What's the Criteria for a CLASSIC ALBUM ?

[big_mike]

Here's my top five in no particular order:
(1) Production (start-to-finish)
(2) Lyrical skills (being an oratator)
(3) Lyrical content (message)
(4) Reaching a Mass Audience
(5) Ground-Breaking

[Hittman]

I'd Swap 1 And 2 Around.....Thats About It.  

[Shallow]

In my opinion all those points are irrelivent. The only thing that matters is time. Nothing can be an instant Classic it takes a few years to really realize what affect this album has on hip hop. The Source did not give Chronic a Classic rating, but if they new what a great influence it would have in hip hop they would have, same goes for doggystyle. An album does not have to be perfect, it just has to be loved and respected over time.

[Hittman]

In my opinion all those points are irrelivent. The only thing that matters is time. Nothing can be an instant Classic it takes a few years to really realize what affect this album has on hip hop. The Source did not give Chronic a Classic rating, but if they new what a great influence it would have in hip hop they would have, same goes for doggystyle. An album does not have to be perfect, it just has to be loved and respected over time.

Then How Can You Justify The Source Giving Jay-Z's "Blueprint" 5 Mics, Which Is A Classic Rating.

[Quadruple OG]

In my opinion all those points are irrelivent. The only thing that matters is time. Nothing can be an instant Classic it takes a few years to really realize what affect this album has on hip hop. The Source did not give Chronic a Classic rating, but if they new what a great influence it would have in hip hop they would have, same goes for doggystyle. An album does not have to be perfect, it just has to be loved and respected over time.

agree 100%.  If a cd is still in regular rotaiton within my car or discman after 5+ years, then I cna call it a classic.

About the Source, that magazine lost credibility when Made Men started popping up in every magazine.

[ImmortalOne]

All Eyez On Me and E.1999 Eternal are classics.......both albums had HUGE impact, both were bangin from start to finish, and though they werent the greatest albums lyrically, they were above average in that department. Plus, both albums are still bought and played alot today, so they are timeless.......classics. Thats the criteria for a classic in my opinion, something that changes the game and is bangin nearly or all the way through......

[Youngster323]

me personally i really dont like Skits that much, and if they do have skits let it be in the end so i can just skip it. I would call some CD's classic with no skits. but they are some exceptions

[Jome]

Me verdict matey:

(1) Production (start-to-finish)- IMPORTANT
(2) Lyrical skills (being an originator)- IMPORTANT
(3) Lyrical content (message)- Big advantage
(4) ((((Reaching a Mass Audience)))) - Not necessarily, many classics have stayed underground.
(5) ((((Ground-Breaking)))) - Not necessarily, there is records that are overlooked when released, and later it will be praised and sampled countless times.
(6) Can stand the test of time - Do I like it after a couple of years? Will people talk about it and discuss it?
(7) Consistency - I agree with the skits, they desturb the overall. And the lyrics must fit the music, not sound like some a cappela thrown in on a instrumental.

[ImmortalOne]

Me verdict matey:

(1) Production (start-to-finish)- IMPORTANT
(2) Lyrical skills (being an originator)- IMPORTANT
(3) Lyrical content (message)- Big advantage
(4) ((((Reaching a Mass Audience)))) - Not necessarily, many classics have stayed underground.
(5) ((((Ground-Breaking)))) - Not necessarily, there is records that are overlooked when released, and later it will be praised and sampled countless times.
(6) Can stand the test of time - Do I like it after a couple of years? Will people talk about it and discuss it?
(7) Consistency - I agree with the skits, they desturb the overall. And the lyrics must fit the music, not sound like some a cappela thrown in on a instrumental.

Sometimes skits arent all that bad. Look at 36 Chambers. That had a ton of skits on it, but its considered by most to be one of the greatest albums ever made.

[Jome]

Sometimes skits arent all that bad. Look at 36 Chambers. That had a ton of skits on it, but its considered by most to be one of the greatest albums ever made.

Sometimes yeah. But for the most, it's breaking up the music. If there really must be a skit, it should be funny or just really cool. Warren G have pretty good skits, Dre had good, and Redmans is sometimes hilarious, but he got to much of them, especially on Malpractice which is a good example of overusing skits. Whenever I play Malpractice I must program my stereo because you get so tired of the skits, and there's way too much.

[ImmortalOne]

Malpractice was rediculous. I think that album had more skits than songs, lol, even though alot of them were funny. The Score also has too many skits, though I still consider the album to be classic.

36 Chambers and Doggystyle both have a ton of skits but are two of the greatest albums ever. Same can be said for Cuban Linx.

[Jome]

^^^^^True true^^^^^

[I TO DA GEEZY]

groundbarking....well....i don"t qitley agree wit this cauze not all classicz iz groundbraking(regulate,makaveli,dogghystyle...etc)....tho all groundbraking shitz iz usually classicz...(chronic, straight outa compton etc).....
and as for conveying a massage....you kinda hurtin tha freedom of speach wit this shit....and equallity...lmao ...FOR EXAMPLE EM ain"t conveying no massage...but he spittz great storytellin, and sharp well structured lyricz....same goes for JIGGA...hiz content goez from self procalimin shitz (like many rapperz in tha game...)...to biographical shitz and to tha same well structured free content trackz....in all shitz gotta be aloud to be free content cauze otherwise...ya take tha right of rapperz of choosin their own content...and discriminate them 4 what they choose.
as for reachin a mass of audience....not all classicz have to be comersial....take  illmatic(at it"z time) as an example.