Classic Rap Albums from 2015-2019: What does the Coli think? (Courtesy of NFR Podcast)

tehparadox

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From that list, only those are classics:

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
Tyler, the Creator - Flowerboy
Kendrick Lamar - DAMN
Jay Z - 4:44
Kanye West & Kid Cudi - Kids See Ghosts
 

Conan

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The only albums that met every criteria for an album being a classic are TPAB, DAMN and possibly 4:44 although it didn"t really have any impact/influence. Tpab alone revived the jazz scene in LA, influenced the likes of Prince, Bowie and Herbie Hancock... Damn was also universally acclaimed, and managed to be the 2nd biggest rap album of the past 25 years in terms of pure chart performance.

I guess 4:44 made it clear it was still possible for older rappers to still release a great project.

Are you retarded? Prince and Bowie died in 2016 and Hancock hasn't released music in the past decade. How did that album influence them?
 

tehparadox

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Are you retarded? Prince and Bowie died in 2016 and Hancock hasn't released music in the past decade. How did that album influence them?
All their last albums were influenced by TPAB, as per the musicians and producers that worked on the albums

Herbie Hancock has been talking about creating a tpab part 2 type of album, with all the musicians that were involved in kendrick's album
 

tehparadox

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There's also a radio interview where Tony Visconti talks about being heavily inspired by the technical aspects of TPAB in order to create Blackstar...and tbh, you can clearly hear the influence...a lot of similarities in the musical composition.

Will post the link when I get back home, but they been talking about that album multiple times

 
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2015
Travis Scott - Rodeo
Future - Dirty Sprite 2
Drake & Future - What A Time To Be Alive

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
Drake - If You're Reading This Than It's Too Late


2016
Kanye West - The Life of Pablo
Drake - Views
J Cole - For Your Eyes Only

2017
Kendrick Lamar - DAMN
Migos - Culture
Tyler, the Creator - Flowerboy
Jay Z - 4:44

2018
Travis Scott - Astroworld
Kanye West & Kid Cudi - Kids See Ghosts

Pusha T - Daytona
Mac Miller - Swimming


2019
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana
Tyler, the Creator - Igor

Red: Classic to Gen Z
Blue: General regarded classic
Green: Probably classic, but debatable depending on who you ask (either a small amount of listeners or generational differences)
Purple: Not classic at all.
 

Conan

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All their last albums were influenced by TPAB, as per the musicians and producers that worked on the albums

Herbie Hancock has been talking about creating a tpab part 2 type of album, with all the musicians that were involved in kendrick's album

So just talk from Herbie :comeon:


Again, Prince and Bowie died in 2016. Their period of critical acclaim long past.

TPAB stands alone as a classic without loose claims it "inspired" musicians on their death bed
 
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I don’t listen to Tyler The Creator so i’ll bow out of any conversation regarding his music

But Kanye hasn’t had a classic album since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Life of Pablo was very good but not enough so for a classic when it comes to the music and it really wasn’t all that impactful so you can’t use that argument for it. Kids See Ghost was good too and probably the last above average Kanye album but no dice on it being classic.

Kendrick Lamar has the best argument amongst any rap artist in the past decade for not one but TWO classic albums (possibly three with GNX) To Pimp A Butterfly and Damn both met with extraordinary critical acclaim and the commercial performance to back it up. Both were extremely impactful. Both still get spins to this day judging by their continued charting success. With Kendrick, whether you love him or hate him, its inarguable He’s got at least three universally recognized albums, the first to accomplish such a feat since early Kanye, and he didn’t need a team of Ghostwriters to get him over the hump the way Kanye did.


J.Cole has one recognized classic and thats Forest Hills Drive, and i’d hesitate to call it a “universally” recognized classic but amongst Hip Hop heads its solidified. I personally LOVE 4 Your Eyez Only and would argue its a classic but it seems like the response to that album has been polarizing over time. Those who fukk with it like me REALLY fukk with it and those that hate it say its his worse album, which is insane to me but it is what it is.

Jay-Z’s 4:44 is a great album but its a fukking carbon copy of Nas’s Life Is Good. All the way down to the theme of the album that nikka bit Nas something crazy. But whatever, it’s Jay-Z actually rapping like he cares instead of just going through the motions like he did on that bullshyt Manga Carta album. Production was fire and he managed to prove to the mainstream that vulnerable, autobiographical bars from 50 year old rappers could indeed be impactful. I think its aged really well and lives in the “arguable” classic space.

Drake has one classic and one classic ONLY. So Far Gone. The rest of his discography ranges from great (Take Care. Nothing Was The Same) to mid (More Life) to absolute garbage (Views) but classic? CLASSIC?!?! Hell no. And he should be ashamed of the fact he can employ the best writers, producers and steal other artist’s songs with impunity and STILL can’t craft a universally recognized classic with all of those resources at his disposal.
 
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