Girth of a Nation (Warner Bros., 2006) by Ralphie May

This is my favorite set by Ralphie May.  He walks a fine line with his racial humor, but he is able to pull it off successfully (in my opinion).  The two best routines are about the pope's death and catholicism and commentary provided by movie-goers during a preview for the film Open Water.  The album gets a bit long-winded near the end, but that's only a minor complaint.  Overall, this is a great early album from one of the funniest working comics out right now.  Much respect due.

It's On [Dr. Dre] 187um Killa (Ruthless, 1993) by Eazy-E

Dre's "Dre Day" video elevated hip-hop beef by taking diss records and making videos out of them.  However, Eazy responded on this album with "Real Muthaphuckkin G's" and the photo insert of Dre decked out in a doctor's outfit with the shiny stethoscope as part of the World Class Wreckin' Cru.  Eazy was also very good at blending humor with his gangsta appeal and  the humor is certainly apparent on "Gimmie That Nutt."

The Blue Album (N/A, 2012) by Jon Connor

This is a great mix tape, and Jon holds his own over beats from Hip-Hop's elite and originally rapped on by one of the greatest to ever do it.  One of my favorite tracks on this set is "Never Change" where he breaks down how someone from Def Jam flew to Flint, MI and listened to Jon's music in his basement.  Lyrically and flow-wise, Jon is absolutely incredible and I truly believe if he doesn't make it big, there is really something wrong with the current Hip-Hop industry.  And last but not least, DJ Green Lantern did his thing on this project as well and deserves props for it.

Space Jam Soundtrack (Warner Bros., 1996) by various

"Who got bugs bunny money?/I've give you some time,to give more carrots every time I rhyme/Can a mouse write this?/Does he have long furry ears like this?/Can he make hits like this? (ha ha ha ha)/Nope, it's like Jordan at the plate,you're likely to miss/Warner Brothers ain't got bank cheap countin', rule from here to The Moron Mountain/Here's the game plan,listen up Toon squad/Number one objective, beat the Monstars/Shouldn't be hard, them guys ain't too smart/But to be sure snatched Jordan playin' Golf/Even though he tends to be a ball hog/Hey Michael, over here superstar/Who says the bunny can't play above the rim?/Wait till they get a load of me, that's buggin'"

-Bugs Bunny, "Buggin'"

Muddy Waters (Def Jam, 1996) by Redman

Redman's third album is one of his greatest.  Dare Iz a Darkside was good, but as the title suggests, it was quite dark.  This album was a great return to the funkiness that made his debut a classic.  I also thought the video for "Whateva Man" was really cool with Meth; it was a great salute to The Blues Brothers movie.

Aquarium (Universal, 1997) by Aqua

I totally get that this is a questionable album to write about because it's as cheesy as an album can be.  However, this album has sentimental value to me.  When I was an exchange student in France in the spring of 1998, there were a lot of parties that took place in the three weeks  I was there.  They were pretty much all dances and this album was in heavy rotation because of all the upbeat and danceable tracks.  Who would of thought that such a bad album could bring back such good memories?

The Seventh Seal (Ra Records, 2009) by Rakim

Lyrically, Rakim is one of the greatest ever hands down.  My issue with this album is that it is very hook driven and because of Rakim's prowess with the pen I find that very interesting.  I think style-wise, production from people like Nottz and Needlz are a little more suited for Rakim than a Dre beat (so far when Dre produces for Nas, the records are okay but nothing mind-blowing-I'm guesstimating the results with Dre and Rakim would be similar).  The Seventh Seal isn't bad, but I has hoping for something a little stronger considering it had been ten years since his last album.

Be (Geffen, 2005) by Common

Kanye West has referred to No I.D. as his mentor and West's production on Be is an example of the affect that No I.D. has had on him.  The jazzy beats, a few of which are also put together by J. Dilla, give Common a perfect opportunity to show his lyrical abilities.  One of my favorite rhymes ever is featured on this album.  In "Go" he says, "Freaky like the daughter of a Pastor, said I was bait for her to master/Little red corvette, now she was faster."

