The 8th Best Hip-Hop Album EVER MADE

In our last installment, Ethan commended Little Brother's exceptional debut while Scott celebrated Wu-Tang Clan's sprawling double-disc classic.  Here, we each share of our picks for the 8th best hip-hop album ever made.


Ethan's #8 Pick: Dr. Dre - 2001 (1999)

Dr. Dre is a revolutionary. Not a political or social revolutionary (at least not since leaving N.W.A.), but a musical revolutionary. He creates entirely new styles (or perhaps steals from entirely new producers) for each of his albums and transforms the soundscape of music  for years to come. This, however, has proven to be both a gift and a curse for Mr. Young, as it is likely the reason for the huge intervals between albums and the multiple scrapings of the previous versions of his still unreleased third album, Detox. In the case of Dre’s second album, 2001, however, the result was glorious.

2001 (which, despite The Game claiming otherwise, was actually released in 1999) is a huge departure from Dre’s classic debut, The Chronic. Where the earlier album was a gritty, sample-heavy street record, 2001 is a much more sophisticated composition. The samples are largely discarded in favor of stripped-down keyboard and synthesizer arranged melodies. Not everything from the first album is abandoned, however. Dre’s signature drums remain crisp and the basslines are still phat as all hell. With help from Mel-Man, Scott Storch, Mike Elizondo, Lord Finesse, and probably a lot of other un-credited producers, Dre created an almost flawless collection of stirring instrumentals that still impress over ten years later.

To compliment the groundbreaking new sound the album has an extensive supporting cast of rappers, singers, comedians, and even porn stars. Most noteworthy is the second half of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s 1999 reunion after Snoop’s No Limit Top Dogg album earlier that year. Although the end product isn’t the return to The Chronic hoped for by fans (Snoop’s fault, not Dre’s), songs like “Fuck You”, “The Next Episode”, and “Bitch Niggaz” still prove that Snoop is at his best over Dre’s instrumentals.  The best of the bunch, however,  is “Still D.R.E.” (probably because Snoop is confined to the chorus). With keys from Scott Storch, lyrics penned by Jay-Z, and perhaps the deepest line Snoop Dogg has ever muttered (“I’m still fuckin’ with you. Still waters run deep!”), this song is also arguably the best song on the album.

Other guests include Kurupt and Nate Dogg reprising their roles from The Chronic (way to keep Daz off this one, Dre), up-and-comers like Devin the Dude and Xzibit (I realize both had careers before this, but let’s be honest, they weren’t much of careers until they had Dre’s fingerprints on them), the slightly out of place Mary J. Blige, a TON of random, unknown rappers, and of course Eminem.  While Dr. Dre is genius behind this album, 2001 wouldn’t have been possible without Em. Before discovering Slim Shady, Dre was largely considered washed up, remembered as the man who produced the super-flop Firm album and kept rolling up his damn window in the “Been There, Done That” video. Thankfully, Eminem snapped Dre out of this lack-of-funk to do 2001, ghostwrote some of the best rhymes Dre has ever spit (“The Watcher”, “Forgot About Dre”), and personally delivered some of the most memorable verses on the album (e.g. “Slim Shady, hotter than a set of twin babies in a Mercedes Benz with the windows up til the temp goes up to the mid eighties”).

Some say Dr. Dre is a perfectionist. He must’ve gotten this reputation after 2001, however, as there is plenty to criticize about this album. Most obvious are the abundant guest features which, while understandable as production is and should always be Dre’s first priority, are overextended here. The most obvious example is “Some L.A. Niggaz”, which is just chalk full of awful rappers (and Xzibit). I would be insulted if I was M.C. Ren and this is the song Dre put me on (but then I again I would be insulted if I was M.C. Ren).The worst featuring artist, though, is Hittman (Aftermath’s previous flagship artist, providing just one more reason that Dre needs to thank his lucky stars daily for Eminem), whose verses pollute a mind-boggling seven songs on this masterpiece.  Also, the skits add little aside from showcasing Dre beats that otherwise wouldn’t have been good enough to make the album and tracks like “Murder Ink” and “Ackrite” sound an awful lot like filler. These critiques are especially regrettable considering the album’s 22 tracks. It could’ve easily been cut down and the final product would’ve been much better for it.

