike other albums on this list.  DMX, for example, shares about how hard it is to live a life of crime, but he’s still reveling in it.  Jay-Z is posing by a Bentley and talking about rich he got from selling drugs.  Big Pun makes it all seem glamorous.  Guru speaks out against all of that, but never sounds preachy.

5. Vol. 2 … Hard Knock Life by Jay-Z.  With Hard Knock Life, Jay-Z became one of the fastest-selling artists in hip hop.  The theme song, which sampled the soundtrack to the Broadway musical “Annie,” was the first Jay-Z song I ever heard.  I was in a store–I think it was a Sam Goody–and it came on and of course I was hooked.  There had never been anything like it before.  (Or since, really.)

The album is full of features, and has some of the best producers of the time (DJ Premiere, Swizz Beatz, Kid Capri, etc.  Some of the great cuts: Money, Cash, Hoes with DMX; A Week Ago featuring Too $hort; and It’s Alright with Memphis Bleek.

4. Capital Punishment by Big Pun.  I’m breaking my rule here here with this one: Not every song on Capital Punishment is evergreen, and the skits are tiresome, so it is not a perfect record.  On the other hand, I’m willing to sit through them because when this album hits, it’s pure fire.  Pun’s skills burned bright for a very short time.  Best songs: Super Lyrical with Black Thought, Still Not a Player, Twinz with Fat Joe.

3. Aquemini by Outkast.  Outkast’s third album is probably their best. It’s still got that “Southern Cosmic Rap” sound that they invented, but now they’ve got live musicians and the production (by Outkast and Organized Noize) presents the album almost a single piece of music: A symphony. It’s impossible to just pick a few key tracks–every single one serves a purpose, each is unique in its own way.  My personal favorite songs (but again, every single one is great) including Rosa Parks, Hold On Be Strong, and Da Art of Storytellin’.  Oh, and Mamacita.  And Chonkyfire.  (As I said, it’s impossible to pick just a few.)

2. It’s Dark and Hell is Hot/Flesh of My Flesh by DMX.   Yeah.  I like this more than the revered Aquemini album.  (Keep in mind, though, that making this list means I basically think your album is flawless.)

Snarling and barking, Earl Simmons bursts on the scene with a two-fisted debut of a sound unlike any others on the charts.  Many big hits off this album: Ruff Ryders Anthem, Get At Me Dog, X is Comin’, Let Me Fly, Stop Being Greedy…I think I know the words to every track on this record.  So, I’ve rated it higher than some other recognized “classics” because I still listen to it regularly–remember, this is my list, my personal preferences, and I have to consider the album to be timeless.  Several of the ones ranked below it are just as good (including Aquemini)–I’m just putting DMX second because this is how I feel today.  On another day, it could be different.

DMX also released his second album, Flesh of My Flesh, in 1998.  It’s not just as good as this one…but it’s damn close.  I made this a two-album entry, but if I were rating Flesh, it would have ranked lower.  But it still would have made my list.

1. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill.  Part of the fun of making these lists is discovering, as I go.  This is the third year in a row that a woman has been in the #1 or #2 spot.  When I started this concept, I wouldn’t have predicted that outcome.  Nothing against female rappers, it’s just that the genre isn’t known for producing too many of them.  Perhaps it’s because of that: In order to make it as a woman in this genre, you have to be absolutely fantastic.  Having said that: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is one of the greatest albums of all time.  I’d probably put it in my top 10 for any genre.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• He Got Game Soundtrack by Public Enemy.  People forget this album when they talk about PE, but it was a really good one.
• Jurassic 5 (self titled)
• The Love Movement by A Tribe Called Quest
• Ghetto Superstar by Pras.  The “third Fugee’s” solo album is highly underrated and worth your time.
• Lyricist’s Lounge by Rawkus Records–a seminal underground mixtape of this period
• Mixtape Vol 3 by Funkmaster Flex–a seminal “overground” mixtape of the era, this was the first one where freestyles dominated the mix.
• Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star.  I know it’s sacrilege not to revere these two rappers but … I don’t.  I’ve never found their albums all that great.  Have to give props to this one, though.  It’s a really great record.

AND THE WORST HIP HOP ALBUM OF 1998 WAS…

• Devil With a Cause by Kid Rock.  I admit that Batwidaba caught my ear more than once, but the rest of this album is shit and it sold phenomenally well.    Next year, Slim Shady would arrive and Kid Rock’s rap career would immediately end (because hip hop only had room for one white guy at a time, I guess).

