Since 1979 when the Fatback Band dropped "King Tim III" (yes, the FIRST rap record), Hip Hop has been a source of many classic records. Here's a list of the albums which I feel deserve classic status do to their overwhelming quality, their strong influence in the direction of Hip Hop, or their uniqueness. See how many you own or have heard.




2 Live Crew — 2 Live Is What We Are
2 Pac — Me Against the World
Above the Law — Livin' Like Hustlers
A Tribe Called Quest — People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest — The Low End Theory
Beastie Boys — Licensed to Ill
Big Daddy Kane — Long Live the Kane
Biz Markie — Goin' Off
Black Moon — Enta Da Stage
Boogie Down Productions — By All Means Necessary
Boogie Down Productions — Criminal Minded
Cypress Hill — Cypress Hill
De La Soul — 3 Feet High and Rising
D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the fresh Prince — Rock the House
Dr. Dre — The Chronic
Eazy E — Eazy-Duz-It
EPMD — Strictly Business
EPMD — Unfinished Business
Eric B. & Rakim — Follow the Leader
Eric B. & Rakim — Let the Ryhthm Hit 'Em
Eric B. & Rakim — Paid In Full
Fat Boys — Fat Boys
Gangstarr — Step In the Arena
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five — Greatest Messages
Ice Cube — AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
Just-Ice — Back to the Old School
Kool G Rap — Wanted Dead Or Alive
L.L. Cool J — Bigger and Deffer
L.L. Cool J — Radio
Main Source — Breaking Atoms
Mantronix — Music Madness
Nas — Illmatic
The Notorious Big — Ready to Die
N.W.A. — Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A. — Niggaz4Life
Pete Rock & CL Smooth — Mecca and the Soul Brother
Public Enemy — Fear of A Black Planet
Public Enemy — It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Public Enemy — Yo! Bum Rush the Show
Run-D.M.C. — Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C. — Run-D.M.C.
Schoolly D — Saturday Night • The Album
Slick Rick — The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
Snoop Doggy Dogg — Doggystyle
Sugarhill Gang — Sugarhill Gang
Too Short — Born to Mack
Ultramagnetic MCs — Critical Beatdown
Whodini — Back In Black
Wild Style — soundtrack
Wu-Tang Clan — Enter the Wu-Tang
X-Clan — To the East Blackwards




If you feel I missed an album you consider a classic, email me and I might add it.



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