J-Zone » Blog Archive » 10 UNPOPULAR HIP-HOP OPINIONS

10 UNPOPULAR HIP-HOP OPINIONS

Uncategorized June 29th, 2009

10 UNPOPULAR HIP-HOP OPINIONS
Because somebody disagreeing with popular opinion ain’t being a “hater” …its called "having an opinion".

Hip-Hop opinions, I hate em. Why? Because hip-hop is the only form of music where your opinion will get your head blown off. Have you ever seen a Biggie vs. 2Pac argument in a barber shop? I rest my case. Well, hopefully the demographic that checks for this corny little blog I have is grown enough to accept clashing opinions on the world’s most violent genre of music, and they‘re too worried about their mortgages to care about something this trivial and silly. We need to argue this stuff out like the old men in the barber shop in Coming To America, not the dudes that will wait for you outside the Brooklyn barber shop for not being a Jay-Z fan. When I say things like “TROY” isn’t in my Top 5 favorite Pete Rock beats, I’m usually met with a screw face, but opinions are opinions, no more no less.

So here’s a fun little debate for all my fellow rap FANS (that means everybody‘s opinions are equal)…you all know that there’s an album that’s regarded as the Thriller (RIP MJ) of hip-hop, but you never really got into it. Stop frontin. Or maybe the album where MC Such and Such fell the fuck off to the general public is the only one you like by him. Whatever your oddball opinion is, put it out there, because I’m sick of the same lists of best albums in hip-hop history. Have some balls and stop being so damn textbook. Let’s have some friendly debate as rap FANS.

Here are my unpopular opinions. Please respond with yours. Argue as a FAN, not as a know it all. It’s all opinion anyway…or will someone get death threats?

I’VE ALWAYS FELT THAT…

10. M.O.P’s BEST ALBUM IS TO THE DEATH

It’s often written off as a demo by the group themselves (a la No More Mr. Nice Guy by Gang-Starr). And I KNOW, Primo and M.O.P go together like hot sauce and catfish. But those low budget, non-musical, semi-amateur rock demo beats on To The Death go so well with the uncouth, crass and barbaric image that embodies the M.O.P. we all love so much. Fame and Billy Danze sound like they just rapped over whatever the fuck was in the studio that day, but that’s what makes M.O.P so great. Just look at the Rugged Neva Smoove video with the OG version vs. the Primo remix. Primo’s remix is crazy, but the OG makes you want to go into one of those hipster loft parties in Williamsburg and just fuck it up for everybody.

9. EFIL 4 ZAGGIN > STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

OK, Cube was obviously the best MC in the group. Best MC leaves, rhyme content suffers. Given. But when the production quality goes up tenfold, the new album plays like a god damn Tarrentino film and the entertainment value goes through the roof, I think we have a new winner. And is it me, or is MC Ren one of the most slept on MC’s in history?

8. LEGAL > YOUNGEST IN CHARGE

Sometimes I wish that Legal came out in a donut hole album cover, then I may have a better chance when trying to win this debate. Like many albums in 1990, Legal suffers from it’s artwork (which features pics of Ed in some horrendous homemade gear and laid out in vogue shots). I remember going with my cousin to Music Factory on Jamaica Avenue when this dropped, and we’re standing in the store looking at the cover. Without hearing it, I assumed Ed went pop and I bought the K-Solo and Lord Finesse albums instead. My cousin had a crush on Ed, so she bought Legal anyway. When I heard her playing it, I stole the tape. I Like “I Got It Made” as much as the next man, but Ed’s performance on here crushes Youngest In Charge. And Howie Tee is slept on for no reason. The “Im The Magnificent” remix bodies the OG, and EVERY track on here was hittin. “Ready 2 Attack” and “Cmon Lets Move It” still knock hard, and I think “Ya Wish Ya Could” was the first to put “Superman Lover” to use. “5 Men & A Mic” is a Top 10 posse cut to me. Even the reggae cut was better than the one on Youngest In Charge. I like his debut, but it ain’t touchin Legal. Lets just hope they reissue it with different art.

