Hip-Hop is firmly entrenched into the American musical landscape, having emerged out of American politics and musical styles a mere 42 years ago. It can be a divisive genre, though, and those out there who claim not to really feel it perhaps have only ever been exposed to its mainstream radio braggadocio. In actuality, hip-hop’s roots stem from the much older works of jazz, funk, and soul, and extolling those roots may make certain records accessible to naked ears. With that in mind, we’ve selected 10 albums for the hip-hop skeptics and novices that show how the genre is dynamic, musical, unpredictable and compositionally rich. Think of ‘em as the gateway drugs to hip-hop and ch-check it out below (listed in chronological order of their releases). And when you’re ready to graduate to the next stage of hip-hop, take a listen to 12 Classic Hip-Hop Albums That Deserve More Attention.
1. Digable Planets, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space)
This is one of the original breakthrough jazzy hip-hop albums and Digable Planets are just so effortlessly cool with it. The trio features the hip male vocals of Butterfly and deeper-voiced Doodlebug, contrasted with the confident flow of a female vocalist in Ladybug Mecca. Horns and stand-up bass lines abound on Reachin’, often blurring the line between jazz club and hip-hop show. The album shot up to the top of the U.S. Rap charts in ‘93, largely on the strength of their unique male/female chemistry and defining attention to jazz at just about every turn. Digable Planets forever immortalized what it meant to be “Cool Like Dat.”
2. Jurassic 5, Quality Control
Jurassic 5 has four MCs, all with completely different styles and voices, yet somehow, they manage to roll them all into one glorious harmony. The music is produced by DJs Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark who quickly became leaders in the modern turntablism movement. Quality Control polished off the underground rap sound into something that touched mainstream radio and was just an all-around friendly listen. Chali 2na’s signature bass voice, makes it seem like the jolly green giant is rapping and singing along to tracks with jazz samples, as MCs Mark VII, Akil and Soup, back him up on the mic. As time wore on, Jurassic 5 transcended hip-hop and brought a new audience into the genre at the peak of it’s Golden Age.
3. Deltron 3030, Deltron 3030
Deltron 3030 serves as an introduction to the hip-hop concept album. Dexterous producer Dan the Automator ropes in an MC with a distinct quirk and whimsical personality in Del tha Funkee Homosapien (he’s Ice Cube’s cousin) and brings a turntablist in Kid Koala along for the ride. Deltron 3030 tells the story of Del, a rap cyborg, fighting against the tyranny of an intergalactic oligarch through hip-hop. It’s super sci-fi and Del’s flow is one of the zaniest and most complex string of bars you’ll ever hear. The album was a cult classic and still stands as a benchmark in the art of a concept album.
4. RJD2, Dead Ringer
One of the most accessible instrumental hip-hop albums, Dead Ringer followes in the mold of DJ Shadow’s landmark Endtroducing in being comprised entirely of samples. Sample-based music critics be damned, as RJD2’s music became a staple in everything from TV commercials to the opening credits of Mad Men. What RJD2 managed to do was to take music we never knew was timeless, and stitch it in a way that made it so. Dead Ringer is notable for its prowess in beat construction, and creating ballads out of instrumentals.
5. Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere
The purpose of St. Elsewhere, was to capitalize on the enormity of hip-hop, pop, and soul audiences, and for that, it’s the perfect addition to this list. Producer Danger Mouse brings an eclectic music mix to the table, that paired fluidly with Goodie Mob MC, Cee-Lo Green. On the strength of the global-smash single “Crazy,” Gnarls Barkley and Cee-Lo himself, became household names. From a “Gone Daddy Gone” Violent Femmes cover, to the signature cymbals of “Just A Thought” and the happy-go-lucky “Smiley Faces,” St. Elsewhere extracted the Southern soul of Goodie Mob, and presented it in a package that welcomed new audiences to one of hip-hop’s most gregarious MCs and one of it’s most prolific producers.
6. Kid Cudi, Man on The Moon: The End of Day
Man on The Moon mobilized entire factions of millennials, but it’s beauty is in Kid Cudi’s simple, yet emotionally-packed rhymes. The beats skew towards the spacey, on tracks like “Soundtrack 2 My Lyfe”—a track that also has a pronounced guitar riff that never leaves the bars from the second it opens—to the funk rock explosion of “Enter Galactic (Love Connection Part 1).” Cudi is such a likable dude, that even when he’s musing in his own little incarnation of emo, he appeals to a broad spectrum of listeners. This is especially apparent on “Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)”, featuring both MGMT & Ratatat, for an incredible result of hip-hop and rock fusing together.