Straight from the Lab (N/A, 2004) by Eminem

The cuts here that weren't included on the bonus disc of Encore should have taken the place of some of the songs on the regular Encore disc (so what if they had leaked, I think they're still better than "Big Weenie" and "Ass Like That").  "Monkey See Monkey Do" is a song to get people amped and "Can I Bitch" is more evidence that Em is not someone that an opponent will likely beat in a battle.

A Place for My Stuff (Atlantic, 1981) by George Carlin

On this 1981 album, there's a lot of Carlin doing what Carlin does best: best smart, articulate, and (most important of all) funny observations about everyday life.  One of the things that makes this album different from his other ones though is that there are skits and studio recorded things here too; it's not all live.  The skits are good and parody things in American culture, most notably radio and commercials.

Greatest Comedy Hits (Columbia, 1997) by Eddie Murphy

This is a good collection of stand-up material.  However, if a listener has Eddie Murphy and Comedian, there is really no need for this album.  The additions to it are just bits of recordings from his films.  The one thing I can't figure out though is why his legendary routine about Bill Cosby never made it to record.  Even though there is certainly still a sight element to it, it is also funny in audio too.

Taking the Long Way (Open Wide, 2006) by Dixie Chicks

Rick Rubin is a musical genius and this is further proof of that.  The Dixie Chicks had a lot to answer for when they made those unfavorable statements about former President Bush.  Scratch Magazine once described "Not Ready to Make Nice" as the song that made the Dixie Chicks this generation's Public Enemy.  I couldn't agree more.  But the album as a whole is fantastic too.  Great writing, production, and performance.  I'm glad they received multiple Grammys for it.

Blackout! (Def Jam, 1999) by Method Man & Redman

"I was gone too but we roam , cellular phones/Doc-Meth back in the flesh, blood and bones/don't condone Spent bank loans and homegrown/suckers break like Turbo/and Ozone, when I, grab the broom/moon-walk platoon hawk my goons bark/leave you in a blue lagoon lost (true)/three nines and a glove with mad soul D-Die in the car/right behind on the bus/Haters don't touch, weigh us both up/now my neighbor doped up/got the cable hooked up. All channels/lift my shirt all Mammal/you ship off keys and we ship Grand Pianos/sawed off shotgun/hand on the pump, sipping on a forty/smoking on a blunt/bust my gun and Red and Meth didn't jump/La la la la, la la la la"

-Redman, "Da Rockwilder"

1st Born Second (Interscope, 2001) by Bilal

I like this album a lot.  It is a very good mix of Hip-Hop and R&B.  It's cool because it isn't just singing over rap beats either.  The sound is like a modern-day Sly & the Family Stone.  Contributions from Hip-Hop heavyweights make the project that much sweeter too.  Jadakiss, Dr. Dre, Common, and Mos Def all shine with their respective roles in assisting Bilal with his memorable debut release.  By far, "Fast Lane" is the best track in my opinion.

Quality (Rawkus, 2002) by Talib Kweli

Talib's debut album is fantastic.  Lyrically, he's obviously on point and puts so much content into his verses that it usually takes more than one listen to catch everything.  In terms of production, that is one of the things that makes Quality really stand out.  Unlike lots of conscious rap, this project doesn't have conscious beats too.  I think that's one of the reasons it's such a well-respected and critically-acclaimed release across the board.

Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head (Grand Hustle, 2012) by T.I.

The 16-track album is good, but not quite as strong as Paper Trail.  Although it is a very well-rounded album.  It has a great intro song which samples Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man" and then has material which covers various avenues.  "Trap Back Jumpin'" is reminiscent of Trap Muzik material.  "Guns and Roses" is a great record with Pink that has crossover appeal (but doesn't sell out) and "Hallelujah" has T.I. giving his take on religion.  However, the highlight of the project is Andre 3000's album-stealing verse on "I'm Sorry."

