Top 25: The Best Hip-Hop Albums of '08

[Hyypia1981]

fkin hip hop !

[jkal4u]

GREAT LIST, ignore the haters, there's a few here I'm gonna have to check out but the fact that you know your hip-hop, especially the underground makes me so glad that people still listen. Jesus Christ, BSBD is definitely a group that is definitely not recognized enough, same with CYNE. If you listen to the Cunninlynguists then you've got me won over. Much respect. You can't name all the great artists, this is a PERFECT condensed list.

[ABNORMAL77]

@ThatOneGuy107 cos it aint the 90's no more

[BigShow604]

wher the fuck is L.A.X.???

[murph277v]

where the fuck is american gangster by jayz ...lyrically that is the best album of the 00s

[KountdownKing]

@murph277v that's '07 buddy.

[murph277v]

@KountdownKing swear it was 08! ny way classic album all the same

[eXpLiiiSiT]

12 people expected "Tha Carter III".....

You see what i did there?^

[rodenrren2]

what song is that on the intro of this vid?

[Creixhitme]

I'm very impressed, you know your shit. They were all very dope albums, and Elzhi's album was very good, as well as every single album on here, but I thought The Ugly Truth was no. 1 spot by a longshot. The Preface was very dope, I agree, very clever with good production, but I would say Prolyphic is lyrically stronger and that The Ugly Truth held a concept perfectly, and since they both had top notch production I would give it to The Ugly Truth. Still, great list, I agree almost completely.

[JayBiggz]

no danny this time?

[sp31is]

What the name of song Skillz ??( nr 22 )

[ChaosCrewLeader]

untitled should be higher and emc - the show too....

whatever... sick list

[actionjacksen88]

I really can't even say anything about the countdown that you listed except that you really know what you are talking about brother! You have got a lot of good lyricists on here and I am glad you are not like the other countdowns that people post and put up shit like Master P and Lil Wayne and label it as REAL HIP HOP.

And thank you for introducing me to many new artists.

If me tuning into all this new hip hop isn't love at first sight, I don't know what is.

[Nigger115]

One thing Untitled #1

[TheSkrtel37]

Great countdown.. You got some great albums in here, and some even greater artists. The likes of BSBD, Jean Grae, Atmposphere, CYNE, Madvillian were little heard of in 2009, some idiots are even ignorant to them now(!)

[djreal]

Nice list yo. Renaissance or Tronic was my #1

You peep Dagha - The Divorce?

[theHipHopHead]

dope list and #1 agree wit that 100%

[ernylokote]

Raw Footage?????

L.A.X.???????

Theater of the Mind????

Paper Trail????????

whats wrong with g-rap????

those should have at least been almost

[snatcherofpeachs]

Q-tip Renaissance blows my mind. One of my favorite albums of all time now. Good list.

[88Monias88]

im curious to ask where is EPMD 'We mean busisness' on that list?...

[djreal]

@88Monias88 That album was heat.

[BlingBoy909]

Raw Footage??????????

[37SD]

good list

[LILMIKESK8]

yeah guessing game was crazy

[koalakarhu007]

evidence - to be determined and 9th wonder & buckshot - ready . thats what i know hope that helps

[merkseason09]

No Panacea, they shouldn't have almost made it, THEY should've made it!!!

[Serjinho101]

indredible... the freddie joachim album "in with time" must be at least in the top 5

[iFiEND4HiPHOP]

I'm happy to see Elzhi at #1.

[Zmw192]

that nas track is dope good list thou...good job finding the real hip hop

[koalakarhu007]

what are Skillz, Evidence and 9th Wonder & Buckshot songs? plz tell

[kidfromcali22]

is there any way i can get a list of the song names? please......much love..

[seanaveryfan]

fuck i no its so sick im trying to find it

[phillfuchen]

wats the song name for number 22?

[djeduardo17]

what's the song betwen 00-07 sec....

