What Does Rolling Stone Know About Hip-Hop?

I don’t know what’s worse – the rankings or the omissions

“Fuck The Source, I’m on the cover of Rolling Stone!”

– 50 Cent

Lists and rankings are easy ways to create attention and chatter, especially in the internet era.

We all know this. There are countless terrible rap lists floating around online and I’ve been as guilty as anyone (my first book, The Hip-Hop 10 is always available for purchase!), but there are levels to this.

Sites like Ranker create their lists based on fan votes and other sites do it for clicks. In theory, esteemed publications should be above those tactics, but, of course, nothing should surprise us any longer.

In early June, 2022, Rolling Stone dropped its 200 Greatest Hip Hop Albums of All Time like an atom bomb. It immediately caused a wave of controversy in the hip-hop community, with baffling rankings, weird writeups, and glaring omissions.

The difference between this list and virtually every other rap ranking is that this was not coming from a random website or blog. This is Rolling Stone, once the most venerated music publication in America that is far from its height but still carries a certain amount of cultural currency and impact.

Rolling Stone has done some incredible work over the past half-century and they have boasted some all-time great writers, but this list is a travesty and it’s why, along with what often happens at the Grammys, true hip-hop heads feel like those institutions just don’t understand.

So, what was so bad? Let’s take a look. I’m far from the first person to take a flamethrower to this list, but I wanted to walk through the ashes a bit. If you’re reading this and your birth year begins with a 2, I’m letting you know now that this is screed is being written by an old man yelling at the rap clouds so feel free to move on.

I don’t know what is worse, the rankings or the omissions, so let’s take them separately, beginning with the rankings, which include mixtapes and soundtracks along with traditional album LPs.

• The Great Adventures of Slick Rick should be far higher than 82
• No Migos album (Culture at 54) is better than Midnight Marauders (55), AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanter (58), The Diary (61), and Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (64)
• There have not been 39 hip-hop albums better than The Chronic (40)
• Mach-Hommy’s Pray for Haiti (168) is not the best Griselda album [Westside Gunn’s FLYGOD (176) is the only other GxFR release on the list]
• In no universe is City Girls’ PERIOD (138) and Doja Cat’s Planet Her (136) better than MC Lyte’s Lyte as a Rock (185), Camp Lo’s Uptown Saturday Night (183), E-40’s In a Major Way (178), Gravediggaz‘s 6 Feet Deep (177), Common’s Be (144), Black Moon’s Enta da Stage (141), and It Was Written (140)
• Dr. Dre’s 2001 (13) is not better than The Chronic (40), as I outlined a few years ago
• Clipse’s Lord Willin’ is not the 12th best hip-hop album ever
• By no measure – rhymes, musicality, concept – is Chance the Rapper’s Acid Rap (36) better than Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (37)
• Drake’s Take Care is not the 11th best hip-hop album ever
• There certainly have not been 23 hip-hop albums better than Illmatic (24)
• Lil Kim’s Hard Core is not a top twenty album ever (19)
• Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy (16) was surprisingly good, but it is not close to being better than all but 15 hip-hop albums ever created
• The Blueprint (3) is a classic, but it’s not better than It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (4)
• I don’t even think Azealia Banks’s parents would agree that Broke With Expensive Taste (78) is better than Eric B. & Rakim’s Follow the Leader (79) or Ice Cube’s Death Certificate (93)
• From any perspective, Eazy’-E’s Eazy-Duz-It (153) should be higher than Rae Sremmurd’s SremmLife (152)
• Ready to Die is crowned as the best album ever, but it was not even the best album released in 1994

I could go on and on…

If an argument is to made that this list is purposefully trolling, there is no better evidence than the fact that several times an artist or group’s best work is not the one that is rated highest

• Lord Willin’ by Clipse is 12th but that album is not as good as the one that followed it, Hell Hath no Fury (97)
• The Divine Feminine (173) is the only album by Mac Miller on the list but it’s not his best project…it may not even be in his top three
• Outkast’s Stankonia landed at number two but it is not even better than the group’s own Aquemini (27)

Let’s move to the omissions, of which there are many.

AZ’s debut, Doe or Die, did not reach the heights of Illmatic, but is still a mid-’90s NYC classic.

Tyler, the Creator has two entries on the list, but Flower Boy is better than Bastard (118).

The era of the hip-hop soundtrack has come and gone, but during that time, there were some absolute classics. 8 Mile absolutely deserves to be included in any best rap albums list and arguments could be made for the soundtracks to the films for Juice, Menace II Society, Street Fighter, Sunset Park, and more.

In 2019, Rapsody released Eve, a focused and emotional love letter to strong women that will be studied in the years and decades to come.

