Hip-Hop

[MCOTho]

Current top 20 Hip-hop albums on BEA:
1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West (45)
2. To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar (52)
3. Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City - Kendrick Lamar (61)
4. Illmatic - Nas (83)
5. Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - Wu-Tang Clan (116)
6. Madvillainy - Madvillain (128)
7. Endtroducing..... - DJ Shadow (143)
8. Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys (176)
9. The Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest (177)
10. The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem (184)
11. The College Dropout - Kanye West (199)
12. It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back - Public Enemy (196)
13. Ready To Die - The Notorious B.I.G. (262)
14. Late Registration - Kanye West (289)
15. Aquemini - OutKast (317)
16. Yeezus - Kanye West (322)
17. Stankonia -OutKast (355)
18. Liquid Swords - GZA (358)
19. The Chronic - Dr. Dre (371)
20. Graduation - Kanye West (414)


I think that while not horrible, this website is not representative of what Hip-hop fans would consider the best albums. Any thoughts on this? I am especially shocked by the top 3, which I wouldn't put in my top 20 Hip-hop albums personally.
Would be interested to see people's top 10 hip-hop albums as well.

[travelful]

It's okay. I admit I'm probably not helping as much as I should with how outdated my overall is at this point.

One of the biggest issues websites like BEA and RYM have is implementing an algorithm that keeps genre biases of users from creating an in accurate overall list. It is pretty clear that the majority of users on both sites are rockists, so naturally since the website depends on the users to decide the charts, the charts are very rockist as well. If more hip-hop heads and youth got more involved I'm sure the accuracy would increase.
_________________
Griselda, by Fashion Rebels
2020's Hip-Hop
2020's Country

[Sandinistar]

The main issues with the list is the over-representation of Kanye, lack of Wu-Tang, and relatively low placement of Illmatic, I'd say... But it's got good stuff.

EDIT: Never mind, you just forgot to put Enter the Wu on your list, it should be at #5. Much better
_________________
It's easier to say "I love you," than "Yours, sincerely," I suppose

[babyBlueSedan]

Well, this is embarrassing, because my top three are the same as BEA's top three, just in a different order. This is my full list.

I think one thing that drives this list is that the best rappers don't always create the best albums. One of your big gripes with this list seems to be Kanye, as he doesn't show up anywhere on your overall. But Kanye is pretty accessible for non-hip hop fans, and each of his albums feel complete and consistent. Compare that to something like Ready to Die or Capital Punishment (which isn't in our top twenty). The rapping is almost certainly better and more interesting, but the lows are lower and the albums feel padded out with skits. Personally, I find it tough to compare these types of albums against non-hip hop albums that aren't weighed down by all that filler, so they end up placing lower for me even though I'm a big fan of those rappers. I could be totally off, since a lot of the albums in our top 20 are fairly long, but I think it contributes.

Overall I'm fine with this list but even a lot of my favorites (Kanye and Madvillain mostly) aren't albums I would recommend for someone trying to get into the genre since they're not super representative. I think the main improvement would be taking away Eminem and Beastie Boys, but that's more of a personal note since I've never been a fan.
_________________
And it's hard to be a human being. And it's harder as anything else.

[baystateoftheart]

Going to pull our conversation over from MBDTF:

[Tha1ChiefRocka]

A lot of these albums are on your overall chart, which includes 3 albums by Eminem. I don't know what this thread is about. Do you just not like Kanye and Kendrick?

At least you have Big L, that's not a bad choice.

[RoundTheBend]

Bob Dylan is the greatest rapper of all time.

[RoundTheBend]

But in all seriousness, it seems pretty canon to me. It might not be 100% and somethings maybe higher than others and lower than they deserve, but it's not like the worst ever either.

[MCOTho]

Woah, lots of great replies. Gotta start using this forum more.
babyBlueSedan, I think you make a really good point about the best rapper not always making the best albums. Kanye is actually one of my favorite rappers, but I think he suffers from this imo. I think there's 16 hip-hop albums on my overall list, so it's just a matter of there being a lot of really good hip hop more than Kanye being bad or something. His 3 albums I really enjoy (College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation) are walking the line of being on my list, especially the former, might actually be on there. I really dislike his new stuff though, and same with Eminem. I think they are both pretty bad now, but both probably my in my top 5.

[MCOTho]

baystateoftheart, hello again. Do you not feel like hip-hop has gotten worse to the point where people have argued it doesn't exist anymore? In the 90s there were like 5 great albums per year. Starting in the mid 2000s, it's hard to find a single good album every couple of year, and they are all more poppy (to answer your question that the pop influence can make good content, yes). As far as Kendrick making the 2 greatest hip-hop albums, I will probably make a thread about that. I have listened to all his albums multiple times, have read reviews and I just don't get the hype. His lyrics to me are ideological and from a literary devices standpoint quite lackluster. The statement that Eminem is hot garbage and Kendrick is godlike breaks my heart. I hate his stuff after Encore, so maybe that's what you mean, but even in that stuff most people can see that he is on another level with his rhyming, alliteration, assonance, etc. Kendrick doesn't compare in that sense. If I don't either agree with the message, or the parts I do agree with I have heard in a million rap songs before him, how am I supposed to like his lyrics?
Again, I am extremely open to the probability that I am missing something, because it is so well regarded, but this is where I stand after listening to him many many times and talking to many people about it.