Complex: 50 Best Mixtapes ever

[Bigbigguy]

50. Chief Keef, Back From the Dead (2012)
49. Saigon, Warning Shots (2004)
48. Tha Jacka, The Street Album (2008)
47. Future, True Story (2011)
46. Big Sean, Finally Famous: The Mixtape (2007)
45. B.o.B., Cloud 9 (2007)
44. Royce Da 5'9", The Bar Exam 2 (2008)
43. Action Bronson & Party Supplies, Blue Chips (2012)
42. T.I. & P$C, In Da Streets Pt. 1 (2002)
41. Gucci Mane, Chicken Talk (2006)
40. Yelawolf, Trunk Muzik (2010)
39. Juicy J & Lex Luger, Rubba Band Business 2 (2011)
38. Tyler, The Creator b*stard (2009)
37. Big K.R.I.T., K.R.I.T. Wuz Here (2010)
36. Chamillionaire, King Koopa: The Mixtape Messiah (2004)
35. G-Unit, G-Unit Radio, Part 1-25 (2003-2007)
34. Joey Bada$$, 1999 (2012)
33. Max B & French Montana, Coke Wave (2009)
32. Fabolous, There Is No Competition (2008)
31. Meek Mill, Dreamchasers (2011)
30. Jay Electronica, What The F*ck Is a Jay Electronica (2007)
29. Lil Boosie, Superbad: The Return of Mr. Wipe Me Down (2009)
28. Curren$y, This Ain't No Mixtape (2009)
27. 2 Chainz, T.R.U. REALigion (2011)
26. Earl Sweatshirt, Earl (2010)
25. Jadakiss, The Champ Is Here (2004)
24. Lil Wayne, No Ceilings (2009)
23. J. Cole, The Warm Up (2009)
22. Lupe Fiasco, Fahrenheit 1/15 Part II: Revenge Of The Nerds (2006)
21. Juelz Santana, Back Like Cooked Crack (2004)
20. Wale, The Mixtape About Nothing (2008)
19. Nicki Minaj, Beam Me Up Scotty (2009)
18. A$AP Rocky, Live.Love.A$AP (2011)
17. Gucci Mane, Gangsta Grillz: The Movie (2008)
16. T.I., Down With the King (2004)
15. Kid Cudi, A Kid Named Cudi (2008
14. Danny Brown, XXX (2011)
13. Wiz Khalifa, Kush & Orange Juice (2010)
12. Joe Budden, Mood Muzik 2: Can It Get Any Worse? (2006)
11. 50 Cent, No Mercy, No Fear (2002)
10. Lil Wayne, Dedication 2 (2006)
9. Kanye West, Get Well Soon... (2003)
8. Re-Up Gang, We Got It 4 Cheap Vol. 2 (2005)
7. Jay-Z, S. Carter Collection (2003)
6. Rick Ross, Rich Forever (2012)
5. Drake, So Far Gone
4. Young Jeezy, Trap or Die
3. Dipset, The Diplomats, Vol. 1
2. Lil Wayne, Da Drought 3
1. 50 Cent, 50 Cent Is the Future
The 50 Best Rapper Mixtapes | Complex

 

[Jay58]

Everytime I see a thread title with the word "Complex" in it...I'm always hoping some loser took his precious time and made some sort of easier accessable blog with the said Complex content in it.......That never happens, instead its always a link to those manually accessed pages.

 

[King P]

No MM3?

 

[CapitalOne]

1. 50 Cent, 50 Cent Is the Future
2. Lil Wayne, Da Drought 3
3. Dipset, The Diplomats, Vol. 1
4. Young Jeezy, Trap or Die
5. Drake, So Far Gone

 

[Sad Bunny]

Should have been No. 1

2. Lil Wayne, Da Drought 3 (2007)

Da Drought 3 recalls a time when calling Lil Wayne the "Best Rapper Alive" was perfectly justifiable. The mixtape is a one-of-a-kind behemoth with Wayne demolishing the most popular instrumentals of the time beyond recognition. Seriously. No one remembers "King Kong" by Jibbs or "Mr. Jones" by Mike Jones, but their beats have been immortalized by Wayne's otherworldly flows, non sequiturs, and braggadocio.

Wayne even marks his territory on instrumentals whose original versions matter in the context outside of Da Drought 3. "Upgrade" disregards all the pop sheen on Beyoncé and Jay-Z's hit in favor of over four minutes of spastic delivery from Lil Wayne, where everything from Apollo Creed to the Toronto Maple Leafs get their due shine in one of the track's many punchlines. DJ Khaled posse cut "We Takin' Over" gets re-appropriated for a solo remix in which Wayne asserts, "Damn right, I kiss my daddy," in response to the leaked photo of him kissing Birdman, effectively ending much of the discussion surrounding the image, in the slickest way possible.

Six years later, Da Drought 3 stands as a project that blessed and haunted Lil Wayne's career with equal weight. It's so prolific a mixtape that it confirmed all of the hyperbolic claims being tossed around by the press, and the rapper himself, but it also set the bar so unbelievably high for his subsequent efforts. Never again will we get to hear someone rap, "It's going down like there's a whale in the boat," and actually make it work. For better or for worse. —Ernest Baker

Should have been No. 2

10. Lil Wayne, Dedication 2 (2006)

Dedication 2 is the moment that Lil Wayne stepped into the light and became the Best Rapper Alive. It's a collective representation of that time when hip-hop fans were in awe of Weezy.

Granted, Wayne had firmly established himself as a fully formed talent with the release of Tha Carter II and the original Dedication, but Dedication 2 offered so much more. For one, Weezy's personality began to shine through; his love of SportsCenter was now more apparent than ever.

