It was a hard decision between tupac and eminem but in the end i chose eminem

I'm going to vote for Mos Def - Black on Both sides.

some actuall quality rap there. listen to the lyrics. read a transript if you have to.

Hmm... best hip hop album

I think I would say one of these:
*the roots - things fall apart
*mos def and talib kweli are Blackstar
*talib kweli & dj hitech - reflection eternal

- but it's a matter of taste

Wow, as someone who has been a student of hip hop for over 20 years, I must say I am disappoint to see that you have not included Public Enemy's "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back" or Run DMC's "Raising Hell".

Both of these albums were released in the beginning of rap's "Golden Era" and both were ground breaking in that they were amazing successes commercially and critically.

PE set the standard for what a controversial, politically aware hip hop artist should be and musically they defied the previous sonic boundaries with their production style. Without Chuck D's vocal delivery, we would have never had a DMX, an XZibit, or a Tupac. Flava Flav is the original Old Dirty Bastard! And what would RZA, Timberland's and Dr. Dre's production have been without the blueprint of the bomb squad?

As for RunDMC, they are the all-time greatest rap group, period! New group in history has displayed the chemistry or sheer crowd rocking skills of Run and DMC. What DJ can throw down on the tables, keep the crowd hype, and interact with his MCs better than Jam Master Jay.

To add on, I also noticed that you haven't included "Criminal Minded" of "By All Means Necessary" by Boogie Down Productions
"Criminal Minded" is arguably the first gangsta rap record. "By All Means Necessary" was, and remains to be, one of the greatest underground albums ever made.

And let's not forget the fact that BDP's frontman was the legendary KRS ONE. What MC do you know that can spit true freestyles, rock shows, chat reggae style, and straight up battle ANY of these so-called hot MCs that are out today? Plus KRS ONE remains to be one of the most brilliant intellectuals of our time?

So, nice try fellas, but I think you guys need to go back and do your homework.

Peace,

Davromaxx
www.aquasound.net

P.S. Please feel free to remove Nelly, XZibit, and the "Eternal E" album from your list at any time.

oh yeah. forgot about those. well those were kinda before my time. you know how us young kids are. If it didnt happen less then 5 years ago then its old news.

SpacemanSpiff, I see your point. My only concern, is that HipHop fans know their history. Especially because of the fact that HipHop is the most influential pop culture in the entire world right now.
I bet you any serious rock and roll fan, no matter how young, knows about The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and such.

So it is imperative that those of us who seriously care about Hip Hop as a culture, an artform, and a valuable means of expression, keep the heritage and pass it on to younger generations.

If you have any questions or want more information about some of the great Hip Hop legends of the past, please feel free to drop me a line, or check out the message board on www.aquasound.net and make a post there too.

Wu-Tang Clan : Wu Tang Forever ........Nuff Said !

I'd have to say Doggystyle by Snoop from that list.

I voted for Jay-Z

Hello

The point about many not knowing the history of hip-hop, well you can include me in that list. But anyway, I listen quite a lot both "old" stuff like tribe called quest and new stuff like ex. cannibal ox. But the topic was best hip hop album so the only thing I can do is to tell you wha I like...

Anyway - did we forget about A TRIBE CALLED QUEST ....

Maybe we should make a new list....

What about a list with these names included:

the roots
Tribe called quest
Talib Kweli
Blackstar (talib kweli and mos def)
Gangstarr

That would be my contribution i think.. you're free to add some more...