[9Bamba5]

black milk-losing out

[invalidts2]

planet asia's pain language shudda been on there

that was a reallly hot album and shuda been in the top 10 in y opinion

[blackrob2002]

weres soulja boye ..?

shit video

[invalidts2]

soulja boy is rotting in jail right noweing chewed up by the pitbulls and beat up by the prisoners

and getting his ass rapped and b

and he sucks dick

[blackrob2002]

u lie soulja boy runs the jails

[invalidts2]

soldier girl runs prison??

ha that was funny, the yankees and u just made my night hahaha

hes gettin eatin alive and u know it

either that or he just pussied out and got arab money the soldier boy dikRyder to bail him out

and dmx would wreck him

[blackrob2002]

why he go'd to jail?

[rekenmaaropmij]

go fuck yourself you dighead, it's HIPHOP not pussy r&b mixed with rap

[blackrob2002]

i dare u to say that to me face. i do the superman and jock on u haters all day

[rekenmaaropmij]

open your webcam and I say it to your digface, I jock you on the superman all day with my haters

[xxxSirixxx]

the song at first wich name?

[cookiesncreme99]

wheres Jedi Mind Tricks - A History Of Violence?

[invalidts2]

idk, it's prolly at best buy for like 15 bucks

dont worry lol its still there

they probolly have alot of them in stock!

[invalidts2]

OH FUCK YEAH ELZHI!!!

[ZOMBIEkiLLa09]

this is a good opinion except for 5

[rhps1011]

Great post.

blue scholars should honestly be way higher they have so many legit songs. anyone from seattleknows this. check out songs like "sagaba" "no rest for the weary" "joe metro" and "coffee and snow"

[KountdownKing]

im a fan of blue scholars but i dont think they came out wit an album in 08 did they? i only remember bayani from 07

[eXpLiiiSiT]

@KountdownKing yeah bayani came out in 07 and they re-released bayani redux in 09. the oof in 09. new album coming this year though!

[00ULtRaKeBaB00]

@KountdownKing Immortal Technique's album "The 3rd world" should be number 1 and it ain't even on the list. You forgot L.A.X too!

[4thaluvofit]

New York Sucks

[cookiesncreme99]

Hip Hop was born in New York

how can New York suck?

[4thaluvofit]

It's usually deppressing, and it usually only represents black people in New York. What about the rest of black people??? Don't yall know that our black population out number both the North and West put together?

[4thaluvofit]

I'll tell you something else to. We ain't segregated out hear either. If the south use to by New York Music, till ya'll made it all about yall. So everybody started making they own shit. Resulting in the death of Hip Hop.

[4thaluvofit]

Do the math. If the majoritly of black people live in the south....where is the real money at for black music....Let me help you. IN THE SOUTH. If we don't like you....neither dose anybody else in the south. Meaning.....you can't make money!!!!

[cookiesncreme99]

Hip Hop isnt about money.

which is one of the reasons why the South destroyed our culture

[4thaluvofit]

#1 We DO NOT hip hop out here or want to. Hip Hop is up north music.

#2 I agree with you. It shouldn't be about money....but....I don't see Most Def putting out nuthin fa free either....talking bout, boot leg my shit niggahz. lol.

Hey, did you notice that you we destroyed YOUR culture. I thought we wuz all black sis. lol. Peace and luv sis.

[4thaluvofit]

After Jay-Z crokes....New York will be 100% out of the game. wow. I'll tell you a secret. Black music belongs to TN next. lol. Do you believe me? Next year TN will rise out of nowhere. WITH A COPLETELy NEW SOUND. Do you believe me? lol

[cookiesncreme99]

no.

New York is coming back. next year Papoose is coming out with his first album and trust me he's gonna be the most lyrical MC in the game.

Papoose is going to make all those southern Rappers look like a joke

[feal1]

thank you for making this

[Pieperson277]

BTW!

Gr8 choice 4 number 1 even if it isnt Jay Dee

;D

[Pieperson277]

Almost all of em are GREAT!

but.