While not perfect, 2001 is a tour de force which found Dr. Dre once again elevating the west coast to prominence and himself to the status of rap royalty. Over a decade later, a familiar picture seems to be developing. The west coast is quiet in mainstream hip-hop, and Dre is once again attracting doubters after years of delivering inconsistent and lackluster beats. It looks like a perfect time for a comeback. A perfect time for DETOX! Start holding your breath… now.

Scott's #8 Pick:  Goodie Mob - Soul Food (1995)

“Sometimes I don’t even know how I’m gon eat, bout 20 dollars away from bein’ on the street”.  Welcome to Atlanta.  

OutKast brought it to the suburbs, Lil Jon brought it to the clubs, and T.I. brought it to, well, jail.  But no one actually took listeners inside the ATL quite like Goodie Mob did on their 1995 debut, Soul Food.  

The quartet’s tale of struggle and spirituality quash the notion that their hometown is merely filled with a thousand night clubs, dudes in wigs, and gold pimp cups.  In fact, at times it sounds like an album only intended for those already submerged within the depths of the city, handing other artists the duty of romanticizing Atlanta for out-of-towners.

There are no glossy singles or recognizable samples, and the album is practically devoid of any misogyny or gangster clichés.  Everything on Soul Food is deeply rooted in reality.  This becomes apparent from the opening gospel “Free”, with Cee-Lo singing “some wonder why I'd rather die than to continue living this way”.  From there, Goodie Mob dives head-first into a variety of heavy topics.  “Thought Process” describes the day-to-day financial struggle to survive in the ghetto, “Live at the O.M.N.I.” examines the plight of black prisoners and the corrupt powers behind it, and “Sesame Street” tells harrowing stories of growing up in the inner city.  

Even Goodie themselves sound real.  T-Mo, Khujo and Big Gipp aren’t going to dazzle anyone with metaphors or multi-syllabic rhymes.  Despite this, it is precisely their workman-like and no frills approach on the mic that lends weight to the hard life that they rap about.  These guys sound fresh out of the struggle, not the underground mixtape circuit, which is what makes their stories so believable.  Conversely, it is also exactly why, a few years later, their unfortunate attempt at crossing-over failed.

But Goodie Mob isn’t without a star.  A then-unknown Cee-lo Green shines incredibly bright throughout the album.  From soulfully crooning about his mother at the end of the superb “Guess Who”, to a jaw-dropping 2-minute freestyle at the end of “Goodie Bag”, to a spoken word street sermon at the end of “Fighting”, Cee-lo proves to be multi-talented and profound.  Despite later abandoning rap to find success singing hipster-approved hits, Cee-lo never sounded more in his element, or better, than he does on Soul Food.

The other star on the album isn’t a member of Goodie Mob.  Soul Food is Organized Noize’s production masterpiece.  The production trio, taking time off from working with OutKast and TLC, decide to ditch their popular smoothed out groves for dark, soul-filled beats that provide the perfect backdrop for Goodie’s stark narration.

Tales of struggle tend to be taxing.  But at its core, Soul Food is inspirational.  By pinning down the reality of urban life rather than misrepresenting it, Goodie identifies not only what is really going on but also how to cope and ultimately free oneself from it.  By the time the album reaches the redemptive closer "The Day After", it becomes apparent that Goodie Mob is ultimately stronger and better off because of what they've been through.  It is this underlying inspiration that makes Soul Food, though deeply rooted in Atlanta and deeply rooted in struggle, such a universal and remarkable album.

DOWNLOAD 2001 HERE:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GE24NQZY

DOWNLOAD SOUL FOOD HERE:  http://www.mediafire.com/?2jv0nwmlnsw