Now this has me wondering, what is the best selling rap album ever?
Nope not Illmatic it went 1xplatinum
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Just noticed:
Ready to Die went 4x platinum
All Eyez on Me went 9x platinum
[/quote]
Baby One More Time: 14x platinum
lesson: sales totals aren’t an indicator of an album’s “greatness”.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Now this has me wondering, what is the best selling rap album ever?
Nope not Illmatic it went 1xplatinum[/quote]
PAC had a cross over appeal that Biggie or Nas did not have.
[quote]four60 wrote:
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Now this has me wondering, what is the best selling rap album ever?
Nope not Illmatic it went 1xplatinum[/quote]
PAC had a cross over appeal that Biggie or Nas did not have. [/quote]
My friend argues it was the six pack that attracted the biddies.
Edit: he hates 2pac and LOVES Biggie’s music
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]LarryDavid wrote:
I dunno, I’d probably put Ready to Die ahead of Illmatic, although both are great. Ready to Die is probably my pick for best rap album ever.
And Life After Death is pretty much the blueprint to the blockbuster rap album that everyone credits Jay-Z for making. Biggie basically made the perfect gangsta rap record on his first CD, then followed it with the prototypical pop-gangsta rap album that everyone from Ma$e [Harlem World, underrated LP] to Jay [2001-2003 output], to 50 [albeit dumbed down] and even guys like Game and DMX have done some variation of.
Biggie is easily the most talented rapper ever, and is probably a lock for 2nd best rapper all time on only 2 albums. Crazy.[/quote]
Hard to argue with this.
However, I will say that Enter the Wu-Tang set the blueprint for most of what came after it. Illmatic and Ready to Die, along with perhaps Raekwon’s OB4CL, can lay legitimate claim to the best rap album of all-time, but these albums were all made possible by the stripped-down musical approach and realistic, graphic lyrics that dealt with the harsh nature of street/thug life.
I’m a big fan of the Wu-Tang, ESPECIALLY their early stuff, so I’m hardly objective. But I would argue that when the list is narrowed down to a few key albums (Enter…, Ready…, Illmatic), the album that influenced the others wins in a tiebreaker.
We could go back further and say that something like It Takes a Nation of Millions by PE is the best by that criteria. But I would argue against that because I think Enter the Wu-Tang is THE album that really kickstarted the proverbial Golden Age of Hip-Hop. I think you could also argue that the Wu-Tang in general heavily influenced that era more than any other group or rapper, from their lyrical style to their minimalist production techniques to their choice of samples to their clothing and overall appearance.
I don’t think you could go wrong saying that any of the aforementioned albums were the GOAT, but my own vote goes to Enter the Wu-Tang, if no other reason than it was the one that came first and laid the foundation that the other ones built upon.[/quote]
This is tough. Biggie’s first album is insanely good, and 5 years ago I woulda’ answered with it as the best rap album of all time without hesitation. But, the older I get and the more I listen to Illmatic the more it blows me away. EVERY SINGLE TRACK on that album is amazing, from composition, to flow, delivery, lyrical content, painting a really vivid picture with just his voice… I’m a Texas kid who’s never been to Staten Island but I felt like I was with him when he was sneaking uzi’s on the fairy. I love Ready to Die, but as I get older there’s songs on the album that I’ll skip to get to what I like. I don’t do that with Illmatic. I can put it on and just ride. 36 chambers is definitely top 5, but it doesn’t compete [to me] with those two.
Going back and watching C.R.E.A.M vid or watching Meth hit that M-E-T-H-O-D MAN is just strange they may dirt raw vids to match there sound. Just can’t get that anymore.
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]LarryDavid wrote:
I dunno, I’d probably put Ready to Die ahead of Illmatic, although both are great. Ready to Die is probably my pick for best rap album ever.
And Life After Death is pretty much the blueprint to the blockbuster rap album that everyone credits Jay-Z for making. Biggie basically made the perfect gangsta rap record on his first CD, then followed it with the prototypical pop-gangsta rap album that everyone from Ma$e [Harlem World, underrated LP] to Jay [2001-2003 output], to 50 [albeit dumbed down] and even guys like Game and DMX have done some variation of.
Biggie is easily the most talented rapper ever, and is probably a lock for 2nd best rapper all time on only 2 albums. Crazy.[/quote]
Hard to argue with this.
