Classic Albums
I've been wondering for a while now, are we ever going to get another classic album out of hip hop? I'm sure that we can eventually, but will it be in our lifetimes? We all know that hip hop has been suffering lately and so there's really no reason to expect one within the next few months, but I'm talking about even from those established artists that have been established and either have come close our have already created classic albums. Some may say that it depends upon whether you're talking about an AMG rating or a just within the opinion of hip hop. I'm talking about in terms of both? Most would consider Kanye West's College Graduation a classic, which I would say that you would have a hard time arguing otherwise, but the AMG only gave him 4.5 stars. We all know that there are plenty of times when AMG can get it wrong and that plenty of times we have to just come to some conclusion by ourselves.
However, I want to know when we are going to get an undeniable classic from both standards. When will we get another Me Against the World, Reasonable Doubt, Illmatic, Death Certificate, Paid In Full, etc. All of these albums, without a doubt, were classics in their own rights and can't be disputed by anybody (AMG and hip hop fans alike). I refuse to believe that there is nobody out there capable of creating another classic album. But, I do believe that in this day and age of people trying to gain so much commercial success, that they tend to give up just enough in terms of quality in order to sell records. I think the perferct example of this is on Nas' Untitled album. That album with a few tweaks probably could have been a classic. However, where I think it suffered most with Make the World Go Round featuring Chris Brown and the Game. The song itself wasn't all that bad, but in the context of the album, it just didn't fit. Yet, every album needs one of those commercial hits, one of those songs that are going to play in the club.
Way back in the day, that's all hip hop was about was about having a good time, partying and all that, but there was still lyrical content (the beats of course were on point). Further along (mostly within the 80s and 90s), people began to incorporate more real life into their music, but they were able to have those crossover songs while still maintaining their edge. This was especially true in the 90s and can be seen with most artists that gave us classic albums such as Tupac, B.I.G., Outkast, Jay-Z, etc. Nowadays, it seems that this just doesn't happen. Where I see a lot of rappers struggling to get that classic album are the songs dedicated to the ladies. On Ludacris' Theatre of the Mind, there are three songs in a row that are dedicated to the females. I really enjoyed the album, but I felt that this altered the flow of the album and were not as strong as most of the other songs on the album. The same with T.I. on Paper Trail when it comes to "Porn Star" and "Whatever You Like". Once again, I really enjoyed both of these albums, but I feel that songs like these and those similar on nearly everybody's album, prevents them from reaching their classic status because it is more about the commercial aspect than it is just another track on the album.
Anyway, that is certainly not the only reason we haven't seen any classic albums, but what I think is the biggest one. How bout yall? Will we see another classic album and when? If you want to take it further, who will grant us with this classic album? Let me hear it. If you don't actually want to post a comment (by hitting the "Add Comment" link below), hit me at straightouttahiphop@gmail.com and let me know what you think.
Peace.
However, I want to know when we are going to get an undeniable classic from both standards. When will we get another Me Against the World, Reasonable Doubt, Illmatic, Death Certificate, Paid In Full, etc. All of these albums, without a doubt, were classics in their own rights and can't be disputed by anybody (AMG and hip hop fans alike). I refuse to believe that there is nobody out there capable of creating another classic album. But, I do believe that in this day and age of people trying to gain so much commercial success, that they tend to give up just enough in terms of quality in order to sell records. I think the perferct example of this is on Nas' Untitled album. That album with a few tweaks probably could have been a classic. However, where I think it suffered most with Make the World Go Round featuring Chris Brown and the Game. The song itself wasn't all that bad, but in the context of the album, it just didn't fit. Yet, every album needs one of those commercial hits, one of those songs that are going to play in the club.
Way back in the day, that's all hip hop was about was about having a good time, partying and all that, but there was still lyrical content (the beats of course were on point). Further along (mostly within the 80s and 90s), people began to incorporate more real life into their music, but they were able to have those crossover songs while still maintaining their edge. This was especially true in the 90s and can be seen with most artists that gave us classic albums such as Tupac, B.I.G., Outkast, Jay-Z, etc. Nowadays, it seems that this just doesn't happen. Where I see a lot of rappers struggling to get that classic album are the songs dedicated to the ladies. On Ludacris' Theatre of the Mind, there are three songs in a row that are dedicated to the females. I really enjoyed the album, but I felt that this altered the flow of the album and were not as strong as most of the other songs on the album. The same with T.I. on Paper Trail when it comes to "Porn Star" and "Whatever You Like". Once again, I really enjoyed both of these albums, but I feel that songs like these and those similar on nearly everybody's album, prevents them from reaching their classic status because it is more about the commercial aspect than it is just another track on the album.
Anyway, that is certainly not the only reason we haven't seen any classic albums, but what I think is the biggest one. How bout yall? Will we see another classic album and when? If you want to take it further, who will grant us with this classic album? Let me hear it. If you don't actually want to post a comment (by hitting the "Add Comment" link below), hit me at straightouttahiphop@gmail.com and let me know what you think.
Peace.
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