The quintessential must have hip-hop album. Widely accepted as the best rap album ever made. If I could only have one album for the rest of my life, it would be this one. It has an old-school feel to it but at the same time has some of the best and most intricate lyrics ever spit. THE must-own album!

Arguably the best of all-time's debut album. One of the defining albums of the 90s.

Maybe the most influential album ever made. Rakim is probably the most influential MC of all-time. A serious hip-hop collection isn't complete without this album. Infact, your collection doesn't even start until you have this one.

This album is hip-hop in its truest since, a raw expression of enery, ideas and feelings about important issues. A very important record.

Personally, this is one of my favorite hip-hop albums ever. From the first track, the EPIC "3030" to the final "Memory Loss", this is an album unlike any you've ever heard. This is a good thing. A futuristic soundscape laced by the Automator and Del's lyrics make this unforgettable.

Definitely the best solo Wu-Tang album, and as soon as the beat drops on the title track, "Liquid Swords", you'll know why.

Simply put, De La Soul are gods. Everything on this album comes together in a way which few other albums have, and after hearing this album just once, it will be tough to deny this as being one of the best albums ever.

Common is the type of MC that embodies what hip-hop is about. This is a classic album that is timeless. I Used To Love H.E.R. may be the best hip-hop song of all time.

J-Live may be the best rapper you have never heard of. This album is some of the best hip-hop I have ever heard, and it really is a perfect album in every sense imaginable. After hearing tracks like "Nights Like This", you'll know why.

Hip-hop this good comes too few and too far between. Again, it is a debut album that is far and away the best. From the "Life" intro all the way to the greasy dirty vinyl soul of the "Statik", this album is pure bliss.

This album embodies hip-hop, pure and simple. This is the type of album that is good for your soul, and Mos Def has some of his best solo moments on this album.

One of the most important and influential albums ever made. If you don't own this album yet, go buy it right now. Don't mind if you're boys are gonna laugh at you. They don't know what they're missing. Any true hip-hop aficiando will have this joint in their collection

MF Doom is one of the best underground MC's. Madlib is one of the best underground producers. Put them together and you get Madvillainy, a classic album unlike anything you have heard before.

This album is so smooth its like syrup. T.R.O.Y. is probably the best hip-hop track ever. This is an excellent album.

Mobb Deep's album is gritty and raw. Some people prefer Hell on Earth, I prefer The Infamous. Shook One's II has one of the most classic beats ever.

MF DOOM is an underground legend. His debut album as MF Doom is fresh, original and just plain sick. Don't pay $50 for it though, it should be re-released this year.

This is a hard hittin, gritty classic joint here. Some of the best production you will here is on this album. Although the rhymes are a bit dark at times, you can't deny the talent.