 | Good Clean Fun 2: The Super Jump-Off by Big Jess
Buy new: $16.99 / Used from: $4.54 This here is simply one of my favorite albums of all time from one of the best artists making hip-hop today. His production, rapping, and songwriting are tip top notch. Definitely my favorite artist out of Minnesota. (Al's rating: 5 out of 5)
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 | Black Dialogue by The Perceptionists
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $2.74 This was perhaps the biggest surprise of the year for me. This was an instant classic to me when it dropped, and has remained at that status 3+ years later for me. IMO, Mr. Lif or Akrobatik have never been better than they are here. (Al's rating: 5 out of 5)
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 | S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. by One Be Lo
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $6.84 Pure fire from front to back. The Pontiac, Michigan emcee One Be Lo (of Binary Star) simply drops one of the best albums I've heard in years. His conscious songwriting is simply unmatched. Straight heat! (Al's rating: 5 out of 5)
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 | Beauty & The Beat by Edan
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $5.15 This is one of the best concepts I've heard on wax. Edan's witty lyricism mixed with 60's psychedelic rock. The production and structure of it all is top notch and very original. Definitely fresh material here. (Al's rating: 5 out of 5)
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 | Enigma by Eligh
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $7.25 This is Eligh's sickest album. It's just one of the freshest album in the past decade IMO. The album is about half instrumental, and half with rapping. This album is a true testament of what Eligh has to offer hip-hop in the way of production. Just slammin'! (Al's rating: 5 out of 5)
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 | Grand Caravan To The Rim Of The World by 3 Melancholy Gypsies (3MGS)
Buy used from: $5.59 Murs, Eligh & Scarub (of the Living Legends) come through with one of the finest albums in the entire LL catalog. High energy flows & perfectly fitting production from the underrated Eligh. (Al's rating: 5 out of 5)
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 | The Mouse and the Mask by Danger Doom
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $4.89 This collab consisting of MF Doom & Danger Mouse was seemingly the most anticipated underground release in 2005. The hype was completely justified IMO. This is one of the finest albums from Doom. (Al's rating: 4.5 out of 5)
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 | The Minstrel Show by Little Brother
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $1.46 This was my first, and is still my favorite LP from Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh, & 9th Wonder . Nearly every track is banging. And 9th's production here is some of my favorite I've heard from him. (Al's rating: 4.5 out of 5)
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 | Skeptik by The Crest
Buy new: $9.98 / Used from: $2.84 Underground heroes Jack Cracker & AD come through with their best album to date. These guys are much closer to House of Pain than they are Lootpack. This is drinking man's hip-hop. A complete banger from front to back. (Al's rating: 4.5 out of 5)
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 | Chain Letters by Supastition
Buy used from: $62.75 I just recently got into Supastition, and he's becoming one of my newer favorites. This album is one his best offerings and is solid from front to back. Excellent songwriting, inspired flows, and dope production. The whole shebang! (Al's rating: 4.5 out of 5)
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 | The Long March EP by Blue Scholars
Buy new: $8.99 / Used from: $4.98 This is really 5-star material to me, but the EP part drops it down the list a bit. This is probably the best starting point for anyone interested in Geologic & Sabzi. Completely banging material here. (Al's rating: 4.5 out of 5)
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 | Good Music
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $2.90 This is probably my favorite offering from J. Sands and J. Rawls. They create an excellent brand of jazzy hip-hop that is sure to please fans of the sub-genre. This is definitely some of J. Rawls' finest production. (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | True & Livin' by Zion I
Buy used from: $4.84 Zion I always come through with high quality, and this LP is no different. Hardcore fans may not agree, but this is their best album IMO. I have them all, but I dig the production and songs here the most. (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | The Art of Raw by Oktober
Buy used from: $5.33 This dude is highly slept on. This was the first LP I've heard from him, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for him. The production, flows and songwriting hits nicely. (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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| Living Stereo by Ecid & Impulse Are...
