Nov 17, 2018

Sav is honestly 5 stars member

 

Dec 28, 2019

thanks man. I thought about polls, only problem with that is that albums from some years (e.g. 2015) are going to miss out on being on the final list.

But I think @Michael Myers and I (and whoever else wants to join in) are going to start posting albums one by one that everyone can rate and everyone else can suggest other albums we may have missed out. Just like we did for @RateThisAlbum. We'll rate each album and then at the end tally up the ratings.

Stay tuned!

 

Apr 2, 2019

Release day and following ones were the best days I witnessed here.

I remember I still couldn't believe when Dre said album was coming, but God d---, it came.

Album still sounds good af imo, I love It and still listen to it to this day.

Solid 9/10 from me.

I'm still waiting for Detox tho.

 

Jan 19, 2019

Day69: Graduation Day gets a 4.3/10 from 6 ratings

I’ve got all the requests made in a list now, so they’re coming. Stay tuned. @Sign Language has twice requested this album though, so I thought it was high time we rated it.

Rating 19: Mike Jones - Who Is Mike Jones?
Release Date: 19 April 2005
Label: Swishahouse / Asylum / Warner Bros



Tracklist:

01. Intro
02. Back Then
03. Flossin ft. Big Moe
04. Still Tippin ft. Paul Wall & Slim Thug
05. Got It Sewed Up (Remix)
06. Scandalous Hoes
07. Screw Dat
08. Turning Lane
09. Laws Patrolling
10. 5 Years From Now
11. Cuttin’ (Remix)
12. What Ya Know About ft. Paul Wall
13. Know What I’m Sayin’ ft. Bun B
14. Type of n----- U Need
15. Grandma

In 2005, Texas took over hip hop. Mike Jones, Slim Thug, Chamillionaire, Paul Wall and others all dropped and all saw tremendous success. Even though hip hop had already moved on (the ringtone era had just started) in the following year, the Houston/Texas music that came out around 2005 had a significant impact on the overall sound and direction of hip hop in the years to come - a lot of it can still be heard today. Mike Jones (Who?) made my personal favourite of the bunch; his incredibly fun debut album Who Is Mike Jones? I think its fair to say that Mike Jones brought the classic chopped and screwed sounds of Texas to the mainstream. Supported by a list of relatively unknown producers, not to mention the backing of Michael 5000 Watts and Swishahouse, Who Is Mike Jones is incredibly well produced from top to bottom, from the classic screwed up anthems like Still Tippin and Back Then to the beautifully soulful deeper cuts like 5 Years From Now and the closer, Grandma. Back in 2005 I still had a bunch of phone numbers saved in my head and I think I’ve forgotten them all by now. But I’ll never forget 281 330 8004. I give it an 8/10.

@RateThisAlbum

 

Jan 8, 2019

And we're back! Happy 2019 @RateThisAlbum !

Teflon Don gets an 8.1/10 from 6 ratings

Next up, in the immortal words of DJ Jimi, later interpolated by Weezy F., we gon start this s--- off right.

RATING 17: The Game - The Documentary
Release Date: 18 January 2005
Label: Aftermath / G Unit / Interscope



Tracklist:

01. Intro
02. Westside Story ft. 50 Cent
03. Dreams
04. Hate It or Love It ft. 50 Cent
05. Higher
06. How We Do ft. Faith Evans
07. Don’t Need Your Love ft. Faith Evans
08. Church for Thugs
09. Put You on the Game
10. Start from Scratch ft. Marsha Ambrosias
11. The Documentary
12. Runnin ft. Tony Yayo & Dion
13. No More Fun and Games
14. We Ain’t ft. Eminem
15. Where I’m From ft. Nate Dogg
16. Special ft. Nate Dogg
17. Don’t Worry ft. Mary J. Blige
18. Like Father, Like Son ft. Busta Rhymes

Crazy to think its been almost exactly 14 years since this album dropped. Fun fact; this was the very last physical CD I purchased before I realised I just could just pirate my way to free music in the mid 00's. I'm sure I still have it lying around here somewhere.