However, I will say that Enter the Wu-Tang set the blueprint for most of what came after it. Illmatic and Ready to Die, along with perhaps Raekwon’s OB4CL, can lay legitimate claim to the best rap album of all-time, but these albums were all made possible by the stripped-down musical approach and realistic, graphic lyrics that dealt with the harsh nature of street/thug life.
I’m a big fan of the Wu-Tang, ESPECIALLY their early stuff, so I’m hardly objective. But I would argue that when the list is narrowed down to a few key albums (Enter…, Ready…, Illmatic), the album that influenced the others wins in a tiebreaker.
We could go back further and say that something like It Takes a Nation of Millions by PE is the best by that criteria. But I would argue against that because I think Enter the Wu-Tang is THE album that really kickstarted the proverbial Golden Age of Hip-Hop. I think you could also argue that the Wu-Tang in general heavily influenced that era more than any other group or rapper, from their lyrical style to their minimalist production techniques to their choice of samples to their clothing and overall appearance.
I don’t think you could go wrong saying that any of the aforementioned albums were the GOAT, but my own vote goes to Enter the Wu-Tang, if no other reason than it was the one that came first and laid the foundation that the other ones built upon.[/quote]
Great points. What I’d add is that I think while Enter the Wu-Tang pretty much started the New York brand of hardcore hip hop that followed for years to come, after the whole Big-Pac fiasco the influence starts to wane. If we’re looking at things in terms of influence, Life After Death was much more important than Ready to Die. Ready to Die was a perfection of that hardcore style, but LAD was the birth of the new dominant style of rap. Pretty much for the next 10 years the mainstream rap scene [outside of Dre-Eminem and Nelly] was dominated by guys who took after Big or Pac in some capacity. So with regards to influence, Enter the Wu-Tang and Life After Death are about equal, but I can see how it could be argued the former is the better record. Now both albums don’t have as much influence, the last major rapper to take after Big/Pac was 50, and pretty much every new rapper with a chance at stardom takes after Kanye West [and to a lesser extent Wayne]–best example is Drake.
For me Ready to Die is such a perfect record even without the influence it still wins. But yeah, the greatest rap album could be either of those three.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
This is tough. Biggie’s first album is insanely good, and 5 years ago I woulda’ answered with it as the best rap album of all time without hesitation. But, the older I get and the more I listen to Illmatic the more it blows me away. EVERY SINGLE TRACK on that album is amazing, from composition, to flow, delivery, lyrical content, painting a really vivid picture with just his voice… I’m a Texas kid who’s never been to Staten Island but I felt like I was with him when he was sneaking uzi’s on the fairy. I love Ready to Die, but as I get older there’s songs on the album that I’ll skip to get to what I like. I don’t do that with Illmatic. I can put it on and just ride. 36 chambers is definitely top 5, but it doesn’t compete [to me] with those two.[/quote]
That’s true. I think rap’s a weird genre in that most classics still have at least one song that is skippable, either a boring concept or something, but Illmatic is one of those rare albums that doesn’t.
[quote]LarryDavid wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]LarryDavid wrote:
I dunno, I’d probably put Ready to Die ahead of Illmatic, although both are great. Ready to Die is probably my pick for best rap album ever.
And Life After Death is pretty much the blueprint to the blockbuster rap album that everyone credits Jay-Z for making. Biggie basically made the perfect gangsta rap record on his first CD, then followed it with the prototypical pop-gangsta rap album that everyone from Ma$e [Harlem World, underrated LP] to Jay [2001-2003 output], to 50 [albeit dumbed down] and even guys like Game and DMX have done some variation of.
Biggie is easily the most talented rapper ever, and is probably a lock for 2nd best rapper all time on only 2 albums. Crazy.[/quote]
Hard to argue with this.
However, I will say that Enter the Wu-Tang set the blueprint for most of what came after it. Illmatic and Ready to Die, along with perhaps Raekwon’s OB4CL, can lay legitimate claim to the best rap album of all-time, but these albums were all made possible by the stripped-down musical approach and realistic, graphic lyrics that dealt with the harsh nature of street/thug life.
I’m a big fan of the Wu-Tang, ESPECIALLY their early stuff, so I’m hardly objective. But I would argue that when the list is narrowed down to a few key albums (Enter…, Ready…, Illmatic), the album that influenced the others wins in a tiebreaker.
