5 mic albums

[Dangerous A 0]

Most rap/hip hop fans are aware, The Source has a mic rating system they took from Rolling Stone magazine. 5 Mics is the top award an album can achieve, at least in the eyes of The Source magazine. Of course, anything like this is subjective and the last 7 years under Benzino have really been scrutinized by many fans of the magazine and hip hop in general.

 

I feel some albums, for one reason or another, should be added to 5 mic status. I figured I'd start up a thread as to what TSM hip hop/rap fans feel are 5 mic albums and debate whether current 5 mic rated albums really belong. Here is the current list of 5 mic albums as rated by The Source...

 

Run DMC- Raising Hell & Run DMC

 

LL Cool J- Radio

 

Beastie Boys- Licensed to Ill

 

Boogie Down Productions- Criminal Minded & By All Means Necessary

 

Eric B & Rakim- Paid in Full & Let the Rhythm Hit' Em

 

Big Daddy Kane- Long Live the Kane

 

EPMD- Strictly Business

 

Jungle Brothers- Straight out the Jungle

 

Slick Rick- The Great Adventures of Slick Rick

 

NWA- Straight Outta Compton

 

Public Enemy- It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

 

Geto Boys- Grip It! On that Other Level

 

The DOC- No One Can Do it Better

 

Ultramagnetic MC's- Critical Breakdown

 

A Tribe Called Quest- People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm & The Low End Theory

 

Brand Nubian- One For All

 

Ice Cube- Amerikkka's Most Wanted & Death Certificate

 

De La Soul- De La Soul is Dead

 

Main Source- Breaking Atoms

 

Dr Dre- The Chronic & The Chronic 2001

 

Snoop Dogg- Doggystyle

 

Wu Tang Clan- Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

 

Nas- Illmatic & Stillmatic

 

Notorious BIG- Ready to Die & Life After Death

 

Mobb Deep- The Infamous

 

Scarface- The Diary & The Fix

 

2Pac- Me Against the World & All Eyez on Me

 

Raekwon- Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

 

Fugees- The Score

 

Jay-Z- Reasonable Doubt & The Blueprint

 

Outkast- Aquemini

 

Lil Kim- The Naked Truth

 

 

 

I don't know about Lil Kim's album here. I'll admit I haven't heard it, but is it 5 mics? Also, I personally liked ATLiens better than Aquemini. Not saying Aquemini doesn't belong, but if it does, then ATLiens belongs as well.

 

As for stuff that should be in, just off the top of my head...

 

DMX- It's Dark and Hell is Hot

 

Eminem- The Slim Shady LP

 

GZA- Liquid Swords

 

 

Of course this is all subjective and that's what will make this good discussion. What deserves 5 mics in your opinion that didn't get it and what 5 mic album is perhaps a bit overrated?

[Henry Spencer 0]

De La Soul- De La Soul is Dead

 

This one over 3 Feet High & Rising?

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

I really think Onyx - Bacdafuckup is a 5 mic album.

 

I can replay that CD without skipping a track, and it actually has some cool skits. Plus it's very innovative for that hardcore grimey style used by many rappers today like DMX, Xzibit, etc. Classic songs like "Throw Ya Gunz", "Shiftee", "Slam", and many others.

 

Lil Kim's "The Naked Truth" was actually an good cd, but it was no 5 mics IMO, More like 4 mics.

 

I don't think the "Blueprint" was 5 mics, still a very good album, I thought "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1" was better though.

 

I agree that "ATLiens" should be there, but I personally thought that "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik" was their best album.

 

Big Pun "Capital Punishment", Redman "Whut? Thee Album", Redman "Dare Iz a Darkside", The Roots "Things Fall Apart", and Tha Dogg Pound "Dogg Food", Nas "It Was Written", Sticky Fingaz "Black Trash", Royce Da 59 "Rock City" were all 5 mics to me. I can problay think of a few more.

[Man Who Sold The World 0]

MF Doom "The Mouse and The Mask". Dangermouse owns.

 

Honorable mention to Common "Be".

