The 50 Most Important Indie Hip-Hop Albums

[Philaflava]

list here: http://www.thetroyblog.com/2015/03/27/t ... -all-time/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Love, hate, hate and post your top 10.

[Versive]

Love: Nice list, somewhat more comprehensive than FACT's despite only 50 selections.

Hate: CunninLynguists one spot above MF Grimm is straight-up distasteful.
Hate: Breeze Brewin might be the greatest rapper of all time and you left off all his group's albums.

Top 10 that didn't appear on this list (favorites, not necessarily more important):

1. KMD - Black Bastards
2. Juggaknots - Clear Blue Skies
3. billy woods - History Will Absolve Me
4. Cage - Movies for the Blind (recently revisited this and HW, Movies has aged way better IMO)
5. Bigg Jus & DJ G Man - Poor People's Day
6. el-p - I'll Sleep When You're Dead (better than FanDam in every conceivable way)
7. Count Bass D - Dwight Spitz
8. KA - Grief Pedigree
9. Bronze Nazareth - The Great Migration
10. Juggaknots - Use Your Confusion / Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass (his best IMO)

[Philaflava]

Black Bastards was kind of tainted as it was on Elektra and released some singles. Plus it was one of those that rereleased years later. Agree on Count Bass D tho.

[First Beard]

Good list. Crazy seeing the span from early 90s up to Roc.

"27. Mac Dre – Young Black Brotha: The Album (Strictly Business, 1993)
Without Dre there would be no YBB records. There would be no Khayree. No Mac Mall. No Ray Luv. I don’t think there would be a JT The Bigga Figga or even Andre Nickatina. There probably wouldn’t even be a hyphy movement, to be honest. Mac Dre is to Bay area as Rickey Henderson was to the Oakland A’s."

This is a reach. We all love Rickey - even John Olerud. But when Rickey was a rookie in 1979, it was only 5 years after the Oakland A's won three straight world series titles.

Anyway, fun list. Back to the hip hop.

[B. Ware tha Siniq]

Good list.

The Soul Position album is not my favorite release from RJ or Print - so I would've left that off.

Also not a huge fan of that Immortal release, but I get it ("importance").

Edan > Rasco (although again I see the importance angle).

Violent By Design >>> Pscyho/social, etc

The first two J-Zone albums both more important and better than Pimps Don't Pay Taxes

Marcberg should be higher. Hugely important album, I almost look at it as saving New York rap from the bits of despair. Even if it wasn't recognized that way on any kind of commercial level I think it got everybody in New York comfortable that they could still make music about New York in the post 2010 era - something that had rarely been done well for about 5 years. More important than say The Realness for that reason (although Mega's album deserves to be on the list too)


If Little Brother deserves to be on this list at all it should be closer to 50. I wouldn't have included them. Second album was better too.


Disposable Arts & Blu's album are both wayyy too high.


Two really important omissions that are actually NOT FORGIVE level:

Clear Blue Skies and Prince Paul - A Prince Among Thieves.

Both of these albums are easily more important than 50-80% of the stuff on this list.

Other than that - good list.

[Versive]

Two really important omissions that are actually NOT FORGIVE level:

Clear Blue Skies and Prince Paul - A Prince Among Thieves.

Both of these albums are easily more important than 50-80% of the stuff on this list.

Prince Among Thieves was released by Tommy Boy / Warner Bros, so it doesn't really qualify as indy.

But yea, Clear Blue Skies and even Use Your Confusion definitely deserve to be on any Indy Top 50, the former toward the top of it. Even if Breeze's impact hasn't yet been fully felt, it's only because other MCs are not physically or mentally capable of spitting anything similar. Dude is Top 5 DOA without a solo album, and his group albums feature some of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time. Use Your Confusion was years ahead of the whole psych rap thing also.

[Philaflava]

or even Andre Nickatina. There probably wouldn’t even be a hyphy movement, to be honest. Mac Dre is to Bay area as Rickey Henderson was to the Oakland A’s."

This is a reach. We all love Rickey - even John Olerud. But when Rickey was a rookie in 1979, it was only 5 years after the Oakland A's won three straight world series titles.

Anyway, fun list. Back to the hip hop.

W/o Rickey there would be no 1989 or 1990 World Series appearances.

[madtapes]

I can't figure out how the hell Rap-A-Lot records gets continuously left off of these lists. At first I thought that it was because they had major label distribution at various points in their history, but then I realized that Rawkus and Def Jux both had major label distribution, so that can't be it. Then I thought "maybe they just haven't released any important albums in their 29 years in business", but that's the dumbest thought that I have ever had.

