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50 Years of Hip Hop Album Review: Licensed to Ill, Raising Hell

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Last year was the 50th anniversary of hip hop, and in honor of this anniversary, the idea bloomed in my mind that I should review the top 50 albums of that 50 years. As I crunched together a list from various sources, 50 proved to be too restrictive- many of the classics were getting squeezed out. So, to make a little more room, I opted for 100 albums, two for each of hip hop’s 50 years.

For its formative years, hip hop was a live entertainment form, with the first recorded songs not emerging until 1979, and the first albums in 1980. So my review will cover 1980-2023, with 50 posts of two albums each. The only ground rule I made for myself (besides looking for 2×50, aka 100, albums that were widely well-regarded) was that I had to have at least one from each year. As you’ll see by and by, some years get multiple albums, but since we have 100 spots for 43 years, it tends to all work out.

And with that, let’s embark on our next installment!

Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill (1986)– It’s a little weird evaluating an album I had such a strong teen relationship with. Even at the time I rolled my eyes at some of the braggadocio, misogyny, and beer-soaked raunchiness. Nevertheless, I played it all the time, and it was totally ubiquitous in my high school social circles. I didn’t think about it much at the time, but now I also see the additional problematic nature of an album by three white boys and their white producer being the most successful hip hop album of the decade. From the perspective of several decades (eeep!), however, I am also aware that they were playing characters on this album, and that they never held their craft or their peers in less than total respect. And the sheer sonic wonder of it, from 808 beats to metal and punk samples to seamless vocal interplay between the three to the pop culture kaleidoscope background mix, actually looms larger with time. This album is in some ways the masterful third part of a one-year trilogy by producer Rick Rubin that defined an entire era of hip hop and continues to influence the genre to this day. The first installment being L.L. Cool J’s Radio, and the centerpiece being our next entry…

Run-D.M.C., Raising Hell (1986)- Run D.M.C.’s third album came together in just three months, which is impressive all on its own, but even more so given how large it continues to loom. It had the kind of serendipity behind it that one can’t plan for- the group coming off of tour with well-polished new material, and signing on to Def Jam when producers Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin were at the height of their game. The mainstream breakout of the album is the “Walk This Way” crossover with Aeromsith, which arguably resurrected that band and set the stage for their late 80s comeback. And while I do appreciate that song now, even more so than I did when it came out to saturating overplay in the 80s, on current listen the other singles on the album are the standouts- “It’s Tricky” and “My Adidas”, for example, hit just as hard as ever. In every aspect Run-D.M.C. is both perfectly channeling and surpassing their strengths on this album. I can definitely see why Raising Hell is the album many other hip hop artists cite as an inspiration and one of their all-time favorites.

If you’re curious about the sources I used to compile my list, you can check them out here:

And if you want to catch up on the previous installments, here they are…

  1. Sugarhill Gang (1980)/Kurtis Blow (1980)
  2. 8th Wonder (1981)/The Message (1982)
  3. Wild Style Original Soundtrack (1983)/Fat Boys (1984)
  4. Ego Trip (1984)/Run-D.M.C. (1984)
  5. Escape (1985)/The Treacherous Three (1985)
  6. King of Rock (1985)/Radio (1985)

50 Years of Hip Hop Album Review: King of Rock, Radio

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Last year was the 50th anniversary of hip hop, And in honor of this anniversary, the idea bloomed in my mind that I should review the top 50 albums of that 50 years. As I crunched together a list from various sources, 50 proved to be too restrictive- many of the classics were getting squeezed out. So, to make a little more room, I opted for 100 albums, two for each of hip hop’s 50 years.

For its formative years, hip hop was a live entertainment form, with the first recorded songs not emerging until 1979, and the first albums in 1980. So my review will cover 1980-2023, with 50 posts of two albums each. The only ground rule I made for myself (besides looking for 2×50, aka 100, albums that were widely well-regarded) was that I had to have at least one from each year. As you’ll see by and by, some years get multiple albums, but since we have 100 spots for 43 years, it tends to all work out.

And with that, let’s embark on our next installment!

