Best hip-hop albums ever: 50 classics ranked

Hip-hop has been shaping culture for over half a century, and yet it’s still evolving, still surprising, still pushing boundaries. From the streets of New York to the global stage, the genre has produced albums that aren’t just collections of songs; they’re statements, experiments, and moments of pure artistry. Some make you nod your head, some make you think, and some do both at once.

This list isn’t about what’s trending this week or who’s streaming the most; it’s about albums that have endured, that have influenced a generation, and that continue to define what hip-hop can be.

We’ve dug deep into the classics, the game-changers, and the quiet masterpieces that didn’t always get their due. From the lyricists and storytellers to the producers and sonic innovators, these are the albums that demand attention, respect, and repeated listens.

While hip-hop today is everywhere, from stadiums to TikTok feeds, the albums here remind us why the genre became a cultural force in the first place. Bold, inventive, personal, and unapologetically itself. Welcome to 50 of the best hip-hop albums ever, ranked.

50. Lupe Fiasco: Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor (2006)

Lupe’s debut is a sharp, socially conscious gem that still feels vital years later. Food & Liquor blends intricate wordplay with incisive commentary on politics, culture, and the everyday grind, proving that rap can be both cerebral and deeply relatable.

The production nods to classic hip-hop while giving space for Lupe’s storytelling to shine, complex, witty, and unflinching. From introspective tracks to hard-hitting bangers, the album establishes Lupe as a voice unafraid to challenge listeners, making Food & Liquor a debut that still resonates in the canon of thoughtful, essential hip-hop.

49. Tyler, The Creator: Call Me If You Get Lost (2021)

Tyler’s sixth studio album is a masterclass in duality—luxury and longing, braggadocio and vulnerability. Across Call Me If You Get Lost, he guides listeners through a globe-trotting sonic journey, where lush instrumentation meets sharp, witty lyricism.

From jazzy horns to booming trap beats, the production is eclectic yet cohesive, perfectly reflecting Tyler’s persona: unpredictable, polished, and a little mischievous. He flexes both his storytelling chops and emotional range, making this album feel like a personal letter from one of rap’s most inventive voices. It’s audacious, intimate, and unmistakably Tyler.

48. EPMD: Strictly Business

Not everyone in hip-hop gets it right on their debut album - case in point: Gza - but EPMD managed to do the business with Strictly Business, melding funk with rawness that gives the tracks a laid back feel.

There are threads of the G Funk era within this debut, as well as managing to do wonders with some well-known samples - the loop of I Shot The Sheriff on the title track is just sublime. Yes, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith were in it for the money (it's in their name after all), but with grooves this good, we are happy to part with our cash.

47. Travis Scott: Astroworld (2018)

Astroworld is Travis Scott’s audacious, sky-high ride through trap, psychedelia, and pure spectacle. It’s an album that feels like a theme park in sound: dizzying, immersive, and at times, slightly disorienting, but always thrilling. Scott’s signature autotuned vocals glide over booming beats, swirling synths, and cinematic production, creating tracks that hit both the chest and the imagination.

Guest appearances abound, yet the project never feels cluttered, anchored instead by Scott’s ability to turn mood and atmosphere into narrative. More than just a collection of songs, Astroworld is a fully realised audio experience that helped define rap’s late-2010s landscape.

46. Eminem: The Eminem Show (2002)

Eminem’s fourth studio album is a furious, fearless dive into the life of a superstar under scrutiny. Balancing blistering wordplay with candid reflection, it’s an album that’s as much about the chaos outside the mic as the skill behind it.

Darkly humorous one moment, deeply introspective the next, The Eminem Show captures Marshall Mathers at his peak: unfiltered, unapologetic, and unmissable. From confessional storytelling to bar-heavy punchlines, it set a blueprint for rap albums that want to marry personal narrative with larger cultural commentary, cementing Eminem as a defining voice of early-2000s hip-hop.