So, can anyone actually explain it to me?

Also, why are "old school albums" excluded, and what constitutes an "old school album"? Surely labels like Sugar Hill, Enjoy!, and Pop Art have released some pretty important albums.

ALTERNATE TITLES FOR THIS LIST:

50 Albums I Discovered in College
50 Indie Rap Albums From a Period in Time Where it was Cool to Listen to "Indie Rap"
49 East Coast Albums + 1 Mac Dre Album
50 Rap Albums That the Major Labels Don't Want You to Know About (YOU WON'T BELIEVE NUMBER 27)
50 Rap Albums for White Kids Who are Afraid of Black Kids
50 Ways to Continue a Circle Jerk

[Philaflava]

Clear Blue Skies and Prince Paul - A Prince Among Thieves.

Both of these albums are easily more important than 50-80% of the stuff on this list.

Other than that - good list.

Clear Blue Skies is a great record but it never dropped on time so I don't think it ever had the impact it was meant to. And Paul = Tommy Boy.

[Versive]

I can't figure out how the hell Rap-A-Lot records gets continuously left off of these lists. At first I thought that it was because they had major label distribution at various points in their history, but then I realized that Rawkus and Def Jux both had major label distribution, so that can't be it. Then I thought "maybe they just haven't released any important albums in their 29 years in business", but that's the dumbest thought that I have ever had.

So, can anyone actually explain it to me?

Also, why are "old school albums" excluded, and what constitutes an "old school album"? Surely labels like Sugar Hill, Enjoy!, and Pop Art have released some pretty important albums.

ALTERNATE TITLES FOR THIS LIST:

50 Albums I Discovered in College
50 Indie Rap Albums From a Period in Time Where it was Cool to Listen to "Indie Rap"
49 East Coast Albums + 1 Mac Dre Album
50 Rap Albums That the Major Labels Don't Want You to Know About (YOU WON'T BELIEVE NUMBER 27)
50 Rap Albums for White Kids Who are Afraid of Black Kids
50 Ways to Continue a Circle Jerk

I did think that the exclusion of Mystic Stylez was bit suspect.

[Philaflava]

I can't figure out how the hell Rap-A-Lot records gets continuously left off of these list

Major label backing, like No Limit and Cash Money. Rawkus and Def Jux did not have that. Priority and Rawkus happened years later. Same with Duck Down.

[ChaMerZ]

so the list that drizzle posted was not enough. or did it have a different premise. that one was a hell of a lot more fun to browse through. no diss ^^^

[madtapes]

I can't figure out how the hell Rap-A-Lot records gets continuously left off of these list

Major label backing, like No Limit and Cash Money. Rawkus and Def Jux did not have that. Priority and Rawkus happened years later. Same with Duck Down.

Wasn't Rawkus distributed by MCA?

[Philaflava]

I can't figure out how the hell Rap-A-Lot records gets continuously left off of these list

Major label backing, like No Limit and Cash Money. Rawkus and De0f Jux did not have that. Priority and Rawkus happened years later. Same with Duck Down.

Wasn't Rawkus distributed by MCA?

Not until 2001.

[madtapes]

I can't figure out how the hell Rap-A-Lot records gets continuously left off of these list

Major label backing, like No Limit and Cash Money. Rawkus and Def Jux did not have that. Priority and Rawkus happened years later. Same with Duck Down.

Wasn't Rawkus distributed by MCA?

Not for the first 4 years.

Rap-A-Lot, Cash Money, and No Limit all started off without major distribution... just like Rawkus?

[B. Ware tha Siniq]

Two really important omissions that are actually NOT FORGIVE level:

Clear Blue Skies and Prince Paul - A Prince Among Thieves.

Both of these albums are easily more important than 50-80% of the stuff on this list.

Prince Among Thieves was released by Tommy Boy / Warner Bros, so it doesn't really qualify as indy.

You're right. Was thinking more about the glaring omission of Breeze (arguably one of the very most important and inspirational indy rappers ever), than the actual label on that one.

[B. Ware tha Siniq]

I can't figure out how the hell Rap-A-Lot records gets continuously left off of these list

Major label backing, like No Limit and Cash Money. Rawkus and De0f Jux did not have that. Priority and Rawkus happened years later. Same with Duck Down.

Wasn't Rawkus distributed by MCA?