His lyrics became a mix of abrupt violence ("Kidnap a nikka make him feel like a kid again"), pure wit ("I've been ready since '81 and I was born in '82"), and pop culture references ("She said it's not Dominos, it's DiGiornos"). Most importantly, his flow became unmatched as he experimented with a variety of styles, most notably paying homage to Juvenile's "Bounce for the Juvenile" on "Walk It Off."—Insanul Ahmed

Should have been No. 3

15. Kid Cudi, A Kid Named Cudi (2008)

Kid Cudi's first mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi was the perfect entrance into the hip-hop game. It was a strong enough compilation of tracks to gain the attention of Kanye West, land Cudi a spot on 808s and Heartbreaks, and get him signed to Universal.

The prevailing mood is melancholy, self-deprecating, emotional, and paranoid. On "Man on The Moon," which made it to Cudi's debut album, he introduces himself as someone who never gave a fukk about what anyone thought of him or his music—indeed, he still doesn't.

A potent blend of haunting lyrics, powerful beats, and rock-star lifestyle was woven throughout every track, every hook, every note. The samples were incredibly diverse—from Band of Horses' "The Funeral" to Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover." "Day N Nite" became a commercial success, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Cudi's career was off to races from there. Still, he never let his fame get in the way of his creativity, or let himself forget that Cleveland is the reason. —Lauren Nostro

 

[AlbertPullhoez]

Mixtape Messiah needs to be way higher than 36.

 

[King P]

And TINC 2 >>> TINC 1

 

[mortuus est]

35. G-Unit, G-Unit Radio, Part 1-25 (2003-2007)

After 50 Cent revolutionized the mixtape game and became a superstar, he sent his G-Unit cohorts to wreak havoc on the rest of the rap game. The G-Unit Radio series was really a stomping ground for Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck, and eventually The Game.

The series lasted four years and had 25 volumes, too many for us to pick a favorite. Just know, all your favorite G-Unit mixtape classics (whether it be Game's "200 Bars and Running" or Lloyd Banks' "Air Your Ass Out"), as well as eventual album cuts and singles from G-Unit albums, were all featured on these tapes at some point or another.

But to understand the true value of the tapes, and why they deserve a collective spot on the list, you have to look past the rappers and to the DJ. Here's what mixtape legend DJ Drama had to say:

"Whoo Kid was one of the most revolutionary things to happen to the mixtape game. He took it from just being a DJ to doing the marketing and promotion of the tape. I'll never forget when I got one of the G-Unit Radio mixtapes and it was like an eight page fold-out with MTV logos, huge sponsors, and it was all glossy and colorful. I was blown away at how he was turning them into albums and making them things you really wanted to keep and hold on to. It was a long way from the Maxell tape with the little sticker on it and someone writing what number tape this is."

That sounds about right.

 

[mikishere]

was looking to see coke wave in the top 10... Number 33?
Warm Up Number 23?
Kush & OJ not top 10?
No Comeback Season?

 

[JerseyBoy23]

Can't go wrong with 50 Cent Is The Future as #1 , it basically started the G-Unit radio and the whole movement.

 

[mortuus est]

26. Earl Sweatshirt, Earl (2010)

Much like Tyler, the Creator's b*stard, Earl was released at a time in hip-hop culture when there was such an appetite for innovation that fans had turned to fiends, scraping the undersides of their fingernails for whatever slivers of sonic creativity they could find. Earl gave them a fat sack of what they craved, and then some.

As one of the youngest—Earl was 16 at the time of recording—and most intriguing members of Odd Future, Earl's prodigious lyrics were spellbinding to the point where you might feel like he was personally cursing you. Features from the remaining members of OF brought Earl into full bloom, leaving listeners in a state of paralysis induced by horror and enchantment alike. —Alysa Lechner

 

[SubLyminalz]

And TINC 2 >>> TINC 1

 

[Sugar]

Reps to whoever actually takes their time and post the list in this thread

 

[L&HH]

Everytime I see a thread title with the word "Complex" in it...I'm always hoping some loser took his precious time and made some sort of easier accessable blog with the said Complex content in it.......That never happens, instead its always a link to those manually accessed pages.

Actually there was a nikka who made a site that allows you to view their list all at once. I forget what it was tho



And A big GTFOH with Rich Forever at Number 6., shouldnt even be in the top 20

 

[mortuus est]

22. Lupe Fiasco, Fahrenheit 1/15 Part II: Revenge Of The Nerds (2006)

Lupe Fiasco, who grew up on Chicago's rough west side, came out the gate performing Fabolous-style street rap (over Chicago house samples, no less!) but it wasn't until the series of Fahrenheit 1/15 mixtapes dropped that the rapper seemed to find himself, bringing Kanye's conflicted neuroses and wedding them to a dexterous technical skill.

The best of these tapes was Part II, subtitled Revenge of the Nerds, from the meta-rap verse of "Mean & Vicious" ("Truthfully, I have trouble with second verses/'cause the first one be so intimidating, it be bullying, instigating/pointing out all the second one's limitations") to "Switch (The Science Project)," arguably the most incredible moment of his technical prowess.

For those unconvinced of Lupe's abilities, "Switch" found the rapper rotating through a series of flows in a deft double-time over the "Still Tippin'" instrumental, an electrifying exemplar of devotion to craft. He remained rooted in Chicago past—witness the effortless double-time that closes his Crucial Conflict reinvention "Don't Get It Twisted"—while thinking of the future, introducing the artist who was to be his protege, the underrated Gemini.

But the strongest sign of the rapper's emerging personality came near the end of the tape, when Lupe took to Kanye's "Diamonds" instrumental, spreading awareness about the history and origins of hip-hop's "bling, the crystal-encrusted princess-flooded canary studded blue colored and blood-stained." —David Drake