Rocky IV Soundtrack (Scotti Bros., 1985) by various

Rocky IV is one of my all-time favorite soundtracks.  It has a good mix of upbeat numbers as well as more emotional ones.  "Eye of the Tiger" is obviously an all-time classic.  However, some of the other numbers exclusively used for the fourth film are my favorites.  "Heart's on Fire" is awesome and "Living in America" is a great inclusion.  But my top picks on this disc are "Double or Nothing" and "No Easy Way Out."  It still plays strong almost thirty years later.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (LaFace, 2003) by Outkast

This album was a big risk, but the big risk resulted in an equally large reward.  The double album, which finds one album from Big Boi and the other from Andre 3000, covering a lot of territory.  Big Boi keeps Outkast's momentum going for Southern Hip-Hop while Andre explores things outside the realm of Hip-Hop.  The only criticism I have of the album is that Andre 3000 doesn't rap on it, and that's a real bummer because he's one of the best rappers ever.

An All-4-One Christmas (Atlantic, 1995) by All-4-One

These guys can actually sing quite well.  However, them singing Christmas standards is just another example of how the group sings other people's material.  "I Swear" and "I Could Love You Like That" were both country songs originally and then All-4-One redid them and took them to the pop and R&B charts where they saw success.

Jesus Piece (Interscope, 2012) by The Game

Game's fifth LP is his strongest in years.  It's a much more cohesive body of work than last year's R.E.D. Album.  The album is a bit too feature heavy, but fortunately Game is never really outshinned on his own project.  Production-wise, the LP is quite creative.  The D'Angelo sample on All That (Lady) is dope, as well as the Bone Thugs one on "Celebration."  Conceptually, the album as a whole is definitely a step up, but the songs by themselves aren't-but they're very close.  Very few rappers have remained relevant five albums deep like this, and so Game deserves a lot of credit.  The only thing Game needs now to bring everything full-circle is a real working reunion with Dr. Dre that goes beyond a few tracks and interludes.  But between this, Wiz's new project, and T.I.'s new album, set to drop next week, Hip-Hop should have a very happy holiday season.

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (Jive, 1990) by A Tribe Called Quest

Tribe put out a fantastic debut album.  The production on "Bonita Applebaum" is ridiculously good.  And "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" is really great too.  The album is certainly a classic piece of work, but it didn't see Phife reach his full potential as an emcee.  Fortunately, the group realized this too and made the necessary adjustments for their sophomore masterpiece.  

It's a Big Daddy Thing (Cold Chillin', 1989) by Big Daddy Kane

This is a phenomenal Hip-Hop album that certified Kane's status as one of the greatest.  His flow is absolutely incredible and the playboy persona that he brought to "Smooth Operator" and "Pimpin' Ain't Easy" made for great charisma.  I also give Jay-Z a lot of props for rhyming over the "Young, Gifted, and Black" beat on The S. Carter Collection mixtape and keeping his relevance known to younger audiences.  Big Daddy Kane is one of the best rappers ever and this is one of the reasons why. 

A Wild and Crazy Guy (Warner Bros., 1978) by Steve Martin

Steve Martin is a smart guy and this album is a perfect representation of a smart guy doing goofy comedy.  From the "King Tut" song to him discussing what he studied in college.  "Cat Handcuffs" also a great inclusion of for SNL fans.  This is a classic comedy album, and I personally would pick this over The Jerk anyday.

Shhh...Don't Tell (Warner Bros., 2004) by Adam Sandler

I'm a big Adam Sandler fan, but I personally did not care for this album.  To me, it felt like he was trying to recapture the blue, off-color humor of his debut from over a decade earlier.  However, given where Sandler was in his career at that time of this album, he had seemingly outgrown solely shock value, cursing, and bathroom humor.  And that's pretty much all this album is .  Props to all the big names who makes appearances though and "Stan the Man" is a great tribute to Adam's father.  However, those high points can't save this release overall from being a bit of a let-down.

The Villain (Koch, 2008) by Trick Trick

When I wrote a review of a song off of this album for Billboard Magazine, I knew people were actually reading my stuff.  I'm not defending the insensitive comments that Trick Trick made in the allhiphop.com interview or the homophobic lyrics on his album, but I reviewed a song that didn't have any of that and in the comments section on Billboard's site, someone replied and went on in a really long paragraph about "how can I say good things about Trick Trick and this song when he said this, that, and the other thing in an interview."  It was a really weird experience seeing all that happen for the first time like that.  Now stuff like that's the norm all over the web, but in 2008, for me, it was something new.

