Meccapolis Top 100 NY Hip Hop Albums List (Full List In OP)

[g-ice]

Seeing some of these classics enlisted on here has me worried for OGC and Heltah Skeltah’s debut albums.

Those two albums have every right to be on this shyt.

 

[Don Jesus]

If the 1st Run DMC album isn't #1, I don't know what to tell you.

This might have been valid if it was 2000, but it’s 2024. The impact of a lot of the classic 80s albums that you guys long to be high on these type of lists fizzled out many years ago and the “OGs” of the genre are partially to blame for not having heirs to carry their legacy nor creating mediums that stressed the importance of those albums to a younger generation. A lot of Hip Hop’s OGs made a grave miscalculation being selfish and wanting to hang on to the crown instead of giving a ladder to the younger generation so when the younger generation figured things out themselves (drill, ringtone rap, etc) they said fukk the OGs.

Steve Jobs legacy remains bc he had tons and tons of heirs and he built something that was moreso about legacy than himself (Apple). So even though he is dead, the iPhone remains strong. Hip Hop legends barely ever do the same

LL created Rock The Bells sort of for this purpose but he did it too many years late

 

[Don Jesus]

If the 1st Run DMC album isn't #1, I don't know what to tell you.

In addition to my last response to you, Run jumped on The reality show wave and did Runs House which made him more known for that then being one of the greatest rappers of all time. Thats his fault

The way some rappers treat the genre like a fad that’s a gateway to bigger more socially accepted mediums instead of an art form in itself is one of the things that is the problem with the culture in itself. Basquiat was using painting as a way to get into the other circles. Art is who he was

 

[WIA20XX]

This might have been valid if it was 2000, but it’s 2024. The impact of a lot of the classic 80s albums that you guys long to be high on these type of lists fizzled out many years ago and the “OGs” of the genre are partially to blame for not having heirs to carry their legacy nor creating mediums that stressed the importance of those albums to a younger generation. A lot of Hip Hop’s OGs made a grave miscalculation being selfish and wanting to hang on to the crown instead of giving a ladder to the younger generation so when the younger generation figured things out themselves (drill, ringtone rap, etc) they said fukk the OGs.

Steve Jobs legacy remains bc he had tons and tons of heirs and he built something that was moreso about legacy than himself (Apple). So even though he is dead, the iPhone remains strong. Hip Hop legends barely ever do the same

LL created Rock The Bells sort of for this purpose but he did it too many years late

Naw you can't put King of Rock on the list, which no one plays as an album anymore, and not have the first Run DMC record at the top.

The whole list is pretty insane so far.

In terms of age, the list right now

• 3rd Bass - 89
• Stetsa - 88
• Ultra - 88
• Whodini - 84
• By All Means Necessary - 88
• Heavy D - 89
• Follow the Leader - 88
• King of Rock - 85

In terms of repeats...
2 Pharoah Monche Projects!
2 Krs Projects
2 Griselda Projects
2 Dipset Projects
2 DITC Projects
2 Wu Tang Projects (arguably 3)
2 Kool G Rap Projects
2 Boot Camp Affiliates

So much of this list is fairly random imo.

When you think about it, NYC/NY hip hop has been popping for at least 50 years, so off rip that's 2 albums a year...

In most lists 88-92 and then 93-97 alone typically dominate, with a few hat tips to Whodini, Kurtis Blow, LL, and Run DMC, and then some love to DMX, Bad Boy, 50, Dip Set with ASAP and I guess Pop Smoke getting some acknowledgement stuff with in the last 15 years.

If something like Cold Vein makes the list, which is the culmination of that Fondle Em/Rawkus/Stretch and Bobbito era of "underground" hip hop...who's also gonna get love...Skyzoo? Papoose? Fabolous?...

Is it done by influence?
Importance?
Industry?
Sales?
Whether or not cats play the records today?
#of of hit singles/classics?
# of classic album tracks that everyone knows?

Is it from the old school, grew up in NY, never left, used to drive a Sterling, remember when Canarsie wasn't full of black people... - Meccapolis POV?

They really messing with Westside Gunn like that? (and he's from Buffalo, is it a NY State thing?)

Only time will tell

 

[big bun]

That would be in my top 25 low key.

It would be somewhere around there for me, too.

 

[Don Jesus]

Naw you can't put King of Rock on the list, which no one plays as an album anymore, and not have the first Run DMC record at the top.

The whole list is pretty insane so far.

In terms of age, the list right now

• 3rd Bass - 89
• Stetsa - 88
• Ultra - 88
• Whodini - 84
• By All Means Necessary - 88
• Heavy D - 89
• Follow the Leader - 88
• King of Rock - 85

In terms of repeats...
2 Pharoah Monche Projects!
2 Krs Projects
2 Griselda Projects
2 Dipset Projects
2 DITC Projects
2 Wu Tang Projects (arguably 3)
2 Kool G Rap Projects
2 Boot Camp Affiliates

So much of this list is fairly random imo.

When you think about it, NYC/NY hip hop has been popping for at least 50 years, so off rip that's 2 albums a year...

In most lists 88-92 and then 93-97 alone typically dominate, with a few hat tips to Whodini, Kurtis Blow, LL, and Run DMC, and then some love to DMX, Bad Boy, 50, Dip Set with ASAP and I guess Pop Smoke getting some acknowledgement stuff with in the last 15 years.