7. BUSINESS AS USUAL IS EPMD’s BEST ALBUM, BY A LANDSLIDE

Here’s an example of a groundbreaking group’s debut overshadowing better albums in their catalog, simply because the first time you ever heard them you were blown away. This happened with Eric B. & Rakim and a few others, but we’ll examine the least controversial case first, EPMD. Nobody from NY rapped this slow and funky, nobody used Eric Clapton loops and nobody DARED use their government names to rap under. EPMD broke ground with their debut, Strictly Business. But their “reloaded” approach when they signed to Def Jam for their third album, Business As Usual, took the cake. EPMD were harder, smarter and more polished. It also helps when arguably the best all around DJ in hip-hop (DJ Scratch) is now in the group and you’ve added some subject matter besides “Jane” to your songs (“The Steve Martin” didn’t count and this album had the best “Jane“ story by far too). Pound for pound, Strictly Business ain’t comin close to Business As Usual. I’ll end this argument with taste of classic from a new, improved and more arrogant Parrish Smith on “I’m Mad”:

“In my 560, lampin on my Metro phone/ chrome kit beamin all off your dome/ like a sucker, yeah, you look the other way/ that’s how I know you’re on my dick, kid, but it’s OK/ it’s normal…” Mean. I won’t even mention his verse on “Rampage” or the fact that this album introduced the world to Redman, because then you wouldn’t have room to argue.

6. I LIKED A TRIBE CALLED QUEST’S ALBUMS IN DESCENDING ORDER

I may be the only dude on earth that liked People’s Instinctive Travels… the best. Tribe is a group that deviates from the norm, in that people seemed to like them the most mid way through their career as opposed to at the start. I remember goin crazy over the “I Left My Wallet In El Segundo” video in 1990, but everybody I knew thought it was corny. Their debut album (Peoples Instinctive Travels…) was only trumped (at that time) by 3 Feet High & Rising and Paul’s Boutique as the most ambitious lesson in sampling ever assembled. I won’t snitch because I doubt all that shit was cleared, but not many people touched all the genres they did in 1990. It went on deaf ears until “Bonita Applebum” blew up, then every ensuing album was a bigger and bigger hit, leaving Peoples… in the forgotten files. I loved Low End Theory nearly as much, but I can accept a lashing from the entire rap world for admitting I only got into 3-4 songs on Midnight Marauders. I’m not a big Fender Rhodes fan, if that means anything. The same went for the two albums after. They had their moments, but “I don’t eat no ham n eggs, cause they’re high in cholesterol” may be the best/worst hook ever written. You gotta have a set of balls to do that.

5. LL COOL J’s SECOND BEST ALBUM IS WALKING WITH A PANTHER

There’s little doubt that Mama Said Knock You Out is LL’s best work. In 1990, a recharged LL and Marley Marl made 14 tracks of magic that were timeless (and he didn’t even curse on that album). But the great debate is always “what’s his second best album?” It usually boils down to Radio or Bigger and Deffer. I also know one psycho that insists its 14 Shots To The Dome, but he also still wears a Carhartt jacket in 90 degree weather and still says phrases like “catchin wreck”, “flip the script” and “keep it real” in regular conversation. Safe to say, he’s stuck in 1993, he don’t count. I always had love for Walking With A Panther, even when it was hated by the rap community at large. I read an interview with Bobbito and he said he was interning at Def Jam when it dropped and he thought it was “bone” (read: Trash). OK, so he had a few corny ballads, but what groups aside from PE, NWA and the Beastie Boys didn’t in 1989? LL murdered that god damn album, from start to finish. Bottom line, it has “Big Ole Butt” and “1900 LL Cool J”, case closed. Y’all were just jealous because it was 1989 and he was bangin high priced hoes over sinks in minks instead of buying Africa Medallions in Chinatown. Fuckouttahere, he was ahead of his time on this album and his staggering level of arrogance was beyond royal.