Run-D.M.C., King of Rock (1985)– Although this album made several lists, it wasn’t nearly as highly-rated as their debut (which I covered two installments ago) or their third album (which will be in our next installment). That’s about where my assessment lands as well. The music pushes itself here compared to their first album- it leans even more heavily into sampling rock, plays with reggae, and has more varied and playful mixes. What it doesn’t have is the track after track punch, sharp vocal presence, and lyrical weight. This isn’t to take anything away from it- sophomore efforts are inherently difficult and producer Larry Smith continued the bold work he was doing all over the place in this era. And if it’s not quite as coherent as an album as what came before and after, that didn’t stop it from going platinum, or being suitably bold in staking their royal claim to simultaneous domination of rap and rock. It even includes a track written by the artist up next…

LL Cool J, Radio (1985)- I have a soft spot in my heart for this album, since it’s one of the first I bought with my own money. But it’s not here because of my partiality, it was an entry on five different “best” lists. Also, did I say “soft spot”? Because that’s not right at all. It’s a hard spot! Hard as the orchestra hits and metallic scratches, the sharp jab of the 808 beats, and the simultaneously aggressive and humorous vocal and lyrical punch of LL himself. Ahem. Okay, but again, don’t just take my fanboying word for it- the album is often cited as one of the turning points for bringing rap’s new school and volume-based boombox sound to the fore in hip hop. It’s also considered an exemplar of Rick Rubin’s spare and hard-hitting production style. Radio was a hit at the time, and it still stands up today, which is even more remarkable when you consider that LL Cool J was 16 and Rubin was a 21 year-old college student when they recorded the earliest songs from it in 1984.

If you’re curious about the sources I used to compile my list, you can check them out here:

And if you want to catch up on the previous installments, here they are…

  1. Sugarhill Gang (1980)/Kurtis Blow (1980)
  2. 8th Wonder (1981)/The Message (1982)
  3. Wild Style Original Soundtrack (1983)/Fat Boys (1984)
  4. Ego Trip (1984)/Run-D.M.C. (1984)
  5. Escape (1985)/The Treacherous Three (1985)

50 Years of Hip Hop Album Review: Escape, The Treacherous Three

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Last year was the 50th anniversary of hip hop, And in honor of this anniversary, the idea bloomed in my mind that I should review the top 50 albums of that 50 years. As I crunched together a list from various sources, 50 proved to be too restrictive- many of the classics were getting squeezed out. So, to make a little more room, I opted for 100 albums, two for each of hip hop’s 50 years.

For its formative years, hip hop was a live entertainment form, with the first recorded songs not emerging until 1979, and the first albums in 1980. So my review will cover 1980-2023, with 50 posts of two albums each. The only ground rule I made for myself (besides looking for 2×50, aka 100, albums that were widely well-regarded) was that I had to have at least one from each year. As you’ll see by and by, some years get multiple albums, but since we have 100 spots for 43 years, it tends to all work out.

And with that, let’s embark on our next installment!

Whodini, Escape (1984)– This is the second album from the Brooklyn trio of Jalil Hutchins, Ecstasy, and Grandmaster Dee. Coming off of a European tour that convinced them there was widespread appeal to rap music, they headed back into the studio with pioneering producer Larry Smith. The original plan was to go for a more rock-based sound, but hearing Smith’s work in that vein on Run-D.M.C.’s debut, the group decided for something different, working in live bass tracks and R&B-oriented syntheiszer work. The radio friendly sound that resulted was both successful (it was the first rap album to debut in the top 40) and influential- the album helped launch the “new jack swing” style of the 80s that bridged R&B and rap. It also contains One of the linchpins of the obsession with “freak” songs I formed in junior high dances, “Freaks Come Out At Night”. Talk about influential! (Note: The version linked here is a 2011 expanded edition, but if you take just the first eight tracks, that’s the original 1984 album.)

The Treacherous Three, The Treacherous Three (1984)- This album is something of a throwback (to the extent that hip hop had enough history at that point to allow for throwbacks) in that half the songs on it had originally been released in 1980/81 as singles, and had even been previously compiled in a 1983 release. When Sugarhill Records brought this Harlem-based crew of DJ Easy Lee, Kool Moe Dee, L.A. Sunshine, Special K and Spoonie Gee on board, producer/President Sylvia Robinson took the earlier singles, added three new songs from 1983 and produced what you find here. If you can find it. You can get all the songs individually and listen to them in order, which is what I did for these purposes, but despite being well-regarded and considered influential, I couldn’t find the album as a whole on any streaming service. I think it’s worth the effort to track these songs down, though, because what you’ll hear on songs like “The Body Rock”, “Turning You On”, and “U.F.O.” is the sound of transition from early hip hop party jams to the electro style that led to so much else. Miami bass, house, techno, and on and on…