Didnt Jay Stay Paid come out in 08?!?!?!

and if it did (cause i think it did... or early 09... i forgot)?

Cause that should be the best. ever.

in hip hop history.

ever.

all...

[shappy5858]

emc- the show can i have the song the one on youtube is completely diffrent

[Redrizzle187]

very, very good selection.you know what east rap means, respect.

[Nbapapa]

Nice list, but you should maybe just write 'underground' in the description somewhere. But nice list. Untitled could of been abit higher. and LAX could of been included. but its all good

[julama]

great list! havent been up to date with hiphop in a couple of years so a very good source to begin with. thank you!

[fleshnbone187]

Ice Cube's Raw Footage also deserved a shot. But nice list anyways, you know your music!

[cookiesncreme99]

Jedi Mind tricks - History Of Violence

Ice Cube - Raw Footage (imo)

[jdmcool24]

Why didn't you add the names of the tracks being played

[FyNest90]

ELZHI's albums was absolutely ill.

[FyNest90]

Just bought me a copy today, although it is missing a track called THE CITY (which is an AMAZING track, but isn't on the U.S. version) the album itself is SUPERB. Another good album to check out is Elzhi - THE PREFACE.

[ANDYYEEE]

Elzhi :) without a doubt

personally for me top 3 are this:

1. The Preface- Elzhi

2. Tobacco Road- Common Market

3. The Layover- Evidence

[lyricist614]

What Track is That at The start Of The Video?????

[ryanmmacoustic]

Losing Out by Black Milk ft Royce Da 5'9"

[FyNest90]

Black Milk ft. Royce Da 5'9 - Losing Out

[IRealHipHopFan]

And where's iSouljaboytellem?? Just joking, this album could only be part of the 10 worst hip hop album EVER.

[justbunk]

lol

[lippertmax]

hahaha i read your name then the first part of your comment and i thought wtf he obviously dont know real hiphop. but then i read the rest of your comment. thank god you were kidding

[IRealHipHopFan]

I think LAX should be in it.

[IRealHipHopFan]

what's the name of Skillz's song?

[azr786]

whats the song (instrumental) @ 10:52

[KountdownKing]

i made da beat myself

[IRealHipHopFan]

the beat is sick

[Nigger115]

list is garbage im mean its good but untitled is best in 08 by far

[teddy2410]

number 2 sounds like eminem XD

but nice video!

[prologikpaul]

number 21 is wrong... thats a pic of alchamist not evidence.

[KountdownKing]

u right, i messd up

[Sebbastar]

what is the song by Nicolay & Kay?

[KountdownKing]

the gunshot

[Sebbastar]

thanks man,, just ordered the whole album,, much good stuff on this list,, will you be making one when 09 is over?

[KountdownKing]

of course

[KountdownKing]

it was on my list the year before, None Shall Pass came out in '07

[Rickeeey1]

Oh srry, my mistake.

[KountdownKing]

straight

[lolwut121]

Very nice list, really liked that Elzhi cd

[songotenz02]

Does anyone know where that beat is from at the end of video? Thanks!

[KountdownKing]

i made it myself

[songotenz02]

Nice!

[athena520]

you know your shit

[thesupplierofmusic]

The only thing I don't agree with was that cymarshall law's album wasn't mentioned. Other than that it is pretty dead on.

