A ranking of MY PERSONAL FAVORITE rap albums for each year, written with the benefit of hindsight and emphasizing longevity. I stress: These are my favorites, i.e., the ones I most like to listen to–not the most important rap albums of each year (although there is definitely crossover) and not your favorite rap albums. If I’ve missed any, fee free to drop me a comment and lmk.
In order to make my list, the album has to be a classic. A GOAT. No filler, no tracks skipped. And it has to have withstood the test of time–these lists look back at least 5-10 years.
All told, that’s a high standard.
OK, we’re at 2001 and man is this a tough year. First of all, there’s a bunch of genre-fluid albums that I really like but I’m not going to include on my list because they are less hip hop than “something else.” I’m thinking specifically of Spearhead’s Stay Human and Ozomatli’s Embrace the Chaos, but there are others. In leaner years these might have made my list, but 2001 offers such a ridiculous amount of quality albums that I don’t have to. It’s bananas.
Not only was 2001 a great year all around, but it was so interesting to go back through my albums from this year and marvel at the sheer variety. Abstract rap emerged as a true force. “Pop” or “top 40” rap continued to be strong as it branched out as well–like when Jay-Z took it acoustic on MTV. Independent and emerging rappers were just as strong as established long-timers.
A note about what’s missing: More than usual, due to the high amount of 2001 GOATs, I avoided putting albums on my list (or even as honorable mentions) that “should” be here because they’re exceptionally high quality but, for me personally, I just don’t listen to them anymore. I’m thinking here of CunninLynguists debut, Aesop Rock’s Labor Days, and Dilla’s Welcome to Detroit. Once those kinds of albums are removed, it’s much more manageable to keep the list to a reasonable number: 12. (Admittedly, with more “Honorable Mentions” than usual.
12. Cuts for Luck and Scars for Freedom by Mystic. Mystic never really broke big, despite having had opportunities to do so, and this album is a largely forgotten, unsung classic. Part boom-bap soul, part conscious rap, part soul, and 100% female-driven hip hop with weight, depth and no bombast. This is the best least-remembered album of 2001. Mystic toured with Digital Underground, and Shock G produced some of this record. The Oakland rapper never went on to anything bigger than her debut (and apparently put her music career in the backseat to focus on academia and activism), but it’s well-worth seeking out. Key tracks: Neptunes Jewels and W featuring Planet Asia.
11. Party Music by Coup. Yes, this is the one with the cover showing a smoking Twin Tower (see above). It was set to be released on 9/11, but the record company pulled it, changed the photo, and put it out later. Protest rage rap of the highest order.
10. Cold Vein by Cannibal Ox. New York City rappers Vast Aire, and Vordul Mega met with rapper El-P, who signed them to his emerging Def Jux label and dropped this album that is often recognized as a foundational abstract rap album of the 2000s. If this were a list based on the innovation and “importance” of its entries, this would rate even higher–it was groundbreaking in so many ways. And it was indie!
9. Stillmatic by Nas. Stillmatic feels like a comeback, and in many ways, it was. Nas’ debut is often considered the greatest rap album of all time. Imagine doing that your first time out? There’s no way you can ever get better than your first album. Plus, after it, he came out with three albums that were good but paled in comparison to Illmatic, so he kinda got put on a lower tier (hence Jay-Z’s diss of Nas saying that he puts out three bad albums for every good one). Perhaps to address all of that, he buckled down, cut the features, and created an album of pure, focused hip hop. He also responded to Jay-Z’s nasty (but fairly accurate) disses on Takeover by producing his own diss track: Ether. That track is widely hailed as one of the best battle cuts of all time–meaning Nas smoked Hova. Albumwise, though, Jay-Z has the edge–appearing at number 2, below.
8. Run Come Save Me by Roots Manuva. When it comes to picking the best Roots Manuva album, there’s really just two choices: This one, or the one that made my 1999 list. If the measure is how far the album goes to break barriers and evolve hip hop, Run Come Save Me is the winner. He plays with standard beat measures, adds R&B accents, and mixes loops and live instrumentation to create a constantly surprising album. While others were doing this in the U.S., few were doing it to this level of quality and even fewer were doing it in the UK–two more reasons why Run Come Save Me is great as a historical document. Throw on top of all that Manuva’s excellent lyricism and delivery, and you’ve got a timeless classic worthy of being called a 2001 GOAT.