4. PAID IN FULL IS NOT ERIC B. & RAKIM’S BEST ALBUM, NOR IS IT THE SECOND, OR THE THIRD

Let The Rhythm Hit Em is the best album the group ever made. Not only is Ra in a zone, but the fingerprints of a late great Paul C and a still in John Bowne HS Large Professor are all over this one. The beats on this album are damn near flawless. “Mahogany” is Ra at his storytelling best, and “Run For Cover”, “Keep Em Eager To Listen”, “No Omega” and the title cut are all vicious. “In The Ghetto” could possibly be Rakim’s best song ever, so it leaves me to wonder why Paid In Full is always unanimously seen as the groups best offering. Nobody will deny how the algebra of taking 7 MC’s and putting em in a line re-invented the MC game, or how “I Know You Got Soul” and “Eric B Is President” still rock a party, but lets not clutch at straws for the sake of being Rooftop-era nostalgic. The album also had “Chinese Arithmetic” (say what?) and a handful of filler. Paid In Full was our first glimpse of somebody that would become a candidate for the best who ever did it, but a first impression, while the most lasting, isn’t necessarily the best impression. As far as the group goes (excluding Rakim solo efforts), I always felt Paid In Full was their weakest effort, essentially a collection of dope singles and a few filler tracks (which was the norm at that time). Go back and listen, and if you still feel that Paid In Full is actually better than Let The Rhythm Hit Em (or even Follow The Leader and Don’t Sweat The Technique for that matter), then we’ll agree to disagree.

3. FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET > NATION OF MILLIONS…

Hip-hop blasphemy, I know, but I always thought Black Planet was a much better album than Nation Of Millions. Nobody had done what PE did with Nation Of Millions, so the music world was in awe and the bar was set high. Black Planet took what they did 5 notches higher, but that’s such a tall order that when you actually do it, nobody notices . With the turmoil of 1989 (the Professor Griff drama, etc.), Chuck only had more ammo on Black Planet, and he matured as an MC. The conversational tone he used on “Pollywannacracka” was previously uncharted territory for him. “Weclome To The Terrordome” and “Brothers Gonna Work It Out” are the best examples I can come up with for a perfect hip-hop record and for Flav’s solo shot, “Can’t Do Nuthin For Ya Man” , has “Cold Lampin With Flavor” beat by a mile. If you’re talking production, nobody thought the Bomb Squad could take the wall-of-sound approach further than what they did on Nation Of Millions, and they did it with Black Planet. “Revolutionary Generation” and the use of the Prince guitar riff for “Brothers Gonna Work It Out” will either make you want to re-invent the wheel or give up producing altogether. They took this style to the max on the Son Of Bazerk album, but Black Planet was so focused and cohesive, yet so cacophonic, that all you can do is sit there and wish you made it. As amazing and epic as Nation of Millions was, it didn’t give me the frustrated motivation that Black Planet did, if that makes any sense. Add to all this that it was made in the same sessions as Ice Cube’s AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted and Bell Biv Devoe’s Poison albums (two more of my favorites), its no wonder why I prefer it. Speaking of Cube, his verse on “Burn Hollywood Burn” had nothing to do with the song, but it was the hardest 8 bar verse ever. That’s all the more reason Fear Of A Black Planet was a better album than Nation Of Millions.

2. TOUGHER THAN LEATHER > REST OF RUN-DMC’s CATALOG

Let’s face it, Run-DMC’s fame was declining in 1988, so they took the approach of the most popular group of the time (Public Enemy) and tried a sample stacked production style…and the result was this amazing and unfairly panned album. As a kid, I sang “Sucker MC’s” every day walking to school, “My Adidas” was my shit and “You Talk Too Much” was a favorite quote of mine, but I was never floored by a full Run-DMC album until Tougher Than Leather came out. The debut was OK and Raising Hell was the best rap album up to that time, but King Of Rock was weak to me. I support musical growth and all, but I never bought into therap/rock thing I thought it was corny (I still cant listen to “Walk This Way” or “Rock Box”). Adidas endorsements and Aerosmith collabs helped give em the worldwide love they deserved, but I always felt that Tougher Than Leather was the best they had to offer. “Beats To The Rhyme” is just insane, as is “Run’s House”. “How You Do It Dee?” is the best use of a Meters sample I’ve ever heard, and the use of pan mixing and sample chopping on “I’m Not Goin Out Like That” was ridiculous. JMJ (RIP) and David Reeves went all out on this one production wise. This is all producer nerd shit, but so be it. All of their auto-biographies (and JMJ’s biography) allude to a mound of personal problems and lack of focus during the making of this album, but I always felt Tougher Than Leather was Run and them at their best. Their debut was the ground breaker, King Of Rock pushed them up a notch and Raising Hell had the hits, but I cant be textbook in saying that any of those were realistically their best albums, especially the first two.