[Nigger115]

well i guess we agree to disagree

[Nigger115]

are you on something your list is horrible nas untitled is #1 in the last 10 years let alone 08

[KountdownKing]

im not on something, i just think i listen to a little more hip hop than u do obviously since u think that untitled is the best album within the last decade, i can come up wit at least 50 albums that were better than untitled in the last 10 years

[Nigger115]

apparently you are there is n album with better lyrics a better message or anything maybe better beats but no one makes you think like nas does and he has the best similes and metaphores go ahead name those 50 albums

[KountdownKing]

madvillainy, masters of the universe, like water for chocolate, supreme clientele, reflection eternal-train of thought, desire, below the heavens, body of the life force, the big picture, all of the above, marshall mathers lp, GOD'S SON, quality control, the platform, game theory, black star, phrenology, shadows of the sun, the undisputed truth, welcome 2 detroit, rip the jacker, revolutionary 1 & 2, fishscale, the format, the mouse & the mask, minstrel show, be, slum village, pretty toney album

[KountdownKing]

a long hot summer, the ownerz...wow i can really go on & on maybe past 100 albums that topped untitled within the last decade, i didnt hate this album, but i juss didnt think it was nowhere near the top albums in the past 10 years

[BoyBlaze2002]

I think streets desciple was better as well.

[azr786]

@ Nigger115

i guess he shut your mouth right?? lol

[LeDuckDuckGoose]

Def not...Mastermind is such a better song

[nemesis700]

lol everybody on elzhi's nuts lol that lp wasnt as good as panacea's or q tip's

[streetdreams1987]

Love the list man.

Posted it on my blog:

streetagenda.blogspot

Great albums from Nas n Q-tip of course, but 9th Wonder & Buckshot, Reks, Torae, Atmosphere, Black Milk and Elzhi's albums are crazy aswell.

Peace

[antsims7]

Man thank you.. You actually hip me to some dope cats like nieve and cook and prolyphic and reanimator definately starting to feel excited about hip hop lately. Don't know if you heard of Black Spade out of St. Louis and my Crew Commoners and Kings.... We will be on the 09 list

[antsims7]

by the way some cats are complaining about your list listen first off it's his list... Make your own and two these artist on this list appreciate hip hop in its purest form and that is sooo dope...

[rebas15]

Im sorry but this is shit

the hip hop you find by tu pac,dr dre,mac 10 and ice cube

[BoyBlaze2002]

Only MCEES are on this list no bull shittin' rappers like gucchi lame, young cheezy, lil payne in the ass (lil wayne) and all them other garbage ass rappers. MCEES only. Any one can be a rapper nowadays, any one with a third of a brain, souljah boy and lil wayne already showed us that.

[nyggadyma]

hehehe lil payne hahaha you rock

[ShintoRyu]

LOLZ thanx.

[hensleyap]

This is a great list. Real Hip-hop is on a whole nother level

[lifehoops22]

does anyone da song dat plays in the beginning i'm not talking about da one on da countdown i mean the one in the first 11 seconds of the video????????

[KountdownKing]

losing out by black milk ft. royce da 5 9

[louisbike]

Your top 25 is bullshit! LAX is not even in it! Tha Carter III, Paper Trail, Ego Trippin, Raw Footage, The Cool and The Recession should be in it too.

[mrbonholio]

im sorry, the amount of sales aint shit on this list

only the music matters

[lylelammers]

first of all the Cool was released in 2007, secondly the Cool although good wasn't as good as Food and Liquor, and thirdly nice list I own like 5 of these albums including the top two, Elzhi deserved number 1 for the Preface even though I preferred his mixtapes to it, which shows how good his mixtapes are

[thespursareadynasty]

the cool wasnt as good as food and liquor?????

well thats one man's opinion.

[lylelammers]

I'm not saying the Cool wasn't sick but Food and Liquor was like Lupe's Illimatic, an instant classic for a future legend.

[thespursareadynasty]

iight i see where u commin from. i liked the cool better just because. there both sick but ye food and liquor is probably more of a classic cuz it introduced the world to lupe.

[davidtodd1987]

to louisbike, the game is average at best and LAX was bullshit, little wayne is retarded, snoop puts out an occasional hot song but has filled about 20 albums talkin the same old shit and only ever sounded consistently good over dre's old g-funk beats on the chronic and doggystyle, T.I. again drops the occasional hot track but cant keep this up for a full album, raw footage was ok but not better than anything mentioned in this list, lupe has got skills but his style is annoyin as fuk, jeezy=shit

[shishishi000]

this is shit for fuckin' NEGROS @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ fuck you all mother fucker NEGROS BITCHES@@@@@@

[thepwner2]

i make it rain with them rubles !