45. Ice Cube: Death Certificate (1991)

Given the strong personalities at play in N.W.A. it wasn’t surprising that Ice Cube’s departure from the group was acrimonious. He poured his vitriol into his solo releases. This reached an apogee on his second album, Death Certificate.

An unapologetic treatise on the state of things at the start of the fin de siècle, it was both coruscating and visionary, and not without controversy. The furore surrounding its release might have lessened in the intervening years. Its power most certainly hasn’t.

44. J. Cole: 2014 Forest Hills Drive (2014)

Cole’s third album is a deeply personal, introspective masterclass, a coming-of-age story set to beats that are both warm and spacious. It’s the kind of record where every line feels autobiographical, yet relatable, capturing the highs, lows, and quiet reflections of life in Fayetteville. There’s no gimmick here, just raw storytelling, clever wordplay, and the patience to let the music breathe. With 2014 Forest Hills Drive, J. Cole proved he didn’t need features to carry him; the album stands as a testament to his skill as both a rapper and a narrator, and it remains a touchstone for anyone chasing honesty in hip-hop.

43. Lil Wayne: Tha Carter II (2005)

Wayne was already a force to be reckoned with by Tha Carter II, but this album cemented his reputation as a lyrical magician. Clever, audacious, and often delightfully off-kilter, the record sees him experimenting with wordplay, flows, and storytelling like few before him had dared.

It’s part braggadocio, part wit, and entirely Lil Wayne, swinging between raw energy and calculated finesse. With each track, he effortlessly balances streetwise swagger and inventive bars, giving fans a blueprint of what modern rap could be. Tha Carter II doesn’t just hold up; it reminds you why Wayne became one of the most influential voices in hip-hop.

42. Ol' Dirty Bastard: Return To The 36 Chambers (1995)

Given Gza was the band leader, Rza the maestro, it was a surprise that the second solo album (after Method Man) to come from the Wu-tang family was by Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Seen by some as the joker of the pack, this rap classic soon put to bed the idea he wasn’t to be taken seriously.

Tracks such as Shimmy Shimmy Ya, Brooklyn Zoo, Cuttin' Headz show off a lyrical dexterity that few can match, his raps as golden as the grille they are spat out from. It’s a shame that the rest of his cut-short career didn’t quite match the pockmarked (im)perfection of his solo opus.

41. Jay-Z & Kanye, Watch the Throne (2011)

When two of hip-hop’s biggest egos collide, you’d expect fireworks—and Watch the Throne delivers exactly that. The album is a glossy, ambitious, and often indulgent masterclass in modern rap luxury, packed with grandiose beats, intricate wordplay, and moments of genuine vulnerability.

From arena-ready anthems to introspective reflections, Jay and Ye play off each other perfectly, each track a mix of bravado, swagger, and sonic experimentation. It’s larger-than-life, unapologetically opulent, and remains a benchmark for collaborative albums in hip-hop, proving that two icons together can be more than the sum of their parts and nothing like it will ever happen again.

40. Pete Rock & CL Smooth: Mecca and the Soul Brothers (1992)

Pete Rock & CL Smooth made a huge statement of intent with their first album. At 80 minutes, it's a whopper but there's no flab on Mecca and the Soul Brothers, it's hit after hit.

They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) is the standout, as it's one of the best hip-hop tracks ever written, but the whole album is filled with treats. Pete Rock - a cousin of Heavy D - is a crate digger and using his father's record collection for reference, the samples here set the bar for how to re-use music for a new beat. There's snippets of soul, funk and even Talking Heads, creating beats that match CL Smooth's thoughtful lyrics.

39. Playboi Carti, Whole Lotta Red (2020)

Carti’s second studio album was divisive on release, but that only added to its mythos. Whole Lotta Red is chaotic, frenetic, and unapologetically maximalist, a world where punk energy collides with trap futurism.

