EDIT: SOURCE MAGAZINE BIAS PROVEN TO BE MYTH - Source Top 100 Albums list

[mobbinfms]

Edit: Starting with post #300 - @DANJ! breaks down ratings given to various artists from all over the map, all different types of hip-hop. It looks like the Source didn't have an anti-West Coast bias, or a pro "real hip hop" bias.

This list was published in January of 1998. To me, this was the perfect time to list the top 100 albums of all time, as Hip-Hop had just gone off the cliff and not much classic material has been made since then.

What would you have included?
What would you remove?

No All Eyez on Me? No Makaveli?
No E.1999?

Edit: Makaveli is actually on the list! The website I cut and pasted the list from was wrong.

What are albums post 1997 that merit inclusion?

100 Best Rap Albums
Issue #100, Jan,1998 (in alphabetical order)

• A Tribe Called Quest- Low End Theory
• A Tribe Called Quest- People's Instictive Travels and the Paths of Rythm
• A Tribe Called Quest- Midnight Marauders
• Above the Law- Livin' Like Hustlers
• Beastie Boys- License to Ill
• Big Daddy Kane- Long Live the Cane
• Big Daddy Kane- It's a Big Daddy Thing
• Biz Markie- Goin' Off
• Black Moon- Enta Da Stage
• Black Sheep- A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
• Bone Thugs and Harmony- Creepin' On Ah Come Up (EP)
• Boogie Down Productions- Criminal Minded
• Boogie Down Productions- By All Means Nessesary
• Brand Nubian- All For One
• Chill Rob G- Ride the Rythm
• Common Sense- Resurrection
• Cypress Hill- Cypress Hill
• Das EFX- Dead Serious
• De La Soul- Three Feet High and Rising
• De La Soul- De La Soul Is Dead
• Diamond D- Stunts,Blunts and Hip-Hop
• Digital Underground- Sex Packets
• DJ Quick- Quick Is the Name
• D.O.C.- No One Can Do It Better
• Doug E. Fresh- World's Greatest Entertainer
• Dr.Dre- The Chronic
• Eazy E- Eazy Does It
• Eric B. and Rakim- Paid in Full
• Eric B. and Rakim- Follow the Leader
• Eric B. and Rakim- Let the Rythm Hit'Em
• EPMD- Strictly Business
• EPMD- Unfinished Business
• EPMD- Business as Usual
• Fugees- The Score
• Gang Starr- Step In The Arena
• Gang Starr- Daily Operation
• Genius/GZA- Liquid Swords
• Geto Boys- Grip It! On That Other Level
• Heavy D & The Boyz- Livin' Large
• Ice Cube- Amerikkka's Most Wanted
• Ice Cube- Death Certificate
• Ice T- Original Gangster
• Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince- He's the DJ, I'm The Rapper
• Jay-Z- Reasonable Doubt
• Jungle Brothers- Straight Out The Jungle
• Jungle Brothers- Forces Of Nature
• Just Ice- Kool and Deadly
• Kool G Rap and DJ Polo- Road To Riches
• KRS One- Return Of the Boom Bap
• LL Cool J- Radio
• LL Cool J- Bigger and Deffer
• LL Cool J- Mama Said Knock You Out
• Lord Finesse- Funky Technician
• Main Source- Breakin' Atoms
Makaveli - Don Killuminati
• MC Lyte- Lyte as a Rock
• MC Shan- Down By Law
• Mobb Deep- The Infamous
• Naughty By Nature- Naughty By Nature
• Nas- Illimatic
• Nice and Smooth- Nice and Smooth
• Notorious B.I.G.- Ready to Die
• Notorious B.I.G.- Life After Death
• NWA- Straight Outta Compton
NWA - nikkaz 4 Life
• Ol'Dirty b*stard- Return to the 36 Chambers
• Onyx- Bacdafucup
• Organized Confusion- Stress:the Extinction Agenda
Outkast - Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik
• Outkast- ATLiens
• Pete Rock and CL Smooth- Mecca and the Soul Brother
• Pharcyde- Bizzare Ride...II Pharcyde
• Poor Righteous Teachers- Holly Intellect
• Public Enemy- Yo! Bum Rush the Show
• Public Enemy- It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
• Public Enemy- Fear Of a Black Planet
• Queen Latifah- All Hail the Queen
• Raekwon- Only Built For Cuban Linx
• Redman- Whut Thee Album
• Roots- Do You Want More?
• Roots- Illadephalflife v.3
• Run DMC- Run DMC
• Run DMC- Raising Hell
• Salt N Pepa- Hot, Cool and Viscious
• Scarface- Mr. Scarface is Back
• Schooly D- Saturday Night: the Album
• Slick Rick- The Great Advantures Of Slick Rick
• Smif N Wessun- Da Shinin'
• Snoop Doggy Dogg- Doggystyle
• Souls Of Mischief- 93 Till' Infinity
• Special Ed- Youngest In Charge
• Spice 1- Spice 1
• Stestasonic- On Fire
• 3rd Bass- Cactus Album
Three Times Dope - Original Stylin'
• Too Short- Born To Mack
• Tupac- Me Against The World
• Ultramagnetic MC's - Critical Beatdown
• Whodini- Escape
• Wu-Tang Clan- Enter the Wu-Tang
• X-Clan- To the East Backwards