1. IT WAS WRITTEN WAS LYRICALLY BETTER THAN ILLMATIC

I’m expecting to be ambushed by keep it realers for this but, fuck it. The producer line up of Illmatic was the god damn dream team and the flossy and jiggy Trackmasterz handled It Was Written, so I’m not talking production here. But that, fact plus the fact that Nas traded in his Columbia rain suit (them shits made you sweat your balls off) for an Armani sweater pissed everybody off. What the fuck do you expect? The dude left Queensbridge, he can’t front like he’s still there. Anyway, It Was Written was crushin Illmatic on the rhyme tip, but I felt the image, style and beat changes threw everyone for a loop. “I Gave You Power”, “The Message”, “Black Girl Lost”, “Shootouts”, “Suspects” and the tape only “Silent Murder”? Those repped Nas at his best. Illmatic represented a return to rapping for real after a year of gimmick rap where nobody could complete a sentence. 1993 was more about onomatopoeia, screaming and "flipping ill styles". Let’s be for real, if your name wasn’t Sticky Fingaz, it wasn’t working for you. Even pretty boy rappers bought field jackets and went that route. It was corny. Illmatic was a breath of fresh air (in the same boat as Resurrection and Word Life…albums with major distro that actually featured people rappin for real), but was Nas’ performance better on there than It Was Written?…hell naw!

P.S…I liked Wu-Tang Forever better than 36 Chambers and Words From the Genius better than Liquid Swords, but arguing those is pointless, LOL. Especially the latter.

Grow a set of balls and list your unpopular rap opinions!

102 Responses to “10 UNPOPULAR HIP-HOP OPINIONS”

Detroit Murder Dog Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 8:36 am
I have “Walking With A Panther” tied with “Radio,” although two things might give “Panther” the edge: First, you have a pre-fame Veronica Webb on the back cover looking trampy and holding a bottle of Moet. Second, it has the greatest LL lyrics ever: “I’m the type of guy who’ll take you to breakfast, lunch, dinner and breakfast” not to mention “you’re the type of guy who likes to drink Olde English / I’m the type of guy to cold put on a Pamper.” LL rapped like he had nothing to prove to anyone, which made it so dope.
Eli Escobar Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Yo Jay I thought everyone liked “People’s Instinctive…” the best also! It certainly has the highest ratio of club classics on it. Plus not so much Phife and lyrically Tip was at his best here. But yo I’m really not mature enough to accept your LL Cool J, Run DMC and Public Enemy opinions, you’re out your damn mind!!!! C’mon b every song on Radio, Bigger and Deffer and Mama Said… are incredible. EVERY SONG! You mean to tell me you sit through “Two Different Worlds”? PUH LEASE. Also, “Fear Of A Black Planet” (and it pains me to say this) is kind of a mess. The focus they had on the previous album has clearly been lost a bit. Chuck slipped a lot as an mc and the beats just sound like madness not controlled funky madness. I’m talking about half the album. The other half (which is made up of a lot of previously released material) is perfect. I’m not even addressing your Run DMC comment! I’m outta here.
jzone Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:01 am
I had Mama Said..as LL’s best El! But cmon, the fact that the hard joints on Walkin With A Panther were so hard…dog…I can overlook the ballads. When he said

“Youre the typa guy, eatin a…TV dinner/ Talkin bout…god damn it imma KILL her!”

he just deaded your argument!!! Hard!!!
rek Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:07 am
wuttup j-zone

love this post. people love to talk shit and get mad when you disagree. the worst is when they go on a sporadic name-droppin’ spree in the middle of an argument to prove NO point.

anyway. my unpopular opinion is that eminem’s encore album was one of his best. The beats were on point and the rhymes were some of his most imaginative and coherent. Also, that album was where he took his flow to another level. Some of the songs on there were horrible (Puke, Crazy in Love) but I still have that shit in rotation.