If something like Cold Vein makes the list, which is the culmination of that Fondle Em/Rawkus/Stretch and Bobbito era of "underground" hip hop...who's also gonna get love...Skyzoo? Papoose? Fabolous?...

Is it done by influence?
Importance?
Industry?
Sales?
Whether or not cats play the records today?
#of of hit singles/classics?
# of classic album tracks that everyone knows?

Is it from the old school, grew up in NY, never left, used to drive a Sterling, remember when Canarsie wasn't full of black people... - Meccapolis POV?

They really messing with Westside Gunn like that? (and he's from Buffalo, is it a NY State thing?)

Only time will tell

Run DmC’s first and third albums are on the list coming up. They’re just not Top 10

Impact
Singles
Originality
Quality
Sales

Are the qualifications

That Organized Konfusion album didn’t go crazy sales wise, isn’t exactly crazy impactful, singles didn’t really move, but it is a 10 in terms of quality and 10 in terms of originality. That album had the first song to rap in the perspective of a bullet

Nas gets the credit for that though. So that being said it impacted It Was Written

 

[MrWillyWanker]

i like these type of lists simply for the fact it reminds me of certain shyt i aint heard in a min that i need to spin. i dont take the order that serious. like i probably aint played that busta or monch album in a few years at least.

tho i am surprised wu tang forever is ranked so low. i aint from ny but from what i heard the wu ran the summer of 97.

 

[bigde09]

i like these type of lists simply for the fact it reminds me of certain shyt i aint heard in a min that i need to spin. i dont take the order that serious. like i probably aint played that busta or monch album in a few years at least.

tho i am surprised wu tang forever is ranked so low. i aint from ny but from what i heard the wu ran the summer of 97.

album was good but also kind of disappointing at the same time.

 

[Don Jesus]

Slot 64 to 56

 

[2ATMsYouSteppinOrWhat]

coli gonna get real mad at #63

 

[g-ice]

Oh boy…

 

[Figaro]

Liquid Swords #63

Unsticky this thread & throw it in the bushes

 

[bigde09]

Liquid swords that low

Vol. 1 that high Jay wouldn’t even agree with that shyt

 

[murksiderock]

Naw you can't put King of Rock on the list, which no one plays as an album anymore, and not have the first Run DMC record at the top.

The whole list is pretty insane so far.

In terms of age, the list right now

• 3rd Bass - 89
• Stetsa - 88
• Ultra - 88
• Whodini - 84
• By All Means Necessary - 88
• Heavy D - 89
• Follow the Leader - 88
• King of Rock - 85

In terms of repeats...
2 Pharoah Monche Projects!
2 Krs Projects
2 Griselda Projects
2 Dipset Projects
2 DITC Projects
2 Wu Tang Projects (arguably 3)
2 Kool G Rap Projects
2 Boot Camp Affiliates

So much of this list is fairly random imo.

When you think about it, NYC/NY hip hop has been popping for at least 50 years, so off rip that's 2 albums a year...

In most lists 88-92 and then 93-97 alone typically dominate, with a few hat tips to Whodini, Kurtis Blow, LL, and Run DMC, and then some love to DMX, Bad Boy, 50, Dip Set with ASAP and I guess Pop Smoke getting some acknowledgement stuff with in the last 15 years.

If something like Cold Vein makes the list, which is the culmination of that Fondle Em/Rawkus/Stretch and Bobbito era of "underground" hip hop...who's also gonna get love...Skyzoo? Papoose? Fabolous?...

Is it done by influence?
Importance?
Industry?
Sales?
Whether or not cats play the records today?
#of of hit singles/classics?
# of classic album tracks that everyone knows?

Is it from the old school, grew up in NY, never left, used to drive a Sterling, remember when Canarsie wasn't full of black people... - Meccapolis POV?

They really messing with Westside Gunn like that? (and he's from Buffalo, is it a NY State thing?)

Only time will tell

This is basically my sentiments. And given I'm not from NY, I don't have anywhere near the knowledge or connection to most of these artists or drops that are being discussed...

But as a fan of hip hop in general I find the ordering to be kinda random with no clear defined standard of how they make this list (I saw OP define this a few posts up though)...

The Lox is one of the most overrated groups of all time, as well as yhe individual members. They were pure, raw spitters who never excelled at putting together transcendent, thorough albums. This is a New York Top 100------->NY has 50 years of doing this, every single drop on here should be considered as being transcendent or special for the era they came out of...

Not from NY but I am 35 and old enough to remember when Lox was at peak popularity. Nothing about these nikkas is transcendent or special in any sense besides simply being lyricists, which just never consistently translated into great artistry. There's nothing transcendent about these nikkas and in real time these weren't drops nikkas heard and thought "man I'm listening to some of the hottest shyt I ever heard"...

I never got into any if these Griselda nikkas but why are any of them even eligible for this list?

Liquid swords that low

Vol. 1 that high Jay wouldn’t even agree with that shyt

I guarantee this list will reveal some albums upcoming that are worse than Vol 1, which was unappreciated at release bit is definitely a classic...

 

[dizzy4111]

It's a great Jay album

I'm happier that Uptown Saturday Night and Dah Shinin' are getting love than I am peeved that GZA is that low