Not until 2001.

for some reason I thought Mos was the first album they put out that had major label distribution. Either way it belongs. Distribution shouldn't totally negate the "indy" aspect, especially for an album that influential.

[B. Ware tha Siniq]

I can't figure out how the hell Rap-A-Lot records gets continuously left off of these list

Major label backing, like No Limit and Cash Money. Rawkus and Def Jux did not have that. Priority and Rawkus happened years later. Same with Duck Down.

eh, I think that's a slippery slope. Not worth parsing though for the purpose of the list.

[madtapes]

You know what would have been a fun addition to the list? Bring The Noise 2000 by Public Enemy. P.E. attempted to give it away for free on their website (as mp3's) only to have an injunction from Def Jam brought forth to bring it down. They were so ahead of he curve when it comes to digital distribution that it was crazy.

Not much of an omission though as it was mostly just a remix album, and it wasn't too great. But still, indie as fuck!

[B. Ware tha Siniq]

Clear Blue Skies and Prince Paul - A Prince Among Thieves.

Both of these albums are easily more important than 50-80% of the stuff on this list.

Other than that - good list.

Clear Blue Skies is a great record but it never dropped on time so I don't think it ever had the impact it was meant to.

Couldn't disagree more. And you certainly can't argue that albums like Sin-A-Matic, Dark Comedy, Immortal Technique, MF Grimm, Blu were more important (no offense to any of those artists, they all dropped great releases). At least not successfully.

[madtapes]

Clear Blue Skies and Prince Paul - A Prince Among Thieves.

Both of these albums are easily more important than 50-80% of the stuff on this list.

Other than that - good list.

Clear Blue Skies is a great record but it never dropped on time so I don't think it ever had the impact it was meant to.

Couldn't disagree more. And you certainly can't argue that albums like Sin-A-Matic, Dark Comedy, Immortal Technique, MF Grimm, Blu were more important (no offense to any of those artists, they all dropped great releases). At least not successfully.

Wouldn't this same logic "never dropped on time/didn't make the impact it should have" also apply to The Best Part?

[Cryptic One]

good list but the nerd in me has to point these things out:

Siah & Yeshua was an EP - those my peoples so dont take this as a dis to them... its one of my favorite records from that era hands down...i also dont see how Juggaknots doesnt make the list and Visualz did... both records were important in the NYC indy scene... but Juggaknots definitely had a bigger impact here during those times...

and no offense to OME because the record is fucking great... but not sure how it can be on a list that says the list is about "lasting impact it had on the artist/group, label, culture and hip-hop in general" when it dropped last year

[Versive]

Wouldn't be mad if Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes had made it though.

[Philaflava]

You guys are right, Jugga should have had some presence on the list.

RE: OME

I think that album helped both he and the label. Mello is making mad moves and none of their releases have received raves reviews like DC did.

[Versive]

I get the feeling that you would rather be looking at response Top 10s then listening to 50 people tell you Juggaknots should be on the list.

But yo ... JUGGAKNOTS BRO!

[B. Ware tha Siniq]

I'd say on the whole the list is incredibly on point actually - despite my Juggaknots related derailing. Nice work.


Another few albums that should've considered careful consideration are probably:

Blackalicious - either Melodica or Nia
Illogic - Unforeseen Shadows
Latryx - Latryx

and although I didn't love either of these two, the influence factor with both was huge (good or bad):

Deep Puddle Dynamics
Dose One - Hemispheres


My Top Ten:

10. Endtroducing
9. Marcberg
8. Lucy Ford
7. Labor Days
6. Clear Blue Skies
5. Cold Vein
4. Black Star
3. Dr. Octagon
2. Funcrusher Plus
1. Operation Doomsday

[Philaflava]

I had Nia on the tentative list but then I realized it was more because of my own personal liking for it. I don't think that album had much impact or influence. It was just a good album TBH. But again, we all know these lists are subjective. That's why I honestly asked peeps to give their top 10 because I'm curious to see what they look like.

Glad we share similar feelings about the top 5.

[Blockhead]

No Party Fun action Committee? Oh, Okay...dick.

[Rhyme 4 Rhyme]

Cool list, think it's good overall. Will post my 10 later. Think Black on Both Sides is overstated though, and why didn't you include Internal Affairs?

[EDIT] Actually, read the purposes of the list again and think the BOB spot is more deserving. Also echo the Juggaknots thought, and think your description about Marcberg was the most fitting.

[bignormy]

No Party Fun action Committee? Oh, Okay...dick.

I still like that "I am an asshole" song