A Decade of Hip Hop: My Top 50 [2000 - 2009]

by Kevin on January 1, 2010

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Happy New Year and welcome to 2010! After our many lists of 2009 from yesterday, I wanted to take a moment and recap the 2000′s, since we are now in a new decade. What started off as a Top 10 list, turned quickly into a Top 20, and then just really got out of control. So instead of a “list,” I’ve decided to just pay homage to my personal favorite albums of the past decade. Some are obvious, some are more underground. In no particular order, the follow albums prove that hip hop was very much alive in the 2000′s.

Related posts:

  1. Top 25 Hip Hop Songs: 2009
  2. Top 10 Hip Hop Albums: 2009
  3. OGHipHop: Top 10 Hip-Hop Videos of All Time
  4. Top 10 Most Sampled Songs in Hip Hop
  5. Freestyle Friday: 50 Cent vs. Rakim

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  • Thomas

    Outkast – Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below
    Freeway – Philadelphia Freeway
    Scarface – The Fix/Made
    Raekwon – OB4CL2
    Wu-Tang – The W
    Kanye – College Dropout/Late Registration/Graduation

    Can’t think right now.

  • Thomas

    UGK – UGK

  • Jigsaw

    Wifey put me onto Little Brother and their work is incredible but Ghost…GFK his shit is redunkulous – this was definitely his decade. I hate the Patriots but they got 3 Super Bowls so its their decade and in the hip-hop arena the only person coming close to GFK’s CONSISTENT quality output is Kanye

    Ok, so its a tie: GhostFace Killa & Kanye

  • Victor

    Nice list very close to what mine would be. Cuban Linx 2 and The Fix were good shouts from Thomas as was the Wu’s The W (underrated).

    Was defo GFK’s decade, the most consistent output on the hip hop landscape. That said in more general rap terms Jigga defo took it and is huuuge at the moment. He also had a good output as well that just tended to see saw in quality: The blueprint, bp2, black album, kingdome come, american gangster and the bp3 lol

  • Diggs

    Save for a few disagreements, this list is on point, but I don’t think there was a better alum this decade then Scarface – ‘The Fix’

  • http://kevinnottingham.com Jon Garcia

    Tanya Morgan
    so dope
    and every Little Brother piece of work available

  • http://www.100dbs.com 100dBs

    Thanks for putting me and Ryan on the list, Kevin. We are humbled!!

  • AD

    Second Eminem’s album

  • http://myspace.com/njinbeats N-Jin

    blackalicious – the craft
    zion i – mind over matter
    zion i – true and livin
    Zion i – The Takeover
    Masters of Illusion
    Motion Man – Clearing the Field
    Motion Man – Pablito’s Way
    KutMasta Kurt – RedNeck Games
    Demigodz – The Godz Must Be Crazier
    Pete Philly & Perqusite – Mindstate
    Pete Philly & Perqusite – Mistery Repeats
    Atmosphere – God Loves Ugly
    …………
    I think I will make a complete list and put it on my myspace.

  • KB

    Masta Ace – Disposable Arts

  • flip illson

    1. Kanye West- Late Registration
    2. Little Brother- the Minstrel Show
    3. Jay-Z- the Blueprint
    4. J Dilla- Donuts
    5. Common- Be
    6. Slum Village- Fantastic Vol. 2
    7. Ghostface Killah- the Pretty Toney Album
    8. Kanye West- College Droput
    9. Lupe Fiasco presents… Food & Liquor
    10. Madvillain- Madvillainy

    *Honorable Mentions:
    Outkast- Speakerbox/ The Love Below
    the album would’ve made number 6 if it was just ‘The Love Below”

    Little Brother- The Listening
    this would be number 11. but there’s no 11 spot in a top ten list.

    Lupe Fiasco presents… the Cool
    it wasn’t better than Food and Liquor… that’s all i’m gonna say.

    Ghostface Killah- Fishscale
    on some real shit, Toney ain’t never made a whack Def Jam album.

    Cam’ron Presents the Diplomats- Diplomatic Immunity
    easily the most underrated looked over album of 2003.
    the Heatmakers in their coming out party provided Dip-Set an extrordinary backdrop
    for their flambouyant yet gritty rhymes about crack, whips, and how they ain’t bitch.
    lmao…

    Freeway- Philadelphia Freeway
    the second most underrated album of 2003. Just Blaze provided Leslie with some heat
    and it showed like a mufucka.

    AZ- Aziatic
    2002′s most overlooked album. i was totally geeked when i heard “the Essence”
    was nominated for a Grammy… Nigga you James Bond!

    Jay-Z- American Gangster
    no comment.

    i’m done.

    —a dying metaphor—

  • http://myspace.com/njinbeats N-Jin

    talib kweli – quality was a big disappointment to me. i bought it on vinyl before listening to it because at this point i thought everything from kweli must be dope! :D

  • Czar

    Word! Didn’t expect to see Mr J Mederos on the list. Not because it wasnt dope but didn’t think he would be on your radar.

  • http://hadinho-figo.hi5.com Dude El Joker

    yea, i like the list, but id like to add kanye’s graduation…

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