best albums of 2000-2009 | All In My Head

The Best Hip Hop Albums of 2000-2009 [30-16]

Posted by dflanz at 3:09 AM Uncategorized 1 Response »

Jan 202011

Intro; 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51, 50-41, 40-31

The list dedicated to the best hip hop music of last decade is back. These next 30 albums are the real gems of 2000-2009; they range from chart-topping to relatively unknown, but each one deserves a spot in your music collection.

30. Fishscale - 2006 – Ghostface Killah

This is why Ghost is my favorite Wu-Tang member. Not only did he rip shit in the 90′s when Wu was on top of the hip-hop world, but he continued to make dope albums on the regular into the next decade. The beat selection on Fishscale is impeccable; Ghost knew what he was doing working with the likes of Just Blaze & Pete Rock, as well as grabbing instrumentals from Dilla’s Donuts and MF DOOM’s Metal Fingers albums. He continues the trend of rapping straight up over old school soul songs which he started on The Pretty Toney Album on standout “Big Girl”, and heads a successful Wu-Tang reunion on “9 Milli Bros.”.

Top Tracks: The Champ | Shakey Dog | 9 Milli Bros.

29. S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. – 2005 – One Be Lo

Binary Star’s OneManArmy (or One Be Lo) released his second solo project in 2005, proving that he can stand alone as a very capable MC. From the moment the disc starts it’s hard to stop listening to One, who sports an enticing flow along with clever lyrics and socially relevant subject matter. This CD didn’t sell as well, or get as much acclaim as most other albums on this list, which is sad but makes sense. Independent artists with something to say don’t always make it to the charts, but there is certainly space for rappers like One Be Lo on your iPod.

Top Tracks: Axis | Used 2 Be Fly | enecS eht no kcaB

The Best Hip Hop Albums of 2000-2009 [40-31]

Posted by dflanz at 6:11 PM Uncategorized No Responses »

Aug 252010

Intro; 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51, 50-41

40. Rip The Jacker – 2003 – Canibus

Throughout his career, Canibus has always been one of the best lyricists in the game. It wasn’t until 2003, though, that he teamed up with a producer that could match his talents on the mic. Rip The Jacker is entirely produced by Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind (of Jedi Mind Tricks), helping Canibus finally create a full, well-rounded, enjoyable album. It’s refreshing to hear Canibus rapping over Stoupe’s (obscure) sample based beats, especially since he goes off on every track with his signature complex lyrical style. As a fan, it’s really disappointing that these two never collaborated again after this project.

Top Tracks: Poet Laureate II | Showtime At The Gallows | Levitibus

39. Relapse – 2009 – Eminem

This will probably be the most unpopular pick on the entire list, but I’ll defend this album to the death. Most criticism of Relapse is based around the voices/”accents” that Eminem uses on some of the songs. I’m not going to say that I prefer this to his normal voice, but it works here. On tracks like Bagpipes From Baghdad, Same Song & Dance, Old Time’s Sake, etc., he’s using these flows to service the lyrical patterns he has created for these tracks, and the end product is great. The CD is essentially his Slim Shady alter-ego let loose, leaving Em to concentrate on nothing but bending words and creating crazy rhyme patterns containing his classic “don’t give a fuck” content. The result is his best lyrical album since The Marshall Mathers LP, and a real treat for the old school Eminem fan.

Top Tracks: Hello | Deja Vu | Bagpipes From Baghdad

The Best Hip Hop Albums of 2000-2009 [50-41]

Posted by dflanz at 3:32 PM Uncategorized 1 Response »

Aug 242010

Intro; 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51

50. Disposable Arts – 2001 – Masta Ace

Hip Hop legend Masta Ace returned to the rap game in 2001 after a six year hiatus, and the Brooklyn MC clearly hadn’t lost a step. Ace had a great run from the late 80′s to early 90′s, but I’d say this is an overall better disc than anything he had released previously. This was the beginning of Ace’s work with full length concept albums (I’ll get to 2004′s prequel to this, A Long Hot Summer, later in the list), which helped highlight his legendary flow (key influence to Eminem’s style) and elite lyricism, over the course of an attention-grabbing LP.