From start to finish, it’s a record that thrives on unpredictability, with distorted ad-libs, jagged beats, and Carti’s idiosyncratic flow creating an atmosphere that feels equal parts anarchic and addictive. It’s not a comfortable listen, and that’s precisely the point, this is an album built to shock, excite, and, ultimately, influence a generation of rappers who’ve tried to harness its reckless energy.

38. Future: DS2 (2015)

DS2 is where Future fully embraced the trap-rap blueprint that would define modern hip-hop. With hard-hitting beats from Metro Boomin, Zaytoven, and Southside, the album balances icy melodies with raw street narratives.

The album showcases Future’s signature melodic flow and auto-tuned croon, blending vulnerability with bravado. It’s a record that’s as much about the atmosphere as the lyrics, immersing listeners in the highs and lows of Future’s world. Nearly a decade on, DS2 remains a trap classic—gritty, hypnotic, and endlessly influential.

37. Slick Rick: The Great Adventures Of (1998)

Debut albums don’t come much more critically acclaimed than The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick. The rapper essentially made an album about being a superstar rapper, the first to brag about the riches and ego that comes from this.

It’s one of the most influential albums because of the narratives it weaves, with Slick Rick taking on many a persona, all while delivered with a British sensibility. Given the amount of rappers that have pilfered from Slick Rick’s style and rhymes, it’s clear he is a watermark for rap and this album a key reason for this.

36. Gang Starr: Moment Of Truth (1998)

We could have chosen any number of Gang Starr albums, but there is something about their 1998 hit which is so compelling. It was released when hip-hop was going through some serious changes. The genre had seeped into the chart, and with more commercial eyes on the prize, the essence of what made hip-hop hip-hop had started to dilute. Enter Guru and DJ Premier, a perfect pairing of emcee and DJ, beats creator and lyricist.

Throughout the 20 tracks, it's clear that they had lost none of their immediacy. This is despite the fact that there are four years and endless separate collaborations between records. Moment of Truth offers a new sound for the duo, but one that never-ever sells out - all while having guests as disparate as Inspectah Deck and Jodeci on board.

35. Jay-Z: The Blueprint (2001)

The Blueprint cemented Jay-Z’s place as hip-hop royalty, arriving at a moment when East Coast rap needed a reinvigorating voice. Built around soulful, sample-driven production from Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Bink, the album blends streetwise storytelling with lyrical swagger.

Renegade and Izzo (H.O.V.A.) showcase Jay’s effortless flow and sharp wit, while the emotional depth on songs like “Song Cry” adds a surprising vulnerability. Nearly two decades on, The Blueprint remains a blueprint in more than name, classic, influential, and endlessly replayable.

34. Outkast: Stankonia (2000)

At a time when hip-hop was categorised as East or West Coast, it was Aquemini which finally put the South onto the map. While that album is a masterclass itself, Stankonia was the one which made Outkast a household name, with its more uptempo beats and sound that conjured up the three Ps: Public Enemy, PM Dawn and Pharcyde. The album was a Grammy winner as was the track Ms. Jackson, an apology of sorts to Erykah Badu who he had broken up with some time before.

34. Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

Kanye West’s fifth album is a towering statement of ambition, ego, and artistry, blending maximalist production with deeply personal lyrics. From the operatic grandeur of “Power” to the haunting vulnerability of “Runaway,” it’s an album that oscillates between the triumphant and the tormented, the intimate and the bombastic.

Frequently cited as a career-defining masterpiece, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy reshaped hip-hop’s sonic boundaries, proving that rap could be cinematic, complex, and unapologetically audacious all at once.

33. The Pharcyde: Labcabincalifornia (1995)

Thankfully, it wasn’t all braggadocio in hip hop in the mid-Nineties. Los Angeles four-piece The Pharcyde followed their mesmeric debut, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, with another lesson in irreverent sonic adventure.

The jazzy, soporific vibes of Runnin’ recalled kindred spirits A Tribe Called Quest, while the inventive Drop (with an equally original video from Spike Jonze) displayed a steely experimental edge. The group would fall apart after this release with Fatlip leaving, but this was some parting gift.

32. A Tribe Called Quest: Low End Theory (1991)

Scenario, Buggin' Out, Show Business... the tracklist for Low End Theory plays out like A Tribe Called Quest greatest hits, with the album jamming in so many bangers that it's sometimes hard to keep up.

This, their second album, is when jazz and rap truly fused together, connecting the dots of two of the greatest music genres. The laid-back beats, mixed with the thoughtful wordplay is as slick today as when it was released back in 1991.

31. Common: Be (2005)

Throughout the nineties and early noughties, Common ploughed a very unique and idiosyncratic furrow – that of the thoughtful and conscientious rapper. He hit commercial paydirt on his sixth album, Be.

Utilising the production work of Kanye West and underground icon J Dilla, Common created a completely unified piece of work on Be. This was the sound of hip hop reflecting upon itself – hence the jazzy backbone and soulful tenor of Common’s voice. The result was magnificent

30. Cypress HIll: Cypress Hill (1991)

Alongside De La Soul and Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill were one of the first hip hop acts to crossover to a predominantly white rock crowd. Given their music was designed to reflect (and even enhance) the slacker habit of smoking weed, this perhaps wasn’t surprising.

But Cypress Hill’s debut album is no curious novelty – the music is withdrawn, almost as if it’s not there, while B Real’s imaginative rhymes were at once unclear and sardonic. It was a combination that would sell more on 1993’s Black Sunday, but this was the apex of Cypress Hill’s multi-racial creativity.

29. Run DMC: Run DMC

Yes, The Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five had taken hip hop into the mainstream, but Jam Master Jay, D.M.C. and Rev Run were the first group to properly legitimise it with the release of bona fide classic albums.

Their self-titled longplayer was a confrontational fusillade of minimal electro, crunching beats and mesmeric rhymes, as exemplified by It’s Like That, Sucker M.C.s, Rock Box and Hard Times.

28. Ghostface Killah: Supreme Clientele (2000)

After proving to the world that he was one of the best lyricists and rappers around, thanks to his marvelous verses on 36 Chambers, Only Built For Cuban Lynx and his debut Iron Man, Ghostface Killah’s sophomore effort is an absolute wonder.

Ghostface weaves grit and candour, stupidity and absurdity into his tracks with ease - offering up gold-gilded hip-hop album that still resonates today. Just listed to Malcolm to hear this.

27. Cardi B: Invasion of Privacy (2018)

Cardi B’s debut album arrived like a storm, turning her unstoppable personality into a full-bodied musical statement. Invasion of Privacy blends brash confidence with clever wordplay, effortlessly moving from hard-hitting bangers like “Bodak Yellow” to smoother, sultry tracks such as “Be Careful.”

It’s bold, brash, and unapologetically authentic, a record that not only dominated charts but also cemented Cardi as a cultural force, proving that female rap could be both commercially explosive and critically respected.

26. Run The Jewels: Run The Jewels 2 (2014)

El-P and Killer Mike’s second outing as Run The Jewels is a masterclass in razor-sharp lyricism and adrenaline-fuelled production. Every track hits like a blast of pure energy, from the ferocious opener “Blockbuster Night Part 1” to the politically charged “Close Your Eyes (And Count to F**k).”

It’s aggressive, unflinching, and smart, mixing social commentary with wit and bravado in equal measure. Run The Jewels 2 doesn’t just hit hard, it hits deep, proving that hip-hop can be both incendiary and intellectually electric, and setting the blueprint for everything that followed from the duo.

25. Beastie Boys: Paul’s Boutique (1989)

Licensed To Ill might have introduced the world to the Beastie Boys, but following its release the trio were routinely dismissed as brattish frat rappers. Paul’s Boutique, released nearly three years, showed otherwise, demonstrating that Mike D, Ad-Rock and MCA really did have the skills to pay the bills.

