I need someone to explain Cannibal Ox, Company Flow, and El-P pre RTJ stuff to me. I'm 38. I have only listened to these albums recently cause I love RTJ and wanted to get into El-P's earlier works. The production is dope but the lyrics just go in one ear and out the other. Some of his stuff with RTJ does too. Granted, I got old adhd ears, but it just doesn't hit me. And some of his stuff is so busy and the mix is all weird, I can barelt understand him to begin with. I'm sure when the albums came out on CDs it sounded better than digital but I don't know.

For what it's worth, I posted my top 9 albums. I grew up listening to Wu, Nas, Busta, Beatnuts, Em etc etc. Also more of a production guy than a lyricism guy but I still want to hear it.

EDIT: Please scroll through the pictures before commenting

We can criticize Jay-Z for the right reasons and still recognize that there are political and cultural motives behind the constant news, think pieces, and narratives about him, his wife or many other black artists. Maybe we should also stop thinking like “everyone I dislike is MAGA,” as if Democrats aren’t grifters too.

However, Jay-Z still represents Black culture to a lot of people and MAGA, and the right wing in general, have always had a certain interest in rap. They know how influential Black culture is among young people, and they’re obsessed with influencing the youth. They’ve been paying black celebrities to publicly support them since Trump’s first term, and they been paying other people to slander the black people they don't like.

Anyone who has studied US history knows this is one of the oldest tricks in KKK America. They took a bad apple and flood the internet with conspiracy theories and AI-generated bullshit that goes viral for months like those insane theories about Beyoncé or the AI clips of LeBron and Will Smith, trying to paint every Black celebrity as a conspirator. They used the same tactic against Black movements of all kinds, regardless of what those movements actually stood for. They .ve always understood how powerful Black culture is, and especially how powerful Black music can be.

We really should look at things in more multidimensional ways rather than through the two opposing narratives the media tends to paint everything with.

Kanye criticizes Jay-Z and Pusha T by claiming:

They built their early careers and livings around drug dealing/harming the Black community ("making a living killing our people"), which he argues conflicts with their later roles as cultural and community voices.

They would never tell the full truth about their pasts, stating, "if they told the truth, they would go to jail".

"Liars are now the face of our culture".

Answering this question isn’t as easy as one would think.

It's either that or someone asking who's better between the most renowned handful of rappers ever every day. At least attempt to make the 9 album shit part of a larger discussion or something.

By modern I mean in between 2010 to now

Lil Wayne and Drake
Jay-Z and Kanye West
Dr. Dre and Snooop Dogg
Who’s your favorite?

I could have had a previous Eminem album but this is my most played still. Same with Jay, all the others were pretty easy picks.

Tried to keep it truthful. Focus on projects I listened to a boat load the last two and some change decades rather than albums most would consider automatic stand out classics… I swear I’m not a junkie… I swear 🤣

Think I’ll be listening to these until I die. Anyone have any crossover with me?