We often talk about how Get Rich or Die Tryin was the result of the right stars aligning, but the truth is 50 would have blown up with or without Dre & Co. The Game is an entirely different story. Without Dre, a lightening-hot G Unit stamp of approval and a production and feature list from the hip hop gods themselves, I don’t think Game would have reached the same career heights as he did, nor would he have been able to craft The Documentary - by far his best album - solo. We do have to give Game some credit though. He may just be a slightly above average rapper but he’s got a boatload of charisma, an incredible ear for beats and he f---ing loves hip hop. The singles (How We Do, Higher, Hate it or Love It) are the big highlights (Higher ranks amongst Dre’s greatest work ever imo), but there’s plenty of really good material spread over these 18 tracks, ranging from throwback West coast bangers (At a time when Cali was pretty much dead, in the mainstream at least) to beautifully poignant cuts like Dreams and Like Father Like Son. Game’s namedropping has been annoying for a lot of his career but it works in the context of this album; just a kid from Compton who struck incredibly lucky, who adores his hip hop idols, chronicling his appreciation for the genre and telling his own story in the process. I give it a 9/10.

 

Dec 18, 2018

Agreed. RZA's beats from 93-97 are ridiculous. Premier, Dre, Kanye, and Just Blaze immediately come to mind as having similar runs. J Dilla too. Don't want to forget him. I'm not saying RZA is the goat, but you could make that argument.

I copied this from Wikipedia, then removed songs I thought were either bad beats or bad songs. But I left all Wu Tang and solo albums intact. It's in spoiler tags to keep the discussion clean. (Don't laugh at my inclusion of Shaquille O'Neal's No Hook, that beat knocks.)

Edit: There may be newer producers who’ve been killing it these last several years. I’m not gonna front, I’m not as in the loop on today’s best producers who are dominating. If there are any, please let me know.

Spoiler: 93-97 RZA Beats

1993
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

• 01. "Bring da Ruckus"
• 02. "Shame on a n-----"
• 03. "Clan in da Front"
• 04. "Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber"
• 05. "Can It Be All So Simple"
• 06. "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" (co-produced by Ol' Dirty b------)
• 07. "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta f--- Wit" (co-produced by Method Man)
• 08. "C.R.E.A.M."
• 09. "Method Man"
• 10. "Protect Ya Neck"
• 11. "Tearz"
• 12. "Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber—Part II"

1994
Gravediggaz - 6 Feet Deep

• 09. "Diary of a Madman" (co-produced by The Undertaker and RNS)
• 13. "Graveyard Chamber"
• 15. "6 Feet Deep"

• 00. "1-800 Suicide (Poisonous Mix)" [released on the 6 Feet Deep EP]
• 00. "Mommy What's A Gravedigga? (RZA Clean Mix)" [released on the Mommy, What's A Gravedigga? CDS]

Method Man - Tical

• 01. "Tical"
• 02. "Biscuits"
• 03. "Bring the Pain"
• 04. "All I Need"
• 05. "What the Blood Clot"
• 06. "m--- vs. Chef" (featuring Raekwon)
• 07. "Sub Crazy" (co-produced by 4th Disciple)
• 08. "Release Yo' Delf" (featuring Blue Raspberry)
• 09. "P.L.O. Style" (featuring Carlton Fisk) (co-produced by Method Man)
• 10. "I Get My Thang in Action"
• 11. "Mr. Sandman" (featuring RZA, Inspectah Deck, Streetlife, Carlton Fisk and Blue Raspberry)
• 12. "Stimulation"
• 13. "Method Man (Remix)"

Scientifik – Criminal

• 07. "As Long as you Know" (feat. Ed O.G.)

Shaquille O'Neal - Shaq Fu: Da Return

• 01. "No Hook" (feat. Method Man & RZA)

• 00. "No Hook (RZA's Remix)" [released on 12"]

1995
Cypress Hill - Temples of Boom

• 05. "Killa Hill n----s" (feat. RZA and U-God)

GZA - Liquid Swords

• 01. "Liquid Swords"
• 02. "Duel of the Iron Mic" (featuring Ol' Dirty b------, Masta Killa & Inspectah Deck)
• 03. "Living in the World Today"
• 04. "Gold"
• 05. "Cold World" (featuring Inspectah Deck)
• 06. "Labels"
• 07. "4th Chamber" (featuring Ghostface Killah, Killah Priest & RZA)
• 08. "Shadowboxin'" (featuring Method Man)
• 09. "h---'s Wind Staff / Killah Hills 10304"
• 10. "Investigative Reports" (featuring U-God, Raekwon & Ghostface Killah)
• 11. "Swordsman"
• 12. "I Gotcha Back"

• 00. "Cold World (RZA Mix)" [released on the Cold World CDS]
• 00. "Labels (Remix)" [released on the Labels 12"]

Method Man - I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By

• 03. "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By (Razor Sharp Mix)" (feat. Mary J. Blige)

Method Man – The Riddler 12"

• B1. "The Riddler (Hide-Out Remix)"

Ol' Dirty b------ - Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version

• 01. "Intro"
• 02. "Shimmy Shimmy Ya"
• 03. "Baby, C'mon"
• 05. "Hippa to da Hoppa"
• 06. "Raw Hide" (featuring Raekwon & Method Man)
• 07. "Damage" (featuring GZA) (co-produced by 4th Disciple, Ol' Dirty b------, and Ethan Ryman)
• 08. "Don't U Know" (featuring Killah Priest)
• 09. "The Stomp" (co-produced by 4th Disciple, Ol' Dirty b------, and Ethan Ryman)
• 10. "Goin' Down"
• 11. "Drunk Game (Sweet Sugar Pie)" (co-produced by 4th Disciple, Ol' Dirty b------, and Ethan Ryman)
• 12. "Snakes" (featuring Killah Priest, RZA, Masta Killa & Buddha Monk)
• 13. "Brooklyn Zoo II (Tiger Crane)" (featuring Ghostface Killah)
• 14. "Proteck Ya Neck II The Zoo" (featuring Brooklyn Zu)
• 15. "Cuttin' Headz" (featuring RZA)
• 16. "Dirty Dancin'" (featuring Method Man) [CD bonus track]

• 00. "Give It To Ya Raw" [released on the Brooklyn Zoo 12"]
• 00. "Don't U Know, Part II" [released on the O.D.B.E.P.]

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...

• 01. "Striving for Perfection"
• 02. "Knuckleheadz" (featuring Ghostface Killah & U-God)
• 03. "Knowledge God"
• 04. "Criminology" (featuring Ghostface Killah)
• 05. "Incarcerated Scarfaces"
• 06. "Rainy Dayz" (featuring Ghostface Killah & Blue Raspberry)
• 07. "Guillotine (Swordz)" (featuring Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah & GZA)
• 08. "Can It Be All So Simple (Remix)" (featuring Ghostface Killah)
• 09. "Shark n----s (Biters)"
• 10. "Ice Water" (featuring Ghostface Killah & Cappadonna)
• 11. "Glaciers of Ice" (featuring Masta Killa & Ghostface Killah)
• 12. "Verbal Intercourse" (featuring Nas & Ghostface Killah)
• 13. "Wisdom Body" (featuring Ghostface Killah)
• 14. "Spot Rusherz"
• 15. "Ice Cream" (featuring Method Man, Ghostface Killah & Cappadonna)
• 16. "Wu-Gambinos" (featuring Method Man, RZA, Masta Killa & Ghostface Killah)
• 17. "Heaven & h---" (featuring Ghostface Killah)
• 18. "North Star (Jewels)" [CD bonus track]

Tricky / Gravediggaz - The h--- E.P.

• 04. "Tonight is a Special Night" (co-produced by Tricky and Dobie)

Various artists - Batman Forever (soundtrack)

• 10. "The Riddler" - performed by Method Man

1996
Bounty Killer - My Xperience

• 09. "War Face (Ask Fi War) Remix" (feat. Raekwon)

Ghostface Killah - Ironman

• 01. "Iron Maiden" (featuring Raekwon & Cappadonna)
• 02. "Wildflower"
• 03. "The Faster Blade" (featuring Raekwon)
• 04. "260"
• 05. "Assassination Day" (featuring Inspectah Deck, RZA, Raekwon & Masta Killa)
• 06. "Poisonous Darts"
• 07. "Winter Warz" (featuring Raekwon, U-God, Masta Killa & Cappadonna)
• 08. "Box in Hand" (featuring Raekwon & Method Man)
• 10. "Camay" (featuring Cappadonna & Raekwon)
• 11. "Daytona 500" (featuring Raekwon & Cappadonna)
• 12. "Motherless Child" (featuring Raekwon)
• 13. "Black Jesus" (featuring Raekwon & U-God)
• 14. "After the Smoke Is Clear" (featuring The Delfonics, Raekwon & RZA)
• 15. "All That I Got Is You" (featuring Mary J. Blige)
• 16. "The Soul Controller"
• 17. "Marvel" (featuring RZA)

