The BC CDC

Hip Hop (Feb. 26, 2007)

Early On

Old School

Raising Hell — Run-DMC
Why I Bought It: It's just incredible, top-to-bottom.
Why You Should: "My Adidas" was the first hip-hop song about sneakers. "Walk This Way" is rap-rock's gold standard. "It's Tricky" is the ill party song. Need I go on?
Only Get One Shot: "Peter Piper"

Paid in Full — Eric B. & Rakim
WIB: Because if you listen to rap and don't own a Rakim record, you're don't really listen to rap.
WYS: This is one of the most-quoted and most-referenced albums in rap. Rakim was the game-changer lyrically. And Eric B. provided the head-nodders.
OGOS: "My Melody"

Gangsta Rap

Straight Outta Compton — N.W.A.
WIB: This is the gangsta rap album. Plus, I had to own any record on which Dr. Dre spits: "I still express, yo, I don't smoke weed or a sess /cause its known to give a brother brain damage. / And brain damage on the mic don't manage: / nuthin' / but makin' a sucker and you equal."
WYS: Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E inspired an entire generation of suburban white kids to act black, without realizing that N.W.A wasn't glorifying, but rather trying to transcend their subject matter.
OGOS: "Fuck the Police"

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted — Ice Cube
WIB: The rerelease of Cube's first solo album also features the Kill at Will EP tagged on.
WYS: This album is straight hard. Plus, Cube brings it political ("Amerikkka's Most Wanted") and storytells something surrious ("JD's Gafflin'," "Once Upon a Time in the Projects").
OGOS: "The Nigga You Love to Hate"

Death Certificate — Ice Cube
WIB: Cube brought it even harder on his second solo record. (Which shouldn't have even been possible …
WYS: Politics never banged this hard. (Apologies to PE.) And "No Vaseline" is just an outright filthy dis track.
OGOS: "I Wanna Kill Sam"

Native Tongues

The Low End Theory — A Tribe Called Quest
WIB: Jazz-rap at it's finest. And this set the table for Little Brother 10 years later.
WYS: Your favorite rapper knows this album front-to-back. And wishes he could come close to being this good.
OGOS: "The Infamous Date Rape"

3 Years 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of … — Arrested Development
WIB: Any self-respecting '80s baby is all about some "Mr. Wendal."
WYS: Their mix of bold, diverse live instrumentation with progressive, conscious lyrics should be required listening.
OGOS: "People Everyday"

G-Funk

The Chronic — Dr. Dre
WIB: The "Nuthin' But a G Thang" video was hot. And introduced Snoop to the world.
WYS: This album was a game-changer. Dre invented a sound, and in doing so, forced the focus away from New York for the first time in hip-hop history, preceding later Atlanta- and Houston-area dominance.
OGOS: "Nuthin' But a G Thang"

Doggystyle — snoop Doggy Dogg
WIB: "Gin and Juice" was the first West Coast song I knew all the words to. Plus, my babysitter Jovanny swore by this record.
WYS: Pretty much every song on this album was released as a single. And it's the only Snoop album you'll own if you really listen to rap (and aren't from California).
OGOS: "Gin and Juice"

Regulate … G Funk Era — Warren G
WIB: "Regulate" might actually be my favorite song of all time. No, really.
WYS: Dre's half-brother came through with a G-Funk classic that you should listen to. And "Regulate" is the greatest song ever.
OGOS: "Regulate"