7. Word of Mouf by Ludacris. Luda is one of those rappers who became super-rich and famous doing other things, and sometimes people fail to remember that his early rap albums were fantastic. Plus, Ludacris did a lot to spread the word about the Southern trap scene. Word of Mouf’s featured artists include Three 6 Mafia, Sleepy Brown and an early example of why Mystikal became a (brief) sensation. Among the hugely deserving hits off his album is the classic Roll Out (produced by Timbaland), alongside hits Area Codes, Cry Babies, and Move Bitch. This is about as fun as an album can get.
6. Gorillaz by Gorillaz. Valid arguments can be made that this is really an alternative album with some rap flourishes, but when viewed in totality, it’s in line with the whole ethos of hip hop. The cartoon characters and graffiti-influenced logo, the nature of the beats, and the fact that Del the Funky Homosapien is featured on two cuts: Clint Eastwood and Rock the House. A great album for purists and crossover fans alike.
5. Special Herbs Vol 1. by Metal Fingers. I don’t usually listen to instrumental hip hop, but MF DOOM’s “Special Herbs” collection is just so f-ing good–and it’s so much fun to listen and pick out all the songs that were derived from the beats. I won’t put any other Special Herbs volumes on these lists, just because there are so many and they’re all so good, but I want to hit a variety of artists across this series of posts.
While I’m here I’ll note that Pete Rock issued an instrumental album this year that was also excellent.
4. Miss E … So Addictive by Missy Elliot. Never standing still, Missy moves into a hybrid of club music and traditional hip hop, creating a masterpiece that is at once accessible and experimental. Best songs: Dog in Heat with Method Man and Redman, One Minute Man featuring Ludacris, Lick Shots, 4 My People featuring Eve.
3. The Best Part by J-Live. J-Live didn’t just arrive on the scene, he kicked in the door and proved himself as a force in quality hip hop.
By the time this record was released, it had been leaked multiple times and J-Live was already a name on the underground scene. Some of the tracks were recorded 5 years earlier. The album had production by Pete Rock, Prince Paul and DJ Premiere. At a time when the fans were moving towards slickness and beats, he came with simple boom bap and an emphasis on lyrics and flow: Old school, but only in the best ways. This album is a bona-fide classic.
2. The Blueprint by Jay-Z. I’m not going to apologize for loving Hova. Nor will I apologize that my favorite albums of his are this one and The Black Album. Blueprint is the album I quote the most. I even use it in coaching sessions with clients. It’s full of wisdom that can be understood at both “street” and “corporate” levels. This is the album where Jay-Z moved from being a drug dealer who became a big name in rap into being a business unto himself, unabashedly wealthy and successful.
1. Disposable Arts by Masta Ace. Masta Ace finally finds his full voice. Up to now, he’s made some good albums but now he moves to greatness–and pretty much has an endless run of phenomenal albums. This one has guests like Punchline and Wordsworth, Jean Grae, and Greg Nice, as well as some of the best songs in Ace’s catalog: Take a Walk, Dear Diary, Type I Hate, Hold U, Don’t Understand…So much excellence in one record.
Honorable Mentions
MTV Unplugged by Jay-Z. Not just a gimmick, this was Jay-Z proving he’s as good live as in the studio and also pushing the boundaries of rap to grow as he himself grew. Hova is one of the few rappers who has been able to age (across decades) and still make music worth listening to- Dark Days, Dark Nights by Bubba Sparxxx. I like this album. I know it’s not cool to like it, but I like it.
- Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs. A re-release collection of early EPs by Slug and Ant. Lots of good stuff here, but it’s not really fair to include a curated collection as a GOAT original album.
- Endangered Species by Big Pun. Speaking of curated collections: This album was a Greatest Hits record, and it’s all you need. It also had some posthumous cuts that were unreleased during his lifetime, and they’re good, too.
- AOI: Bionix by De La Soul
- Scorpion by Eve. Not a classic, but there’s lots of good stuff here.
Worst of the year: Crown Royal by Run DMC. It’s just awful to see once great rappers forced to work with Kid Rock, Fred Durst and Jermaine Dupri in a desperate attempt to sound relevant. Plus, Jam Master Jay wasn’t even alive when this came out.
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