We could go back further and say that something like It Takes a Nation of Millions by PE is the best by that criteria. But I would argue against that because I think Enter the Wu-Tang is THE album that really kickstarted the proverbial Golden Age of Hip-Hop. I think you could also argue that the Wu-Tang in general heavily influenced that era more than any other group or rapper, from their lyrical style to their minimalist production techniques to their choice of samples to their clothing and overall appearance.
I don’t think you could go wrong saying that any of the aforementioned albums were the GOAT, but my own vote goes to Enter the Wu-Tang, if no other reason than it was the one that came first and laid the foundation that the other ones built upon.[/quote]
Great points. What I’d add is that I think while Enter the Wu-Tang pretty much started the New York brand of hardcore hip hop that followed for years to come, after the whole Big-Pac fiasco the influence starts to wane. If we’re looking at things in terms of influence, Life After Death was much more important than Ready to Die. Ready to Die was a perfection of that hardcore style, but LAD was the birth of the new dominant style of rap. Pretty much for the next 10 years the mainstream rap scene [outside of Dre-Eminem and Nelly] was dominated by guys who took after Big or Pac in some capacity. So with regards to influence, Enter the Wu-Tang and Life After Death are about equal, but I can see how it could be argued the former is the better record. Now both albums don’t have as much influence, the last major rapper to take after Big/Pac was 50, and pretty much every new rapper with a chance at stardom takes after Kanye West [and to a lesser extent Wayne]–best example is Drake.
For me Ready to Die is such a perfect record even without the influence it still wins. But yeah, the greatest rap album could be either of those three. [/quote]
Yeah, I here you. For me, I don’t think there’s anything that will sway my opinion away from Enter the Wu-Tang, but I’m a bit dogmatic about it. I still remember the first time I heard that album:
Sitting in a park around the corner from school in my buddy’s windowless van when I was about 14 smokin’ blunts at lunch. My friend pulls this CD out and says, “Listen to THIS shit” and plays “Bring Da Ruckus”. I was blown away; never heard shit that raw and stripped down to such a basic, minimalist level. At that time Dre and Snoop were blowing the fuck up with that G-funk sound (never really got into it even though I was out on the West Coast). It was like hearing Nirvana for the first time after growing up on Motley Crue and GNR. I went out and bought it the next day and still own that original copy.
[quote]four60 wrote:
I’m almost scared to ask who you have as #1[/quote]
Jay. No one has survived and made good music through so many different phases of hip hop like him. He’s got at least one hot song every year, can adapt to trends without compromising too much of his integrity, and has classics or close-to-classics in threed different styles of hip hop: Reasonable Doubt, Vol 2., and Blueprint. The only other hip hop legends who have survived and maintained their popular and artistic cred in different periods are Dre and Kanye, and both of those guys are producers who actually changed the sound of rap when they did it. Dre when he got back on top from 99-03ish, and Kanye since then.
It’s weird because I would say that Jay is the one candidate for GOAT who hasn’t really had much impact on the sound and aesthetic of hip hop. People give him way too much credit for stuff Big, Nas, and even Ma$e and Kanye did. He didn’t create the blueprint for the artistic pop-rap album, Biggie [Life After Death] and Ma$e [Harlem World] did–and Diddy was executive producer on both of those records but gets nothing but hate. But unless Kanye got 5-10 more years of great music Jay’s alone in what he did.
Honestly it’s more like 1a. Jay-Z 1b. Big. On pure talent Big kind of blows everybody away, he’s the only rapper who had it all. Jay’s the closes to that, but he’s also had more time to put out more great music, and wins by default.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Now this has me wondering, what is the best selling rap album ever?
Nope not Illmatic it went 1xplatinum[/quote]
Illmatic was a commercial flop and the best selling SINGLE CD album is and MC Hammer LP I believe. I always like pointing that out when someone says that hip hop used to be all artistic music and not the crass dump it supposedly is today.
I read the best selling rap CD ever is Speakerboxx-Love Below, but that was a double album like Life After Death, and I think each purchase counts as 2.
The Marshall Mathers LP and Eminem Show also sold lik 19 mill worldwide, so they’re up there too.
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]LarryDavid wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]LarryDavid wrote:
I dunno, I’d probably put Ready to Die ahead of Illmatic, although both are great. Ready to Die is probably my pick for best rap album ever.
