I've listened to a lot of hip-hop in my time. Not as much as some people, certainly, but I've listened to a lot more than most people, I think, especially considering that I'm just just shy of 23 years old. This is, almost definitely, the most fun hip-hop album I've ever heard. Four brilliantly talented class clown MCs trading verses and barbs about everything and nothing, from women to "Ya Mama" jokes to the miserableness of the DMV, all over beats crafted from equal parts soul and jazz. It was sort of a West coast equivalent to De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising, though regrettably, the G-Funk of LA and Oakland greatly overshadowed it, whereas De La and the Native Tongues Posse ruled the roost in the East for a few years. Make no mistake though - this album is an absolute classic, on par with the very best of the era.
The Black Album by Jay-Z
The Black Album could have been Jay-Z's best album. Could have been. It has some of his finest lyrics, some of his greatest singles, and some of the strongest beats he's ever rapped over. Hova comes out guns blazing, with the five straight gems in the first five real tracks. The album suffers its first notable setback with the roundly uninteresting "Threat" before bouncing back strong with the under appreciated "Moment of Clarity" and "99 Problems". Unfortunately, the album shoots itself in the foot in the last third - only the Kanye West-produced "Lucifer" and the album closer, "My 1st Song" are great songs, while the other three tracks all fall flat, especially "Justify My Thug". Yipes, that thing is a mess. Still a great album, but a little more selectivity would have made this an all-time classic.
Black Mountain by Black Mountain
This album, like the related Pink Mountaintops' album Axis of Evol, felt interminable to me. It just seemed to keep going, with little differentiation between one track and the next. I just don't understand it - the album is only 46ish minutes long! It shouldn't feel like twice that, and yet, it did. Maybe I was distracted. Maybe I should give it a second chance. I'll report back at some point in the future.
Black Dialogue by The Perceptionists
The Perceptionists are a Boston-based hip-hop trio, in the vein of Run-DMC, but less galvanizing and with less crossover appeal. That said, they are no less talented. Akrobatik and Mr Lif are both very good emcees individually, but intertwining them throughout the length of an album makes both of them better, not only through good back and forth, but also through diversity - the album never feels monotonous, something that both artists' solo efforts occasionally do. The production is what makes this package great, though. DJ Fakts One, who, to my knowledge, has never really done any other notable work, gives Lif and Ak a litany of gorgeous beats to work with. Definitely worth a listen for anyone who likes hip-hop.
Black on Both Sides by Mos Def
Mos Def, unlike his good friend Talib Kweli, has experienced considerable levels of success outside Black Star. This, his solo debut, is perhaps the smoothest hip hop outing in the last 15 years. Mos Def sounds so utterly relaxed, so at home, on every track, all while he drops meticulously crafted rhymes over beats that sound like vintage Tribe Called Quest. The resulting sound is an exceptionally intelligent rap album, one that sounds anchored in the best parts of hip hop's history while also coming across as years ahead of its time. On top of that, Mos Def himself played most of the percussion and bass on the record, in the studio, which makes the album all the more impressive - not only are his lyrics brilliant, his delivery fluid and smooth, but he also had a hand in creating the actual music for roughly half the album. With this album, Mos Def single-handedly created the "backpack hip hop" movement that boomed in the 2000s, but with few exceptions, nothing will live up to Black on Both Sides. Plus, you gotta love the Bad Brains homage on "Rock 'N' Roll".
Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath is the progenitor of metal as it has come to exist in the world today. As debut albums go, it's one of the best, certainly. There is a timeless quality to the rhythmic guitar and bass lines, the wail of a very young Ozzy, even the murky tone. On top of that, there is a surprisingly good bit of song writing - "N.I.B." and the eponymous "Black Sabbath" have deftly written hooks that you can't help but remember. Even though it only has seven tracks - two of which are covers - Black Sabbath is a time-tested classic.
Charles Mingus was known throughout his career as the "Angry Man of Jazz", owing in large part to his combustible temperament. Given the sheer intelligence displayed in his adventurous compositions, he could just has easily have been nicknamed the "Mad Genius of Jazz". On The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, Mingus' brilliance is on full display. Composed solely by Mingus, Sinner Lady was written as a six movement ballet, and performed by an eleven piece band. I'll let that sink in. Six movements, eleven member band. One composer. Oh, one other thing - it was recorded in a single day. The result? A beautiful, intricate and complex masterpiece that is lush, sultry and enthralling.
Black Sheep Boy by Okkervil River
Compared to the swagger and bombast of virtually every other album in this post, Black Sheep Boy is almost diametrically opposed. That doesn't mean, however, that it is a lesser album. Will Sheff somehow sounds both vulnerable and confident. His lyrics are clever, dense with wordplay, not unlike most Colin Meloy-penned songs. The wordplay doesn't come at the cost of heartfelt emotion, nor does it come across in a comical way, which in some senses makes them all the more impressive. Though I have largely neglected it in favor of any number of other albums in my collection, I definitely plan on spending some more time with this in the future.
On this record, Mos Def and Talib Kweli both put forth perhaps the best efforts of their careers. This album represents both MCs' debuts - neither had a solo outing before this masterpiece. They go back and forth, more nimbly than even Q-Tip and Phife at their peaks. It's a thing to behold. From the minute "Astronomy (8th Light)"'s beat kicks in to the end of "Twice Inna Lifetime", the album is golden - in more than one sense. Pulling from Slick Rick with a cover of "Children's Story" and hearkening back to the Funky 4+1 with "B Boys Will B Boys", it is an album richly steeped in the golden age of hip-hop. It is this combination of classic elements with starker, more modern beats, and of course, the brilliant lyricism, that makes Black Star an all-time great. Check out "Thieves in the Night" below.
Black Sunday by Cypress Hill
I never really dug Cypress Hill, for the most part. As iconic as "Insane in the Brain" and "Hits from the Bong" have become, B-Real's delivery has almost always annoyed the hell out out of me. It's kind of a shame, to be honest, that B-Real is the lead MC, because I really enjoy Sen Dog's style, and DJ Muggs is an excellent and underrated producer. In fact, Muggs' work here is some of his best, and no doubt a huge part of why this album was, at the time, the highest charting rap album ever. The beats all kill. The lyrics are very good, for what they are. There's really no inherent flaws in the album, which makes it all the more frustrating that I don't like it. Gotta score this one as a "listen for yourself and decide" kind of album.
