Listen to music from Ill Informed like Enough (Unity). Find the latest tracks, albums, and images from Ill Informed. Hip Hop: Our Part In Its Downfall.

This list provides a guide to the most important hip hop albums, as determined by their presence on compiled lists of significant albums: see the "Lists consulted" section for full details. Inclusion on a list is indicated by numbering after each release. The brief accompanying notes offer an explanation as to why each album has been considered important. The organization of the list is by date of release, ranging from Run-D. s eponymous debut in 1984 to Jay-Z's 2001 album, The Blueprint.

But Lauryn Hill is Hip Hop and this album’s spirit is Hip Ho. Beastie Boys‘ fifth album is an excellent addition to an excellent catalog, perhaps second only to Licensed To Ill and the Paul’s Boutique masterpiece. Top tracks: Intergalactic Body Movin’ Three MCs And One DJ Super Disco Breakin’ Hard Knock Life. This is a unique album in the sense that it mostly succeeds in staying consistent despite its playing time: 2 full-length CDs (plus one bonus CD). Inevitably there are some filler tracks, but on the whole this is an excellent collection of Dirty South Hip Hop. A lot of bangers, with a lot of great guest spots (MJG is present of course, along with Busta Rhymes, Redman, Bun B, E-40 and many more).

Hip-hop is more than a music genre, it is a culture that has shaped America over the past three decades. Hip-hop has had an overwhelming influence on the black community in America (as well as American society as a whole). Hip-hop is more than music, it's a full and vibrant culture. Over the past three decades, hip-hop has influenced and uplifted America, speaking up for generations and providing a voice to marginalized populations. Opponents of hip-hop culture argue that the music is aggressive in nature and promotes social rebellion. In the process, rap artists became the dominant public voice of this generation.

This year, hip-hop is well represented in the main categories. Chance the Rapper and Anderson. Paak are both nominated for Best New Artist, Swae Lee from Rae Sremmurd picked up a nod for Song of the Year for co-writing Beyoncé's "Formation" and Drake was nominated for Album of the Year for Views (and, thanks to a feature on Rihanna's "Work," also lands secondarily in the Record of the Year category). But the night wasn't without its hip-hop tensions; despite his debut Get Rich or Die Tryin' becoming the top album of 2003 on Billboard's Year-End Charts, 50 Cent lost out to Evanescence for Best New Artist, and interrupted their acceptance by briefly walking on stage behind them as they stepped to the microphone.

The 50 Best Hip-Hop Album Covers. ByAndrew Noz. Oct 28, 2011. Dating back to its earliest ties to graffiti culture, the visual component has always played a large part in hip-hop culture. But once upon a time, it mattered.

This is what Hip Hop is supposed to sound like. A flawless album: top notch production from Showbiz (and Diamond D) and guest appearances from Lord Finesse and Big L (among others) – this may just be the best DITC album in a series of excellent albums. Amazingly consistent and entertaining throughout. The album flew well under the mainstream radar but was quickly recognized as a classic by true heads.

We’ve put together our pick of the best hip hop albums. Take a look and find out whether an album you love has made it onto our top 10 hip hop albums. Its finest Golden Age proponents issuing statements of intent that expanded both its musical and lyrical vocabulary, dropping ground-breaking albums on a weekly – almost daily – basis. By the turn of the millennium, the very definition of ‘hip hop’ had been rewritten thanks to a host of game-changing artists, who continued to test its boundaries and find further artistic freedoms. Having introduced themselves as hip hop’s bratty punks with 1986’s Licensed To Ill, Beastie Boys holed up with production duo The Dust Brothers, creating a dazzling follow-up whose patchwork of samples is ably matched by the wordplay – and interplay – of Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock.

Underground hip hop was in rude health at the turn of the millennium. The collaboration between MF Doom and Madlib was certainly in the same vein. The furore surrounding its release might have lessened in the intervening years. Its power most certainly hasn’t. Key track: No Vaseline. Licensed To Ill might have introduced the world to the Beastie Boys, but following its release the trio were routinely dismissed as brattish frat rappers. Criminally ignored upon release – probably because it wasn’t Licensed To Ill Part 2 - it is now recognised for what it is: a multi-layered hip hop masterpiece. Key track: Shake Your Rump.

Hip hop is one of the genres which benefits most. With its origins in the turntables of New York block parties, it follows that hip hop music is at its prime when it comes courtesy of vinyl's rich grooves. But with so many classic albums being repressed and reissued to keep up with vinyl's growing popularity, it can feel overwhelming trying to work out where to start.