Illmatic, 36 Chambers, Reasonable Doubt, The War Report, The Chronic, Ready to Die, Its Dark and Hell is Hot, The Fix, and Only Built for Cuban Linx. Now if you are a Hip-Hop head like me everything about the albums I just named should make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, but for those of you who are new to the art form those right there are some of the best albums Hip Hop has to offer or what we like to call the classics, we’re not here to talk about the greatest of all; time we’re here to talk about what makes them classics instead of the run of the everyday BULL SHIT you probably hear on the radio everyday....
The first two words in the title are the definition of a classic, time tested. See the Chronic came out in the early 90’s but you play that at any time random screams of hood joy will rain down from the heavens in 4 words: AWW THAT’S MY SHIT!!! I remember the first time I heard it. I was rather young yes, but I remember the hype. My sister cracked open that cassette and it was nonstop west coast hip hop for days. See, no matter where you are, what point in your life, or how long it’s been its still just as good as when you left it.
It ain’t exactly about the units. A classic is a classic no matter what. Illmatic and Reasonable Doubt took years to finally go platinum but they’re on your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper’s top ten lists every time. The reason is because it’s good music and it is hard to come by. There may be a lot of them (classics), but think of all the albums put out a year there’s a better chance of them all being garbage then one of them being a classic.
Before I close this out the last thing I need to talk about is craftsmanship. Some pride in what you do the work and determination and the ability to possess the gumption to know that if you suck or if the song sucks to NOT FUCKING MAKE IT. The drive it takes to make a classic is phenomenal.
In the end its completely up to you. Just like in any major sport there is a hall of fame but it doesn’t matter if your favorite player is in there or not he’s still your favorite player. I think Ma$e’s Harlem World is a classic and there are tons of people who think I’m nuts but I don’t give a good hot damn, and will fight you tooth and nail over it and you want to know why? Because in the end it’s up to me to choose what I love and it is up to you to choose what you love.
Song of the Week: The Roots- What they Do
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