Hello, Ms. Krishnamurthy! I’ve been a huge fan of your writing for many years, and it’s a delight to continue to engage with you and support your work here. I am a rapper from Toronto called The Mighty Rhino! If I had to pick ten rap albums to represent different aspects of myself (my worldview, my tastes, the style of the rap music I myself make, my conceptions of goodness and beauty, and so forth), here are the ones I’d go with:
Nas - Illmatic
Scarface - The Fix
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca and the Soul Brother
Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele
De La Soul - Buhloone Mindstate
OutKast - Aquemini
Diverse - One A.M.
UGK - Ridin’ Dirty
Jurassic 5 - Power In Numbers
Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth
I cheated by going from 8 to 10, and that still leaves off essential albums like Funkdoobiest - Brothas Doobie, Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance, Suga Free - Street Gospel, Mos Def - Black On Both Sides, Big K.R.I.T. - K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, Common Sense - Resurrection, Cypress Hill - Black Sunday, Big Boi - Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, Mystikal - Let’s Get Ready, The Goats - Tricks of the Shade, DJ Quik - Trauma, Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow, Shad - The Old Prince, T.I. - Trap Muzik, Devin The Dude - Just Tryin’ Ta Live, MisterE - Dusting For Prints, and the first State Property group album, among many others. It also fails to account for rappers I live and die by like Method Man, AZ, Sauce Money, Divine Styler, Playboy Tre, Breeze Brewin, Jean Grae, Joell Ortiz, Young Dro, Redman, Gunplay, Juvenile, Tragedy Khadafi, Monie Love, Thirstin Howl III, Bahamadia, Young Zee, Jadakiss, Andy Cooper of Ugly Duckling, Lyrics Born, Saafir, WC, E-40, Raekwon, Treach, Black Sheep Dres, Inspectah Deck, Ka, Queen Latifah, Yelawolf, Jaz-O, Rah Digga, Big Daddy Kane, Roc Marciano, Heather B, Kool G Rap, and Z-Ro, among countless others. But it’s the best I’ve got!
Hello, Ms. Krishnamurthy! I’ve been a huge fan of your writing for many years, and it’s a delight to continue to engage with you and support your work here. I am a rapper from Toronto called The Mighty Rhino! If I had to pick ten rap albums to represent different aspects of myself (my worldview, my tastes, the style of the rap music I myself make, my conceptions of goodness and beauty, and so forth), here are the ones I’d go with:
Nas - Illmatic
Scarface - The Fix
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca and the Soul Brother
Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele
De La Soul - Buhloone Mindstate
OutKast - Aquemini
Diverse - One A.M.
UGK - Ridin’ Dirty
Jurassic 5 - Power In Numbers
Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth
I cheated by going from 8 to 10, and that still leaves off essential albums like Funkdoobiest - Brothas Doobie, Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance, Suga Free - Street Gospel, Mos Def - Black On Both Sides, Big K.R.I.T. - K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, Common Sense - Resurrection, Cypress Hill - Black Sunday, Big Boi - Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, Mystikal - Let’s Get Ready, The Goats - Tricks of the Shade, DJ Quik - Trauma, Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow, Shad - The Old Prince, T.I. - Trap Muzik, Devin The Dude - Just Tryin’ Ta Live, MisterE - Dusting For Prints, and the first State Property group album, among many others. It also fails to account for rappers I live and die by like Method Man, AZ, Sauce Money, Divine Styler, Playboy Tre, Breeze Brewin, Jean Grae, Joell Ortiz, Young Dro, Redman, Gunplay, Juvenile, Tragedy Khadafi, Monie Love, Thirstin Howl III, Bahamadia, Young Zee, Jadakiss, Andy Cooper of Ugly Duckling, Lyrics Born, Saafir, WC, E-40, Raekwon, Treach, Black Sheep Dres, Inspectah Deck, Ka, Queen Latifah, Yelawolf, Jaz-O, Rah Digga, Big Daddy Kane, Roc Marciano, Heather B, Kool G Rap, and Z-Ro, among countless others. But it’s the best I’ve got!
Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2
Gang Starr - Hard to Earn
A Tribe Called Quest - The Lower End Theory
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
Tha Alkaholiks - 21 & Over
Nas - Illmatic
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
Public Enemy - It takes a nation
One for All 1990
Illmatic
Aquemini
Ready2Die
All eyes on me
Doggy Style
Mecca & The Soul Brother
The Fix
Unfortunately this would require me to accept Hip Hop as music... poetry maybe but it is a virtual assault on women so no thank you
Die Lit (2018)
Alfredo (2020)
Illmatic (1994)
Rodeo (2015)
Midnight Marauders (1991)
Mm...Food (2004)
Ready to Die (1994)
Whole Lotta Red (2020)
As of rn