Top Tracks: Take A Walk | Acknowledge | Enuff

49. When The Smoke Clears – 2000 – Three 6 Mafia

A full 22-tracks of crazy-ass Memphis bangers. Triple 6 aren’t for all hip-hop fans, but when the time and place is right (as I said when describing Da Unbreakables; drinking, working out, just going nuts, etc.), there is sometimes nothing better. I would kill to see these guys live..you really won’t find energy like this anywhere else.

Top Tracks: M.E.M.P.H.I.S. | I’m So High | Mafia Niggaz

The Best Hip Hop Albums of 2000-2009 [60-51]

Posted by dflanz at 4:17 PM Uncategorized 3 Responses »

Aug 232010

60. O.S.T. – 2002 – People Under The Stairs

Thes One and Double K are arguably the best crate diggers we have in the game today, as well as two of the best rapping beat makers. They fly under the radar yet produce nothing but quality hip hop, with their 2002 release being the best of P.U.T.S.’s career.

Top Tracks: Acid Raindrops | Empty Bottles of Water | The L.A. Song

59. Tha Carter II - 2005 – Lil’ Wayne

Between Tha Carter, which showed hip hop fans that Lil’ Wayne could actually spit, and Tha Carter III, which made Lil’ Wayne arguably the biggest pop star in the country, Tha Carter II helped heat up the winter of ’05-’06. This is where Wayne started to really expand his sound, not that he had any choice with the departure of Mannie Fresh from Cash Money, and we get a very enjoyable album as the result.

Top Tracks: Best Rapper Alive | Fireman | Reciept

The Best Hip Hop Albums of 2000-2009 [90-81]

Posted by dflanz at 4:08 PM Uncategorized 9 Responses »

Aug 202010

Intro; 100-91

90. The Tipping Point – 2004 – The Roots

The most air-time Black Thought’s ever gotten over a full CD, and the album thrives because of it. Check out the BDK/Kool G Rap impressions on Boom!; the man can spit. You can’t go wrong with any Roots material but this is a stand out.

Top Tracks: Guns Are Drawn | Star/Pointro | Boom!

89. The Format - 2006 – AZ

AZ get’s some of the freshest production of his career, with help from Emile, J. Cardim, DJ Premier & Statik Selektah. Just another reason why he should be considered one of the best ever, but rarely gets that recognition.

Top Tracks: The Format | Get High | Animal

The Best Hip Hop Albums of 2000-2009 [100-91]

Posted by dflanz at 3:17 AM Uncategorized 1 Response »

Aug 202010

When you think of this past decade in terms of hip hop, the word “golden age” certainly doesn’t come to mind. Some say that hip hop’s dive into mainstream culture sold out the genre, putting the importance of making as much money as possible over making as good music as possible. There have been a lot of lackluster albums put out in the last decade, and the top albums on this list don’t even sniff the classics of the 90′s. But, for those who had the patience to sift through all of the crap released from 2000-2009, there were a ton of gems dropped, and a LOT of music worth listening to. But which were the absolute best? I put this up for debate, and offer my list of what I think were the top 100 rap albums released in the 00′s. Feel free to state your opinions down below, as this is an extremely subjective list (everyone has a different definition of “quality”, and everyone has different personal tastes), and I hope that the list inspires some of this great music to be downloaded/bought. Enjoy.

100. The Mouse & The Mask – 2005 – Danger Doom (MF DOOM & Danger Mouse)

Danger Mouse provides the perfect backdrop for an album completely based upon adult swim shows, creating original material with lyrics only DOOM could pull off on the mic. Really makes you wish Danger Mouse would do more hip hop production; the results of him doing a project with a great MC were too good.

Top Tracks: The Mask (Featuring Ghostface Killah) | Space Ho’s | Vats Of Urine

99. The Blueprint 3 – 2009 – Jay-Z

A bit disappointing as it sounds like Jay was trying too hard for the radio, but overall very good release from one of the best ever. Even with a changed up style Hov remains a top MC in the game, and is always capable of dropping quality albums like this.

Top Tracks: On To The Next One (Featuring Swizz Beatz) | Already Home (Featuring Kid Cudi) | Young Forever (Featuring Mr. Hudson)