25 Essential Hip Hop Records

What's all this, then?

These are the records every complete record collection should have, even if you aren't necessarily a hip hop fan. These records define hip hop to some degree, but represent the core qualities of what hip hop has to offer to an even more significant one. These aren't my favorite records in hip hop - and really anyone who gave you this list as their top 25 is either lying to save face or works for Rolling Stone - but they are all five-star classics that will forever be cited as the fundamental works of the genre. And, of course, many if not most of them are my favorite hip hop albums, most notably duh Illmatic.

I may have taken a bit of artistic license with some of this set - some people may argue that it needs more 80s records and maybe my 00s records trend too closely to my own personal likes. But as much as I love them, I don't think Run DMC, Criminal Minded, or Radio is as significant as a work of art as many of the 90s choices I absolutely had to include, and I happen to think even if Madvillain and Hell Hath No Fury didn't sell millions of copies, they represent what has been best about hip hop over the past ten years in significantly different ways. (By the way, I placed the cut-off at January 1, 2010, so no Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy).

Anyway, we could argue this all day (and I'm happy to do so in the comments - that's what they're for) but at some point I need to lock this in, so let's get on with it. These are the 25 records in hip hop that deserve to be canonized, in chronological order.

The Essential Record Collection

Drool.

Even with digital collections allowing for maximum volume in limited space, I don't think everyone needs to own 2000 records and amass the kind of catalog that used to be reserved for libraries. Especially in this age of youtube and Spotify, holding onto records you aren't going to listen to just because someday it will come up and you have to hear that one song to refresh your memory simply isn't necessary like it used to be.

I do, however, think every self-respecting music obsessive needs to have the kind of collection where, regardless of genre, a certain amount of bases are covered so you can combine your own eclectic (or non-eclectic) tastes with a generally acknowledged canon. This canon forms a backbone that allows you to experiment with different aspects of a genre and, as you get older or your tastes evolve, immediately revisit important records that might not have grabbed you the first time around.

Sticking with records that other people like and you just "don't get" can be frustrating sometimes and often fruitless. But the times when it works out and the clouds part and you suddenly understand the hype can be some of the most rewarding moments as a music listener. Many of my favorite albums didn't grab me the first time around, whether it's Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea or De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising, and I think keeping your mind open even to records you've rejected before is the only way to make sure you continue to discover new records to fall in love with.

So keeping this goal in mind, what is the ideal "essential collection"? In my mind, it contains a certain amount of generally acknowledge classic or landmark records from each of the key genres (rock, hip hop, jazz, electronic, R&B, country, folk, etc.), providing the kind of solid core that every basic music collection should have. (Of course, by collection I mean a real amassing of records - not just whatever records fall into your life. The latter is obviously perfectly acceptable for most people, but if you're looking at a post like this you are most likely not one of those people so I don't really need to justify this.) These aren't necessarily the best records, because that's more obviously subjective and everyone can make their own list of their favorite or best records, but they are the ones you are most likely to find on those lists, because they are the records people know they can't leave out without having a good reason if they are going to be taken seriously. It is the canon.

Of course, if you love, say, hip hop, you aren't going to be satisfied with a set amount of records to own. One person's satisfactory collection of 10 records is another person's woefully underpopulated set. Developing a hip hop head's dream collection is not the purpose here. Instead, these sets are meant to be useful to listeners who aren't familiar with each genre and would like to learn more. I've picked the arbitrary number of 25 records because it allows for a wide range for most genres, but I might expand or contract this number depending on the genre. I'll post my first set, hip hop, shortly.