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Greatest debut album in rap/hip-hop history?

NEsnake12
Member Posts: 3,795
With us running out of rock albums I figured I'd get the ball rolling on hip-hop. No "major record label debut" shit, so the Slim Shady LP and others like that will come next round.
Greatest debut album in rap/hip-hop history? 38 votes
Comments
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Dr. Dre - The ChronicQuality pole. There are five or six worthy contenders there.
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NWA - Straight Outta ComptonTYFYS
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Kanye West - The College Dropout
Hip-hop artists in general put out most of their best stuff early on in their careers, when their sound/story is fresh. Hence why the 1st-3rd album polls will be stacked and then likely fall of quickly. Contrast that to the rock bands (especially the 60's ones) who often took 5+ albums to really hit the markHillsboroDuck said:Quality pole. There are five or six worthy contenders there.
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NWA - Straight Outta ComptonSOC, LTI, The Chronic (it’s amazing Dre has two albums on here AND a billion dollar company that changed the consumer landscape in America), 36 Chambers, College Dropout are all amazing.
3 Feet High and Rising might warrant some consideration as well.
DoggyStyle was sort of the Chronic II, but also excellent.
In terms of societal impact (for better or worse), I’m not sure anything piece of art has changed our culture more than Straight Outta Compton.
It was the most outlandish, over the top record ever when it came out. Now every fucking 10 year old talks about shooting people like it’s nothing.
It’s unreal how much that record changed everything. It was a bit of a slow burn, but that really was the Meet the Beatles of gangsta rap. Now basically all rap is gangsta rap -
The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To DieAm I really the only one who voted for Biggie?
Fuck you guys. Chronic isn't even a debut album. -
Wu Tang Clan - Enter the Wu TangWhile my whole high school was obsessed with dressing and looking like dumpster divers for ironic "I just don't care" conformity, stinking, not shaving lady legs, and "hacking" (which then/there meant standing in a circle and kicking a fucking beanbag), I was the one rural white boy waiting in front of the town's only record store for the store to open so I could be the first to pick up the Wu-Tang double album that was set to release that day. Got the whole football team hooked on that shit, and we used to blast ODB's "Dog Shit" on the bus on the way to games as the coaches awkwardly pretended to not hear.
With no real influences to guide me in that direction, I gravitated toward hip hop from an early age and have never liked the sound of distortiony guitars and dudes "singing"/screaming/whining 12 word songs. Always preferred the east coast sound to the west coast sound, but there's good shit all around.
I was already hip hop obsessed when the 36 chambers was released, but nothing blew me away like that before or since. The other debuts that left the biggest mark were pretty much every single Wu-Tang solo album (they're all soooooo fucking good), Busta Rhymes' The Coming, Outkast's Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik had heavy rotation for a while and was a totally different sound to me at the time (although I think ATLiens was better). Somewhat later, I was floored by the originality and quality of Quasimoto (Madlib)'s The Unseen. -
Write-InSnoop Dogg - Doggystyle
Better album than The Chronic, hands down. Chronic has a few great songs, but lots of shit tracks. Not even a contest between these two albums. Beastie Boys and 50 Cent having entries over Snoop is the crime of the century. -
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
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50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
I don't actually believe this album is the greatest, just there was a mythical hype to 50cent and it reminds me of driving around with my douchebag friends sophomore year of high school blasting two kicker 12s in Mommy's 4Runner. -
The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die
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Nas - The IllmaticCame reeaaaalllly close to voting Kanye or Biggy.
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Beastie Boys - License to IllJa fuckin Rule
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Beastie Boys - License to IllLike the obvious choice he is straight outta Compton. Sure the chronic was important and great in its own right but straight outta compton created a new musical paradigm.
Atbsivflti -
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
He's the guy that hooked up with a Transsexual, right?PurpleJ said: -
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
NOT A BIG DEALRaceBannon said: -
NWA - Straight Outta Compton
Bias gonna bias.Mad_Son said:Like the obvious choice he is straight outta Compton. Sure the chronic was important and great in its own right but straight outta compton created a new musical paradigm.
Atbsivflti -
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Dr. Dre - The Chronic
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The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To DieI knew a guy who cheated on his 8/10 pregnant girlfriend with a tranny. He got caught.
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Write-In
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Dr. Dre - The Chronic
You promised me you weren't going to tell anyone!PurpleJ said:I knew a guy who cheated on his 8/10 pregnant girlfriend with a tranny. He got caught.
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Write-In
Were you the tranny or the cheater?HillsboroDuck said:
You promised me you weren't going to tell anyone!PurpleJ said:I knew a guy who cheated on his 8/10 pregnant girlfriend with a tranny. He got caught.
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NWA - Straight Outta ComptonImagine caring about this.
How did Straight Outta Locash get excluded anyways?
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Nas - The IllmaticSome great ones listed here (Wu, Biggie, NWA), but Illmatic is one of the best rap/hip hop albums of all-time, let alone debut albums. Also, there is no "the" before Illmatic, it's just Illmatic.
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NWA - Straight Outta ComptonChronic is great, but come on. SOC redefined not only the genre but half the music played today. It was THE defining album of rap. The end.
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Beastie Boys - License to IllSwaye said:
Chronic is great, but come on. SOC redefined not only the genre but half the music played today. It was THE defining album of rap. The end.
https://youtu.be/o52clsoKW8g
One can only have one first album -
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
SOC is THE iconic rap album no question, but personally, I mean I had The Chronic on just last night. Eazy and Snoop still get played frequently. -