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[I-Rod]

I gotta go with UGKs Ridin Dirty, to me it doesnt get better than that.

[Fitzgerald]

This album is fucking awesome.  Respect, Gimme the Loot, Me and My Bitch all rule.  Hell, there aren't a lot of tracks on this album that I don't like.

I also nominate Hov's Blueprint as well.    And while I don't think it is the best rap album, I want to mention The Eminem Show.  That album kicked ass, and had a lot of shit that could pump you up.

[irishdutchman]

I don't listen to a lot of rap, but I think the Marshall Mathers LP kicks ass. Much better than Em's other work, after that release his stuff really went downhill.

[BondFiction]

I'm surprised to see someone who was a bigger fan of Trap Muzik as opposed to King. King is definitely my favorite album from T.I., and one of my favorite rap albums of all time. 

Oh, I've got an undying love for King as well. But there's a couple missteps on that EP that hold it down for me, like "Hello". And I think I must be one of the only people that actually loved "T.I. vs T.I.P."

[Tim]

I'm going to throw in a couple more suggestions.


DJ Shadow - Endtroducing... though you might easily argue it wasn't a true hip hop album, I feel it ought to be at least mentioned somewhere.


Pete Rock and C.L Smooth - Mecca and the Soul Brother. If for no other reason than this. Plus, this is just a fantastic duo.

[Remora]

I don't listen to a lot of rap, but I think the Marshall Mathers LP kicks ass. Much better than Em's other work, after that release his stuff really went downhill.

Dude if you think the Marshall Mathers LP is his best work then you need to listen to this.

It was Eminem's Debut album.  Sold less then 1,000 copies because no one knew about him yet and people weren't crazy about the positive message.

As for Best hip hop album ever...... I'm partial to what got me into Hip Hop in the first place and I know few would agree it should get a top spot, but this is the best hip hop CONCEPT album in my eyes

[fatalist11235]

Its either this...



or this...

[Quagmar]

A few more to toss into the mix here:

Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique




Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill




Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick




De La Soul - Three Feet High and Rising

[ladydazey]

This is a toughie. My votes between:

Wu-Tang Clan: 36 Chambers

Brother Ali: The Undisputed Truth

and

Jedi Mind Tricks: Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell

I don't know!!!! Ah!

[Oregano Angercock]

[Gibbs]

To that end I reccomend "The Babiez: Takin' a Shit" by the Babiez.

Seriously though I find it strange that none of the rappers usually considered as great mc's have ever been great producers.  The lead singer of a band doesn't have to play guitar but at least in traditional five piece music they do sometimes.  Kanye West and Mike Skinner are far the from the finest mc's you're going to find, and the finest MC's you're going to find almost never produce.  I think rap's greatest all-around talent for musicianship, rap and beat skill, would have to be Dr. Dre.  So let's say the greatest rap album of all time is The Chronic 2001.

[Remora]

No

[Housefly]

Other people write Dr. Dre's lyrics for him.

Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP blew me away when I first heard it, and it continues to impress me today.  It's weird to listen to his more recent stuff like that Re-Up album (and why does Eminem only want to have shitty rappers on his label?) and think that the man who wrote Jimmy Crack Corn and the man who wrote The Way I Am are the same person.

I put The Eminem Show on almost the same pedestal, because I love the production and approved more of the content.  But lyrically it felt like Em was focusing more on the rhymes at the expense(sometimes) of the message.  The less said about Encore the better.

Illmatic's up there, certainly.  I was prepared to be disappointed when I bought it after everyone raved about how good it was, and it more than lived up to the hype.

One of my top 5 would have to be a Jay-Z album, but I'm not sure which one.  Reasonable Doubt, Blueprint or The Black Album.  Is there such a thing as a three-sided coin?

I'm only just now realising that I don't like most of the rap albums I own as much as I thought I did.  Canibus could release one 80-minute song on CD and I'd listen to it all the way through; he could (and has) sound great over the shittiest beats ever.  But 2000 BC or Mic Club; best rap album ever?  I dunno.
Most of my collection is from my teens, and most of it is gangsta rap, and as an adult I get a little bored of hearing the same song over and over and over again.

[skankinskater]

i would call it a rap album, but i think it transcends the idea. 

Fugees: The Score.  Along with Nation of Millions by PE, a beautiful record and in my all time top ten.

[I-Rod]

i would call it a rap album, but i think it transcends the idea. 

Fugees: The Score. 

I second this

[GC4Life]

For me, it'd have to be Tupac's R U Still Down? Remember Me.

Glorious album.

[Cheez]

Nothing tops this for beats, rhymes, or awesomeness:



2Pac - Me Against The World

[Tyson]

I don't know what it is about Ghost, his flow busts my brain.

[fatalist11235]

Along with Jay-z and KRS-One id like to add this...

[Danny Bhoy]

Cannot believe someone chose It Was Written over Illmatic.

Seconding Illmatic, 36 Chambers and Straight Outta Compton.

Proposing Ice Cube, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted