what is the most influential rap album ever?

Mindbender Futurama · Post by **Mindbender Futurama** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:07 pm

me and Req were having this discussion, let's continue it...

fuck sales. i mean cultural impact. trendsetters. had the most biters. has special status. still is relevant to this day.

i say "Only Built For Cuban Linx" for New York City, and "All Eyez On Me" for the rest of hip hop.

"The Chronic" is way up there, "Illmatic" is up there, and "Ready To Die" is certainly a game changer.

but I think the most influential album of all time might be "Only Built for Cuban Linx", musically.

maybe "All Eyez On Me" is the most influential album as far as aesthetics and a rapper's image...

but these two still guide people's actions today.

thoughts?

(and if you're up for it, what's the most influential independent album ever?

)

Thun · Post by **Thun** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:12 pm

My thought is that this is your pitiful thinly-veiled attempt to momentarily pretend like you actually give a fuck about discussing music, space tranny faggot. Everybody knows that you will somehow attempt to hijack the discussions and steer it towards your beautiful truth of welfare dependency.

Next time, can you at least make a feeble attempt at sparking an interesting discussion rather than rehashing this vague bullshit? You know - maybe try to live up to your self-proclaimed title of journalist?

ALASKA · Post by **ALASKA** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:15 pm

my thoughts are that you couldnt be further off point. Nation of Millions.

MD · Post by MD » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:19 pm

blastmaster · Post by **blastmaster** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:19 pm

MD wrote:

Yea, that or Paid In Full maybe. Who cares.

axel foley · Post by **axel foley** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:20 pm

i'll play along. "life after death" is probably the most influential album. shit fucked up the idea of what a hip hop album is supposed to be. for a good example, see jada, fabolous, etc. jay and pun are probably the only other emcees that could pull off that template on that level.

ALASKA · Post by **ALASKA** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:21 pm

blastmaster wrote:Who cares.

canadians. they are still having the conversations we were having when we were teenagers

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:22 pm

Most influential OB4CL? I don't even think its the most influential Wu album.

I could see how Ready To Die is in the discussion. Biggie really changed rap for better or worse. Illmatic will always be the blueprint for a classic debut album but I would think none of these albums are the most influential.

What about N.W.A.? What about P.E.? What about Paid In Full? I guess it all depends on who you're asking this question to.

Echo Leader · Post by **Echo Leader** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:23 pm

cenzi · Post by **cenzi** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:39 pm

wow... the options Mindbender had were retaurded. Yes in Canada it has an extra U.

As far as trendsetters, ya HAVE to go with the only man in hiphop history that was able to transition one era into antother: Rakim. "Paid in Full" changed it all.

I agree with Alaska BTW.

Employee · Post by **Employee** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:40 pm

Best album? Damn, that's impossible to call. Best song, though, that's relatively easy.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RtWhCUsLI2U&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RtWhCUsLI2U&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Hasenfefer · Post by **Hasenfefer** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:40 pm

^^^I knew that was coming before I even clicked the link!

Moolah · Post by **Moolah** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:41 pm

Echo Leader wrote:

Employee · Post by **Employee** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:46 pm

Moolah · Post by **Moolah** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:52 pm

Employee wrote:<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dC3zMFb1FCg&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dC3zMFb1FCg&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Thinly veiled Neil Young and Burton Cummings diss.

Employee · Post by **Employee** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:55 pm

Moolah wrote:
Employee wrote:<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dC3zMFb1FCg&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dC3zMFb1FCg&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Thinly veiled Neil Young and Burton Cummings diss.

An entire album of Epic covers by Galvatron or Cash Rulz would be greater than Illmatic.

HomeSkillet · Post by **HomeSkillet** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:56 pm

Moolah wrote:
Employee wrote:<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dC3zMFb1FCg&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dC3zMFb1FCg&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Thinly veiled Neil Young and Burton Cummings diss.

ardamus · Post by **ardamus** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 6:08 pm

ALASKA wrote:Nation of Millions.

Mindbender Futurama · Post by **Mindbender Futurama** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 6:47 pm

ALASKA wrote:my thoughts are that you couldnt be further off point. Nation of Millions.

I thought this one was far up there. But Chuck D, as an MC, didn't get bitten very much and few people were brave enough to try to duplicate the sound of Bomb Squad.

