Rap Concept Albums as viewed from USA
(Updated 20/7/2020) criteria adjusted to include verbal coherence and breakthru’s muscally)
(criteria adjusted to include verbal coherence and cultural breakthru’s)
Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet, 1990
De La Soul – De La Soul is Dead, 1991
Ice Cube – Death Certificate, 1991
Scarface (with crew) – We Can’t be Stopped, 1991
The Goats – Tricks of the Shade, 1992
Dr Dre The Chronic, 1992
Showbiz w AG – Run Away Slave album, 1992
Wu-Tang Clan – Enter The Wu-Tang : The 36 Chambers, 1993
Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders, 1993
Cypress Hill – Black Sunday, 1993
Nas – Illmatic, 1994
The Notorious B.I.G. – Ready to Die, 1994
Scarface – The Diary, 1994
The Pharcyde – Labcabincalifornia, 1995
Kool Keith (as Dr Octagon) – Dr Octagonecologyst, 1996
OutKast – ATliens, 1996
Fugees (with Lauryn Hill) – The Score, 1996
Nas – It Was Written, 1996
2Pac – All Eyes On Me, 1996
Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt, 1996
Busta Rhymes, The Coming, 1996
Redman – Muddy Waters, 1996
The Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death, 1997
Public Enemy – He Got Game, 1998
Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, 1998
Aceyalone – The Book of Human Language, 1998
Blackalicious – Nie, 1999
Prince Paul – A Prince of Thieves, 1999
Deltron – 3030, 2000
Eminem – The Marshal Mathers LP, 2000
Jay Z – The Blueprint, 2001
Aesop Rock – Labor Days, 2001
Masta Ace – Disposable Arts, 2001
Sticky Fingaz – Black Trash: The Auto biography of Kirk Jones, 2001
Mr Lif – I Phantom, 2002
Missy Elliott – Under Construction, 2002
King Geedorah – Take Me To Your Leader, 2003
MF Doom – Mm… Food, by 2004
The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come for Free, 2004
Little Brother – The Minstrel Show, 2005
The Reavers – Terror Firma, 2005
MF Doom with Dangermouse – Danger Doom, 2005
CunninLynguists – A Piece of Strange, 2006
Tanya Stephens – Rebelution, 2006
M1 – Confidential, 2006
Talib Kweli & Madlib – Liberation, 2007
Jay-Z – The American Gangster, 2007
Talib Kweli – Ear Drum, 2007
88-Keys – The Death of Adam, 2008
Immortal Technique, The Third World, 2008
Kid Cudi – Man on the Moon: End of the Day, 2009
Brotha Lynch – Hung Dinner and A Movie, 2010
The Roots – Undun, 2011
The Coup – Sorry to Bother You, 2012
Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, 2012
Dead Prez (M1 & Stic.man) – Information Age, 2012
Wordsmith – The Blue Collar Recital, 2013
Ghostface Killah & Adrain Younge – Twelve reasons to Die, 2013
Pharoahe Monch – PTSD, 2014
The Roots – And Then You Shoot Your Cousin, 2014
Lupe Fiasco – Tetsuo & Youth, 2015
Common – Black America Again, 2016
Beyoncé’s – Lemonade, 2016
Tyler the Creator – Flower Boy, 2017
Kendrick Lamar – Damn, 2017
Hermit and the Recluse – Orpheus and The Sirens, 2018
Lupe Fiasco – Drogas Wave, 2018
Tyler, The Creator – IGOR, 2019
The Lonely Island Presents: The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience – 2019
The lack of women above seems unlikely… would welcome suggestions or comment…
A list of key British Rap albums will follow.
This list was an addendum to a review of RED DAYS by John Roberts that stimulated me to expand my knowledges. In short the idea is that concept albums signify a historically new entry of a class (above black mainly working class men) onto an assertively writerly cultural stage, on their own terms.
Blog review of RED DAYS here
