Essential Hip-Hop Albums

Pre-1986
LL Cool J - Radio

1986
Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill
Run-D.M.C. - Raising Hell
Salt-N-Pepa - Hot, Cool & Vicious

1987
Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded
Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full
Kool Moe Dee - How Ya Like Me Now
LL Cool J - Bigger And Deffer
Too $hort - Born To Mack

1988
Big Daddy Kane - Long Live The Kane
Biz Markie - Goin' Off
Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper
Eazy E - Eazy Duz It
EPMD - Strictly Business
Eric B. & Rakim - Follow The Leader
Ice-T - Power
Marley Marl - In Control, Volume 1
MC Lyte - Lyte As A Rock
N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Slick Rick - The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick
Ultramagnetic MC's - Critical Beatdown

1989
2 Live Crew - As Nasty As They Wanna Be
3rd Bass - The Cactus Album
Beastie Boys - Paul's Botique
Big Daddy Kane - It's A Big Daddy Thing
De La Soul - 3 Feet High & Rising
EPMD - Unfinished Business
Ice T - The Iceberg/Freedom Of Speech...Just Watch What You Say!
Jungle Brothers - Done By The Forces Of Nature
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Road To The Riches
Queen Latifah - All Hail The Queen

1990
A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm
Brand Nubian - One For All
EPMD - Business As Usual
Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Wanted: Dead Or Alive
LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out
Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth - Funky Technician
Masta Ace - Take A Look Around
Poor Righteous Teachers - Holy Intellect
Public Enemy - Fear Of A Black Planet
X-Clan - To The East, Blackwards

1991
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Black Sheep - A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill
De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead
Del Tha Funky Homosapien - I Wish My Brother George Was Here
DJ Quik - Quik Is The Name
Gang Starr - Step In The Arena
Geto Boys - We Can't Be Stopped
Ice Cube - Death Certificate
Main Source - Breaking Atoms
Naughty By Nature - Naughty By Nature
N.W.A. - Niggaz4Life
Organized Konfusion - Organized Konfusion
Public Enemy - Apocolypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Back
Scarface - Mr. Scarface Is Back
The Freestyle Fellowship - To Whom It May Concern

1992
Common - Can I Borrow A Dollar?
Diamond D - Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
Eric B. & Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique
Gang Starr - Daily Operation
Ice Cube - The Predator
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Live And Let Die
Lord Finesse - Return Of The Funky Man
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca And The Soul Brother
Redman - Whut? Thee Album
The Pharcyde - The Pharcyde II Bizarre Ride

1993
A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
Black Moon - Enta The Stage
KRS-One - Return Of The Boom Bap
Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle
Souls Of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

1994
Artifacts - Between A Rock And A Hard Place
Common - Ressurection
Gang Starr - Hard To Earn
Jeru The Damaja - The Sun Rises In The East
Method Man - Tical
Nas - Illmatic
O.C. - Word...Life
Organized Konfusion - Stress: The Extinction Agenda
OutKast - Southernplayalisticadillacmusik
Redman - Dare Iz A Darkside
Scarface - The Diary
The Coup - Genocide & Juice
The Notorious B.I.G - Ready To Die
Warren G - Regulate...G Funk Era

1995
2Pac - Me Against The World
AZ - Doe Or Die
Big L - Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - E. 1999 Eternal
GZA - Liquid Swords
KRS-One - KRS-One
Kurupt - Dogg Food
Masta Ace Incorporated - Sittin' On Chrome
Mobb Deep - The Infamous
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
The Roots - Do You Want More?!!!??!

1996
2Pac - All Eyez On Me
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing.....
Fugees - The Score
Ghostface Killah - Ironman
Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
Jeru The Damaja - Wrath Of The Math
Lord Finesse - The Awakening
Makaveli - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory
Mobb Deep - Hell On Earth
Nas - It Was Written
OutKast - ATLiens
Ras Kass - Soul On Ice
Redman - Muddy Waters
The Roots - Illadelph Halflife
UGK - Ridin' Dirty
Xzibit - At The Speed Of Life

1997
Busta Rhymes - When Disaster Strikes
Capone-N-Noreaga - The War Report
Common - One Day It'll All Make Sense
O.C. - Jewelz
The Notorious B.I.G - Life After Death
Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forever
Wyclef Jean - The Carnival

1988
Big Punisher - Capital Punishment
Blackstar - Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Blackstar
DMX - Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood
DMX - It's Dark And Hell Is Hot
Gang Starr - Moment Of Truth
Juvenile - 400 Degreez
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
OutKast - Aquemini

1999
Dr. Dre - 2001
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Kurupt - Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha
Method Man & Redman - Blackout!
MF DOOM - Operation Doomsday
Mobb Deep - Murda Musik
Mos Def - Black On Both Sides
Pharoahe Monch - Internal Affairs
The Roots - Things Fall Apart

2000
Common - Like Water For Chocolate
Dead Prez - Let's Get Free
Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele
OutKast - Stankonia
Reflection Eternal - Train Of Thought
Slum Village - Fantastic, Vol. 2

2001
Cormega - The Realness
Jay-Z - The Blueprint
Masta Ace - Disposable Arts
Nas - Stillmatic

2002
Clipse - Lord Willin'
Eminem - The Eminem Show
Nas - God's Son
Nas - The Lost Tapes

2003
50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
Canibus - Rip The Jacker
Jay-Z - The Black Album
OutKast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
T.I. - Trap Muzik

2004
Jadakiss - Kiss Of Death
Kanye West - The College Dropout
Madvillain - Madvillainy

2005
Common - Be
Kanye West - Late Registration
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter II
Little Brother - The Minstrel Show
The Game - The Documentary
Young Jeezy - Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101

2006
Birdman And Lil Wayne - Like Father, Like Son
Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
J Dilla - Donuts
Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liqour
Nas - Hip Hop Is Dead
The Roots - Game Theory

2007
Blu & Exile - Below The Heavens
Jay-Z - American Gangster
Kanye West - Graduation
Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's The Cool
UGK - Underground Kingz

2008
Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
T.I. - Paper Trail

2009
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II

2010
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

2011
Bad Meets Evil - Hell: The Sequel
Drake - Take Care
Jay-Z And Kanye West - Watch The Throne
Kendrick Lamar - Section.80
The Roots - Undun

2012
Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.a.a.d city
Killer Mike - R.A.P Music
Nas - Life Is Good

2013
A$AP Rocky - Long.Live.A$AP
Drake - Nothing Was The Same
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP 2
Ghostface Killah - Twelve Reasons To Die
Mac Miller - Watching Movies With The Sound Off
Pusha T - My Name Is My Name
Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels

2014
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata