CD-Charts Position 31
Average Rating:

3 Feet High and Rising

CD-Charts > Music > Experimental Rap
by: De La Soul

Release Date October 23, 2001
"3 Feet High and Rising", the debut album by underground legends De La Soul, is a monument of creativity and brilliance in old school hip-hop. First off, Prince Paul produced the whole album with a style that's friendly to the ears of those who prefer alternative and/or jazz. It was really refreshing and set up a conscious mood to fit along with the lyrics.

The lyrics are another reason why this album is a landmark. De La Soul don't care for stereotypes, and the lyrics deliver a positive message about certain things in life, whether it would be based on love ("Eye Know") or appearance ("Can U Keep A Secret" and "Take It Off"). Even in their conscious message, De La Soul aren't afraid to lighten things up with a bit of humor. "Ghetto ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 32
Average Rating:

Monkey Business

CD-Charts > Music > Experimental Rap
by: Black Eyed Peas

Release Date June 07, 2005
I've always thought the Black Eyed Peas were reminiscent of The B-52s. It's not that their sound is so much like theirs' (They sound nothing alike.), it's that they have the same quirky, fun, spirit.
This is the way pop music should be. It's incredibly corny, the lyrics are dumb and shallow, but it just sounds right.
You can tell they don't take themselves too seriously, and that's a good thing... to me at least.

CD-Charts Position 33
Average Rating:

Solid Gold Hits

CD-Charts > Music > Experimental Rap
by: Beastie Boys

Release Date November 08, 2005
While the songs are great, the quality is not good. It sounds like they were recorded from the original masters with nothing being done to improve the transfer. So the older songs sound tinny and grainy, which is very noticable when played on a good stereo.

CD-Charts Position 34
Average Rating:

Love, War, and the Ghost of Whitey Ford

CD-Charts > Music > Experimental Rap
by: Everlast

Release Date September 23, 2008
While the songs are great, the quality is not good. It sounds like they were recorded from the original masters with nothing being done to improve the transfer. So the older songs sound tinny and grainy, which is very noticable when played on a good stereo.

CD-Charts Position 35
Average Rating:

The Mix-Up

CD-Charts > Music > Experimental Rap
by: Beastie Boys

Release Date June 26, 2007
The Besties have abandoned their strengths and are now playing pretend in the deep end of the pool. Take a listen to Medeski Martin and Wood, or Garaj Mahal. In the vernacular, they are now biting some styles, and the result is WACK. As a hip hop crew, they are untouchable, as a funky jazz combo, they're a joke.

CD-Charts Position 36
Average Rating:

Aquemini

CD-Charts > Music > Experimental Rap
by: OutKast

Release Date September 29, 1998
They are in my opinion the greatest Hip-Hop group to come out of the south and one of the greatest period. This album is hot from beginning to end. It's their third album and third straight classic. They proved long ago with several other artist in that time that the south does have lyricist. If you are tired of that club happy crap that's coming out of the south right now, then go back and get the classics that made it possible for those songs to be heard.

CD-Charts Position 37
Average Rating:

ATLiens

CD-Charts > Music > Experimental Rap
by: OutKast

Release Date August 27, 1996
Outkast's second album is one of the greatest sophomore releases of all time. Big Boi and Dre continue with what they left off in Southernplayalistic... They have some of the best beats the South has ever produced and two of the best flows out there. It truly is a combination that can't go wrong. Idlewild and Speakerboxx/Love Below are decent albums, but do not judge Outkast until you listen to ATLiens and Aquemini. Both are easily 10 out of 10 classics.

CD-Charts Position 38
Average Rating:

Eardrum

CD-Charts > Music > Experimental Rap
by: Talib Kweli

Release Date August 21, 2007
This was a great album. A lot of people slept on this album but this is by far his strongest effort since "Reflection Eternal". Kweli has been plagued with mediocre production on his previous albums although his is definitely one of the greatest lyricists of today. This album has it all. Very well rounded. Dope beats, dope lyrics. What more can you ask for?
La, La, Laaaa, La, La, La, La, La, La, Laaaaaaa.

CD-Charts Position 39
Average Rating:

Elephunk

CD-Charts > Music > Experimental Rap
by: Black Eyed Peas

Release Date May 26, 2004
"Sellout" is a word that I don't care to use very much anymore for several reasons. It has been used ludicrously in such situations as Bob Dylan switching from acoustic to electric guitars. Or when the overwhelmingly awesome metal band Mastodon had one of their songs played on one of Tony Hawk's video games. Come to find out they received no money for their contribution, but still the "sellout" cries abounded. Often people miscall artistic maturity "selling out". It's a fact of life, many people do not like to do the same things when they were younger. And yet when I look at the BEP, it is one time when the word that I hate to use anymore is the only one that applies.

When the BEP started, they seemed like a credible hip-hop alternative to all the gangsta ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 40
Average Rating:

Midnight Marauders

CD-Charts > Music > Experimental Rap
by: A Tribe Called Quest

Release Date November 09, 1993
and you had your choices (Hip Hop/Rap Music wise) between Rakim's Follow The Leader, KRS (Boogie Down Production) Criminal Minded, Big Daddy Kane's Long Live the Kane, NWA's Straight Outta Compton, Dre and Snoop's The Chronic, and a Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauder, which one would you seriously pick???

Well this almost happened to me literally- but figuratively speaking. My Junior year of high school my family moved from Jamaica Queens- home to ATCQ and moved me to the middle of west-bubblefuc-coondocks (where you have more racoons as neighbors than humans) woodland Virginia and I almost popped - like when Neo was pulled out of the matrix and wanted to go back at first.

It was a hard-time adjusting, but just when I moved- ATCQ came out with Midnight ... Read More: