So, you're looking to form a first-class rap collection? Allow me to help. I will begin with the greatest in my opinion...


THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. aka BIGGIE aka BIG POPPA aka FRANK WHITE

<Product Not Available: B0000039PW> - Best Album Ever. This album contains no filler and each song contains brilliant rhymes and stories that keep you thrilled throughout.

Life After Death - A double-disc classic of epic proportions. Hardly any real filler and Biggie's rhyming diversifies throughout. His stories are excellent ("Somebody's Gotta Die"), his darkness is apparent ("You're Nobody"), and his view towards the future ("Sky's The Limit") is depressing.

Born Again - Unfortunately, this is a major disappointment since most of the songs contained recycled verses and there are too many guests. However, songs like "Dead Wrong" and "Who Shot Ya" are excellent.



Unfortunately, the next greatest rapper (in my opinion) was a former friend of Biggie's, turned enemy...



TUPAC SHAKUR aka 2PAC aka MAKAVELI

2Pacalypse Now - Excellent debut from the deep and emotional 2Pac. He began showing his rebellious nature and passion for his music with each of these heartfelt songs. The stand-out is definately "Brenda's Got A Baby".

Me Against the World - Probably the album where 2Pac begins to transform into a star. He really shines here as he matures in the rap game with classics such as "So Many Tears" and the titular track.

All Eyez on Me - Classic double-disc on the scale of "Life After Death". Pac pours out all of his emotions on here and you can see how hungry he was. So many of these tracks are classics in his collection.

The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory - Pac's 1st posthumous album (under the alias of Makaveli) is also his most angry. You can see that much of this album was created while he was in the midst of his attack on the East Coast. However, it is still very good.



2Pac's entire library has great songs and although his posthumous albums are too long and have a lot of filler, there is classic Pac material in them all.



JAY-Z aka JIGGA aka HOVA

Reasonable Doubt - After BIG's albums, this is my favorite East Coast rap album. This is Jay-Z at his rawest and most honest; back when he was Jay-Z the hustler, not Jigga or Hova. All of the tracks are excellent really and the beats are great however, "Brooklyn's Finest" with Biggie stands out.

In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 - Hov's most underrated album. It doesn't match up to his debut but this is some very good hip-hop. Songs like "Streets Is Watching" and "Imaginary Player" are excellent and "You Must Love Me" may be his most emotional song to date.

The Blueprint - Possibly Jay-Z's most heartfelt album as he goes through numerous emotions throughout "Blueprint". The album starts off with a blast with "The Ruler's Back" and Jay immediately claims NY's throne with "Takeover", a brutal diss directed at Nas. However, the album is great right through album's titular, final track.

The Black Album - Ah yes, the supposed final album from Jay-Z. He does not disappoint. This album is excellent and he says all he can with this album. No guest appearances are welcome as we are simply given 14 tracks of pure Shawn Carter.



Jay's other albums aren't as good as these 4 which define his career. In my opinion, Vol. 2 is overrated & too commerical. Vol. 3 and Dynasty are good but there are too many guests and some weak tracks throughout. Blueprint 2 is way too much filler and a huge disappointment.



NAS aka NASTY NAS aka NAS ESCOBAR

Illmatic - Classic. 10 tracks of pure poetry as Nasty Nas' skills shine throughout. He delivers such deep and complicated rhymes that vividly describe the streets where he grew up. A must have.

It Was Written - This is the same case as Jay-Z's sophmore album: underrated but not as good as the debut. Nas goes too commercial on some tracks but songs like "Affirmative Action", "I Gave You Power" and "The Message" are excellent.

Stillmatic - Nas not only gives out an excellent response track to Jay (the unbelievable "Ether) but also delivers an amazing comeback. It's nice to see Nas abandon his "Escobar" ways for the most part as he lays out classics like "One Mic" and "Rewind". However, there are a couple of missteps...

Lost Tapes - Great Nas album. Although they are all "abandoned" songs, they all should have been put on "I Am" and "Nastradamus". There is no real "single" on here but all of the songs are very good.



Nas' career is solid considering it's longevity but he's had some let-downs. "I Am" is a good album but there are some weak tracks on there. "Nastradamus" is probably his worst album but it's better than a lot of other rap. "God's Son" is very personal and emotional but there are some bad songs also. "Street's Disciple" is a double-disc with mixed results; some great topics but still, some filler.



CORMEGA aka MEGA

The Testament - Mega's sort of debut is excellent. It was created in the late 90's but not released until 2005 due a battle over the rights. Some very good material such as the titular track, "Montana Diary" and "Dead Man Walking". Mega is very old-school in his approach and it is phenomenal.

Special Edition - This is a double disc CD that contains both "The Realness" and "The True Meaning". Those who aren't fans of Cormega yet should pick this up. Both albums are excellent and similar. Mega addresses his shady past, his skills as a rhymer, the state of hip-hop, his beef with Nas, and life on the streets as a whole. The most important thing about Cormega is that you can really tell in each song how much he loves hip-hop.



Cormega also released "Legal Hustle" but it only has 2 solo tracks and there are tons of guests. Good but not on the level of his previous albums. His mixtape, "Hustler/Rapper" is ok.



BIG L

Lifestylez Ov Da Poor and Dangerous - Unfortunately, this would be the only completed album that this young and talented MC would offer us before being killed at 24. However, with these 12 tracks, L demonstrated a unique ability to come up with mind-blowing punchlines. Big L mixed hilarious lines into dark tales of the streets which may have been his legacy. This album will always remind listeners of what could have been.



Big L's follow-up, posthumous album "The Big Picture" is still very good but it's fairly obvious that it wasn't finished. Still, L's infamous punchlines are apparent in abundance throughout and fans won't be disappointed. You can also catch L's freestyle album ("Harlem's Finest"), his Children of the Corn album (with fellow members, "Killa Cam", "Murda Mase", McGruff, and Bloodshed), & DITC albums.



Hopefully these suggestions help.  all these CD's but you won't know until you listen.