What's the greatest hip-hop album?
EW picks 'Paid in Full' by Eric B. and Rakim
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 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 to fall short of the top 10, though the former makes it to No. 11 with "Aquemini" and Jay-Z's "The Blueprint" is listed at 15. Eminem is ranked at No. 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 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.
The List:
1. Eric B & Rakim - Paid in Full
2. De La Soul - 3 Feet high and Rising
3. The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
4. Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
5. Run D.M.C. - Raising Hell
6. Dr. Dre - The Chronic
7. Wu Tang Clan - Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)
8. Nas - Illmatic
9. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
10. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
11. Outkast - Aquemini
12. Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill
13. Gang Starr - Daily Operation
14. Ice Cube - Death Certificate
15. Jay-Z - The Blueprint
16. LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out
17. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers Album
18. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
19. The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II: The Pharcyde
20. Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
21. Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary
22. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message
23. Missy Elliott - Miss E. So Addictive
24. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
25. Aceyalone - A Book of Human Language
EW picks 'Paid in Full' by Eric B. and Rakim
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 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 to fall short of the top 10, though the former makes it to No. 11 with "Aquemini" and Jay-Z's "The Blueprint" is listed at 15. Eminem is ranked at No. 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 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.
The List:
1. Eric B & Rakim - Paid in Full
2. De La Soul - 3 Feet high and Rising
3. The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
4. Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
5. Run D.M.C. - Raising Hell
6. Dr. Dre - The Chronic
7. Wu Tang Clan - Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)
8. Nas - Illmatic
9. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
10. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
11. Outkast - Aquemini
12. Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill
13. Gang Starr - Daily Operation
14. Ice Cube - Death Certificate
15. Jay-Z - The Blueprint
16. LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out
17. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers Album
18. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
19. The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II: The Pharcyde
20. Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
21. Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary
22. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message
23. Missy Elliott - Miss E. So Addictive
24. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
25. Aceyalone - A Book of Human Language