Mindbender Futurama · Post by **Mindbender Futurama** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 6:52 pm

ALASKA wrote:my thoughts are that you couldnt be further off point. Nation of Millions.

I thought this one was far up there. But Chuck D, as an MC, didn't get bitten very much and few people were brave enough to try to duplicate the sound of Bomb Squad.

ALASKA wrote:
blastmaster wrote:Who cares.
canadians. they are still having the conversations we were having when we were teenagers

yeah, as if hip hop is the same when you were a teenager as it is today.

please, just join the conversation, or don't. stop acting like you're too good for this discussion, but throw your 2 cents in anyways.

it's 2009. what album still influences people? it matters, considering fucking 95% of hip hop today is full of style biters. you can trace the Lupe Fiasco clones, Jay-Z clones, Kanye clones, Fabolous clones, Cam'ron clones... all of them, right back to where and when they started shark nigging.

and was 'Funcrusher Plus' the most influential independent album of all time?

or was it 'Mos Def and Talib Kweli are: Blackstar'?

Req · Post by **Req** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 6:53 pm

One that i brought up, at least as far as rappers are concerned, is Great Adventures of Slick Rick. Damn near every emcee from the 90s has referenced that album in some shape or form.

Echo Leader · Post by **Echo Leader** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 7:04 pm

Mindbender Futurama wrote:and was 'Funcrusher Plus' the most influential independent album of all time?

or was it 'Mos Def and Talib Kweli are: Blackstar'?

I'll throw this one out there.

Mindbender Futurama · Post by **Mindbender Futurama** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 7:46 pm

Echo Leader wrote:
Mindbender Futurama wrote:and was 'Funcrusher Plus' the most influential independent album of all time?

or was it 'Mos Def and Talib Kweli are: Blackstar'?

I'll throw this one out there.

in Canada, we're up there. it's us and the Sebutones, and only a few others that could be in that conversation.

CHANCE RANDOM · Post by **CHANCE RANDOM** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:00 pm

Mindbender Futurama wrote:
Echo Leader wrote:
Mindbender Futurama wrote:and was 'Funcrusher Plus' the most influential independent album of all time?

or was it 'Mos Def and Talib Kweli are: Blackstar'?

I'll throw this one out there.

in Canada, we're up there. it's us and the Sebutones, and only a few others that could be in that conversation.

man. funny stuff.

Sylissez · Post by **Sylissez** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 12:34 am

What I wanna know is who else agrees Eminem bit Cage and Cage is better than Eminem.

Also, is Talib Kweli a rapper or an MC? Explain your choice.

senorhaha · Post by **senorhaha** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:33 am

to whom it may concern and griots, cant say they are the MOST influential, but it definitely spawned many of the westcoast styles

Buddahbastid · Post by **Buddahbastid** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:37 am

Philaflava wrote:Most influential OB4CL? I don't even think its the most influential Wu album.

w/o Cuban, there's no Do or Die, It Was Written, Firm, Reasonable Doubt, Life After Death, etc...

I could definately see the argument for it...I'd say NWA though

senorhaha · Post by **senorhaha** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:52 am

Buddahbastid wrote:
Philaflava wrote:Most influential OB4CL? I don't even think its the most influential Wu album.
w/o Cuban, there's no Do or Die, It Was Written, Firm, Reasonable Doubt, Life After Death, etc...

I could definately see the argument for it...I'd say NWA though

do or die? where the fuck is the parallel between cubanlinx and do or die?, wait, ok, im gonna have to assume you ment doe or die

Buddahbastid · Post by **Buddahbastid** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 3:17 am

senorhaha wrote:
Buddahbastid wrote:
Philaflava wrote:Most influential OB4CL? I don't even think its the most influential Wu album.
w/o Cuban, there's no Do or Die, It Was Written, Firm, Reasonable Doubt, Life After Death, etc...

I could definately see the argument for it...I'd say NWA though
do or die? where the fuck is the parallel between cubanlinx and do or die?, wait, ok, im gonna have to assume you ment doe or die

You assume correctly. Apologies for the absent "e"

step one · Post by **step one** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 6:06 am

3 Feet High And Rising & Straight Outta Compton.

you could pretty much trace most releases back to either of these 2 albums.