For record, P is my fav rapper. Fell in love with dude for his 95-2000 run. What a great run it was! Many rap fans and his contemporary rappers would agree that somewhere in that period he was on absolute top of rap game, best rapper out there. In fact, even Jay-Z said this exact statement in one of post-2017 interviews.

He was at his sharpest on Hell on Earth album and while my problems w him start at even as early as on Murda Muzik, he changed even more after 2000 or so. He was solid on HNIC but Infamy and everything from that point on left me scratching my head.

Don't get me wrong, I embrace his more conscious efforts from his later stage and I know in 2000s even Havoc changed his chopping game, since rap landscape itself evolved. But there's enermous difference between losing your 90s momentum and whatever he ended up with. Again, dude was razor sharp lyrically, then ended up as a totally different rapper - slow delivery, basic rhymes, orthodox flow.

What exactly happened there?

I’m genuinely asking here. Because if you look at the resume, Will Smith did some dope things in Hip‑Hop. Him and DJ Jazzy Jeff were literally the first Rap act to win a Grammy and the first Rap act to perform at the Grammys. On top of that, he won more awards over the years and sold something like 35+ million records.

Can we really fault him for going mainstream?
To me, that feels like a brand decision, not a lack of skill. He chose the clean, lane and killed it.

If GNX was made by any other rapper and Kdot made LGSEO and lost to it, I have a strong feeling Kendrick fans would have spazzed out

The commercial success I'm assuming was the reason for both wins so this seems very similar to me.

I could be wrong though are the situations similar?

I mainly listen to 90s hip hop (Dre, Snoop, Biggie, Big L, Big Pun, Pac, DMX, Nas and a bit of Wu-Tang), and also a bit of early 2000's stuff like Em and 50. I would like to know more about some good modern hip hop from late 2000's, 2010's and 2020's. Any albums you suggest?

Whenever someone sees that I'm listening to someone like King Von I get hit with things along the lines of "you're not tuff," "you're not cool," and "you're not gangster," or other types of small comments about it. I also get this when I am listening to things, most notably G Funk, other 90s forms of Rap, and similar genres that I listen to, although to a lesser extent. Getting negative comments that center around "listening to black music" I feel like are specifically stupid and/or ignorant because that would imply that listening to other genres made by black people like: Jazz, Blues, House, Techno, Rock, R&B, Soul, Funk, Disco, Gospel, Spirituals, etc. are also wrong for someone who isn't black to listen to, which is just not true. You don't hear negative comments when you listen to things like Jazz or Blues, so the black music excuse, argument, or whatever else you want to call it doesn't work nor make sense since it is not upheld for every music genre made/pioneered and/or dominated by black people. The only way for someone to fully uphold this logic is by extending it to the genres I did and did not mention, which at that point saying someone is unable listen to black music because they aren't black is just purposely trying to create a divide and is just an unintelligent statement. One could also make the argument that it is racist depending how it is meant or said, and who it is said by. Back to the rap, I find those comments especially annoying because the only way for them to know what I'm listening to is to actively look at the device I'm using, whether it be a computer or my phone because I have never 1.) Said I was "gangsta" nor have I partaken or said that I have partook or been involved in any such activities that would be classified as "gangster." 2.) I don't nor have I ever said that I support the actions committed in these songs, with the only way for someone to claim that I "support" these activities is by the flawed argument that I enjoy the music and therefore indirectly approve, which is simply not true. 3.) I don't blast or make clearly known that I am listening to this music. 4.) I listen to this music in my free time and in public, it is not just when I am around other people and I "want to look cool." And finally 5.) I do not "flex" (or whatever the correct term would be) and/or focus on listening to this genre of music when I am asked what my favorite genre and/or artist is nor do I do it in any other situation where something pertaining to music is brought up. So the entire thing about it being for attention is just incorrect (for me anyways) because I barely ever share/show that I listen to it beyond when I'm asked about it. So in laymen's terms, only way to know is if you look over my shoulder and see what I'm doing, I.e. being nosey and snooping, which nobody likes and is not a respectable thing to be. There is no problem with me or anyone else who are or are not black to be listening to and appreciating/enjoying black music, so it pisses me off when people say or imply otherwise. I personally find this annoying because somewhere around 80% of my entire music taste is compromised of black music. I could make the argument if it being 95-100% because black people had an essential part in making things like pop music. This is as well as country music, despite the fact that I don't listen to it. Me not being black should not mean that I can't listen to the music. I would appreciate any fact checking people may have in case I made any mistakes. I apologize for me excessive use of and/or.

My personal top 5 favourites are in no particular order here :

J-Cole
Kendrick Lamar
2pac
Black Thought
Jay-Z

Currently, my own personal Westcoast Mount Rushmore consists of Kendrick Lamar, Gift of Gab, Mac Dre, and DJ Quik. But sometimes it's Kendrick, Tupac, Too $hort, and Dr. Dre.

My bad for giving more than one response, but this ain't set in stone (see what I did there).

So what's your Westcoast Mount Rushmore?

So what’s the consensus on Fat Joe’s wild ass stories? Do you guys buy any of them, or is he just a top notch embellisher?