• 00. "Deadly Darts" (feat. Method Man and Streetlife) [Album leftover track]

Killarmy - Camouflage Ninjas / Wake Up 12"

• B1. "Wake Up"

Shyheim - The Lost Generation

• 14. "Young Godz"

Various artists - America Is Dying Slowly

• 03. "America" - performed by Wu-Tang Clan & Killah Priest

Various artists - The Great White Hype (soundtrack)

• 05. "Who's the Champion"- performed by Ghostface Killah, RZA and Raekwon

Various artists - High School High (soundtrack)

• 03. "Wu-Wear: The Garment Renaissance" - performed by RZA, Method Man & Cappadonna
• 18. "Semi-Automatic: Full Rap Metal Jacket" - performed by Inspectah Deck, U-God & Streetlife

1997
Cappadonna - '97 Mentality 12"

• A1. "'97 Mentality" (featuring Ghostface Killah)

Gravediggaz - The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel

• 02. "Dangerous Mindz" (co-produced by 4th Disciple)
• 08. "Pit of Snakes" (co-produced by True Master)
• 09. "The Night The Earth Cried" (co-produced by 4th Disciple)
• 13. "What's Goin' On?"

Killarmy - Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars

• 08. "Wake Up"

The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death

• 2-11. "Long Kiss Goodnight"

Sunz Of Man – We Can't Be Touched / Natural High 12"

• B1. "Natural High"

Various artists - Hoodlum (soundtrack)

• 05. "Dirty the Moocher" - performed by Wu-Tang Clan

Various artists - I Got the Hook-Up (soundtrack)

• 14. "Who Rock This" - performed by Ol' Dirty b------, Mystikal & Master P)

Various artists - In tha Beginning...There Was Rap

• 01. "Sucker M.C.'s" - performed by Wu-Tang Clan

Various artists - Rhyme & Reason (soundtrack)

• 07. "Tragedy" - performed by RZA

Various artists - Soul in the Hole (soundtrack)

• 02. "Diesel" - performed by Wu-Tang Clan

Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forever
Disc 1:

• 01. "Wu-Revolution"
• 02. "Reunited"
• 03. "For Heaven's Sake"
• 06. "As High as Wu-Tang Get"
• 07. "Severe Punishment"
• 09. "Maria"
• 11. "It's Yourz"

Disc 2:

• 01. "Intro"
• 02. "Triumph"
• 03. "Impossible" (co-produced by 4th Disciple)
• 04. "Little Ghetto Boys"
• 05. "Deadly Melody"
• 07. "The Projects"
• 08. "Bells of War"
• 10. "Dog s---"
• 11. "Duck Seazon"
• 12. "Hellz Wind Staff"
• 14. "Black Shampoo"
• 15. "Second Coming"
• 16. "The Closing"
• 17. "Sunshower" [international track only]
• 18. " Projects (International Remix)" [international track only]

 

Dec 17, 2018

An absolute masterpiece! The unparrelleled raw energy and gritty demeanor this album exudes is just so intoxicating. One of few albums where I feel like I can take on the world with it blared into my ears!

It's tough for me to pinpoint standout moments on this project, but I'm partial to whatever GZA spits on here. Whether it's his verses on Clan in da Front, or his showending lines on one of the best posse cuts OAT in Protect Ya Neck... he just sounds so commanding and real.

Literally feels like I'm transported to Staten Island and in the wars with the clan whenever I spin this s---. It gets a perfect 10 from me. The production is immaculate and the dusty vibes is right up my alley. I'm running out of adjectives here, but whew! What a f---ing impactful album!!!

 

Dec 14, 2018

surely we can all agree DS2 is a top 5 most important project of the decade, right? even if you dont like it, you can't deny its importance.

