1. Wu Tang – Enter the Wu (Mixed martial arts & rap.)
2. Prince Paul – A Prince Among Thieves (Great concept and concept album even with all of the skits.)
3. Dr. Octagon (Kool Keith) – Dr. Octagonecologyst (A surgeon who’s an extraterrestrial time traveling gynecologist.)
4. Handsome Boy Modeling School – So…How’s Your Girl? (First installment of a bugged out concept, where they parodied the upper class’ supermodels and what not.)
5. Gravediggaz – 6 Feet Deep (Attempted to resurrect the mentally dead from their state of unawareness and ignorance.)
Honorable Mention:
Tony Touch – 50 MCs (For his 50th mixtape, Tony Touch began the 50 MCs concept, where he got 50 emcees to drop freestyles. I didn’t include it because technically it was a mixtape.)

Ready to Die – Biggie – It was basically a movie to your ears.
Donuts – J Dilla – This is one of those albums where the next song connects with the previous song and you need to listen to the whole album.
Capital Punishment – Big Pun – The most lyrical album that I’ve ever heard, even more lyrical than Nas’ Illmatic.
Paid in Full – Eric B. & Rakim – Ahead of it’s time, and also it was more than a hip-hop album with songs like Extended Beat and Chinese Arithmetic.
Untitled – Nas – How many rappers out there do you think is willing enough to name their album “N*gger”? Too many people who saw the word and automatically thought it was a bad title were the reason why the album was untitled.

Sticky Fingaz-Black Trash: The Autobiography of Kirk Jones
a tragically overlooked 5 mic quality concept CD.
Masta Ace Inc.-Slaughtahouse
basically a CD that just parodied gangsta rap, but was poignant somehow.
De La Soul-De La Soul Is Dead
burying the personas from their debut was a brave move.
DJ QBert-Wave Twisters
no rapping, but scratched in dialogue about an intergalactic dentist coming to save the original 4 elements of hip hop from extinction.
Aceyalone-Book of Human Language
not enough people heard it. you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Biggie- Life after Death
WuTang Clan – Enter the Wutang
While I don’t like him I have to say
Eninem Slim Shady
Aaliyah- Aaliyah
Nas – Illmatic is a maybe on my list. great album…not sure how many points i give it for creative.
Though personally I think Jay Z Grey Album was highly creative for hip hop though you knocked that out when you said copying wasn’t creative.
I feel like there should be some mention to Outkast and Public Enemy as well though not sure if you’d count Flava Flav as hip hop instead of rap. Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle is in the same boat. Run DMC- Raising Hell.

Madvillainy by Madvillain (MF DOOM and Madlib)
Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers by Wu-Tang Clan
Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) by Digable Planets (Took the Jazz Hip-hop thing to a perspective of being entirely Hip-hop and entirely Jazz)
The Holocaust by The Holocaust (Produced by Blue Sky Black Death)
The Return of Dr. Octagon by Dr. Octagon (Kool Keith)

(no real order)
1) Freestyle vs. Written – C Rayz Walz & Kosha Dillz
2) Deltron 3030 – Deltron 3030
3) The Unseen – Quasimoto
4) Wu Tang Clan Meets Indie Culture – Wu Tang Clan
5) Mo’ Mega – Mr. Lif (idk. its just seems like it to me)

1. Prince Paul – A Prince Among Thieves
2. MF Doom – MMM…Food.
3. Masta Ace – A long hot summer.
4. Common – Electric Circus
5. The Roots – Do You Want More ?!!?!
I should probably put something by Del but i wont.

1. 2pacalypse (Tupac)
2. The Seventh Seal (Rakim)
3. Reasonable Doubt (Jay Z)
4. Ready to Die (Notorious BIG)
5. Illmatic (Nas)

1 Speakerboxx/ love below – Outkast
2 Rising Down – The Roots (very different)
3 A Prince Among Thieves – Prince Paul
4 Step In The Arena – Gang Starr
5 The Low End Theory – ATCQ
I am taking Outkast off because it has been cited and replacing it with Nia – Blackalicious

1 Speakerboxx/ love below Outkast
2 Electric Circus Common
3 Aquemini Outkast
4 Phrenology The Roots
5 Chronic 2001 Dr Dre

I cosign with the users above who said
A Prince Among Thieves
Endtroducing
6 feet deep
Dr. Octagonecologyst
Madvillainy
I thought the unseen was a great album but I didn’t think The Unseen was as unique because I heard many of the breaks before on other hip-hop records

I can only think of 1.
One of my fav’s A Prince Among Thieves. I know you have heard it so I do not have to explain it, it was fiyah!!!!

Prince Paul- A Prince Among Thieves
Jedi Mind Tricks- The Psycho-Social LP
Dr.Octagon-Dr.Octagonecologyst
Cannibal Ox-The Cold Vein
Slick Rick-The Great Adventures of Slick Rick

Mos Def – Black on Both Side
WuTang Clan – Enter the Wutang
NWA – Niggaz4life
DR Dre – The Chronic
Outkast – ATLiens
Tell me what you think…

black sheep- a wolf in sheep’s clothing
masta ace- disposable arts
ultramagnetic mc’s critical beatdown
wu tang clan- 36 chambers
odb-return to the 36 chambers

in no order…
The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
Illadelph Half-Life
The Minstrel Show
The Low End Theory
Cuts for Luck & Scars for Freedom
All Souled Out
@Frumdamentalz—YO, that 50 emcees is a classic. Just like Doowop’s 95 Live.

eminem – slim shady lp

BAD BOYS

dr dre 2001

no deltron 3030?
i thought someone would at least mention that?