Best Album of 1999

[THE 101]

Yep no one was feeling Chronic 2001 when it first dropped.

Typical suburban CAC's rewriting hip hop history again

 

[TheDarceKnight]

I don't understand the 'you had to be there' logic with music sometimes.

I'm jumping in the convo now, and I'm not waving the flag hard for either side...but there is absolutely something to be said for "having to be there." Sometimes it's unfair to criticize someone that doesn't like an album by saying, "well you weren't there."

BUT...there is something to be said for being at least of middle school age when Raekwon dropped the Purple Tape, or being in high school when Biggie dropped Life After Death and the Wu dropped Forever. It's no secret the music you listened to when you first got to drive, first got high, first had sex, whatever. That music definitely stays with you. Even into adulthood.

Besides all that, just using Forever as an example, seeing people drawing the Wu symbol everywhere at school and in their notebooks, people getting the album at midnight, that shyt was an event. Chronic 2001 was an event album too. Sure, you can get into those albums later on, but being there was fukking amazing, and it definitely adds to the experience.

EDIT: So yes, I agree it can be an unfair criticism. At the same time, any new head that just heard Illmatic last week and says Illmatic is wack straight up shouldn't have the right to say some stupid shyt like that.

 

[Capitol]

because sometimes alot of okay chit gets propped up as legendary, while alot of tru legendary chit gets lost in the sauce by outsiders & noobs.

thats one of many reasons why you have to either be there or be schooled by people who were there.

this poll is a shining example.

Well let me explain my perspective here. Whenever a highly anticipated album drops, everyone is excited and those first couple listens are blinded by hype and expectations. Personally I don't care for anyone's first impression of an album, not even myself. There are too many factors influencing your perspective of when you first hear an album that can sway your opinion. I think when you look at an album 10 years later you are album to look at it without any of the prejudice you would have had when you first bought it.

I think that actually contributes to what you just said. Some of the stuff that is remembered today are only remembered because they still sound good to this day, but were otherwise ignored when they dropped. People that prop shyt up a lot of times have never even actually heard the album. This is probably unpopular, but a lot of people prop up The Chronic and I don't think it is THAT good. It's dope, but not fukking with the top tier classics in my opinion

 

[Roberto Dinero]

I'm jumping in the convo now, and I'm not waving the flag hard for either side...but there is absolutely something to be said for "having to be there." Sometimes it's unfair to criticize someone that doesn't like an album by saying, "well you weren't there."

BUT...there is something to be said for being at least of middle school age when Raekwon dropped the Purple Tape, or being in high school when Biggie dropped Life After Death and the Wu dropped Forever. It's no secret the music you listened to when you first got to drive, first got high, first had sex, whatever. That music definitely stays with you. Even into adulthood.

Besides all that, just using Forever as an example, seeing people drawing the Wu symbol everywhere at school and in their notebooks, people getting the album at midnight, that shyt was an event. Chronic 2001 was an event album too. Sure, you can get into those albums later on, but being there was fukking amazing, and it definitely adds to the experience.

EDIT: So yes, I agree it can be an unfair criticism. At the same time, any new head that just heard Illmatic last week and says Illmatic is wack straight up shouldn't have the right to say some stupid shyt like that.

I agree with what he said there.

 

[Capitol]

I'm jumping in the convo now, and I'm not waving the flag hard for either side...but there is absolutely something to be said for "having to be there." Sometimes it's unfair to criticize someone that doesn't like an album by saying, "well you weren't there."

BUT...there is something to be said for being at least of middle school age when Raekwon dropped the Purple Tape, or being in high school when Biggie dropped Life After Death and the Wu dropped Forever. It's no secret the music you listened to when you first got to drive, first got high, first had sex, whatever. That music definitely stays with you. Even into adulthood.

Besides all that, just using Forever as an example, seeing people drawing the Wu symbol everywhere at school and in their notebooks, people getting the album at midnight, that shyt was an event. Chronic 2001 was an event album too. Sure, you can get into those albums later on, but being there was fukking amazing, and it definitely adds to the experience.

EDIT: So yes, I agree it can be an unfair criticism. At the same time, any new head that just heard Illmatic last week and says Illmatic is wack straight up shouldn't have the right to say some stupid shyt like that.

I see what you are saying, but most of that has almost nothing, or very little to do with the actual music you know? It's amazing culturally and it should be remembered, but you can't go home and listen to that regardless of when you listened to the album for the first time you know?

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Well let me explain my perspective here. Whenever a highly anticipated album drops, everyone is excited and those first couple listens are blinded by hype and expectations. Personally I don't care for anyone's first impression of an album, not even myself. There are too many factors influencing your perspective of when you first hear an album that can sway your opinion. I think when you look at an album 10 years later you are album to look at it without any of the prejudice you would have had when you first bought it.

I think that actually contributes to what you just said. Some of the stuff that is remembered today are only remembered because they still sound good to this day, but were otherwise ignored when they dropped. People that prop shyt up a lot of times have never even actually heard the album. This is probably unpopular, but a lot of people prop up The Chronic and I don't think it is THAT good. It's dope, but not fukking with the top tier classics in my opinion

That's legit. I think some of it is also how serious you want to take the debate on any given album. Do we want to include people's hindsight experience with the hype/first impressions/etc of an album when examining how good it was as an album? I don't know. I used to think no. Now, as I get older, I enjoy those memories, and a part of me thinks it's okay to let some of that form my opinion. That means that I'm not as harsh of a critic, maybe.

A lot of people do prop up albums without having heard them. shyt I can rap every single word to Illmatic and I think it's a contender for the best rap album ever but damn if I don't skip One Time For Your Mind every time.

