heres my top 10 albums just of the top of my head:
Dr Dre - Chronic/2001: cannot pick between them, such different styles and production by dre on both records. both all time classics.
Jurassic 5 - Quality control: The best party hip hop group, awesome dj'ing and scratching by cut chemist and nu-mark, and great rhymes and delivery by charlie 2na, mark 7 and soup. the best non-gangsta album i own.
De La Soul - De la soul is dead: everybody loves 3 ft high and rising but this is my fave, apart from some awful skits and a couple of rare duds, some all time classics on here..."a rollerskating jam named saturdays" "keep the faith" "ring ring ring" etc
wu tang - 36 chambers: where it all started for me. i remember sitting in a mates room sharing a joint and just being blown away by C.R.E.A.M., that was a life changing experience for me. got me onto hip hop in a big way.
xzibit - restless: the only cd to get constant rotation in my car for over 6 months, goddamn i thrashed the shit out of this album. man he fell off after this though, i cant stand man vs machine.
2pac - hard choosing between all eyez and me against the world but ill go with all eyez on me. no explanation necessary, if this aint in everyones top 10 albums of hip hop...:shock:
Raekwon feat. Ghostface Killa - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx: i cant really describe it but this album sounds like no other hip hop album ive ever heard. the production is still raw and dirty like rza's usual beats but so different, like really hypnotic and trance like almost.
method man & red man - blackout: these 2 had such a sick flow off each other, great beats and a great party album too.
snoop - doggystyle: dre's beats and snoops mellow rhyming style just go together like gin and juice
Biggie - cant choose between ready to die and life after death: RTD is awesome, LAD is more commercial friendly but still classics like hypnotize, kick in the door, mo money mo problems all kick ass.