And Life After Death is pretty much the blueprint to the blockbuster rap album that everyone credits Jay-Z for making. Biggie basically made the perfect gangsta rap record on his first CD, then followed it with the prototypical pop-gangsta rap album that everyone from Ma$e [Harlem World, underrated LP] to Jay [2001-2003 output], to 50 [albeit dumbed down] and even guys like Game and DMX have done some variation of.
Biggie is easily the most talented rapper ever, and is probably a lock for 2nd best rapper all time on only 2 albums. Crazy.[/quote]
Hard to argue with this.
However, I will say that Enter the Wu-Tang set the blueprint for most of what came after it. Illmatic and Ready to Die, along with perhaps Raekwon’s OB4CL, can lay legitimate claim to the best rap album of all-time, but these albums were all made possible by the stripped-down musical approach and realistic, graphic lyrics that dealt with the harsh nature of street/thug life.
I’m a big fan of the Wu-Tang, ESPECIALLY their early stuff, so I’m hardly objective. But I would argue that when the list is narrowed down to a few key albums (Enter…, Ready…, Illmatic), the album that influenced the others wins in a tiebreaker.
We could go back further and say that something like It Takes a Nation of Millions by PE is the best by that criteria. But I would argue against that because I think Enter the Wu-Tang is THE album that really kickstarted the proverbial Golden Age of Hip-Hop. I think you could also argue that the Wu-Tang in general heavily influenced that era more than any other group or rapper, from their lyrical style to their minimalist production techniques to their choice of samples to their clothing and overall appearance.
I don’t think you could go wrong saying that any of the aforementioned albums were the GOAT, but my own vote goes to Enter the Wu-Tang, if no other reason than it was the one that came first and laid the foundation that the other ones built upon.[/quote]
Great points. What I’d add is that I think while Enter the Wu-Tang pretty much started the New York brand of hardcore hip hop that followed for years to come, after the whole Big-Pac fiasco the influence starts to wane. If we’re looking at things in terms of influence, Life After Death was much more important than Ready to Die. Ready to Die was a perfection of that hardcore style, but LAD was the birth of the new dominant style of rap. Pretty much for the next 10 years the mainstream rap scene [outside of Dre-Eminem and Nelly] was dominated by guys who took after Big or Pac in some capacity. So with regards to influence, Enter the Wu-Tang and Life After Death are about equal, but I can see how it could be argued the former is the better record. Now both albums don’t have as much influence, the last major rapper to take after Big/Pac was 50, and pretty much every new rapper with a chance at stardom takes after Kanye West [and to a lesser extent Wayne]–best example is Drake.
For me Ready to Die is such a perfect record even without the influence it still wins. But yeah, the greatest rap album could be either of those three. [/quote]
Yeah, I here you. For me, I don’t think there’s anything that will sway my opinion away from Enter the Wu-Tang, but I’m a bit dogmatic about it. I still remember the first time I heard that album:
Sitting in a park around the corner from school in my buddy’s windowless van when I was about 14 smokin’ blunts at lunch. My friend pulls this CD out and says, “Listen to THIS shit” and plays “Bring Da Ruckus”. I was blown away; never heard shit that raw and stripped down to such a basic, minimalist level. At that time Dre and Snoop were blowing the fuck up with that G-funk sound (never really got into it even though I was out on the West Coast). It was like hearing Nirvana for the first time after growing up on Motley Crue and GNR. I went out and bought it the next day and still own that original copy.[/quote]
TRUTH. I was blown away by Bring Da Ruckus. When Ghost get’s to spitting…damn. I did a double take. It was truly ground-breaking. I have my original copy still, which I bought after downloading it. I can listen to it non-stop, without pressing a button.
Anybody like Big L? Dude was unreal. If he was still alive, rap would be SO much better. Some of my favourite tracks are Devil’s Son, Casualties of a Dice Game, Da Enemy, Da Graveyard (ft. a VERY young and nasal Jay Z). Give his albums a shot, but they are hard to find. Listen to these tracks though.
Also, Gravediggaz. An offshoot of Wu, consisting of RZA, Poetic, Frukwan and Prince Paul. One of the first “supergroups”. Great grimey music, pretty much started the “horrorcore” genre.
Also, HRSMN. Kurupt, Canibus, Ras Kass and Killah Priest. They only had one album The HRSM Project, but its worth looking into. All got lyrics and production is on point.
Some Others:
Tupac- Thug Life
Eazy E -187em Killa
8Ball and Mjg -Coming out Hard
DMX -Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of my Blood
DJ Quik -Way 2 Fonky