Criminally ignored upon release – probably because it wasn’t Licensed To Ill Part 2 - it is now recognised for what it is: a multi-layered hip hop masterpiece.

24. Outkast: Speakerboxx / The Love Below (2003)

OutKast’s Speakerboxx/The Love Below is one of the most audacious moments in hip hop’s rich history. A double album – in essence two solo albums by Andre 3000 and Big Boi – it takes in everything from G-funk to pop, Southern soul to blues, electronica to rock.

In this sense, it’s everything the artform of hip hop started out as – a cultural sponge imbibing the best that music has to offer. In Hey Ya! They had the kind of worldwide hit that every musician would die for.

23. De La Soul: 3 Feet High & Rising (1989)

Despite what the likes of Public Enemy, N.W.A and 2 Live Crew might have suggested otherwise, not everyone involved in hip hop in the late Eighties was angry. De La Soul, alongside the likes of The Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest (along with others known as the Native Tongues Posse), were the polar opposite – they were Afrocentric urban hippies pushing a sunshine-soaked vision of hip hop named the Daisy Age.

Their debut album was a joyous mixture of soft rock samples, hilarious skits and psychedelic rhymes. It’s positive attitude chimed perfectly with the loved-up acid house era in which it was produced.

22. Kendrick Lamar: DAMN. (2017)

Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. is the album that cemented his status as the most electrifying voice in modern hip-hop. Blending ferocious lyricism with cinematic production, Kendrick confronts themes of identity, morality, and fame, moving effortlessly between introspection and bravado.

Tracks like “HUMBLE.” and “DNA.” became instant cultural touchstones, while the quieter moments, including “FEEL.” and “PRIDE.”, showcase his ability to turn vulnerability into poetry. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, DAMN. proves that hip-hop can be both commercially massive and intellectually ambitious.

21. Fugees: The Score (1996)

Fugees were inescapable in 1996. The trio – Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel and Lauryn Hill – had made some waves on the underground with their first album, Blunted On Reality, but with The Score, everything changed.

Hip hop gone pop, without conceding to the mainstream, The Score catapulted Fugees and their conscious songs to stardom. Some complained there were too many covers (Killing Me Softly and No Woman, No Cry among them), but when they sounded this fresh and vital, that was just purist posturing.

20. Raekwon: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995)

A concept album that takes Wu-Tang alumni Raekwon and Ghostface Killah into Mafiosa territory. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is a stunning, cinematic album that is up there with Wu-Tang's best work.

Although it’s strictly Raekwon’s debut, Ghostface is everywhere on this and all the better for it - just listen to Criminology to hear the lyrical swordplay at work.

19. Mos Def: Black On Both Sides (1999)

Thanks to his work with De La Soul and his Black Star collaborative album with Talib Kweli, anticipation on the underground hip hop scene was high ahead of Mos Def’s debut solo set.

After the release of Black on Both Sides, however, it wasn’t just the underground that appreciated the charismatic character born Dante Smith (and who now goes by the name of Yasiin Boy). A politically aware album, but one that piles on the infectious beats and effervescent rhymes, Black on Both Sides was confirmation that Mos Def was one of the most talented stars pushing hip hop forward ahead of the new millennium.

18. Public Enemy: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (1998)

If, as Chuck D has repeatedly stated, rap is the black CNN, Public Enemy’s second album was their revolutionary state of the nation address.

The stark, eerie music bordered on the nihilist, while its doubtful anyone has used hip hop to shine an unwelcoming light on America’s manifold ills in the manner of Chuck D before or since. Don’t believe the hype? One listen to these rebels without a pause will cause you to reconsider.

17. 50 Cent: Get Rich Or Die Tryin' (2003)

Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ arrived in a blaze of glory in early 2003. Thankfully, amid the hype, there was a classic album to back up all the verbals.

