Jesster’s top 20
This is going to be hard to do but here we go:
20. Black Sabbath “Paranoid” – If you know me you’re definitely surprised that Sabbath made my list but this is a pretty dope album.. the drums and basslines are ridiculous… i.e. “Hand of Doom” and “Planet Caravan” is slooow and dope. I know some of my boys in the ROC are pretty big into sabbath. they'd dig that this album made the cut.
19. Bob Marley “Rebel Music” – hard to pick a fav Bob Marley album. But this one’s pretty funky. I remember doing a radio show called artists only that was a 2 hour tribute to bob marley. you wouldn't (actually maybe you would) believe all the stoners that called into the station with requests.
18. Charles Mingus “Mingus Ah Um” – every song on there is solid. I especially love the song “Better Git It In Your Soul” and especially the part where it breaks down to the hand clapping and shouting. If you’ve never heard this song I highly recommend checking it out.
17. Gangstarr “Step In The Arena” – classic hip hop. This is what all hip hop should aspire to be like. The art form of hip hop. Lil’ wayne needs to listen to this album about a million times before he makes his next album. this takes me back to high school rollin' in the green monster with chiwale, mike heath and my boy chris heinlein, rest in peace my man.
16. Al Green “I’m Still In Love With You” – This album was in HEAVY rotation for me my junior year at IC in t10. The second side of the album isn’t really that great, but the first five songs on this album are SO strong that it makes up for the last five. “Simply Beautiful” is kinda underrated and possibly my favorite al green song ever.
15. Miles Davis “Kind Of Blue” – I will never get sick of that album. “All Blues” is not the most famous song on there but it’s THE BOMB. “So What” and “Freddie Freeloader” are dope too. Dope Mellow and Soulful. Mike nice gives me credit with introducing him to this album, i'm pretty proud of that.
14. Jimi Hendrix "Are You Experienced” – don’t even need to say anything about this album.
13. Parliament “Up For the Down Stroke” – this is not the Parliament album that best defines the funk they were putting down… but this list is so subjective. It’s my personal favorite parliament album. The song “The Goose” is dope slow funk and “All Your Goodies Are Gone” is a bad ass song.
12. Morcheeba “Who Can You Trust?” – stumbled on this album working at Strawberry’s (I had to answer the phone “strawberry’s music movies and more, this is jesse how can I help you?").. their other albums never really did it for me but this one is incredible. That one summer I listened to this album at least once a day.
11. Michael Jackson “Thriller” - I’ve been a DJ for a long time and I’ve never DJed a party where you couldn’t throw on some MJ. Black people, white people, old people, young people … everybody can dance to “PYT” or “wanna be startin’ something”
10. Run D.M.C. “Run D.M.C.” – this album blew my mind. It was the first record that I owned. My bubbie bought it for me when I was 10. Rest in Peace JMJ .. the cut during the part where run’s like “fly like a dove, come from up above, I’m rockin’ on the mic and you can call me run-love..” is still to this day one of my favorites. I've definitely been yelled at for playing this album too loud a bunch of times.
9. The Meters “Struttin’” – got into the meters because my boy mike heath had this vinyl my senior year in high school. My boy smiddy is also a pretty big fan of this album. Hooger was a pretty big meters guy too if i remember correctly.
8. Herbie Hancock “Headhunters” – used to sample this album a ton when I was making beats on the eps or the SP1200. There’s only 4 songs on there but they’re like 10 minutes long each. Every song is worthwhile in it’s own way. At first, my favorite song on there was “Chameleon” then it was “Watermelon Man” .. lately I’ve been into “Vein Melter” but the first two we play at steinbeck’s so I have a personal attachment to ‘em.
7. The Roots “Do You Want More?” – prob not necessarily the root’s best album but it was real important to me ‘cause it (along w the brand new heavies’ “heavy rhyme experience”) showed me how dope live instrumentation was with hip hop. i remember a roadtrip from IC to the 'cuse to see them with some of the fellas from mission control. it was an outdoor concert and luscious jackson opened up for them. there was prob only 50 people or so in the crowd... black thought came out and made everyone get up close to the stage and then they just ROLLED.
6. Aretha Franklin “Young Gifted and Black” – Aretha is the best female musician of all time. This album has one of my all time favorites on there “Rock Steady” and a dope slow song “Day Dreamin'” not to mention the title track that has dope piano and of course a positive message.
Once the beat drops in “Young Gifted and Black” (at around 1:43 - wait for it, it's worth it...) she starts right up with “In this whole world you know…….” And it just flows from there. No doubt obama heard this one at some point in his life and drew some inspiration... that's what i thought of when i saw Aretha singing at the inauguration.
5. Stevie Wonder “Songs in the Key of Life” – tons of good songs on there since it’s a double album. Stevie Wonder is the shiznit. got to see him live in '08 and he was incredible, you wouldn't know he was pushin' 70 years old. my boy at work skot's daugter hope did a thing at school on stevie for black history month, i think she's 9 ... that's pretty cool.
4. James Brown “The Payback” – james being james. The song “the Payback” is obviously dope but my fav song on there is “Mind Power” and I also dig the underrated slow paced song “Forever Suffering” especially the part with the girls where they’re singin’ in the back all slow while james is going off over it. He KILLS it. "I'll give you all of my money, give you my car, i don't wanna see your face, if the police come i don't wanna know who you are. just give me back my kids!"
3. Tribe Called Quest – “People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths Of Rhythm” – gotta put this album on this list if not for anything else, the fact that it stayed in my walkman for about 8 months straight, no joke. Q-tip's probably my top emcee of all time... and phife dogg was a good compliment. got to see them live in the atl... also at one lollapalooza.
2. Tribe Called Quest “Low End Theory” – this is the best hip hop album ever, and hip hop is possibly the best music ever. The only reason this album isn’t number one is because of how dope number one is. there's no bad song on the album. from the jump this album is so tight "back in the days when i was a teenager before i had status and before i had a pager, you could find the abstract listening to hip hop, my pops used to say it reminded him of bebop..." one day i'm gonna silkscreen a shit with that quote on it. the high hat on there me and fresh would refer to as "old reliable" 'cause we sampled it only a million times.
1. Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On” – not only is this album so dope to listen to, but it’s completely relevant. The song “Save The Children” just about makes me cry every time. “Inner City Blues” could’ve been written last week and it would be just as meaningful. Marvin Gaye’s voice is dope, the music is dope, the lyrics are dope the album cover is dope. Makes you sad about how he was killed. This album should be mandatory listening for every American over the age of 24… you’ve got to have a certain sense of maturity to really appreciate it. I also love "what's happenin' brother" especially when he asks "will our ballclub make the pennant? do you think they have the chance?" .. and how appropriate is the line "can't find no work, can't find no job. money is tighter than it's ever been" ..
albums didn't make this list but easily could've:
- still bill
- giant steps
- aquemini
- ready to die
- illmatic
- roni size's 1st album
- zeppelin II
- sonny rollins "decisions"
- paid in full
- criminal minded
- youngest in charge
- headless heroes of the apocalypse
- nation of millions
- layers
- betty davis' first album
- marley marl in control vol I
- maggot brain
- de la soul is dead
- mirror conspiracy
- when it falls
- breaking atoms
- innervisions
- nina simone "i put a spell on you"
- fantastic vol II
- the platform
- miles in the sky
- stand! (sly stone)
- 36 chambers
- bizarreride II the pharcyde
- straight outta compton
- strictly business
- straight no chaser
- mingus mingus mingus