Before a car accident took his incredible vocal abilities, The D.O.C.’s debut, No One Can Do It Better, combined the sound and vibe of N.W.A via some of Dr. Dre’s strongest production with top-tier lyricism that made an impact coast to coast for its skill rather than controversy.

1996 is in the conversation as the greatest year in hip-hop history, in which a flood of classics were unleashed, some of which were neglected by Rolling Stone. Mobb Deep’s Hell on Earth, 2Pac’s vitriolic release (under the alias Makaveli), The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, and Outkast’s ATLiens all deserved to be included.

Prince Paul’s A Prince Among Thieves is one of the most inventive and original projects rap has ever seen.

Common’s Resurrection and The Game’s The Documentary are classics that were somehow overlooked.

Finally, Wu-Tang Forever may not have met its galactic expectations, but it’s still an incredible project and there is no doubt that it is one of the 200 greatest hip-hop albums in history.

If Rolling Stone‘s mission was to create a trending topic and get people angry, then mission accomplished. If the mission was to create an accurate and insightful listing of the most important projects in the history of hip-hop, then the mission failed spectacularly.

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If you would like to ruin your day, I have taken the time to put together the entire list below:

Rolling Stone‘s 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time

200. Travis Scott – ASTROWORLD

199. Juice WRLD – Goodbye & Good Riddance

198. KMD – Mr. Hood

197. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Bandana

196. The Jacka – Tear Gas

195. cupcakKe – Ephorize

194. K’Naan – The Dusty Foot Philosopher

193. A$AP Rocky – Live. Love. A$AP

192. Pop Smoke – Meet The Woo

191. Lyrics Born – Later That Day

190. Drakeo The Ruler – Cold Devil

189. Nipsey Hussle – Crenshaw

188. Various Artists – Wild Style Soundtrack

187. Capone-N-Noreaga – The War Report

186. Too $hort – Life is…Too Short

185. MC Lyte – Lyte as a Rock

184. Saba – CARE FOR ME

183. Camp Lo – Uptown Saturday Night

182. Gucci Mane – Chicken Talk

181. Various Artists – Rawkus Presents Soundbombing II

180. Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

179. Freestyle Fellowship – To Whom It May Concern…

178. E-40- In a Major Way

177. Gravediggaz – 6 Feet Deep

176. Westside Gunn – FLYGOD

175. Roxanne Shanté – Bad Sister

174. Cam’ron – Purple Haze

173. Mac Miller – The Divine Feminine

172. Flo Milli – Ho, Why Is You Here?

171. Marley Marl – In Control, Volume 1

170. Big K.R.I.T. – K.R.I.T. Wuz Here

169. Goodie Mob – Soul Food

168. Mach-Hommy – Pray For Haiti

167. Above The Law – Black Mafia Life

166. Childish Gambino – Because the Internet

165. Cannibal Ox – The Cold Vein

164. Schoolboy Q – Blank Face LP

163. UGK – Super Tight

162. Tierra Whack – Whack World

161. Polo G – Die a Legend

160. Big L – Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous

159. Handsome Boy Modeling School – So…How’s Your Girl?

158. Devin The Dude – Just Tryin’ ta Live

157. Danny Brown – XXX

156. DJ Quik – Quik Is the Name

155. Jeru The Damaja – The Sun Rises in the East

154. Steinski – What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective

153. Eazy-E – Eazy-Duz-It

152. Rae Sremmurd – SremmLife

151. Lil Nas X – MONTERO

150. The Roots – How I Got Over

149. DJ Screw – 3 ‘n the Mornin’: Part Two [Blue]

148. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2

147. LL Cool J – Radio

146. Black Sheep – A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing

145. Common – Be

144. Roc Marciano – Reloaded

143. Lil Uzi Vert – Eternal Atake

142. Little Brother – The Listening

141. Black Moon – Enta da Stage

140. Nas – It Was Written

139. The Streets – Original Pirate Material

138. City Girls – PERIOD

137. Slum Village – Fantastic, Vol. 2

136. Doja Cat – Planet Her

135. Rick Ross – Teflon Don

134. 2Pac – Me Against the World

133. Killer Mike – R.A.P.

132. J. Cole – 2014 Forest Hills Drive

131. Ghostface Killah – Fishscale

130. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – Mecca and the Soul Brother

