10 Best Hip-Hop Albums Of The 1980s - Ranked

While Straight Outta Compton might have been a culture-changing album, there is only one duo that set the standard for all hip-hop acts to this day.

At number one, it's the legendary duo of producer Eric B. and NY rapper Rakim, who complimented each other's style in a ying-yang type balance that solidified their legacy as the duo to set the standard for pairs that would come after Eric B. and the R like Blackstar, Outkast, and eventually Run The Jewels

The production of the album is crisp and pushes the boundaries of what was considered tasteful music at the time of conservative and simplistic beats of the early 1980s. Eric B. is ahead of his time in this debut and finds perfect rhythmic grace in chopping together smooth samples of jazz, funk and even sound effects on tracks "Chinese Arethmatics" and "Eric B. For President".

This album would go on to be the template for the rappers in the upcoming "Golden Age of Hip-Hop", as Rakim pioneers a genre-defining repertoire of powerful lyrics that went hand-in-hand with Eric B.'s bombastic instrumentals.

The titular track "Paid in Full" is one of the best hip-hop songs of all time, still played in arenas and radios all around the world to this day, the devilish bassline and Rakim's deep tone of braggadocio superiority are unparalleled to this day.

Cited to be one of the best lyricists by Tupac, Eminem, Notorious B.I.G., the Wu-Tang Clan, Jay-Z, Nas, and 50 Cent, there is an undeniable