If you’re curious about the sources I used to compile my list, you can check them out here:

P.S., as of this posting, we’re 10% through! If you want to catch up on the previous installments, here they are…

  1. Sugarhill Gang (1980)/Kurtis Blow (1980)
  2. 8th Wonder (1981)/The Message (1982)
  3. Wild Style Original Soundtrack (1983)/Fat Boys (1984)
  4. Ego Trip (1984)/Run-D.M.C. (1984)

50 Years of Hip Hop Album Review: Ego Trip, Run-D.M.C.

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Last year was the 50th anniversary of hip hop, And in honor of this anniversary, the idea bloomed in my mind that I should review the top 50 albums of that 50 years. As I crunched together a list from various sources, 50 proved to be too restrictive- many of the classics were getting squeezed out. So, to make a little more room, I opted for 100 albums, two for each of hip hop’s 50 years.

For its formative years, hip hop was a live entertainment form, with the first recorded songs not emerging until 1979, and the first albums in 1980. So my review will cover 1980-2023, with 50 posts of two albums each. The only ground rule I made for myself (besides looking for 2×50, aka 100, albums that were widely well-regarded) was that I had to have at least one from each year. As you’ll see by and by, some years get multiple albums, but since we have 100 spots for 43 years, it tends to all work out.

And with that, let’s embark on our next installment!

Kurtis Blow, Ego Trip (1984)– When I think of the first hip-hop I loved, I think of the fat metallic beats of the 808 drum machine, the hard-hitting flow, the orchestra hit, the aggressive echo and stutter of fast scratching and mixing, rock guitar samples. In other words, I think of the sound of 1984-1986, and this album is replete with that sound. There are moments certainly, like the mellow groove of “Falling Back in Love Again” and the goofy innocent glee of the sports fan anthem “Basketball”, that don’t hit quite that raw, but the main vibe of the album is heavy in a way Kurtis Blow hadn’t done previously on his own albums. And in that vein, it’s assuredly no accident that Run- D.M.C. show up as guests in the album’s opening track, the urban storytelling of “8 million stories”. Which brings us to…

Run-D.M.C, Run-D.M.C (1984)- I mentioned in last week’s post that there was a “class of 1984”. In 1980-1982 there were only eight hip hop albums in total. 1983 opened things up a lot, with twelve in just that year. But 1984 was really when the genre broke out- thirteen albums came out, including several classic releases. And it was also the year that introduced the hard-hitting “hardcore” sound I mentioned above to the general public. Run-D.M.C., both the group and the album, was crucial to all of this. This was the first rap record to go gold, and the album that brought hip hop to MTV. Even today, it sounds palpably powerful, and there isn’t a single track that lags. And frankly, if “Rock Box” wasn’t one of the hardest rocking songs of 1984 then I don’t even know!

If you’re curious about the sources I used to compile my list, you can check them out here:

And if you want to catch up on the previous installments, here they are!

  1. Sugarhill Gang (1980)/Kurtis Blow (1980)
  2. 8th Wonder (1981)/The Message (1982)
  3. Wild Style Original Soundtrack (1983)/Fat Boys (1984)

50 Years of Hip Hop Album Review: Wild Style Original Soundtrack, Fat Boys

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Last year was the 50th anniversary of hip hop, And in honor of this anniversary, the idea bloomed in my mind that I should review the top 50 albums of that 50 years. As I crunched together a list from various sources, 50 proved to be too restrictive- many of the classics were getting squeezed out. So, to make a little more room, I opted for 100 albums, two for each of hip hop’s 50 years.

For its formative years, hip hop was a live entertainment form, with the first recorded songs not emerging until 1979, and the first albums in 1980. So my review will cover 1980-2023, with 50 posts of two albums each. The only ground rule I made for myself (besides looking for 2×50, aka 100, albums that were widely well-regarded) was that I had to have at least one from each year. As you’ll see by and by, some years get multiple albums, but since we have 100 spots for 43 years, it tends to all work out.

And with that, let’s embark on our next installment!