[DJ2Jelle]

Beautiful top 25 _O_

[Hedgerrin]

Don't sleep on that Wax and E.O.M. album called Liquid Courage.

[smile1045]

that all basically rap! not hip hop

[MFReepa]

rap is a form of hip-hop. clever dick!

[smile1045]

ya its a form dumb ass not exactly hip-hop

read it on a genre!

[DaU9]

L.A.X. should be #1 definetly best of 08. Game is best rapper alive

[MFReepa]

ure not quite sure about rap r u. ha ha the Game. wake up white boy

[DaU9]

nigga i'm black and fuck u game is sick. u ever even listened to him. he got tht west coast smooth flow

[hartz201]

I think the last time many rappers try to be like Eminem. But this is so sick and boring. Specialy the white people.

Sry if my english is bad! Im from Germany.

[jclaine]

The ability to flow isn't restricted by the color of ones skin. Its about heart, having a story to tell, and being a good writer more than the hue of skin pigment. I'm sorry your missing out on a lot of good music.

On a side note if you look back at some of the stuff em has done, one could come to the conclusion that he mimicked other white rappers style and not the other way around.

[HipHopRepresenterII]

i think reks should be no.1

[apefisk]

Where is Incise - Nobody's Story?

[thisis50Productions]

Black Milk is #1

[deucequattro2424]

Leep Panacea up there. They will be back soon with another release.

[songotenz02]

Nice ass list bro. ELZHI definitely is the #1 album of 08. Cant stop listening to that album.

[kevhar12]

Tight-ass countdown! Thanks for keeping it real.

[chrismedeiros3]

soulga boy is a joke

[Snystrom2]

Yeah, cause your a producer, and on behalf of millions of people. Man, your opionion matters sssoooo much, you know... You changed everyones mind on what they think of him, thanks for opening my eyes!!! Your a genius.

[wideout185]

but he really does suck.....BADLY

[girlvssky]

Yay Nicolay & Kay<3

[Crabpeople1]

Thanks for introducing me to Tronic. That's the best album I've found in months

[geniusgza7]

its beautiful isnt...a great album!

[yochanan4]

Correction : nº 21 is To Be Determined of Evidence, not The Layover

[therealspoogna]

i definitely agree with n.1. Elzhi Lp is inside the Top Ten of the decade. But. Untitled & Formula didn't deserve to be in this list just because of their NAMES.And at last what about Large Pro "Main Sorce"..i think it's pretty good. Anyway good list, as usual

[nycolombian91]

lol untitled doesnt dersve to be on the list? what r u sayin.

[Gbaby90rapman]

absolutely amazing list for real the only album u missed was Snowgoons, Black Snow

[ConFlowMusic]

Nas & Q-Tip. great list.

[davidinfa1]

Prolyphic & Reanimator AND CYNE!!!

GOOD LIST!!

finally i see these two on a list! =]

And thats real!

Good list!

[nYcBa11er]

Very nice list, im glad someone realized "the ugly truth" was one of the best, to me it was the best.

[icronianson]

crazy list as usual. evil jeanius and madvillany 2 was slept on this year for some reason.

[bohoo2u]

What no Soulja Boy or generic autotune rap? I am dissapointed!

Jk...nice list, haven't heard of some of these artists. Will definitely have to check them out. 5 Stars!

[AznEntOurage01]

If anything soulja boy killed hiphop. =.=

[debug1947]

Soulja boy didn't kill hiphop. He didn't own it. He can't kill it. He's just another MC Hammer making dance music.

Listen to Bun B tell it:

/watch?v=V28myKRZ8Bk

[MFReepa]

fair do's.i feel that, never heard it like that