Buy used from: $3.15 Another underrated duo out of Minnesota. Ecid & Impulse produce one hell of an album here. This is probably the best material I've heard from either of them. This high energy LP gets a lot of spins from me. Dope! (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | A Tribute to Lisa Bonet by Felt
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $7.63 Slug, Murs, & Ant make a hell of an LP here. They create great chemistry. This is just a fun album to listen to, and the production from Ant just knocks! (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | Classic
Buy new: $13.99 / Used from: $11.11 Members Sunspot Jonz, Luckyiam.PSC, The Grouch, Murs, Eligh, Aesop, Bicasso, and Scarub all come tight for their '05 collective LP. Not my favorite LP in the crew, but it's definitely got some bangers. (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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| The Many Faces Of... by Bicasso
Buy used from: $8.47 Bicasso makes some of the freshest music in hip-hop nowadays. And he's by far the most underrated in the Living Legends crew. This is a slammin' EP from front to back, and some of my favorite Bicasso material. Not only a dope rapper, but a dope beatmaker! (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | Da All Nighta by The Primeridian
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $3.45 Great album from See-Me On & Tree. This is the only album I've heard from them, and they made a new fan. The production is excellent throughout. Pick this up. (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | Poor People's Day by Bigg Jus
Buy used from: $2.00 Bigg Jus (of Company Flow) comes through with a banger for '05. He's still lyrically potent, and the production here is excellent. A very cohesive album. (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | The Craft by Blackalicious
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $5.44 When doesn't this duo come tight? Gift of Gab & Chief Xcel are in fine form here. Not my favorite album from them, but still very nice. This is the album that hooked me on these guys. (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | The Hear After by J-Live
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $3.00 When J-Live drops and album, you're pretty much always guaranteed dopeness. This isn't my favorite, but it's a nice addition to the catalog. His old school style has always been appealing to this listener. (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | Self Titled by Kanser
Buy used from: $36.00 The underrated Minnesota hip-hop vets New MC & Unicus bring their best effort to date (only to be trumped by 2008's "Future Retro Legacy"). Solid LP! (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | Christopher by Sleep (Of Oldominion)
Buy used from: $16.04 This is the only album I have by Sleep (of Oldominion). Really solid stuff though. His style is very energetic and hungry. I dig it. (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | And Now... by Asamov
Buy new: $12.00 / Used from: $3.95 Willie Evans Jr., DJ Therapy, Ja-One-Da, & Basic make up this underrated crew. Nice production, memorable songs, and nice guest spots from 9th Wonder, Mr. Lif, Akrobatik, J-Live, & Wordsworth. (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | The Further Adventures of Lord Quas by Quasimoto
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $0.50 Madlib has never been a very good rapper IMO, but I do enjoy his alter-ego, Quasimoto. The production here is what makes it a winner. I actually enjoy this one a bit more than "The Unseen". (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | Sunset Lodge by Glue
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $0.99 Battle champ Adeem, DJ DQ, and Maker come through with a very nice EP. They are definitely a fresh trio not to be missed. Their whole catalog is dope. (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | A Healthy Distrust by Sage Francis
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $5.41 I'm not much of a fan of Sage Francis anymore. His live iPod shows is what killed it for me. But I must admit, this is a very well crafted LP, and I spun it a lot when I got it. Dope stuff. (Al's rating: 4 out of 5)
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 | You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having by Atmosphere
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $6.25 This isn't my favorite album from Slug & Ant, but it is a quality offering, and has a couple of my favorite songs from the duo. Thankfully, this album helped put them and Minnesota hip-hop on the map. Dope album. (Al's rating: 3.5 out of 5)
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 | Same !@#$ Different Day by Lyrics Born
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $4.53 This is actually the remix album to his "Later That Day" album. IMO, it's better than the original. Lyrics Born definitely gives a fresh and unique take on hip-hop, and this is one of his better albums. (Al's rating: 3.5 out of 5)
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 | Be by Common
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $4.32 I'm not nearly as big of a fan of this album as most are. Then again, I'm more of a fan of Common "Sense". Either way, this is a good album, just not nearly one of my favorites from him. (Al's rating: 3.5 out of 5)
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 | Truama by DJ Quik
Buy new: $15.99 / Used from: $2.32 This is a really dope album, but I feel a few guests hold this back from being a better effort. Quik kills the beats and is still nice on the mic. (Al's rating: 3.5 out of 5)
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 | Waiting Room by Emanon
Buy new: $10.98 / Used from: $4.24 A good offering from Aloe Blacc & Exile. They are a nice pairing. The album isn't quite as memorable as it could be, but it's definitely worth a few spins. (Al's rating: 3.5 out of 5)
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 | Hell's Winter by Cage
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $4.95 I'm not a huge Cage fan, but this album is definitely dope. The production from El-P, RJD2, Blockhead, & DJ Shadow really make it shine. This is definitely his best album in my opinion. (Al's rating: 3.5 out of 5)
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 | Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives by Aesop Rock
Buy new: $15.98 / Used from: $3.89 Dope little EP from Aes Rock. The lyric book was a nice plus. Not exactly essential listening, but worth a few spins. My favorite here is "Zodiaccupuncture". (Al's rating: 3.5 out of 5)
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 | Live from Planet X by MF Doom
Buy new: $12.98 / Used from: $3.35 When MF Doom isn't send impostors out to do his shows, he's actually damn good live. This is definitely worth a few spins. (Al's rating: 3.5 out of 5)
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