Various Artists, Wild Style Original Soundtrack (1983)– This is the soundtrack of Wild Style, a groundbreaking film from/in celebration of the New York hip hop culture of the early 80s. If the film is considered seminal, the album is even more so. It features a variety of styles, often harder-hitting than the “feel good party music” side of hip hop that had mostly appeared on albums up until then, is replete with the sounds of early turntabilism, and has contributions from a host of artists who were key figures in early hip hop but didn’t release their own albums in that era (including production work from Fab Five Freddy). It’s also a bit of a difficult album to lay your (virtual) hands on- there’s the original 1983 version, but what you’ll mostly find on streaming is a 1997 re-issue that drops a few tracks and adds a few more, or the 25th anniversary two volume edition that has almost but not quite the original as disc one and then a bunch of additional material and alternate tracks as disc two. Whichever way you end up going, though, it’s well worth the listen!

The Fat Boys, Fat Boys (1984)- If you remember mid-80s hip-hop from the mid-80s, you perhaps remember that it was often, for want of a better word, goofy. The Fat Boys as a general phenomenon, and this album in particular are an exhibit par excellence of that principle. Which is not by any means to say it is bad- it’s 1984 after all, so are we any goofier here than Huey Lewis? And in fact, this album has a lot to recommend it- it’s maybe the first album to introduce the beatboxing sound, is loaded with clever and playful sound production, and even manages some genuinely subversive coded messaging in the opening track about ending up in jail due to eating too much. The excellence is no accident- in addition to the native charm and talent of the Brooklyn trio, the album brings Kurtis Blow on board as producer and enlists pioneering drum machine and bass producers Larry Smith and Davy DMX (who also worked with Run-D.M.C.) in creating the sound. It’s also one of the first albums, along with several other members of the class of 1984 (more on this coming up next time) to shake the genre’s early insecurity and put out an all rap album from start to finish.

If you’re curious about the sources I used to compile my list, you can check them out here:

And if you want to catch up on the previous installments, here they are!

  1. Sugarhill Gang (1980)/Kurtis Blow (1980)
  2. 8th Wonder (1981)/The Message (1982)

50 Years of Hip Hop Album Review: 8th Wonder, The Message

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Last year was the 50th anniversary of hip hop, And in honor of this anniversary, the idea bloomed in my mind that I should review the top 50 albums of that 50 years. As I crunched together a list from various sources, 50 proved to be too restrictive- many of the classics were getting squeezed out. So, to make a little more room, I opted for 100 albums, two for each of hip hop’s 50 years.

For its formative years, hip hop was a live entertainment form, with the first recorded songs not emerging until 1979, and the first albums in 1980. So my review will cover 1980-2023, with 50 posts of two albums each. The only ground rule I made for myself (besides looking for 2×50, aka 100, albums that were widely well-regarded) was that I had to have at least one from each year. As you’ll see by and by, some years get multiple albums, but since we have 100 spots for 43 years, it tends to all work out.

And with that, let’s embark on our next installment!

The Sugarhill Gang, 8th Wonder (1981)– The critics were not too kind to this album. So what, you might ask, is it doing here? One thing to keep in mind is just how in its infancy the genre was at this point. In 1980-82 there were a total of eight hip hop albums released. Just eight! So we’ve actually reviewed half of all the hip hop albums then in existence in this post and the previous one. The other relevant fact is that the critics are blue meanies who can kiss my tuchus. I find the sound here to be wall to wall fun! As with their debut album which we reviewed last time, there’s a lot here that isn’t exactly hip hop. On the other hand, it’s not exactly not. The funk/soul/disco sounds here have much more sizzle compared to last time, and are freely combined with rap, instruments and mixing and drum machines blending back and forth track by track. This is the electro genre being born. And , while there are some cringy things about “Apache” from a modern cultural sensitivity point of view, sonically it’s brilliant sampling of the classic 60s instrumental, and the album contains maybe the first honest to goodness rap battle, “Showdown” which has Sugarhill facing off with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. All-in-all, a worthy time capsule of hip hop in its early days.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, The Message (1982)- If the Sugarhill Gang was a bit of a pre-fab group, Grandmaster Flash was the real deal- he was a leading DJ, foundational in creating cutting and scratching and had his own group going before signing on to Sugarhill Records. That being said, the opening track, “She’s Fresh” has a lot in common with 8th Wonder, in the sense that it’s a song that could serve as an early 80s soul/funk number, but is also rap- once again, it’s the electro style being born. And this carries through several subsequent tracks. There is of course the masterful “The Message”, which is often considered the birth of the genre’s capacity for social realism and political consciousness. The standard story is that the group was reluctant to include it on the album because of the serious turn, but I observe that “It’s a Shame” has a social focus as well, and “You Are” does a straight-up religious theme, so they don’t seem to have been shy about tackling substance. There’s also some great sampling of “Genius of Love” and “It’s A Shame” along the way, brilliant cutting and mixing of a dozen records on “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheel of Steel” (from the UK version of the album) and a track that’s a touching tribute to Stevie Wonder. All the way around, this album well deserves its classic status.