Serch is well-known by fans of ’90s hip hop as the guy who broke MF DOOM to the world.  He’s been a critical support for the culture ever since, just doing it more behind the scenes.  I can’t say enough about how good this EP is.  It is real hip hop for true fans.  But it’s just an EP.

Also recently released: The first new Ice-T album in 20 years.  Ice-T’s Criminal Migraine is also out and it’s also damn good.  It’s a proper albums and yeah, it’s a couple songs too long, but make sure you stay for his remake of his breakthrough classic “6 in the Morning,” which comes at the very end.

I loved this album, too.  Ice’s early albums are some of the best rap albums of all time.  He was one of the first rappers to break through into acting and I think he’s the only one who went back rapping and was actually still good.   You can get it on his website.

I highly recommend both of these.

I’m ranking my personal favorite rap albums for each year of the genre’s history.  These are my favorites, i.e., the ones I most like to listen to–and the ones I still listen to.  It’s not the most important rap albums of each year (although there is definitely crossover) and it’s not your favorite rap albums.  If I’ve missed any, fee free to drop me a comment and lmk.

Each year so far I’ve tried to do a top 10 list where every entry was a classic, a GOAT, an album with no wasted cuts.  (Except for skits.  I f-ing hate skits.). But some years, there haven’t been ten records that meet my definition.

1997 was such a year.

What’s interesting, though, is that the top three of the year are three of my all-time favorite rap albums.  Each of them are albums I still listen to regularly.

But those are the only three albums released this year that meet my criteria.

So, instead of a top 10 list, I’ve got a top 4 and then a bunch of albums that are mostly good but just not perfect enough for me to count them as GOATs.  Why not?  Some have filler tracks.  Some haven’t aged well.  Whatever.

Here’s my list for the year:

Very good, almost-classics, but just not quite…

• Soundbombing by Rawkus Records.
• RU Still Down (Remember Me?) by 2Pac.  This is probably the last of his posthumous releases that still had more really good songs than mediocre ones.
• For the People by Boot Camp Clik.  Boot Camp as a collective were never as good as they were in their individual projects, but this album is their best.
• Jewelz by The O.C.  A critical success but a sales flop.  Too bad.  It’s been largely forgotten, but it’s great.
• The Untouchable by Scarface.
• Uptown Saturday Night by Camp-Lo.  Maybe the most fun you’ll have listening to 1997 rap.

4. Wu Tang Forever by Wu Tang Clan.  Enter the 36 Chambers is easily one of the most important albums in the history of rap.  Wu Tang Forever, a sprawling double-album, is…Not.  But it’s also not a terrible album.  It’s not even a bad one.  It’s just that as the follow up to one of the greatest of all time, it feels bloated.  Take another listen, though, and try to hear it without the baggage of their debut and I’ll bet you’ll appreciate it more.

3. In My Lifetime Vol. 1 by Jay-Z.  While writing this album, Biggie Smalls was assassinated–leading to a darker overall tone for this album and putting a bit of a “less fun” pall over Jay-Z’s boastful, “The City is Mine.”  Still a great album, though.

2. Supadupafly by Missy Elliot.  It’s probably hard for people who weren’t around when this came out to understand just how important this record was.  It had a kind of stoner vibe that was new and fresh–thanks largely to Timbaland’s innovative production–and although there had been “important” female rappers before, there’d never been one with the swagger, confidence, and incredible skill of Missy.  As I listened to it again for this post, I heard its influences on everyone from Kanye West to Megan Thee Stallion.

It’s really a damn shame Biggie’s album came out this year because this album really could have been #1.

1. Life After Death by Notorious B.I.G.  Technically a posthumous release, Biggie was still alive when the album was being finalized–it came out a couple weeks after he was shot.  It was ambitious with no filler whatsoever.  Probably (definitely) the best double-album in hip hop history–and one of the best examples of the genre.  Period.

This is the joy of writing about indie music: Finding something like this!

That’s all the good stuff.  The bad?  Game is a little too old and too successful to keep pulling the outsider/fight everyone cards.  Also, as much as I love how he can flip flows and change styles, it would be nice to hear something that I knew for sure was Game’s own voice.

Overall: I thought it was good.  Not his best, not his worst.

If I’ve missed any, fee free to drop me a comment and lmk.  However, if you’re going to tell me I should have included Illadelph Halflife, please don’t.  I’m just not a fan of The Roots.  Not everyone has to like them.

We’re up to the year 1996.

After a fairly disappointing 1995, 1996 is much better year to be a rap fan.  It was also the year Eminem debuted with his independent “Infinite” album.  Yeah, it’s largely forgettable, but still worth noting.

