Entertainment Weekly: Eric B & Rakim's "Paid In Full" is greatest hip-hop album

[*Jamal*]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Picking the greatest ever hip-hop album is a tall order and Entertainment Weekly admits its list marking 25 years since the birth of mainstream rap is subjective, with Eric B & Rakim at No. 1.

"Eric B. & Rakim's 'Paid in Full' made hip-hop a true art form, doing for rap what Bob Dylan (news) did for rock in the mid-'60s," the magazine said of the 1987 album which it praised for its technical intricacy and poetic metaphors.

Some of today's big names such as Outkast and Jay-Z may be disappointed not to make it into the top 10, although the former makes it to 11 with "Aquemini" and Jay-Z's "The Blueprint" is listed at 15. Eminem (news - web sites) is at 17 for "The Marshall Mathers LP."

"It's not a record sales list," said Neil Drumming, one of the writers at Entertainment Weekly who picked the top 25.

"Most of the people you find on the list or not on the list, rappers in general, are going to reference Eric B. & Rakim as a seminal rap group," he said.

In second place the magazine picked the 1989 album "3 Feet High and Rising" by De La Soul, followed by "Ready to Die" by Notorious B.I.G. from 1994. Public Enemy and Run-D.M.C. make up the rest of the top five.

"It's an endless source of debate even after it's published," Drumming said.

The publication of the list on Friday marks the 25th anniversary of hip-hop as a mainstream phenomenon, which the magazine dates from 1979 when the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" landed on the R&B charts, making it hip-hop's first hit single.

"A lot of people didn't believe it would last, what people are acknowledging now is that it's not a fad," Drumming said.

[BIG.DADDY]

i"ll take 7 Mc's put them in a line
and take 7 more brothers that think they can rhyme
well it'll take 7 more before i go for mine
now that 21 mc's ate up at the same time.

Wasn't NOBODY spittin like that before Rakim. He transcended the game.

[Lincoln]

2nd greatest in my opinion. Absolutely incredible album.

[*Jamal*]

2nd greatest in my opinion. Absolutely incredible album.

What's 1st?

[Lincoln]

2nd greatest in my opinion. Absolutely incredible album.

What's 1st?

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back by Public Enemy.

[I TO DA GEEZY]

Paid In Full is one of the most fundamental bricks of modern Rap...I think his choice is understandable.







p.s as for Arafat's pic in your sig(as disturbing as it is), When Arafat does "V" it don't mean "peace" it means "Victory"

[Lincoln]

Paid In Full is one of the most fundamental bricks of modern Rap...I think his choice is understandable.







p.s as for Arafat's pic in your sig(as disturbing as it is), When Arafat does "V" it don't mean "peace" it means "Victory"

Thanks, I'll change it.

[*Jamal*]

p.s as for Arafat's pic in your sig(as disturbing as it is), When Arafat does "V" it don't mean "peace" it means "Victory"

Thanks, I'll change it.

LOL.. I thought you were going to change the pic, but instead you just changed the word under it...

[smartass]

lol @ mmlp and blueprint

fuck outta here

[Kill]

lol @ mmlp and blueprint

fuck outta here

blueprint................o....kay...........................MMLP NEVER

[Shallow]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

If Ready to Die is in the top 3 then MMLP should be in the top 25. Impact means as much as quality.

[white Boy]

^ what about all the cds that paved the way for eminem... its not even considered a classic.. its not flawless.. its a good cd thats it

[Ras Kass' Toothpick]

Paid In Full is a great choice.  (It's my #1)
I'm surpised De La and Biggie made it over Nas and Dre.


Top Five:

Paid In Full
Illmatic
The Chronic
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
The Low End Theory

[eS El Duque]

^ what about all the cds that paved the way for eminem... its not even considered a classic.. its not flawless.. its a good cd thats it

em was on some "big daddy kane shit" Quote from Yellow Brick Road

[Kill]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

If Ready to Die is in the top 3 then MMLP should be in the top 25. Impact means as much as quality.

impact = sales ??