If you’re curious about the sources I used to compile my list, you can check them out here:

And if you want to catch up on the previous installments, you can find them here!

  1. Sugarhill Gang (1980)/Kurtis Blow (1980)

50 Years of Hip Hop Album Review: Sugarhill Gang, Kurtis Blow

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While still plugging along on rounding up the 23 best albums of 2023, I’m beginning a new review this year. Last year was the 50th anniversary of hip hop! The legend goes that on August 11, 1973 DJ Kool Herc was DJing a party for his sister at a rented community room in an apartment block in the Bronx. He tried out a new style he’d been working on, where he would use multiple turntables to extend and mix the drum breaks of songs, with he and his fellow DJ Coke La Rock talking over the beats.

In honor of this anniversary, the idea bloomed in my mind that I should review the top 50 albums of that 50 years. As I crunched together a list from various sources, 50 proved to be too restrictive- many of the classics were getting squeezed out. So, to make a little more room, I opted for 100 albums, two for each of hip hop’s 50 years.

For its formative years, hip hop was a live entertainment form, with the first recorded songs not emerging until 1979, and the first albums in 1980. So my review will cover 1980-2023, with 50 posts of two albums each. The only ground rule I made for myself (besides looking for 2×50, aka 100, albums that were widely well-regarded) was that I had to have at least one from each year. As you’ll see by and by, some years get multiple albums, but since we have 100 spots for 43 years, it tends to all work out.

And with that, let’s embark!

The Sugarhill Gang, Sugarhill Gang (1980)– I’ll open by noting that this album didn’t make many “best” lists. But I’ve included it here for the simple reason that when it came out in February 1980 it was the first hip hop album ever. Sort of. The “sort of” being that while the Sugarhill Gang released one of the first commercial rap recordings with “Rapper’s Delight” in 1979 (and scored the first top 40 song for the genre), this album is only half hip-hop. Sugar Hill records founder and hip hop recording pioneer Sylvia Robinson wasn’t sure the market would support an entirely rap album, so three of the tracks are competent, albeit not historically significant, soul/disco outings. Still, this was hip-hop’s first foray, and the three tracks that are on the album- “Rapper’s Delight” with it’s classic “Good Times” sample from Chic (it even starts with the first recorded use of the name that the genre would bear: “Hip-hop, hippie to the hippie, to the hip-hip-hop and you don’t stop”), “Rapper’s Reprise” (which, mysteriously, is the first track despite the title), and the dynamic “Sugarhill Groove”- are delightful. While the group was assembled by Robinson for the express purpose of recording hip hop and founding her record label, there’s no denying the founding importance of Wonder Mike, Big Bank Hank, and Master Gee.

Kurtis Blow, Kurtis Blow (1980)- This album did make many lists. And is also not purely a hip hop album! There’s the yearning and simple soul song “All I Want in the World (Is to Find That Girl)”, and a somewhat out of place but rocking and fun cover of Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Taking Care of Business”. But the balance is shifted from Sugarhill Gang‘s 3:3 to 5:2, so hip hop is winning! This also represents the first major label recording for the genre, as it was released by Mercury Records. It wasn’t really a huge stretch for them, as they had a large soul, funk, and disco roster, but still worth noting. Kurtis Blow himself hailed from Harlem, and was only 20 when his breakout single “The Breaks” was released in 1980. That’s worth keeping in mind, because even at that young age he was influential- listening to the five hip hop tracks here, I was struck by just how sampled and lyric-checked they were by the Def Jam crew later in the 80s.