[Carnival 0]

I 2nd the vote for DMX - It's Dark and Hell is Hot

 

Eminem - The Eminem Show - Picking the best Eminem album is really hard to do cuz they are so different. SSLP - yeah, it was great overall, but listening to it now you can tell that he wasn't very polished. The beats didn't fit well with his voice. MMLP - that was way hotter and is more popular, it some SSLP-esque tracks, and it doesn't really have a weak point. But for me Eminem Show is his finest. I think most people would vote MMLP, but it's all about how you like your Eminem, I personally want sick rhyme after sick rhyme, all killer, so to speak.

 

Those are really the only 2 that I would add. I'm way picky on what I would consider to be a 5 mic album. I can't really say that any of those don't deserve to be on there, as I haven't heard them all completely. The only one I would throw off, of the ones that I heard would be Chronic 2001. Way too many tracks where he was trying to promote new rappers.

 

Since I don't think everyone will be as picky as me about this I will throw in some I think are ALMOST there, 4.5 for sure.

 

Tech N9ne - Absolute Power

Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP

Master P - Ghetto D

Juvenile - 400 Degreez

[Black Lushus 0]

I really think Onyx - Bacdafuckup is a 5 mic album.

 

I can replay that CD without skipping a track, and it actually has some cool skits. Plus it's very innovative for that hardcore grimey style used by many rappers today like DMX, Xzibit, etc. Classic songs like "Throw Ya Gunz", "Shiftee", "Slam", and many others.

 

It doesn't happen often, but I agree with Evander here...you can listen to this album from top to bottom. Also, for those of you with the boom booms in your cars, the bass is niiiiice.

 

Chronic 2001 shouldn't be on there...it was okay, but doesn't hold a candle to The Chronic.

[Dangerous A 0]

Chronic 2001 to me is a borderline album as well. It's a great album, but it's more 4 and a half mics and not quite 5. Same with Stillmatic. Very good, but perhaps more on the cusp of 5 mics.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Chronic 2001 to me is a borderline album as well. It's a great album, but it's more 4 and a half mics and not quite 5. Same with Stillmatic. Very good, but perhaps more on the cusp of 5 mics.

 

It Was Written was better then Stillmatic.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

Deltron 3030

[Black Lushus 0]

Chronic 2001 to me is a borderline album as well. It's a great album, but it's more 4 and a half mics and not quite 5. Same with Stillmatic. Very good, but perhaps more on the cusp of 5 mics.

 

It Was Written was better then Stillmatic.

 

WTF man, the world is in chaos...another point I completely agree with.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Yep, it's a travesty that Liquid Swords was left off.

[Dangerous A 0]

Here's another album that is 5 mics to me...

 

 

Cypress Hill- Cypress Hill

 

Their first album was on hit. They got progressively shittier as time went on, but this first album is a classic to me. Hand on the Pump still gets me in an ass kicking mood to this day.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I no longer read the Source, but their rating system is probably the best around. They won't give 5 mics unless an album really, really deserves it. Once they retroactively assigned 5 mics to Run DMC, EPMD, etc. they pretty much nailed every great album in rap's short history.

 

The only album I can see that is missing is Eminem's The Eminem Show. The definitive album of the most important rapper of the past 5 years. It has to be on there.

[Black Lushus 0]

Good call, DA.

 

many may not agree, but Westside Connection's 1st album was fantastic...maybe not 5 stars, but pretty damn close.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Good call, DA.

 

many may not agree, but Westside Connection's 1st album was fantastic...maybe not 5 stars, but pretty damn close.

 

The first Westside Connection was great, but I don't know about 5 mics. The thing about their rating system was 4.5 mics was perfect for albums that were fantastic, but just missed that extra something that made them a classic.

 

I just thought of another one... Paul's Boutique by the Beastie Boys. A step up from their classic debut and exhibit A in the argument that sampling is a musical artform in its own right.

[Dangerous A 0]

Redman "Whut? Thee Album",

 

 

Totally forgot about this. I would have no issues if this was rated 5 mics.