So, I had trouble keeping my list to 10–and I pushed it to 11.

Finally, make sure you read all the way to the bottom–several of the honorable mentions are near-classics.  Chino XL’s album, for example, almost got me to make this a list of 12.  Same with Heltah Skeltah.

11. Clear Blue Skies by The Juggaknots.  Also known just as “The Juggaknots,” this was the first album by the NYC trio of Buddy Slim, Queen Herawin and Breeze Brewin’.  It’s widely recognized as one of the most important independent rap albums of the ’90s.  They would release one more proper album but never realized the potential of this incredible record.

10. Soul on Ice by Ras Kass.  Ras Kass has made several good albums, but this one is his masterpiece.

9. The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory by Makaveli.  I may be the only one who feels this way, but there are days when I think this may be my favorite 2Pac album.  The rage and power are palpable on songs like Hail Mary, and none of the cuts suffer from being overplayed.

8. Ironman by Ghostface Killah.  GFK’s best album of the ’90s and the second-best of his entire career (behind Fishscale, of course).  Key cuts: The classic All That I Got Is You with Mary J Blige; Assassination Day with Wu Tang members Rae, Inspectah Deck, and RZA; Poisonous Darts; Winter Warz featuring Cappadonna, Masta Killa, Raekwon, and U-God; and of course Daytona 500.

7. Stakes is High by De La Soul.  This group continues to surprise and defy expectations.  My favorite cuts here include Stakes is High and Itzsoweezee (Hot).

6. Hard Core by Lil Kim.  I’m making these lists organically and chronologically, and it’s much to my surprise that Lil’ Kim is the first woman rapper to make one of my top 10s.  This is such a great album, though.  Best songs: Big Momma Thang feat. Jay-Z, Drugs feat. Notorious B.I.G., and Not Tonight with Jermaine Dupri.

5. Ridin’ Dirty by UGK.  With this record, The Underground Kings (Bun B and Pimp C) pour the unbreakable foundation for their reputations as two of the most important men in Southern rap history.  Maybe even the two most important men.  Trap wouldn’t be what it is today without this album.  Key tracks (but every single one is a winner) include Diamonds and Wood, 3 in the Mornin’, and, of course, the title cut.

4. ATLiens by Outkast.  For their second album, Outkast insert a kind of psychedelic/cosmic feel to their trunk-funk brand of trap.  Great songs include Wheelz of Steel, Elevators (Me and You), and the anthemic 13th Floor / Growing Old.

3. All Eyez On Me by 2Pac.   Most double albums are overstuffed, but not this one.  It kicks in with hungry “Ambitionz Az A Ridah,” followed by songs with Doggs (Snoop, Nate and Pound, consecutively), and has phenomenal guest appearances by Dr. Dre, Rappin’ 4-Tay, and E-40.  It’s also got my personal favorite 2Pac song: Picture Me Rollin’.

2. The Score by The Fugees.  Wyclef’s Brooklyn Basement trio never gets better than this.  Well, at least Wyclef and Pras don’t.  It’s got it all: Street songs like The Beast, party cuts like Ready or Not, and all rounded out with covers of Bob Marley and Roberta Flack.  This almost took the #1 slot.

1. Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z.  Hova debuts with one of the best albums of his career–if not the absolute best.  Seemingly effortlessly, Jay-Z changed the entire rap game when he came on the scene.  Every song is a monster, but my personal top 3 are Can’t Knock the Hustle featuring Mary J Blige, 22 Twos, and Dead Presidents II.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• Here to Save You All by Chino XL
• Nocturnal by Heltah Skeltah.  Ruck and Rock’s first album is one of the (many) reasons Sean Price is remembered as one of the GOATs.  Best cuts: Intro (Here We Come) featuring Starang Wondah; Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka featuring O.G.C.; and Operation Lockdown.
• Autobiography of Mistachuck by Chuck D.  I dug this record.  I know not everyone did.
• Entroducing by DJ Shadow.  An instrumental album.  I’m not into beat-tapes but…This one is remarkable.
• Dr. Octagonecologyst.  Kool Keith’s first album, under a pseudonym.  I appreciate Kool Keith but I’ve never been able to listen to him except in small doses–with the exceptions of this album and his amazing Analog Brothers collaboration with Ice-T.
• Beats, Rhymes and Life by Tribe Called Quest.  The group’s least-excellent album.
• It Was Written by Nas.  It’s impossible not to disappoint when you drop a follow up what is considered by many to be the greatest rap record of all time.  And no, this isn’t even close to Illmatic.  Nevertheless, this is a solidly good record.