Nostalgia, Ultra (N/A, 2011) by Frank Ocean

I didn't hear this mixtape until after I had heard Watch the Throne.  My two favorite tracks on the album are "No Church in the Wild" and "Made in America."  Although that is not just based on Ocean's appearance on those two tracks, his contributions do make those particular songs stand out.  This mix tape is quirky, but in a good way.  I was immediately hooked with the "Street Fighter" video game intro and I like the Stanley Kubrick stuff too.  It's a cohesive body of work, but not unlike Tyler the Creator's Goblin, it can seem a bit confusing.  Vocally, his best track is "Songs for Women."  The only thing that somewhat holds the mixtape back is the production, but it's a mixtape so it's not really fair to hold that against it.  Overall, it's a great release from a very promising new talent.

Success is Certain (Gracie Productions, 2011) by Royce Da 5'9"

"My life's been goin' around ‘n’ round since ’95/Went from goin' where about to die/Went from callin’ my chick a chicken cause she look like she got poultry around her thighs/To callin’ your piece a chicken cause she got no teeth and she got crow feet, around her eyes/How hard are y’all? I got a heart the size of Arkansas/Count to five, these birds gon’ hit the ground and they ain’t from out the sky/Went from havin’ an outta-this-world-flow, to doin’ the pity, or doin’ the coon dance/To watchin’ my good friend Eminem winnin’ a moonman/I remember cause I was in New York with all of my boys to start shit/Lettin’ ‘em stay with me, long story short, they tore my corporate apartment/Went from bein' a kid addicted to basketball/To bein' an ignorant nigga addicted to alcohol/Round and round we go is how this movie would end/Self-proclaimed King of my city, not really just truely the King of losin’ a friend/Who would’ve thought this goof in the park whose true to his art would lose/Or win just by givin’ his thoughts ‘n’ views"

-Royce Da 5'9", "Merry Go Round"

Chain Letter (Virgin, 2005) by Brooke Valentine

As of right now, Brooke Valentine is pretty much considered a one-hit wonder.  However, that is somewhat surprising considering the attention that this, her debut album, was given.  She is a gorgeous woman, but that sexiness brought about interesting content that not all other performers who are easy on the eyes talked about (if I'm not mistaken, she makes reference to poking holes in condoms at one point).  The track with Big Boi, "Girlfight" not surprisingly is solid.  But for all intents and purposes, at this moment, Chain Letter was the beginning and the end of Brooke Valentine's singing career (she now goes by B. Valentine).

Eddie Murphy (Columbia, 1982) by Eddie Murphy

This is a great debut.  The first track is incredibly politically incorrect, as well as track 6.  However, there are certain things in here that are quite funny.  The routines about the Christmas gifts and the one about being hit by a car are great.  Murphy's storytelling skills would be sharpened on Comedian, but this album showed great promise and he obviously fulfilled that and then some in his amazing career.

Yay Game: The Best of E-40 (N/A, 2012) by Matthew Africa [mixer]

For an artist that has been around a quarter of a century, this is a good collection of tracks.  It covers solid solo tracks as well as collaborations.  It's the perfect music to put on in a car and just drive.  The best track, and personal favorite 40 track, is "Player's Ball" with Too Short and K-Ci.  Props to Matthew Africa for mixing a great array of material.

The Geto Boys (Def American, 1990) by Geto Boys

The Geto Boys is some of the hardest and most aggressive material ever committed to wax.  It's raw, explicit, and powerful.  However, it extends beyond just shock value.  The sequencing is wonderful and these guys have great skills as rappers.  So much so, in fact, that this entire album is the result of super producer Rick Rubin remaking lots of their '89 release, Grip It! On That Other Level.

Complaints and Grievances (Atlantic, 2001) by George Carlin

This isn't George's strongest set.  But to be fair, the events of September 11, 2001, did considerably change the vibe of the show (which Carlin does acknowledge).  Where his career highs are cynical perspectives with a bleeding heart, the majority of this are complaints that just come across as insults.  One bit on here that's really great is the one where Carlin picks apart and revises The Ten Commandments.