Supreme Clientele (Epic, 2000) by Ghostface Killah

In my opinion, this is the second best Wu-Tang solo album ever (number one being Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx).  Lyrically, Ghostface has always been interesting and this album is no exception.  The best song is "Child's Play."  With piano-heavy production courtesy of RZA, the track itself is also a highlight.  The album isn't overloaded with features, which, especially in today's Hip-Hop climate, is a rarity.  Vibe once ranked the album as one of the 10 best Hip-Hop albums ever.  I don't know if I'd put it that high, but it's definitey in the upper echelon.

Liquid Swords (Geffen, 1995) by GZA

"TOMMY ain't my motherfuckin' BOY/When he fake moves on a nigga you employ/Well I'll EMIRGE off ya set, now ya know God damn/I show LIVIN LARGE niggaz how to flip a DEF JAM/And RUFF up the motherfuckin' HOUSE/Cause I smother you COLD CHILLIN' mother fuckers are still WARNER BROTHERS/I'm RUTHLESS my clan don't have to act wild/That shit is JIVE, an old SLEEPING BAG/PROFILE/This soft comedian rap shit ain't the rough witty/On the reel to reel it wasn't from a TUFF CITY/Niggas be game, thinking that they lyrical surgeons/They know their mics are formed at VIRGIN/And if you ain't boned a mic you couldn't hurt a bee/That's like going to Venus driving a MERCURY/The CAPITOL of this rugged slang, is WU-TANG/Witty Unpredictable Talent And Natural Game/I DEATH ROW an MC with mic cables/The EPIC is at a RUSH ASSOCIATED LABELS/From EASTWEST to ATCO, I bring it to a NEXT PLATEAU/But I keep it phat though/Yo, I'm hittin' batters up with the WILD PITCH style/I even show an UPTOWN/MCA style/Who thought he saw me on 4TH & BROADWAY/But I was out on the ISLAND, bombing MC's all day/My PRIORITY is that I'm FIRST PRIORITY/I bone the secret out a bitch in a sorority/So look out for A&M, the abbot and the master breakin' down your PENDULUM/As I fiend MC's out with a blow that'll numb the/a-ppendix, I'm holdin more more weight than COLUMBIA/Index INTERSCOPE, we RCA. clan/That's comin' with a plan to free a/slave of a mental death MC don't panic/Throw that A&R nigga off the boat in the ATLANTIC/Now who's the BAD BOY character, not from ARISTA/But firin' weapons released on GEFFEN/So duck as I struck with the soul of MOTOWN/While CENTRAL BROADCASTING SYSTEMS are slowed down/You're Dirty, like that Bastard/It's gettin drastic"

-GZA, "Labels"

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (Loud, 1995) by Raekwon

"Yo, first of all son, peep the arson/Many brothers I be sparkin' and bustin mad light inside the dark/Call me dough snatcher, just the brother for the rapture/I handglide, holdin' on strong, hard to capture/Extravagant, RZA bake the track and it's militant/Then I react, like a convict, and start killin' shit/It's manifested, the Gods work like appliances/Dealin' in my cypher I revolve around sciences/The 9th chamber, leave you trapped inside my hallway/You try to flee but you got smoked up by the doorway (blaow! blaow! blaow!)/No question, I send your ass back, right to the essence/Your whole frame is smothered in dirt, now how you restin'/While I'll be trapped by sounds, locked behind loops/Throwin' niggaz off airplanes cause +Cash Rules/Everything Around Me+ black, as you can see/Swallow this murder one verse like God Degree/Then analyze my soundtrack for satisfaction/You adapt like a flashback chain reaction" 

- Ghostface Killah, "Criminology"

Tical (Def Jam, 1994) by Method Man

Considering that a flood destroyed a lot of beats that RZA created for the album, it is incredible that the majority of this album was created quickly because it is a great debut.  One track that was fortunately not damaged during the flood was "Meth Vs. Chef", my personal favorite cut on the album.  Tical and Warren G.'s Regulate definitely helped Def Jam during a time when Death Row was dominating hip-hop.  The Wu-Tang Clan still ain't nuthin' ta fuck wit.

Enter the Wu-Tang [36 Chambers] (Loud, 1993) by The Wu-Tang Clan

 Enter the Wu-Tang is amazing because it is so original.  There are nine members in the group, and all of them can rap.  The martial arts film interludes and the classic soul samples are timeless.  RZA's dark, cinematic beats give all the emcees space to kick some of the greatest verses in the history of hip-hop (Raekwon on "C.R.E.A.M.", Ol Dirty Bastard on "Protect Ya Neck").  And the greatest testament to this album, in my opinion, is that it still holds up almost twenty years later.  If this album were to come out today, no current album would be able to compete with it.

Watch the Throne (Roc Nation, 2011) by Jay-Z and Kanye West

In addition to board work by Kanye, other producers such as Q-Tip, Swizz Beatz, and The Neptunes also contribute music to this amazing project.  “Murder to Excellence” is a standout for the way that the beat changes mid-song while both men discuss the serious issue of black-on-black violence. The highlight, however, is The RZA-produced “New Day”.  Atop haunting piano chords, each rapper drops a verse hypothetically addressing their unborn son.  For as much as Watch the Throne was predicted to be an opportunity to capitalize on the popularity of the album’s two stars, it does not.  They can’t leave rap alone.  The game needs them.  Make no mistake, before Jay-Z was a “business man” and President Obama called Kanye West a “jackass”, they were both artists at the top of their craft.  And this album is a reminder of that.  As well as illustrating how far that artistry has taken them, excesses and egos in all.