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A Beginners Guide To Rap: 5 Essential Albums For Hip-Hop Rookies

Posted by Lucas G. on 09/11/13 | Filed under Opinion

It’s crazy, outlandish, and downright blasphemous, but believe it or not, there are people out there who don’t listen to hip-hop. In our bubble, we only deal with people who live and breath the art, so sometimes we forget there is a whole other world out there. Someone recently asked me, “What albums would be good or are essential listens for someone who is just getting into hip-hop?” and it really made me think; it was harder to answer than I would have expected. There are so many songs, albums, and mixtapes worthy of our time, so how can it be narrowed down to,say, five? While it might be a difficult, I think we are up to the task.

Before we begin, there are a few things to go over. There is a ton of pressure when introducing someone to the music we love; you want them to learn about hip-hop and know the roots but you also have to find the balance between straight classics like something from Mobb Deep (which might be too advanced for a rookie hip-hop head). No denying Wu-Tang is great, but for the beginner, it is just too raw. It’s like going from training wheels to a Harley; gotta take North West-sized baby steps. So this isn’t a best of list, it is a list of albums that would get a beginner to see there is more to hip-hop than meets the eye and leave them wanting to dig deeper to find more. Now, on to the albums.

Nas- Illmatic

To be honest, I debated whether or not to put Illmatic on this list. There is no question it is one of, if not the best hip-hop album of all time, but is it too much for a hip-hop beginner? In the end, this album is too important and too good to leave out. I think of it like vegetables, you may not absolutely love them at first, but a dose of Illmatic is good for you and if you want to become a big, strong, hip-hop head, you better eat you Illmatic veggies. It might be a more street-centered sound, but there is still plenty of smoothness—“The World Is Yours” and “Memory Lane” go down easy—which wouldn’t scare away a newbie.This album could also serve as the bridge to the grittier 90’s sound. Going from no hip-hop at all to Wu-tang is a big jump, but with Illmatic serving as a bridge, you have something that can pace the transition into the grimier 90’s hip-hop like Pac, B.I.G, and Wu-Tang to name a few. You can’t really know hip-hop without knowing that era and Illmatic is the best place to start.

Outkast- Stankonia

I don’t care who you are or what you listen to, everybody knows the chorus to “Ms. Jackson” so why not show them the rest of the album? I guarantee if you told someone this was the duo behind “Ms. Jackson” they would be interested. I think hip-hop is much more experimental, creative, and original than people give it credit for and nobody shows that better than Outkast. While they really push the boundaries of what hip-hop is and are very experimental, their sound is so appealing and intoxicating. To continue with the food metaphors, Stankonia is like an appetizer sampler; you get a little taste of all different kinds of sounds and styles, that will help to expand your palate.

Kanye West- College Dropout

I feel like every list, countdown, or question of the week we do I always find myself answering with Kanye. The man is a living hip-hop legend so maybe it shouldn’t be such a surprise. Maybe I am being biased because this album helped me fall in love with hip-hop, but I think College Dropout perfect for someone new to the genre; after all, they probably already know “All Falls Down”. In addition to a crash course in sampling, lyricism, and production, College Dropout is a great starter album because it really grabs you and createsa narrative. Creating a connection with the listener through the album is something every artist should aspire to, but few can actually achieve it; Kanye does it on College Dropout. Yeezy poured his heart and soul into this album and that can be appreciated by anyone regardless of their music tastes.

Common- Be

No matter where the hip-hop fledgling’s tastes lie, I am confident they can will enjoy Common’s Be. At only 11 cuts it is short, sweet, and to the point, but don’t take the brevity as a knock on its depth. Common is a lyrical master, he tells stories and tackles real issues and leaves you feeling like you listened to something important and useful. Though this is a dense, deep album, it is so smooth and very easy to get into. Sometimes, for a beginner, certain artists are an acquired taste and have to be grown into, but Be’s brilliance is that, while it might be complex, it is still simple, and thus, perfect for someone just starting out. Add Kanye’s dusty, soulful production in and you have the perfect starter album.

Wax- Continue

I had the pleasure of checking out a Wax show a few months ago and was blown away at the diversity of the crowd; people from all walks of life were there to rock out with the versatile, creative emcee. It speaks to his original, genre-bending style that anybody can find value in. In addition to your “standard” hip-hop cuts like “Stupefied” Wax has songs that, if it weren’t for his distinct vocals, would have you thinking they were from another artist. “Get It In” sounds more like a rock song and “Dreamin” has some distinct drum and bass roots. Hell, at points Continue even reads like a comedy album, thanks to Wax’s hilarious everyman lyrics (i.e. “Gin and Tap Water”). In addition to his multi-genred approach—which might give non hip-hop heads some familiarity—Wax represents the underground community, a whole sea of artists that someone new to hip-hop might miss out on because you have to do some digging to find it; I know he helped open that door to me. Wax’s Continue is like platform 9 ¾, it opens the door to a whole new world full of wonder, delight, and of course, authentic hip-hop.

Few things are as polarizing as music—although I guess politics and religion have it beat—and when you come across someone who doesn’t share your tastes, the tendency is to dismiss them and their horrible tastes. In reality (unless they listen to Nickleback) they aren’t stupid or deserving of a verbal lashing; after all, different strokes for different folks. Hip-hop would be much better off if, instead of ignoring them or arguing, you showed them one of these albums. I hate when people who don’t know anything about hip-hop judge it. When I tell people I work for a hip-hop website I can see them shut down, because they have this preconceived notion of hip-hop. As these albums show, there is so much diversity and creativity in hip-hop and if people took the time to really listen they would see why we love it so much.

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