129. Playboi Carti – Whole Lotta Red

128. Big Pun – Capital Punishment

127. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony- E. 1999 Eternal

126. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Savage Mode

125. Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late

124. OutKast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

123. Souls of Mischief – 93 ’til Infinity

122. N.E.R.D – In Search of…

121. A Tribe Called Quest – People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

120. Young Thug – Barter 6

119. The Coup – Party

118. Tyler, the Creator – Bastard

117. Missy Elliott – Under Construction

116. Jungle Brothers – Straight out the Jungle

115. Afrika Bambaataa – Looking for the Perfect Beat: 1980–1985

114. Digital Underground – Sex Packets

113. Jay-Z- The Black Album

112. Rapsody – Laila’s Wisdom

111. Boogie Down Productions – By All Means Necessary

110. Biz Markie – Goin’ Off

109. Main Source – Breaking Atoms

108. Pusha T – Daytona

107. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Wanted: Dead or Alive

106. Ol’ Dirty Bastard – Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version

105. Chance The Rapper – Coloring Book

104. Eve – Scorpion

103. Mos Def – Black on Both Sides

102. Rich Gang – Tha Tour Part 1

101. Young Jeezy – Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101

100. Run-D.M.C.-Raising Hell

99. Lil Wayne – Tha Carter II

98. Company Flow – Funcrusher Plus

97. Clipse – Hell Hath No Fury

96. Ice-T – Power

95. T.I. – Trap Muzik

94. De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead

93. Ice Cube – Death Certificate

92. DJ Shadow – Endtroducing…

91. Boogie Down Productions – Criminal Minded

90. Kid Cudi – Man On The Moon: The End Of Day

89. Brand Nubian – One for All

88. Cypress Hill – Cypress Hill

87. Ultramagnetic MCs – Critical Beatdown

86. Common – Like Water for Chocolate

85. Eminem – The Slim Shady LP

84. Vince Staples – Summertime ’06

83. M.I.A. – Kala

82. Slick Rick – The Great Adventures of Slick Rick

81. Digable Planets – Blowout Comb

80. Earl Sweatshirt – Some Rap Songs

79. Eric B. & Rakim – Follow the Leader

78. Azealia Banks – Broke With Expensive Taste

77. Kanye West & Jay-Z- Watch the Throne

76. Gang Starr – Hard to Earn

75. Megan Thee Stallion – Fever

74. Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet

73. The Pharcyde – Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde

72. Dr. Octagon – Dr. Octagonecologyst

71. Queen Latifah – All Hail the Queen

70. Fugees – The Score

69. Ghostface Killah – Ironman

68. Juvenile – 400 Degreez

67. Geto Boys – We Can’t Be Stopped

66. Three 6 Mafia – Mystic Stylez

65. De La Soul – Buhloone Mindstate

64. 50 Cent – Get Rich or Die Tryin’

63. Black Star – Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star

62. MF DOOM – Operation: Doomsday

61. Scarface – The Diary

60. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.

59. The Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death

58. Ice Cube – AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted

57. Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill

56. Noname – Room 25

55. A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders

54. Migos – Culture

53. Salt-n-Pepa- Hot, Cool & Vicious

52. Kanye West – The College Dropout

51. The Roots – Things Fall Apart

50. EPMD – Strictly Business

49. N.W.A – Straight Outta Compton

48. J Dilla – Donuts

47. Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott – Supa Dupa Fly

46. Tyler, the Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost

45. LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out

44. Genius/GZA – Liquid Swords

43. Run-D.M.C.- Run-D.M.C.

42. Big Daddy Kane – Long Live the Kane

41. Kanye West – Late Registration

40. Dr. Dre – The Chronic

39. Lil Wayne – The Carter III

38. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city

37. Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…

36. Chance the Rapper – Acid Rap

35. Snoop Doggy Dogg – Doggystyle

34. Various Artists – The Sugar Hill Records Story

33. De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising

32. Chief Keef – Finally Rich

31. Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday

30. Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique

29. 2Pac – All Eyez on Me

28. Mobb Deep – The Infamous

27. Outkast – Aquemini

26. Jay-Z- Reasonable Doubt

25. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP

24. Nas – Illmatic

23. UGK – Ridin‘ Dirty

22. DMX – It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot

21. Lil Wayne – Da Drought 3

20. Future – DS2

19. Lil Kim – Hard Core

18. Madvillain – Madvillainy

17. Kanye West – Yeezus

16. Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy

15. Eric B. and Rakim – Paid in Full

14. Ghostface Killah – Supreme Clientele

13. Dr. Dre – 2001

12. Clipse – Lord Willin

11. Drake – Take Care

10. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

9. A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory

8. Wu-Tang Clan- Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

7. Missy Elliott – Miss E… So Addictive

6. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

5. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly

4. Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

3. Jay-Z- The Blueprint

2. Outkast – Stankonia

1. The Notorious B.I.G. – Ready to Die

Do better next time, Rolling Stone.

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Christopher Pierznik is a longtime hip-hop scholar and the worst-selling author of nine books. Check out more of his writing at Medium. His work has appeared on XXL, Cuepoint, Business Insider, The Cauldron, Fatherly, Hip Hop Golden Age, and many more. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Please feel free to get in touch at CPierznik99@gmail.com.