Byron Crawford’s List of the 25 Greatest Rap Albums

Posted January 14, 2008 * Comments(0)

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I was delighted to stumble across a well-written, authoritative list of the 25 Greatest Rap Albums by hilarious blogger and commentator Byron Crawford from ByronCrawford.com. Here is his complete top twenty-five:

  1. N.W.A. - STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (1988)
  2. SNOOP DOGGY DOGG - DOGGYSTYLE (1993)
  3. 2PAC - RAP PHENOMENON II (MIX TAPE, 2003)
  4. RUN-DMC - RAISING HELL (1986)
  5. PHARCYDE - BIZARRE RIDE II: THE PHARCYDE (1992)
  6. LL COOL J. - MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT (1990)
  7. EPMD - UNFINISHED BUSINESS (1989)
  8. BEASTIE BOYS - PAUL’S BOUTIQUE (1989)
  9. A TRIBE CALLED QUEST - THE LOW-END THEORY (1991)
  10. DE LA SOUL - BUHLOONE MINDSTATE (1993)
  11. THE D.O.C. - NO ONE CAN DO IT BETTER (1989)
  12. ERIC B. AND RAKIM - FOLLOW THE LEADER (1988)
  13. GENIUS/GZA - LIQUID SWORDS
  14. GHOSTFACE KILLAH - SUPREME CLIENTELE (2000)
  15. GETO BOYS - THE RESURRECTION (1996)
  16. WYCLEF JEAN - THE CARVINAL (1997)
  17. ICE CUBE - AMERIKKKA’S MOST WANTED (1990)
  18. SCARFACE - MR. SCARFACE IS BACK (1991)
  19. JAY-Z - REASONABLE DOUBT (1996)
  20. NAS - STILLMATIC (2001)
  21. OUTKAST - AQUEMINI (1998)
  22. PUBLIC ENEMY - IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLION TO HOLD US BACK (1988)
  23. LAURYN HILL - THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL (1998)
  24. DJ QUIK - WAY 2 FONKY (1992)
  25. DIZZIE RASCAL - BOY IN DA CORNER (2004)

I think this list is great because he gives credit where credit is due all around, and isn’t afraid to disagree with the so-called experts and music writers. Maybe if this list was just thrown out there I wouldn’t think very much of it, but if you read what he has to say about each album, it’s obvious this cat knows what he’s talking about when it comes to rap.

I like the distribution over time: he’s got Run DMC and Eric B. & Rakim, but he also has Outkast and Lauryn Hill. He doesn’t really play favorites by loading up the list with picks from just a few rappers. There’s plenty of range.

I may not agree with every pick — for example, I liked Illmatic more than Stillmatic, and I definitely would’ve included 36 Chambers — but Byron backs up every pick with solid reasoning.

I so liked the list that I wasted a half hour delving through his archives. He’s a pretty funny guy, and if you want a good chuckle, I recommend you check out his blog. His current topic of choice is the 2008 election, particularly the race issues behind it. Very thought-provoking and funny.

In short, check out this man’s list and his blog in general, too. He’s got some good stuff to say all-around.

Cracked.com’s 9 Most Unnecessary Greatest Hits Albums

Posted January 10, 2008 * Comments(0)

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Anyone who visits digg.com or reddit.com nowadays is bound to have seen some of Cracked.com’s feature articles, which are very often in list form. A lot of what’s on Cracked is among the funniest stuff I’ve seen on the ‘net, and this feature is no exception; it’s one of my favorites from the site.

The article provides exactly what the title promises, with plenty of humorous commentary along the way. Without spoiling anything, I think I was laughing out loud the entire time while reading what the site had written about #1 on this list. Top notch all around.

So if you think you might find remarks making fun of the music of Color Me Badd and Vanilla Ice entertaining, I wholeheartedly recommend you check this out.