Corey Richardson’s Top Ten Most Slept On Hip Hop Albums Of All Time

Last week I posted up my definitive list of the top ten Hip Hop albums of all time.  I got some pats on the back, I got some kicks in the ass, but like I said then and I say now, I’m not a journalist, I’m just a guy with an opinion and some high speed internet.  After that post, people came at me with all kinds of albums that didn’t make the list that were indeed some great records, but some of them just never really got enough shine.  With that in mind, I decided to compile a list of the top ten Hip Hop albums that you probably never bothered to listen to, but most likely need to if you’re a fan of the music and the culture.

A few notes before we get into this:

-Again, I have an east coast bias.  I can’t help it, its just what I grew up on and that’s what I know best.

-An album is considered to be “slept on” if you can play it for at least five of your friends and they go, “Man, this is great, who is this?” and its over ten years old.

-Some big name artists have made and/or appeared on some slept on albums, so don’t get thrown off if you see names and go, “But no one sleeps on *insert rapper name here*!”

That said, let’s go…

10.) Tha Alkaholiks: “21 & Over”… Everyone wants to hate on party rap and everyone wants to hate on gimmick rappers.  The Alkaholiks are both, but they mastered the art of having a hook and making rhymes that inspire ignorant behavior without being insipid or silly.  Tash, J-Ro, and E Swift mesh distinct styles and clever punchlines over east coast inspired yet west coast flavored beats to craft a record that makes you want to pour a lil’ sum’n in a glass, cuss, and insult your friends.  Highlight: “Make Room”

9.) Common: “One Day It’ll All Make Sense”… Before he decided to get down with Erykah Badu, become a vegan, rock crocheted onesies, make a rock record, come back to Hip Hop, go to Hollywood, and date Serena Williams, Common was the South Side of Chicago’s poet laureate weaving tales of a city that was beautiful in its grime with rhymes that were introspective and uninhibited.  The curse of this record isn’t that its not good, its that its poorly sequenced so there is no real flow to it and that makes it hard to listen to straight through (I actually went ahead on my itunes and put it in the right order so I can rock to it).  For the effort and as a follow-up to a classic like “Resurrection”, this still brings the heat and is worth your time and your dime if you can find it.  Highlights: “Hungry” and “All Night”

8.) Wyclef Jean: “The Carnival”… Here’s the true test of a classic album, can you listen to it now and does it still beat?  The Carnival does.  What should have been the follow-up to The Score is laced with a diverse array of beats, rhymes, and styles mimicking the prevaling hip hop trends of the day and pointing out the absurdity of the culture while style taking all the classic traits from the past and giving them a twist.  I’m gonna say this, and someone’s gonna throw fruit at me in the streets, but this album is better than The Miseducation Of Laryn Hill… it is… deal with it.  Highlight: “Year Of The Dragon”

7.) Gang Starr: “Hard To Earn”… Guru and Premier get together and commit the perfect verses to the perfect tracks in what is one of Hip Hops most flawless albums.  Only problem is, it was either two years too late or two years too early.  Unfortunately, at the time the people that got it, got it, and everyone else just kinda missed the bus.  Having said that, its worth it just to take an album like this, put it on while you’re driving a long distance and really just let it sink in.  Highlight: “Suckas Need Bodyguards”

6.) UGK: “Riding Dirty”… UGK is a lot like cognac, those who know the good stuff know what to ask for and those that don’t just take what people give them.  In the case of Pimp C and Bun B, they were holding down South Texas with ridiculous funk filled beats and equally skilled lyrics for years while people just thought they were the other guys on “Big Pimpin’”.  Fact is, Riding Dirty not only ushered in a new era of Texas hip hop, but it also changed the landscape of Southern Rap with Pimp C’s graphic lyrics combined with Bun B’s scholalrly wordplay.  Highlight: “One Day”

5.) King Tee: “Tha Triflin’ Album”… Because no one ever gives King Tee his rightful props for being one of the godfathers of West Coast Hip Hop and because this album is impossible to find.  Highlight: “On The Rocks”

4.) Little Brother: “The Listening”… The thing about listening to a Little Brother record that makes it so enjoyable is that it sounds like they’re having fun recording it.  Big Pooh, Phonte, and 9th Wonder crafted a classic, rewrote the rules for breaking into the industry, mixed lyricism and beats, and sounded like they were having a broke-ass good time doing it.  It sounds less like a record made to get buzz and more like an album made because they felt like making one.  Did I mention it sounds like they were having fun?  Highlight: “So Fabulous”

3.) De La Soul: “De La Soul Is Dead”… Following Three Feet High And Rising, the Plugs ditched the hippie shit and came with an experimental sounding hip hop album that didn’t adhere to convention and shook off the weight of fans who were just along for the peace and love ride.  From start to finish, this album is darker in contrast to their debut and presents a more complex view of life, music, and celebrity from a group that was clearly “over it” by the time they went to make their second record.  HIghlight: “Keepin’ The Faith”

2.) Big L: “Lifestyles Of The Poor And Dangerous”… Jadakiss was wrong, dead rappers don’t get better promotion.  Had he lived, perhaps he’d be in the same echelon as Jay-Z in terms of go-to lyricists, we’ll never know.  Highlight: “Street Struck”

1.) Diamond D: “Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop”… Because yes its that good, and no you don’t own it. People didn’t just sleep on it, they caught comas to it.  What can you say about the original best producer on the mic who dropped one of the most memorably forgettable albums of all time?  I play this record sometimes after I watch 106 & Park or some bullshit on MTV about Hip Hop to remind me that there was once a time when you could make a record like this and people respected you for it.  Highlight: “Best Kept Secret”

Honorable Mentions

-Dungeon Family: “Even In Darkness”

-Young Bleed: “The Day They Made Me Boss”

- Camp Lo: “Uptown Saturday Night”

-X-Clan: “To The East Blackwards”

-T.I.: “I’m Serious”