WORST OF THE YEAR…

You Can’t Stop the Reign by Shaquille O’Neal.  Believe it or not, several songs charted and this was his THIRD album.  Ice-T’s sixth album is also a candidate for this “award.”  How quickly he turned from GOAT to unlistenable and boring.  And Tha Doggfather is worth mentioning because Snoop’s debut is one of the best rap albums of the ’90s and this, his second album, is just plain tedious.

1995 is the year that Wu Tang took over pretty much the entire rap genre–or at least the East Coast side of it.  Several solo albums from Clan members came out, and they’re all very good.  The group’s gritty sound spawned copycats and influenced up-and-comers like Mobb Deep.  Everywhere you turned, there were traces of Wu Tang.  At the same time, guys like Masta Ace emergeD as alternatives to the Wu Tang sound.  In short, a good year for the East Coast, especially if it can claim Tupac Shakur as its own–given that he got the top slot for the year.

Overall, though, 1995 was not a great year for rap music.  It was hard to find ten bona fide classics.  At least a few of the albums on the bottom quarter this list are just very good–they still have a couple songs I’d skip over.

10. In a Major Way by E-40.  The man who Tupac hailed as the voice of the West Coast brings his big, breakout single, “Sprinkle Me.”  Lots of creativity here, but on modern re-listens there are several songs that feel more like novelty items.

9. Labcabincalifornia by The Pharcyde.  A tour-de-force of artistic, left-field rap.  Production by J Dilla.

8. The Infamous by Mobb Deep.  I do like this album quite a bit but (and I know this is blasphemy), I doubt it would make my list without Shook Ones.  I get why it’s legendary, but I can’t remember the last time I listened to all or most of it (again, other than Shook Ones).  It’s here to fill out my list.

7. Sittin’ On Chrome by Masta Ace Inc.  Masta Ace’s early work is strong, especially given the lack of other great albums at the time, but it’s also dated.  I’ve put this on my list because of how much I dig Ace.  If you’re not a dieheard fan, this album definitely won’t turn you into one.

6. Only Built for Cuban Links by Raekwon.  I’m going to confess that I appreciate the brilliance of this album but I really don’t listen to any of it very much.  That’s why it doesn’t rate higher on my list: This list is supposed to reflect not what I “think” should be on my list and not the albums that “mattered,” but rather covers what I personally continue to love hearing today.  That said: It’s a great album and every time I do put it on, I’m all in beginning to end.  Best cuts: Incarcerated Scarfaces, Ice Cream.

5. Return to the 36 Chambers by Old Dirty Bastard. 

From here down, this list is all great records.  The ones above this are very good, but I can’t honestly say they’re timeless or even great overall.  With Return, ODB has a bunch of his fellow Wu Tangers jump aboard with guest shots to get some money out of Elektra and make an album that feels like an end-to-end party.  Best cuts: Shimmy Shimmy Ya, Brooklyn Zoo, Cuttin’ Headz feat RZA.

4. Soul Food Goodie Mob.  Funk trap.  For some reason, this album also makes me think of Wu Tang Clan’s sound.  Maybe it’s just the video for the title track, though. It’s so freakin’ awesome.  Goodie Mob doesn’t seem to be remembered as well as other ’90s bands, and I kinda get it.  The rest of their albums aren’t close to this one.  But Soul Food?  A total GOAT.

3. Dah Shinin’ by Smif-N-Wessun.  Straight off their first appearance on Black Moon’s 1993 debut “Enta The Stage,” Tek and Steele rename themselves and come out with a powerful debut.   Boot Camp Clik is ’90s New York’s grimiest collective.  Wu Tang are fantastic and raw, but they’re more “art grimey.”  The members of the Clik shy away from experimentation in favor of a raw sound with hard lyrics.  This isn’t just one of the best albums of the ’90s, it’s also one of the most important.  Best tracks: Wrektime, Wontime feat Rockness Monsta, Sound Bwoy Bureill with Top Dog and Starang Wondah, and Bucktown.  But there are zero skips on this album. Every track is a winner.

2. Liquid Swords by RZA.  A dense, complex, self-produced album that is truly best heard in a single sitting, listening all the way through.  Personally, this is my favorite Wu Tang solo record in terms of its listenability (and re-listenability) as an album–even if there really aren’t any songs that stand out as singles.