Context is important with The Chronic. Because it brought focus to the west, and Dre was sampling shyt that hadn't been touched at that point, the whole emceeing style was different...lots of people didn't like Chronic. Even Questlove said he didn't like the album for almost 10 years. To me I'm kind of with you. I don't like t as much as some of the other "top tier" classics as you put it, but I still think it belongs on the top level for what it did, and I know it's amazing, although not as much to my personal taste.

 

[Wacky D]

^i agree with most of what youre saying.

and i really dont know what your perspective was. i didnt peep you in this thread until that post that i quoted.

the problem is, some people have a skewed view of the past if they didnt live it. theres artists, groups, albums, etc that get propped up over time that werent really that deal, but get propped up largely due to propaganda or other reasons. then theres albums that were running chit but theres no machine behind their legacy so they get ignored.

2001 was mostly a hype album. outside of its main target markets, it really wasnt that big a deal when it finally dropped. im not gonna say the obvious as to why its getting so many votes, while albums that really did have that impact both in real time & in 2012, arent even listed.(edit: i understand the threadstarter just threw the list together. sue me.)

Yep no one was feeling Chronic 2001 when it first dropped.

Typical suburban CAC's rewriting hip hop history again

nice try at over-blowing my statement.

 

[Capitol]

Oh that was my first post in here since like the second page lol.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

I see what you are saying, but most of that has almost nothing, or very little to do with the actual music you know? It's amazing culturally and it should be remembered, but you can't go home and listen to that regardless of when you listened to the album for the first time you know?

That's true. At the same time, doesn't all music have a cultural element to it, even if it's just within your own life. I can't listen to music and try to sterilize my opinion of it away from the world and my experiences in it. Little Brother's The Listening was a huge album for me, for many reasons. No matter what, I cannot listen to Speed, or Away From Me, or The Way You Do, and NOT think about my life and my world at that time.

The Blueprint is another example, and Evidence's The Weatherman and Cats & Dogs is an even more recent example. Am I supposed to examine Cats & Dogs critically and assume I haven't experienced loss of a close family member taken it out on my girlfriend when I Don't Need Love comes on? Or pretend I'm not having financial problems when the album gets to Well Runs Dry?

How do I separate myself from it when I'm judging it? That's not a rhetorical question. Or am I talking about something else and missing your point?

Sorry if I'm being confusing, I like this discussion though

 

[Capitol]

I think as human beings it is impossible for you to separate your experiences and your culture from everything. If I have no idea of how street life works a lot of 90s albums are going to just completely go over my head and I'm not going to feel it like other people do you know?

Since you brought up Little Brother, even as a young black male that grew up with a dad in my life, I can still see how someone would be affected by not having a dad in their life because I have seen it so many times. Most of the people I grew up with had something wrong with their family or someone missing. So I don't relate completely to All For You, but I saw the affects and I see where he is coming from. At the end of the day though, I don't know EXACTLY how it feels, but I can imagine it. So I guess if you personally haven't experienced all of the hype and how it affected others you just have to imagine it or judge it a different way.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

^ Nice post

 

[bigbadbossup2012]

Let's be clear. 2001 IS a classic off impact and singles. It sold alot and the singles were all classics.
But the album goes MEH status after the 1st half.


Dr. Dre - 2001 (1999) BUY NOW!
Track Lyrics
1 Intro
2 The Watcher
3 fukk You
4 Still D.R.E.
5 Big Ego's
6 Xxplosive
7 What's the Difference
8 Bar One
9 Light Speed
10 Forgot About Dre
11 The Next Episode
12 Let's Get High
13 bytch nikkaz
14 The Car Bomb
15 Murder Ink
16 Ed-ucation
17 Some L.A. nikkaz
18 Pause 4 Porno
19 Housewife
20 Ackrite
21 Bang Bang
22 The Message



Sometimes an artist can conceal the fact that it's only 50% dope songs by sprinkleling the flagship songs evenly. This album has all the best songs at the front and the meh/wack/never talked about songs on the 2nd half.
Did I buy it day1,yea. Did I bump it yea. Do I like it yea. But truth is truth.

 

[Oroko Saki]

I cant believe the Chronic 2001 is getting all this love, i do agree its a classic but i also feel theres better albums from that year. One poster mighta had it right when he claimed that cacs were rewriting history, i mean it was eminem that brought all the cac fans into rap. And then they all started going to war for Dre too since Em and Dre did songs together. The only white hip hop fans that should get any respect are the ones that were rap fans before Feminem

 

[Grand_Verbalizer]

Let's be clear. 2001 IS a classic off impact and singles. It sold alot and the singles were all classics.
But the album goes MEH status after the 1st half.


Dr. Dre - 2001 (1999) BUY NOW!
Track Lyrics
1 Intro
2 The Watcher
3 fukk You
4 Still D.R.E.
5 Big Ego's
6 Xxplosive
7 What's the Difference
8 Bar One
9 Light Speed
10 Forgot About Dre
11 The Next Episode
12 Let's Get High
13 bytch nikkaz
14 The Car Bomb
15 Murder Ink
16 Ed-ucation
17 Some L.A. nikkaz
18 Pause 4 Porno
19 Housewife
20 Ackrite
21 Bang Bang
22 The Message



Sometimes an artist can conceal the fact that it's only 50% dope songs by sprinkleling the flagship songs evenly. This album has all the best songs at the front and the meh/wack/never talked about songs on the 2nd half.
Did I buy it day1,yea. Did I bump it yea. Do I like it yea. But truth is truth.

oh shyt, i like every song on this album

 

[markp]

8ball and mjg - in our lifetime vol 1

one of the most overlooked classic albums ever. 7 pages and didnt even get a mention?