“hate hate hate hate!”

rek
Ig’nant Witted » Blog Archive » J-Zone’s Got Unpopular Opinions! Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:12 am
[...] danteross.com/blogs/jzone/2009/06/29/j-zone-10-unpopular-hip-hop-opinions/ [...]
monster from yonkers Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:43 am
yo man nuff said throw the 2nd dnice and 3rd bass and its on. im a 2nd album lover my self(fuck that yo bum rush the show wasnt a p.e album) but foabp is.
jzone Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Word to Derelicts Of Dialect. WAY better than Cactus album IMO.
ralphykid Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Peace to J-zone aka Captain Backslap….what up

I agree about it was written being slightly doper than illmatic. no one wants to hear that argument, whatever, fuck em’

Not sure if this unpopular or not but i feel that Pauls Boutique > Licensed to Ill

fuck it I might even say Check your head > Licensed to Ill

The production alone is not enough to justify this for me, but the rhymes got iller as well. I think they stopped trying to be a white Run-Dmc and came into their own style with Paul’s and Check your head

Professor Booty > all Beastie songs, fuck it

i’ll add more later. PEACE!
ralphykid Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 10:24 am
whoops i meant to say “production IS enough”, meaning the production was way doper!!!
Eli Escobar Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 10:25 am
“It Gets No rougher” might body any other hard LL joint I’ll give you that J. But Mama Said had “To the Break of Dawn”
GAME OVER!!!
Eli Escobar Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 10:29 am
and let’s not forget about “the Breakthrough” on BAD. (you knew you couldn’t write about LL and not expect me to flood the comments section!!)
jzone Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 10:38 am
yo El i SAID that MAMA SAID…was his best. HANDS DOWN!!! Never said it wasn’t. And I agree on To Da Break Of Dawn. Top 3 dis record ever. But I still say Panther is #2. I like Bigger and Deffer too, but “Droppin Em’” is also raw as shit. Ralphy I agree 100%. Paul’s Boutique was buy far the best Beastie album. Check your head was better than License to ill too. I didn’t like the Beastie Boys at all until Pauls Boutique. License to Ill is just the best for vocal samples IMO.
chriswalters Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Life After Death is weak. I know Biggie was a legend and all, but you’re gonna go drop slow jams and dance in plastic suits and shit with Diddy after you rap about “I don’t give a fuck if she’s pregnant, gimme the baby rings and the number one mom pendant”!?! RIP BIG, but they should have released that album as a “Softer Side to BIG” that you buy on late-night TV.
WhippaWhipDaTHIRD Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 10:45 am
+ 1 with Chris Walters.

Also, why is Grand wizard Theodore not more revered than Grandmaster Flash??? He is obviously a better DJ, more influential and the guy has updated his style unlike Flash who still spins like its 1985, B!
jzone Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 10:51 am
The hard joints (and even some of the party joints) on Life After Death were crazy. Had it been stripped down to a single CD, it may have been a closer match between that and Ready to Die. Diddy had his fingerprints on that one, but in 1997 it was all about flossin. Ready to Die wins all day IMO, but hey…keep in mind the title of this post!
BPM Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 10:57 am
My unpopular opinion is that the Bitchwhippaz are the kings of parody rap and the Lonely Island dudes ain’t got shit on them.
Eli Escobar Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Oh yeah… I shoulda actually read your post hahahah! Ok here’s my contribution:
I never understood the hoopla surrounding “Enta Da Stage”
All the Black Moon singles were incredible and the B Sides set a new standard. But the album… I felt like when it was released sounded dated by at least a year and the production really amateurish. Especially when compared to the amazing work on the Smif n Wessun album. Plus all the song titles were so cliche by that point (”Shit Iz Real”, “Son Get Wrec” etc.). They sound like ONYX throwaways!

Oh yeah and “Check Your Head” better than “License…” ?? Yo did a influx of crack just hit Jamaica Queens??
Sunez Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 11:03 am
These are good arguments. I don’t see the ATCQ Peoples’ as all that. Like 3 Feet, that shit was a little corny to me. Low End and Midnight are perfect albums to me. Their MCing was perfect.

I like the Rakim argument but I don’t agree with it. I think all the Eric B&Rakim albums are incredible. Don’t Sweat is a classic that no one admits. Still, Paid In Full’s filler is only the Eric B DJ cuts. This album has too many signature quotables to not be the best. It’s not really whether the other LPs aint as good; it’s that they could never have such power like that one. The argument is peace because Rakim never really diminished in skill. He actually got better to me.

It Was Written is lyrically tight and at least equals Illmatic but Nas came off a little phony talking bout shit like he a killer (like Biggie running with Raekwon’s shit)and Pac bombing him takes down the album some notches LOL, and all the “knowledge” dropping shit with no substance (i.e. confusing the understanding of the Gods and Earths with alotta other shit. Saying he’s God then talking bout a God in the sky, sayin he don’t fuck with the Gods then “Peace God” …but that’s his whole career right? LOL)

I agree with Fear over It takes a nation.

Wu Forever is the most lyrical album of all time. RZA was at his peak lyrically for one. Ghost and Rae dominated. GZA repped while Masta Killa surprised wonderfully. Also, for me “Triumph” is the greatest beat of all time.
Liquid Swords production by RZA takes it over Words From Genius. What about Cold World, Duel of Iron Mic and Swordsmen verses?!!

My unpopular opinions are that Liquid Swords is greatest solo album of all time. Liquid Swords is a better album than Illmatic. Cuban Linx (a duet album to me) is the greatest album of all time. Digable Planet’s Blowout Comb is the most slept on album of all time. Biggies Life After Death is 15 songs too long and is a weak 2.5 out of 5. Tupac is an actual MC and a great one. The Roots are nothing without, and only worth listening to for the legendary Black Thought. And that’s a powerful reason.

Peace,
Sunez Allah
Peace, Sunez Allah
chriswalters Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 11:07 am
I think that all the harder songs get negated by the songs about flossin. I mean, I get that all the attention given to BIG changed his style and everything to a certain degree, but I can’t even listen to that album without being a snob towards it because of Ready to Die and how that album gets me amped up and ready to punch the shit out of people (and I can’t fight to save my life). Nothing against Biggie, because who the fuck wouldn’t rather rap about positive things instead of living in a shitty part of Brooklyn doing whatever it takes to make money/survive/etc., but I still think that all of the harder songs really lose something because they’re lumped in next to R.Kelly verses.

Oh, and remember Ma$e? I guess that flat, monotone style with lyrical gems like “stay humble, stay low, blow like Hootie” really didn’t work out so hot.
jzone Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Damn EL! I can’t win with you, but we used to argue about this shit in college so its all good, lol. I gotta revisit check your head again, but besides brass monkey and a few others, i wasnt into licensed to ill like that. the mix on enta da stage was awful, but thats what added to it. buck was soundin crazy on “niguz talk shit”, i love that damn song.. “when i shoot the crossbow inside the ho”…who in brooklyn in 1993 had a god damn crossbow?!!? thats what makes it so ill! i liked the hard buckshot stuff on the album way more than the laid back stuff on the singles (wasnt that into “i got ya opin” version on the “12″ cause i was done with the barry white sample by then), but all the b-sides were straight murder, dope. “killin every nigga…”, “murder mcs”, “act like u want it” and “fuck it up”…all dope. yea nas’ image was kinda see thru, but in terms of straight rhymin…it was written had that. im just goin on rhymes alone. as for wu solo shots (outside of words from the genius, lol) i have to go with cuban linx or liquid swords. disc 1 of wu forever alone was better than 36 chambers. add triumph, impossible and dog shit to that…theres no contest. i went to college with ma$e. back then it was all about the #1 & #2 jerseys…lol.
ralphykid Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 11:42 am
This one has gotten me into sum heat over the years:

Ironman has always been my favorite Wu album. I’m not gonna say its greater than Only Built for Cuban Lynx, but I will say its just as good.

The production was way fuckin ill, that teddy p sample, al green sample, the classic bob james sample on daytona500..i could go on

And the lyrics..shit, just as good as Only Built if not better, coke talk for days, sex talk, ill story telling, AND THE BEST CAPPADONNA VERSE ever recorded (winter warz)

I could go on and on about why Ironman is the shit, and possibly my favorite hip hop album ever, but i’ll end this long winded opinion with this summary:

Ironman = Only built for Cuban Lynx ( which are both greater than Enter the 36 Chambers)
Stretch Corleone Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Great blog, J. My unpopular opinions:

-I could never really get into the first Leaders Of The New School album for some reason. But I loved their second one.

-Tha Doggfather is just as good as Doggystyle, and sometimes I even like it better. “Gold Rush” is one of the most slept-on posse cuts of all time!

-The Diary is my favorite Scarface album.

-The Coup’s third joint Steal This Album (an album that NEVER gets mentioned on any “best of” lists) was my favorite hip hop album from 1998, rivaled only by Gang Starr’s Moment Of Truth.

I’ll think of some others later. Peace.
jzone Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Ironman was dope too, I ain’t mad at that. I put all the pre-1997 Wu solo shots except Tical over 36 Chambers. Wow, the LONS first one. When it came out I wasn’t that into it…but now its one of my favorites. Love that album. But I will say TIME is unfairly hated on. Don’t think its better than the first, but “Syntax Era” was my shit and people werent ready for it. Good album. Diary is dope too.
DJ HasH Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Great post! I feel you on a lot of your “unpopular opinions” J-Zone. “Walking With a Panther” is actually my FAVORITE LL Cool J album with “Mama..” coming in 2nd. I still bump “Walking..” Songs like “Droppin’Em”, “Nitro”, “Why Do You Think They Call It Dope” ,& “It Gets No Rougher” are all timeless classics to me. Not to mention the songs you already mentioned. Special Ed’s “Legal” was incredible too. I use to practice all of DJ Ackshun’s scratches until I got em right. Even if I lost a few needles and records in the process. Lol

I have quite a few “unpopular” Hip Hop opinions but I’m going to show you how big my balls are and give you what I think is my biggest one. Only wifey and a few close friends know this one. BUT I’m probably the only man on the planet that copped Brian Austin Green’s album “One Stop Carnival” and the only one that liked it! You know the cat from the TV show 90210. Before you crucify me, hear me out. I had just read a Vibe article where they CRUCIFIED Brian Green for rappin and putting out an album which they said was wack. And they crucified Slim Kid Tre from the Pharcyde for workin with Brian. So I was at a bargain bin and they had the album. Curiousity was killin me so I listened to it at the listening station. To my surprise the album was pretty tight. The album featured Slim Kid Tre of The Pharcyde and the Black Eyed Peas when they were dope “pre-Fergie”. Brian did all the production which was actually tight. It had the same West Coast production style that was popular in the 90’s (i.e Pharcyde , Heiro, etc.). Brian rapped with the high pitched squeaky rhyme style that was also popular on the West Coast in the 90’s (i.e Pharcyde, Ahmad, Another Level, Wascals, etc.) so if you could tolerate that then you were good. So I copped the album for 99 cents and I still play it til this day. There I said it! Let the screams of blasphemy and off wit his head BEGIN!!! lol
Leo Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
It was written was better that illmatic over all to me!! Resonable Doubt is better than both……
Kool ade Kam Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
TIM DOG!!!PENICILLIN ON WAX!!!

I’m sorry N.W.A. But, Tim Dog won the battle! i’ll always hold ya’ll in the highest respect. But, i really gotta say this is by far the most gangsta album ever! lol. I mean come on! he made the song “Fuck Compton!” who makes diss songs like this? NOBODY!!”

Plus you got Ultramagnetic helping with project. I love this album. On average i listen to it 3 straight times, when its in my rotation lol.
Bottoms Up Productions Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Nice post, J - I live for discussions like this.

I’m always going back and forth between “People’s Travels” and “Low End Theory” as my favorite Tribe album. Agreed that, despite a few choice jams, “Midnight Marauders” is last out of that holy trinity.

As for my personal unpopular opinions - I might have to say that “The Ruler’s Back” is Slick Rick’s best album, not “Great Adventures of”. Don’t get me wrong - that’s certainly no slouch. “Mona Lisa” (my current ringtone), “Hey Young World”, “The Ruler’s Back”, and “Treat Her Like A Prostitute” speak for themselves. It’s just that, if we’re going by sheer numbers here, I dig more tracks off his second album. I think a lot of people slept on that gem, seeing as it dropped right before Rick got put away for 5 years. Both of my brothers even maintain that “Moses” is a strong candidate for his best SONG, period.

Plus, despite being good, I’ve always felt that “Children’s Story” is a little overpraised. There, I said it…!!!
jzone Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
yo kam…the best 3 rap albums ever…amerikkkas most wanted, fear of a black planet and penicillin on wax…in that order! that tim dog album is the most entertaining rap album ever made.
jzone Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
And YES! I swear by the Ruler’s Back for beats. I go with Great Adventures for rhymes, but I didn’t like the beats on it besides “Moment I Feared”, “Hey Young World” and “Lick The Balls”. What Vance gave him for Rulers Back was way better. Word to “Tonto”!
chriswalters Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Oh, and Prince Among Thieves is the best rap album EVER.
Ap Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I completely agree on the Eric B & Rakim album brotha… I’m friends with legendary bass player Anton Pukshansky… and he mixed that entire album in 24 hours. They had a deadline. And he didn’t get credited for it. Anyone know why that blank spot is in Back To The Lab?
KERS HLH Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
I agree on Business As Usual. Fear of a Black Planet, & Tougher Than Leather. Eric B & Rakims best lp to me is Let The Rythm Hit Em & Tribes is Low End Theory. I also would like to say that I think both biggie & Pac are overated & they not even the best dead emcees, Big L & Big Pun wipe the floor with them. shit, I’ll take subroc over Pac any day, n he’s the dj/producer. U know what, MF DOOMs best album is Madvilliany, not Operation Doomsday. Now What!!!
Jesafa Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 6:49 am
Far be it for a white boy from OC to join the blasphemy, but Follow the Leader is not only the best Eric B and Rakim album, It’s the greatest rap album ever.

“Music mixed mellow maintains to make
Melodies for mc’s motivates the breaks”

WHAT!

Sorry man, I had no idea where the albee square mall was, and I was 12 years old, if mom heard me talk like sex, I was no longer a smooth operator but Following the Leader.

This is a lesson if ya guessin and if ya borrowin
Hurry hurry step right up and keep followin
The leader

And everyone has been trying since.

Over rated? Every song Tupac has ever recorded.
jzone Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 7:16 am
Let The Rhythm Hit Em was a masterpiece (and I met Anton P. once as a shorty when I was interning at Power Play Studio in Long Island City). Follow the Leader was hard, Don’t Sweat The Technique was slept on crazy. All 3 are way better than Paid In Full, but people don’t see it because Paid In Full was the first impression and it had all the classic singles. I’m surprised that a lotta people agreed with me on Tribe. My boys was hatin on me crazy hard because I didn’t like Midnight Marauders when it dropped. I wasn’t a Phife fan (esp. post Low End Theory). Peoples… was mostly Tip and was very musically ambitious at the time. 16 years have passed, and my opinion hasn’t changed. But “Steve Biko” is my joint, that beat is fuggin craaaaazy!
Amadeo Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I’ve been saying the same thing about It Was Written for years. When people find a good album people always want the artist to keep making that same album again and again for the rest of their career. Nas, acted like some time had passed and reflected that things had changed and that was a great album.
KERS HLH Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Nas might’ve grown as