1. Me Against the World by Tupac.  If this isn’t the best Tupac album of all time, it’s got to be in the top 2.  Many of the tracks were standalone hits, and no songs–absolutely none–are skippable.  On Dear Mama, he continues to revere women but here he gets more personal about it than he has in the past.  So Many Tears made it cool to cry.  Fuck the World was the perfect closing track as Tupac began a prison term–and it was produced by his former Digital Underground bandmate Shock G.  Just an excellent record all around.

No honorable mentions this time–I had a hard enough time finding enough albums for the list.

About this series: I’m ranking my personal favorite rap albums for each year.  I stress: These are my favorites, i.e., the ones I most like to listen to–not the most important rap albums of each year (although there is definitely crossover) and not (necessarily) your favorite rap albums.  I’ve even included the embarrassing ones that you know you like but would never admit it…

Ah, 1994.  The year that some of my favorite albums of all time came out.  And yet, it’s also a year where I couldn’t find ten truly great hip hop albums.  It’s really a top 6, with four more here for filler because nobody cares about a list of just 6 albums.

10. Above the Rim (Soundtrack) and Murder Was the Case (Soundtrack).  Like most soundtracks, these albums are uneven–but as I noted above, I couldn’t really find ten complete albums for this year that I’d rate as fantastic all the way through.  If you cut out the filler and combine these two soundtracks into a single album, it would be a great record.  From Above the Rim, I’d definitely include Warren G’s Regulate, of course–it’s is one of the best songs of the year, as well as Afro Puffs by Lady of Rage and Pour Out a Little Liquor by Tupac (with his band, “Thug Life”).  From MWtC, I’d include Dr. Dre and Ice Cube’s “reunited” track, Natural Born Killers, as well as the titular remix of Snoop’s hit and all the extended Dogg-family cuts.  Okay, maybe that’s not an entire album–but it’s more than an EP.

9. Home by Spearhead.  I actually like this album a lot more than some of the albums above it, but it is much more reggae than rap so I’ve rated it lower as a hip hop album.  But in terms of an overall album, it’s probably #5 or 6.

8. Genocide and Juice by The Coup.  I love Boots’ movies but I miss his music!  Key tracks: Santa Rita Weekend (featuring E-40, Spice 1, E-Roc), Fat Cats Bigga Fish.

7. Hard to Earn by Gang Starr.  Maybe every single song on this doesn’t land, but nearly all of them do.  And the best cuts here are some of the best of this band’s entire discography.  Key tracks: Speak Yeah Clout, Dwyck, Code of the Streets, Mass Appeal.

Note: From here down, all the albums are classics….

6. Word…Life by The OC.  God bless Apollo Brown for trying to help this largely unknown rapper get some new life (with the 2012 album Trophies).  Check this album out.  You won’t be disappointed.  Key track: Time’s Up, because Eminem used it for beats in the 8 Mile film.

5. The Diary by Scarface.  Now firmly a solo artist who has fully shed his Geto Boys past, with this album Scarface moves from being a really good rapper to the top tier–a legend, an O.G.  (Actually, he’s not completely shed it–on this album, he updates their biggest hit.). He’s able to seamlessly move between boasts, political statements, raw street tales, and genuinely moving material.  This is my second favorite solo album by one of the all-time greatest Southern rappers.  Key tracks: The White Sheet, Hand of the Dead Body feat Ice Cube and Devin the Dude, I Seen a Man Die.

4. Ill Communication by Beastie Boys.  The Boys continue to explore hip hop hybrids with instrumentals, punk, and jazz.  This album has one of the most lasting hits of their collective career (Sabotage), other fantastic bangers (Sure Shot, Root Down, Get it Together featuring Q-Tip) and some very cool deep tracks (Sabrosa, Do It feat Biz Markie).

3. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik by Outkast.  Big Boi and Andre 3000’s debut album is a dense collection staking out their new territory of gritty, Southern funk.  It was unlike anything else we’d heard before.  Key cuts: The title track; Player’s Ball; Git Up, Git Out (feat. Goodie Mob); D.E.E.P.

2. Ready to Die by Notorious B.I.G.  

1. Illmatic by Nas.  

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Albums with some really good songs, but not great through and through…

• Murder Was the Case (Soundtrack).  Not a great album by any measure, but Dr. Dre and Ice Cube reunite for the first time since their NWA days, and that was cool.
• Black Bastards by KMD.  Not a great album, but interesting early MF DOOM work.
• Regulate…G Funk Era by Warren G
• Don’t Fight the Feelin’ by Rappin’ 4-Tay

WORST RAP ALBUM OF THE YEAR…I’m going with Mind Blowin’ by Vanilla Ice.  At least his first album had a hit.