In this booty-rap era where Hip Hop has made an ugly transition into disposable arts, going to the record shop has become a pain in the ass for many reasons. No wonder bootlegging is at an all time high. Good albums are rare to find, much more excellent ones. You'll find a new breed of dinosaurs before you find a flawless CD with a very high 'replayability' value. That's why I've delved into a stack of records spanning over a period of 30-plus years to bring you the best of the best. Take a cue from my friend Jason who often refers to a print-out copy of this list, especially when deciding what albums to purchase.

50.The Listening - Little Brother
49.Long Live The Kane - Big Daddy Kane
48.Mecca & the Soul Brother - Pete Rock & CL Smooth
47.The Sun Rises In The East - Jeru the Damaja
46.Run-DMC - Run DMC
45.40 Dayz and 40 Nightz - Xzibit
44.De La Soul Is Dead - De La Soul
43.AZiatic - AZ
42.It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot - DMX
41.Things Fall Apart - The Roots
40.Licensed To Ill - Beastie Boys
39.No One Can Do It Better - D.O.C.
38.ATLiens - OutKast
37.Quality - Talib Kweli
36.2001 - Dr. Dre
35.Capital Punishment - Big Punisher
34.Do You Want More?!!!??! - The Roots
33.Black on Both Sides - Mos Def
32.The Infamous - Mobb Deep
31.Radio - LL Cool J
30.The Slim Shady LP - Eminem
29.Mos Def & Talib Kweli are BlackStar - Black Star
28.Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A.
27.Doe or Die - AZ
26.Aquemini - OutKast
25.Liquid Swords - GZA/Genius
24.The 18th Letter - Rakim
23.The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
22.Doggystyle - Snoop Dogg
21.By All Means Necessary - Boogie Down Productions
20.Strictly Business-EPMD
19.Stillmatic-NaS
18.The Fix-Scarface
17.Criminal Minded - BDP
16.Midnight Marauders - ATCQ
15.The Chronic - Dr. Dre
14.Daily Operation - GangStarr
13.The Great Adventures of Slick Rick - Slick Rick
12.The Score - Fugees
11.Reasonable Doubt - Jay-Z
10.Death Certificate - Ice Cube
09.It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy
08.36 Chambers(Enter The Wu-Tang)
07.The Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest
06.Ready To Die - The Notorious B.I.G.
05.Me Against The World - 2Pac
04.The Diary - Scarface
03.Paid In Full - Eric B. & Rakim
02.Only Built 4 Cuban Linx - Raekwon
01.Illmatic - NaS