 

Beastie Boys have a bunch of albums on that 4 and a half mic status like Ill Communication and Paul's Boutique. PB is really close to 5 while Ill Comm. is really, really good, but not nearly as influential and more just a solid album. I think PB would be more a 4 and 3 quarter mic album if there ever was one.

[EricMM 0]

No love for Jay Z?

 

Well.

 

I've never listened to his entire album(s) but he has always seemed impressive to me.

 

Moreso than DMX...

[Dangerous A 0]

No love for Jay Z?

 

Well.

 

I've never listened to his entire album(s) but he has always seemed impressive to me.

 

Moreso than DMX...

 

 

Jay-Z has 2 albums rated 5 mics.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

No love for Jay Z?

 

Well.

 

I've never listened to his entire album(s) but he has always seemed impressive to me.

 

Moreso than DMX...

 

 

Jay-Z has 2 albums rated 5 mics.

 

I personally find the Black Album to be on the same level as Blueprint and Reasonable Doubt, but I seem to be in the minority on this one.

 

DMX doesn't deserve much credit. His first album was his best, but not historically important.

[EricMM 0]

Blah I'm blind.

[Dangerous A 0]

Agreed, DMX isn't great, but that first album was and still is the shit. It holds up and I think it's 5 mics. After that, I'd have trouble giving DMX's other work anything above 4 mics except maybe Grand Champ.

 

Black Album is in some ways better than Blueprint. I think Blueprint gets a lotta love because of the time period it was released and the time capsule people relate the music to. If you were to tell me that Black Album would overtake Blueprint as a 5 mic and Blueprint take a step down, I would agree.

[Carnival 0]

I'm a pretty big DMX fan, but besides his first album, I wouldn't give any of his other efforts even 4 mics.

[Dangerous A 0]

Same here. He has a bunch of great singles on his other albums, but Dark and Hell... is great all the way through. His other albums have either great singles or a bunch of really skippable garbage tracks.

[EricMM 0]

What about some lesser known stuff?

 

I've always heard Mos Def has some really good albums.

 

Some of that Handsome Boy Modeling School stuff is really really cool.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The rating system tries to identify a classic album, something of lasting impact and importance. Just because something is good doesn't mean it should be mentioned in the same breath as some of the aforementioned classics, or at least that's how I've always interpreted it. Mos Def doesn't really have anything in his catalgoue that can be identified as defining moment in hip hop.

[Carnival 0]

Which is why i might nominate those Master P and Juvenile albums, they were classics but not lyrically amazing.

[Dangerous A 0]

The rating system tries to identify a classic album, something of lasting impact and importance. Just because something is good doesn't mean it should be mentioned in the same breath as some of the aforementioned classics, or at least that's how I've always interpreted it. Mos Def doesn't really have anything in his catalgoue that can be identified as defining moment in hip hop.

 

Good statement. An example is PE's Fear of a Black Planet. That's an excellent album with a ton of memorable tracks, but there's nothing there that is really important that you can't get from It takes a nation....

 

Mos Def is a great MC and his albums are very good. Because of the social nature, he will have longevity as well, but he just doesnt' have that one album that really goes past what he's already done. Same thing with a guy like Common. I'd say the best albums out of these 2 off the top of my head are Blackstarr with Talib Kweli and Be. To me these are very good and I have both in my collection, but I'm still hesitant to say they are 5 mic status.

[EricMM 0]

So essentially an album has to be popular and at least gold multiple times to be 5 mic?

[Black Lushus 0]

Master P's Ghetto D, to me, is the album that really jump started that whole Southern Crunk crap, so it could warrant an arguement for 4.5 or 5 mics...plus it was actually really good on top of that. One of the few Crunk albums I can listen to, 400 Degreez being another.

[Dangerous A 0]

So essentially an album has to be popular and at least gold multiple times to be 5 mic?

 

Not necessarily. I mean, Get Rich or Die Tryin has made money hand over fist and I'd fight to say it is not a 5 mic album.

 

You sort of have to look at the list and see that those albums were influential and had an impact on hip hop. Either that or it's THE very best and peak of a particular time in hip hop.(ex would be Eric B & Rakim, not groundbreaking, but the best of it's kind at the time)