Tha Liks’ didn’t look to Jimi Hendrix for sonic suggestions, but for chemical inspiration. Not the acid in the headband Hendrix, but the so drunk-he-choked-on-his own-vomit Jimi–except J-Ro, Tash, and E-Swift held their liquor far better. Had they gone the other route, gobbled acid, and sampled psychedelic guitar solos, they would’ve inevitably been critics darlings–or […]

Three jerks and an SP-1200 walk into the record bins at the Salvation Army…that’s not the beginning of a joke, it’s what Pimps don’t Pay Taxes sounds like. Capturing the last gasp of Gulliani era “Fuck you, asshole!” New York and spitting it back over lo-fi 1950’s movie loops, the album casts J-Zone and the […]

In 2006, an unknown group out of Oakland dropped an album full of clubs, hoes and fly clothes. Built on blissed-out electronic rhythms inspired by the Bay Area’s Ecstasy culture, The Team composed of Clyde Carson, Kaz Kaizah and (then occasional member) Mayne Mannish seemed determined to bring the player back to national attention. Almost […]

These ballots were only mailed out to people who promised they would vote for Sage Francis and MC Lars records. Requirements for suffrage included owning at least four backpacks made of the finest Jansport and three Fidel Castro caps. Those without goatees need not apply. I informed Jonathan Bradley that if he voted for Young […]

10. 50 Cent — Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003) 50 Cent has somehow gone from beloved gangster rap underdog (Vice magazine was one of his earliest champions) to tolerated mainstream icon (complaints about Get Rich or Die Tryin’ the movie were surprisingly muted) to sneered-at, underperforming rap cliché, all in about half a decade. […]

20. Common — Be (2005) Ever held out hope that one day your favorite artist’s stars would align for them to create an opus? They’d find creative lyrics, content that matched their maturity level and a production quality that held it all together. That’s been my journey with Chicago’s Lonnie Lynn and me—he as an artist and me […]

30. El-P  — I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead (2007) The migraine mid-point between Nine Inch Nails and the Bomb Squad. Math rap. Bombs + Nails = the sort of weapon built by suicide squads intent on creating obscene carnage. If  last time, the damage was fantastic, now it’s fatal. El-P’s masterpiece is both explicit and subtle, […]

40. Nas – The Lost Tapes (2002) When Illmatic dropped, it was like the rap world stopped. It was a moment when every person that was into real hip hop paused their schedules to fully ingest, process and comprehend the dopeness that was the birth of one our greatest emcess to ever touch the mike. […]

Remastered 6 years later, here is the Best Rap Albums of the 2000's list as it was written in August 2009.