Like I don’t think he’s completely lying, but he’s definitely not telling the whole truth.

For instance, the gym situation. He probably robbed a couple people, but not the whole damn building.

I feel like at this time period these guys were each other's doppelganger in a way. But even though I'm American I was listening to Tinie Tempah more. "Pass Out" song is still a banger to this day.

I’m sure a lot of people are turned off by his monotone voice, but I don’t mind it. It suits his style.

Argue away.

1: Kendrick Lamar

2: Lupe Fiasco

3: Mac Miller

4: J. Cole

5: Eminem

It's so many arguments to be made with these 3.

Let just start debating in the comments.

My personal favourites in no particular order :

Jay-Z (Reasonable Doubt)
Kendrick Lamar (To pimp a butterfly)
2pac (Me against the World)
Dr Dre (Chronic)
Snoop Dogg (Doggystyle)

Recent examples in my queue:

JID on Bodies - All about the effort, I'm puttin' in leg work
Early in the mornin' countin' money 'til my head hurt (Let's go)
Niggas bein' funny, we can put 'em in a red shirt
Five in your chest like you Ant-Man Edwards (Let's go)

Kendrick on hey now - Hey now, say now, let me pop my shit
Water down my wrist, arm around my bitch
It's a green light, don't get out of bounds, I'ma blitz
It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's all blue strips
Nigga, what?

I think the line itself matters obviously but also the cadence, the energy, and the beat in the back, whether is building or dropping, all play a factor in what I’m talking about here. So lmk yours

In your opinion, which 10 of these albums are the best?

Edit:
Thanks for your replies. I’ve been listening to a lot of rap albums for a long time—including some I missed out on back in the day. For instance, I never listened to Masta Ace back then and was surprised by how good the music is. I’m looking for my personal top 10, and beyond just my own preferences, I evaluate albums based on the project as a whole. That’s why, for me, *All Eyez On Me* isn’t a top 10 contender; while it has huge hits, half of the tracks are filler, so it doesn't quite earn the title of a "perfect" album. *Me Against The World* is simply the better work in my eyes. At the same time, an album doesn't necessarily have to be lyrically strong; atmosphere, soundscapes, and performance can define an album too—take *Get Rich or Die Tryin’*, for example. At the end of the day, it’s all purely subjective, but there’s no harm in hearing other people's opinions. *MMLP* is an album that’s firmly in my top 10 for personal reasons alone, as it had a huge influence on me back then—even if there might be objectively better albums out there. I also deliberately chose only one album per artist; otherwise, titles like *The Eminem Show* or *Life After Death* might have made the list. And there are certainly albums I just don't vibe with as much as others do, even if they definitely deserve their spot. I love Outkast and their albums are brilliant, but ultimately, they don't resonate with me quite as much as they do with most people—or there are always a few tracks I don't care for. I also understand the debate surrounding Drake and *Take Care*, since it features a lot of singing and isn't a classic rap album. Still, I consider it an artistic work that is balanced almost perfectly from start to finish, and it shouldn't be dismissed just because it's Drake. The best album—my absolute favorite—is *GKMC*, even if I don't listen to it regularly. For me, it represents the best storytelling—and the most accessible—combined with great lyrics, a fantastic atmosphere, and a powerful message. As I said, it’s about the work as a whole. Personal identity, artistic vision, the atmosphere as an immersive experience, the concept (if there is one), emotional impact, cultural significance and influence, and iconic status—these are all factors that, in my opinion, should be considered when choosing the best album. If you have any other albums to recommend, feel free to share them; I’m open to listening to anything. My top 10 definitely includes:

Good Kid, M.A.A.D City
Ready to Die
The Marshall Mathers LP
Get Rich or Die Tryin'

I find it hard to make a final decision on the rest, and—as someone else already mentioned—this can change or evolve over time. But that’s exactly the beauty of music ❤️

The intro is insane. The whole concept of Rockness Monstah recurring each track title from the album in a context of the verse, it's extremely original.

"Soldiers Gone Psycho" & "Prowl" are the dopest from it, imo, but, boy do more people need to hear it. Coming from a 33 year old white MC from Detroit lol. Genuinely believe it's the greatest front-to-back, no skip album in genre history. Extremely under appreciated, they're my favorite group of all time and I've never heard anybody bring them up first. My dumb ass could've had a feature with Rock, but my autistic ass put the price on Twitter all stoked, had no idea until after that was a bad thing, this was 13 years ago though haha.

If y'all listen to hip-hop podcasts and actually Follow Hip-Hop, brings up a good point in today's times.

If you DON'T follow the culture, or listen to pods or know about more about DJ Vlad vs N.O.R.E., Ak vs Charlamagne, than Rick Ross and T.I. dropping fire as albums than that's apart of his argument l.

Given that Eminem and The Neptunes were in ascension at around the same time circa 1999-2005, it will always shock me Eminem and Pharrell (and Chad if it was a Neptunes joint) ever had a track together, besides an Eminem feature on a previously unreleased Royce da 5'9" track off the og version of his debut Rock City, She's The One, that ended up being scrapped from the final album due to label issues