In Da Club was the worldwide smash that’s still infectious today, but this was just one high (literally) among a cavalcade of hip hop anthems. What Up Gangsta sets the scene – placing Fiddy in the lineage of Biggie/Nas/Jigga – while Many Men (Wish Death) and High All The Time ensure the taut pace is never broken.

16. Jay-Z: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

Today, Jay-Z is one of the biggest active hip hop stars. In 1996 he was just another aspiring rapper who, to use his parlance, had led a hard knock life on the streets of New York.

This hustle was the backbone of his awesome debut set. Featuring the likes of Can’t Knock The Hustle, Brooklyn’s Finest and Dead Presidents II, it was a stunning combination of frontline reportage and frankly ice cool rhymes. A star had been born.

15. Eric B & Rakim: Paid In Full (1987)

The first golden age of hip hop was kick-started by the art form’s standout DJ/MC pairing, Eric B and Rakim. A master class in breaks, beats and rhymes, Paid In Full laid down the gauntlet to thousands of wannabe crate-digging producers and rappers.

Standout tracks include the title track (soon to be remixed into sonic nirvana by Coldcut), Eric B Is President, and I Know You Got Soul.

14. Snoop Doggy Dogg: Doggystyle (1993)

There must have been something in the air in November 1993. Two weeks after ATCQ and the Killer Bees released their era-defining sets, a cocky tyro mentored by Dr. Dre released his debut set.

Then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg, Doggystyle was another landmark record. Coated in G-funk finery, Doggystyle opened up a portal into a horizontal West Coast world of weed, sunshine and unforgettable grooves.

13. Mobb Deep: The Infamous (1995)

The Infamous is hip-hop by candlelight. It’s packed with stripped-bare beats, stark piano, the screeches of the city in the background. Samples are used but muffled as if the album had to be made in hiding. It’s gangster rap but run through Queensbridge slang, the closest an album has got to the feeling The Wire gave us when we first watched it.

Havoc and Prodigy are two of the greatest rappers, with the likes of Q-Tip and Raekwon coming along for the ride. We dare you to hear first the snare, then the bass of Shook Ones, Pt.II without getting shivers. Stunning stuff.

12. A Tribe Called Quest: Midnight Marauders (1993)

Of all the acts beloved of the rap fraternity that coalesce around the head-nodding sound of ‘backpack hip hop’, A Tribe Called Quest are the most cherished. In truth, we could have chosen two other ATCQ albums in this spot – 1991’s The Low End Theory is another stone cold classic – but Midnight Marauders elevated Q-Tip, Phife Dawg and co to legendary status. Their jazz-rap fusions were nothing new, but this was them working at the top of their game.

11. Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)

After the Fugees disbanded in 1997, few could have predicted what was to follow. Granted, it was obvious in Lauryn Hill that the trio had a sparkling talent, but even the most ardent admirers must have been shocked by her first solo album.

Mixing classic soul with a reinvigorated R’n’B and leaning on her hip hop roots, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was another crossover success.

10. N.W.A.: Straight Outta Compton (1988)

If Public Enemy was hip hop’s militant conscience, NWA were the hoodlum wing.

Their debut album was a brazen example of six individuals who didn’t give a f**k. From the brutal opening triptych of songs (Straight Outta Compton, F**k Tha Police and Gangsta) to the groovy Express Yourself, this was indeed a riotous display of street knowledge.

9. Kanye West: The College Dropout

Today, Kanye West is known for his bizarre celebrity lifestyle and controversial statements as much as his music, which means we really need to celebrate the man for the music here. This is such a shame, as a decade or so ago, West was a serious underground hip hop icon.

Having breathed new fire into Jay-Z with his production work on The Blueprint, West’s true calling was rapping himself. If there were doubts, he could match his Roc-a-Fella employer; those were quickly dispelled with the release of The College Dropout. A vivacious album dripping in hooks and cheeky raps, it set in motion the merry-go-round that West still expertly deals in to this day.

