Music for a Monday Project: What Are the 25 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time?

If anyone nominates a G-Unit record, your IP address will be blocked.

I know, I know. You're rolling your eyes; you're thinking mean things about me and this internet. Another one of these stupid internets gimmicks? I get it. This kind of project can be contrived and boring and self-involved and all that. They've been done before. Again, I know. But indulge me for a moment.

Last year, amidst a flurry of emails back and forth lamenting the current state of music criticism and the unfortunate circumstances that have given rise to all kinds of would-be taste-makers who glorify some of the worst rap music, some friends and I thought that collaborating on a top-25 albums project would not only prove to be cathartic but might also give voice to rap fans with a certain taste not common to those who would have you believe that Young Jeezy is that crack. It sounded simple enough, of course, but it never got off the ground. Over time, it also started to seem a little silly to me: the list would have plenty of Wu-Tang records, some Tribe, maybe some MF Doom, Illmatic, The Infamous, Ready to Die, and an assortment of other stuff that anyone who reads these sites would likely see coming. There is merit in such a list, of course, not least of all because my prospective collaborators write about music so well and would likely crystallize the enduring appeal of many cherished albums in a truly resonant manner. However, there would be greater merit in a more inclusive list, one compiled by a larger chorus of voices.

And that's where we're at now. We being me. I'd like to hear from everyone.

Over time, as I've made Straight Bangin' into the fledgling cultural force that is the envy of bloggers that hope to one day reach a few hundred readers, I've gotten to "know" (not biblically) so many articulate rap fans with similar interests and tastes. I've also gotten to know those with markedly different preferences but a shared passion for the music and for the dialogue it inspires. A commonality among us seems to be that few ever feel fully satisfied with the supposedly definitive lists that TV stations and magazines and newspapers and mainstream websites produce. So now might be a chance to try something different.

I'd like to see if we can't create an internets top-25 rap albums list. I would use a simple weighted scoring system to rank the records. Albums placed at #1 would receive 25 points; those at #25 would get 1 point. I'd take the mean average of each nominated record and divide it by total votes received. The records that received the 25 highest vote totals would get slotted onto the list in order of average points, from most to fewest.

This will require some effort--accurately and deliberately conjuring 25 albums takes time. If you like this idea and have a blog, please post your list. Explain your choices, don't explain your choices--do as you wish. Just let me know of the link. If you don't have a blog, shoot me an email: straight.bangin@gmail.com. If you can't think of 25, list however many you can. Post nominations in the comments section here if you'd like. By next week at this time, I'll round up early responses and see where we are. If no one wants to participate, I'll just list mine and then cry in a corner somewhere in my apartment.

What do you think?

Update 1: The responses have begun to roll in, and I appreciate the feedback so far. Please keep it coming if you want to participate. The more, the better. Literally--it will make the results far more interesting.

Update 2: Some friends raised a good point--"greatest" is an ill-defined term, and it may not even be the appropriate word. So, please give me your 25 most favorite albums, as that may make things easier for some, and remove any supposed obligatory inclusions. For instance, you need not feel compelled to include something by Public Enemy just because you think that you're supposed to.