 

Dec 7, 2018

d--- is Kendrick Lamar's best album, it's the best album of 2017, and it's one of the best of the decade. Coming off of TPAB where he focused so much on celebrating the history of black music and creating 'hidden meaning' for Rap Genius to dissect that he forgot to make good songs, d--- is a breath of fresh air. Gone is the maximalist polish and pretentiousness of TPAB, replaced with a grittier sound and minimalist tone that allows Kendrick to take centerstage and craft songs that are both crowd pleasingly universal with sing-along moments (HUMBLE, ELEMENT) and at the same time soul crushingly personal (FEEL, FEAR). It displays Kendrick's expertise not just as a technical MC but as a songwriter capable of creating ear-worms out of single lines and inflections that never detract from the theme of the songs. Even what should have been complete pop-sellout features designed for headlines (Rihanna and U2) end up being perfectly utilized and mesh perfectly with the tone and aesthetic. This is Kendrick at his artistic and technical peak, and I'll be surprised if he ever matches this again; but I said the same thing after GKMC so I'll be happy to be proven wrong.

9.6/10

 

Nov 29, 2018

Some people just needed to give this album a better chance.

Probably one of the most underrated projects Kanye has. Starting off with Ultralight Beam, a song that absolutely moved me, theres just so many more great tracks throughout. The first minute of Father Stretch My Hands was iconic. Famous, Wolves, Waves, FML, Saint Pablo this album has everything.

8.5/10

 

Nov 28, 2018

8/10.
Underated album. Just a bit long.

Waves FML Wolves are also some very good songs not mentioned yet.

 

Nov 26, 2018

Winter nails the assessment. I want to just repost it but that’s a cop out.

I don’t really have much to add, the blueprint is a masterpiece. It’s amazing that such a small team of just a few producers provided Hov with the musical landscapes to perfectly capture the soul of late 90s early 2000s New York.

Not only was it a seminal album and seminal moment in hip hop, it was a passing of the torch to Hov as he positioned himself to be forever included in any discussion about who is the GOAT. But perhaps most importantly, it came out on September 11, 2001 when New York, America, and arguably the entire western world was rocked to its core after the twin towers fell. And as New York and the country rebuilt itself, the blueprint was unquestionably the most important hip hop album that entire year, perhaps for the rest of the decade, especially for people like me who were living on the east coast at the time, in and around New York City.

Not only can it be considered the greatest hip hop album of all time, it paved the way for Jay Z to be considered the greatest rapper of all time. If that’s not a classic masterpiece album I don’t know what is.

10/10

 

Nov 25, 2018

Arguably the greatest rapper of all time at his absolute peak. Ye and Just Blaze revolutionised the sound of rap and created the perfect backdrop for Jay’s conversational flow to shine in a way it hadn’t before, and Hov’s balance between technical rapping and radio-friendly hits was sharper than ever keeps things consistently fresh and engaging throughout, despite the album being fairly long. No rap album as good as this has been released since.

10/10

 

Nov 15, 2018

9.5/10.

This album is responsible for me, and I assume several others, getting into hip-hop when I was younger. I can’t believe it is over 15 years old. What a timeless classic. Middle school me was bumping p---- on the school bus every morning. I would give this a 9/10 on nostalgia alone, but it still holds up as one of the best rap albums ever imo. Many Men is one of my favorites.

“Death gotta be easy, ‘cause life is hard.”

“Hommo shot me, three weeks later he got shot down
Now it's clear that I'm here for a real reason
‘Cause he got hit like I got hit, but he ain't f---in' breathin'”

 

Nov 15, 2018

Can’t be anything less than 10/10.
Everything on it it’s perfect.
50 sounds fresh af
Production is amazing
In fa club was playing in every single corner you could turn lol

Amazing album, amazing times

 

Nov 14, 2018

8/10

One of the most purely entertaining albums of the 2000s with 50 at his most charismatic. It's fun, and infectious thanks to a lot of great production and 50's inherently likable persona. It's not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination - no one ever thinks to themselves "man I really wanna listen to Poor Lil' Rich or Blood Hound right now" - but when you listen to the album it's no surprise 50 cent captured the hip-hop zeitgeist with it, and the fact that he was never able to top it shows this was something special.

 

Nov 14, 2018

9.5

I actually just relistened to this about a week or so ago. Not one track sticks out to me as an instant skip track. This was definitely one of the albums that got me heavier into rap music.