8. 2Pac: All Eyez On Me (1996)

Hip hop double albums aren’t generally worth the entrance fee. All Eyez On Me changed all that. After a spell inside, 2Pac was focused and angry ahead of his magnum opus. This attitude was channelled into 27 tracks of sparkling virtuosity.

The thug life with which he had previously flirted with is wholeheartedly embraced, and the result is an epic record of G-funk and gangsta rap that managed to take on the mainstream. And win.

7. Dr Dre: The Chronic (1992)

Not to be outdone by his former protégé Ice Cube, Dr. Dre didn’t take long to release another landmark album by an N.W.A. alumni. Not only was The Chronic acclaimed immediately, it ushered in a new sound within hip hop – G-funk.

Instantly recognisable due to the use of synthesisers and an all-encompassing bass, it made a solo star of Dre, and introduced his latest rap ward to the world: Snoop Doggy Dogg.

6. Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

The notion of a credible white rapper was a joke for eons – not helped by Vanilla Ice. All that changed with Eminem. A confrontational, provocative and sardonic wordsmith – and another protégé of Dr. Dre – he released three classic albums on the spin in the late-Nineties and early-Noughties.

It was the middle release – The Marshall Mathers LP – that captured the witty, irreverent and rebellious spirit best.

5. Madvillain: Madvillainy (2004)

Underground hip hop was in rude health at the turn of the millennium. The likes of Cannibal Ox, Quasimoto, Aesop Rock and co were producing inventive music that was raw, wry and futuristic.

The collaboration between MF Doom (RIP) and Madlib was certainly in the same vein. A hypnotic take on hip hop it melded the duo’s distinctive talents – Doom’s cerebral raps and Madlib’s unconventional beat – into something both charming and mystical.

4. Notorious BIG: Ready To Die (1994)

It’s a shame that today The Notorious B.I.G. is known as much for his role in the unfortunate East Coast/West Coast rap wars of the mid-Nineties.

He was one of the greatest rappers of all time. A vital release in New York’s move towards hardcore gangsta rap, Biggie’s storytelling skills are to the fore on tracks like Juicy, Gimme The Loot and Things Done Changed. The mind boggles as to what Biggie could have achieved if he wasn’t senselessly lost in 1997.

3. Wu-Tang Clan: Enter The Wu-Tang (1993)

Released on the same day as Midnight Marauders, the Wu-Tang Clan’s debut album was arguably the most important hip hop album of the Nineties. It not only introduced the world to a collection of colourful characters, but redefined the sonic language of hip hop.

RZA’s production was sparse, pieced together with esoteric samples and dialogue from kung fu movies, while the raps from Method Man, Ol Dirty Bastard, GZA, Chef Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, et al were incendiary.

2. Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp A Butterfly (2015)

Kendrick Lamar is up there with the greatest rappers of all time. The speed he can spout his lyrics is unparalleled, as is the clarity with which you hear them. There’s a rhythm in his rhyming that has been missing in hip hop’s latter years.

Here, his third album, he perfects perfection. The likes of King Kunta are crowd pleasers, a raging funk masterclass named after the main character in Roots. He’s angry and he has every right to be. Then there’s the poetic For Free? that sounds like nothing else.

There’s chaos throughout, punctuated by moments of beauty and Thundercat’s ever-present bass. But you never know what you are going to get with each track which is fine by us.

1. Nas: Illmatic (1994)

Despite being home to groups like Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest, New York appeared distinctly second best to the sounds emanating from California in 1994.

All that changed with the release of Nasir Jones’s debut album, the iconic Illmatic.

With production duties served by DJ Premier and Large Professor, Nas’s rhymes reflected upon ghetto life in the Big Apple. Raw, powerful and unforgettable, Illmatic opened the doors for a new generation of MCs to burst through.

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