if you like hip-hop/rap

Getting somebody that doesnt like rap to appreciate it is different than what i think are the most influential/important releases in hip hop

I would start them off with

- Any Common album - (except Electric Circus... a lil out there) Great lyrics, great samples, soulful...basically easy to stomach for somebody not used to rap

-Lupe Fiasco - The new Nas...lyrically dense, you have to appreciate his word play and delivery

Make them watch Dave Chapelle's Block Party

Albums like the Chronic, Get Rich or Die Trying, and many others have been important in Hip Hop history and culture but do nothing to discern from the RAP stereotypes, which coincidentally is the main reason a lot of people hate and dont understand the genre.

reasonable doubt - jay-z

illmatic - nas

ready to die - big

me against the world - 2Pac

7 day theory - pac/ makavelli

common - be or ressurection or even finding forever

jay-z - blueprint

nas - hip hop is dead

big pun - capital punishment

saigon - warning shots!!!!! (hidden mixtape gem)

lupe - food and liqour (any 1st and 15th mixtapes)

AWOL - AZ

Doe or die - AZ

eminem show - eminem

carter 2 - lil wayne

outkast - aquemini

scarface - the fix

old school: Rakim, Public Enemy, NWA, or KRS-1

lupe is good, not even close to on nas' level, yet. JMT and Immortal are overrated, still solid tho, JMT more so than Immortal

Mos Def- Black on Both Sides

The Roots- The Roots Come Alive

De La Soul- 3 Feet High and Rising

Hip Hop is so powerful when done correctly. 50 Cent...are you f***ing kidding me? Not even close! If you're going to ask the dinosaurs (and you know they'll see it and think "this isn't Chuck Barry, or whatever, and have to give their criticisms) on here to comment on Hip Hop, at least give them quality options.

huge nas fan but Lupe can really be an all-time great...

to me him and Saigon can be the hip-hop saviors but unfortunatley the public will probably not recognize them...

and as for the guy who said Kanye and eminem are popcorn rappers...

Not a big Kanye fan but he's a good producer and one of the best things (if not the best thing) popular rap has going... who else can hit close to a million the first week and still have a message and SOME originality...

as for Eminem, I don't know what you are talking about... you can make a solid arguemt that he is the most talented rapper to ever grace the mic...

oh, I forgot to add

Talib Kweli to the list...

i can't believe no one else has mentioned AZ... he had the best verse on illmatic...

The Format shows how amazing AZ is, but won't sell a fraction of what 50 and Kanye do. It's very sad. Here's mine:

Dre-2001 (great beats)

Jedi Mind Tricks-Legacy of Blood (On the Eve of War is the ultimate pre-race song, along with And So It Burns)

Tech N9ne-Absolute Power (even rap haters love "Slacker;" it's catchy and fun)

Anything by The Roots. If I could only pick one, then probably the green Homegrown album, since it's got the most popular songs.

I always play The Realness by Cormega, when I'm trying to get radio fans to start listening to "real" rap, but it doesn't have as much mass appeal as the others.

I forgot about The Realness!! Freakin love that album. Along the same lines I would listen to "Blood Runs Cold" by JMT and Sean Price before EVERY race in HS. Got me rediculously pumped up

a lot of good stuff has been mentioned...obviously ATCQ's Midnight Marauders and Low End Theory are timeless classics, Nas and Illmatic, Wu-tang and the 36 chamers, and pretty much anything from The Roots can do the trick.

How about these though

Blackalicious - Nia

Pharcyde - Bizzarre Ride II

Pharoahe Monch - Desire (his newest)

Black Star - Mos Def and Talib Kweli are...

Immortal Technique is some of the most amazing shit I've ever listened to, but for someone who you are introducing hip hop too, unless they are revolutionary, might wanna hold back.

By the way, Immortal Technique live is something every hip hop head needs to see

ok enough with rappers like Common, Talib Kweli, and get off the Lupe Fiasco train. I have heard his 1st and 15th, and every track on his Food and Liquor, and much like Nas, I think people overrate their lyrics. Let me put it out there that people like DMX have great rap music- Then there was X...was a classic. Also Bone Thugs and Harmony with E. 1999 was another great album. Also No Way Out deserves credit because it was basically Biggie's epilouge (Sp). Also, Puff does a great job in making tracks from the 80's into hip-hop beats. And College Dropout by Kanye was a masterpiece!

Illmatic, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Get Free by Dead Prez

haha thats cute...are you in middle school yet? DMX's first album was VERY good, and after that he went downhill incredibly fast.

Any Ghostface fans out there...

Gotta tell you I could listen to Supreme Clientele all day

Eminem is very skilled, but I think the most talented rapper I've ever heard is Canibus. If you wanna listen to him, listen to his verse on Beast from the East, and to Poet Laureate II. His wordplay and lyrical ability is just ridiculous.

Back to the point:

Nas-Illmatic

Biggie-Ready to Die

Common-one of his albums

This entire thread is still more proof that blacks in America still have one foot in the jungle.

No one's mentioned Clipse; please.

As for old school, and I do appreciate a lot of De la Soul and Tribe, "Midnight Marauders" being my favorite, how about some love for Digable Planets; "Reachin . . " Even "Blowout Comb" was solid. Rappers beyond their years . . .

cypress hill - black sunday

dr. octagon - dr. octagonecologyst

splack pack - uh! oh!

beastie boys - check your head or ill communication

All ICp and Eminem;

Nothing makes an unspoken bond like growing up dirt poor.

The Low End Theory, Midnight Marauders - A Tribe Called Quest

All Eyez on Me - 2pac

The Chronic, Chronic 2001 - Dr. Dre

Ready to Die - Notorious B.I.G.

Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx - Raekwon

The College Dropout - Kanye

The Black Album, The Blueprint - Jay-Z

It's Dark and Hell is Hot - DMX

The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show - Eminem

Illmatic, Stillmatic - NaS

Get Rich or Die Tryin' - 50 Cent

ATLiens, Aquemini - Outkast

The Documentary - The Game

Tha Carter II - Lil' Wayne

King - T.I.

Crazy. I can't believe this many people listen to "current" rap artists. Maybe it's an age thing. Maybe everyone on this thread is under 30.

Please post your ages.