 

[AkaDemiK]

it was written being missing from that list is a crime

 

[mobbinfms]

it was written being missing from that list is a crime

I thought the same thing about Hell on Earth missing...

 

[Rapmastermind]

Sorry guys, "It Was Written" and "Hell On Earth" didn't make the list cause in 98 they were not considered Classics. The Top 100 is about Classic albums only. As for the list it's the most credible Top 100 Hip Hop List on the books. Better than any list Rolling Stone or complex or any of these other magazines have done as far as Hip Hop. 98-99 was like the last great years for The Source before it went to hell.

 

[Figdcotton]

3 ll cool j albums but just 1 PAC album?? The blatant east coast bias in the writing staff was just pretty much explains y the xxl take over was so easy.. Much better well rounded mag.. All ways covered wat was hott no matter the artist location.. fukk this list link the xxl top 100 for real debate

 

[mobbinfms]

Sorry guys, "It Was Written" and "Hell On Earth" didn't make the list cause in 98 they were not considered Classics. The Top 100 is about Classic albums only.

Yeah - ultimately you're right. I understood it at the time as well - I was just happy they recognized the Infamous.

 

[Juliano Soprano]

it was written being missing from that list is a crime

This was1998 breh, the only nikkas looking at this as classic at that point was young buls like me who was too young to experience illmatic when that dropped.

I still put IWW as my favorite Nas album, but I understand why so many people didn't like the direction when it dropped

 

[Rapmastermind]

Yeah - ultimately you're right. I understood it at the time as well - I was just happy they recognized the Infamous.

Honestly as a die hard Mobb fan I feel "Hell on Earth and Murda Muzik" can be Classics but if I had a gun to my head, I'd say "Infamous" is still their only true Classic top to bottom. It's a perfect album. Yes The Source was hating on Pac. "All Eyes On Me" should of been listed with "Me Against the World". If Biggie had 2 than Pac should of had 2.

 

[mobbinfms]

3 ll cool j albums but just 1 PAC album?? The blatant east coast bias in the writing staff was just pretty much explains y the xxl take over was so easy.. Much better well rounded mag.. All ways covered wat was hott no matter the artist location.. fukk this list link the xxl top 100 for real debate

Those albums were 1-2 years old at the time. Which LL album would you take off?

 

[mobbinfms]

Honestly as a die hard Mobb fan I feel "Hell on Earth and Murda Muzik" can be Classics but if I had a gun to my head, I'd say "Infamous" is still their only true Classic top to bottom. It's a perfect album. Yes The Source was hating on Pac. "All Eyes On Me" should of been listed with "Me Against the World". If Biggie had 2 than Pac should of had 2.

I'd take the bullet for Hell on Earth
As for BIG - they had just given LAD 5 mics so their hands were tied. AEOM definitely should have been on there though.

 

[Rapmastermind]

I'd take the bullet for Hell on Earth

LOL, I love that album man. It was so dark and grimy but the production was just too much. People say Hav was copying Rza style but to me it was even more Dark than Rza if you think about it. What hurt "Hell on Earth's" Classic status at the time was "Infamous" was still strong int he streets in 96. Remember, "Hell on Earth" came out only a 1 and half later from "Infamous". At the time of it's release it was viewed as a "Step Down". But people loved the single "Hell on Earth", that got mad play in the streets.

 

[Figdcotton]

Those albums were 1-2 years old at the time. Which LL album would you take off?

So was reasonable doubt And shyt all but mama said knock you out

 

[Bickin Back Being Bool]

RD was already classic by the source in 98?

 

[Rapmastermind]

This was1998 breh, the only nikkas looking at this as classic at that point was young buls like me who was too young to experience illmatic when that dropped.

I still put IWW as my favorite Nas album, but I understand why so many people didn't like the direction when it dropped

By 1998 people were calling NaS a sellout cause the Firm album had dropped. No way "It Was Written" was viewed as a Classic in 98. Actually "STILLmatic" was viewed as a Classic before people finally give "It Was Written" it's just due and even now people still throw rocks at I.W.W. (Cough NaS is Coming Cough)

 

[Rapmastermind]

RD was already classic by the source in 98?

Yes cause in 98 Jigga blew up thus "Reasonable Doubt" significance grew.