10 Perfect Hip-Hop Albums With No Bad Songs

Hip hop was never meant to withstand the test of time. Since this was a genre that sprung off the heels of disco, the fact that it even managed to survive and thrive in decades like the '80s is almost a miracle. Still, it all seemed like party music to be forgotten in a little bit. When you hit upon the right formula though, you get some of the best music ever made anyway.

These aren't just the fluke acts that fell into having a hit record though. These are the trailblazers that paved the way for the harsh emcees that we know today. From the golden age of hip hop to the start of gangsta rap, these are the records that announced the careers of legendary artists that would go on to live the lifestyle that was usually just reserved for the rock stars of the world.

That doesn't mean only the old beats get love here. As far back as this past decade, there are even more spectacular artists coming down the pipeline, some of whom may even be on a legendary trajectory themselves if they can keep up their penchant for great lines. The rock and rollers might want to keep their heads close to the ground. With stuff like this, the days of the big guitars were numbered.

At the start of the '80s, the idea of hip hop actually standing the test of time was still a bit of a novelty. Since most of the greatest hip hop was coming from Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash, they weren't exactly guaranteeing staying power on the charts any time soon. Because rap was still just a new trend...it took Run-DMC to turn it into the fresh sound of the future.

If you were looking at it from today's perspective though, Raising Hell almost sounds like a parody of old school hip hop, bringing together rhymes that were soft balls compared to what we have now. That's because most of the elements that we take for granted in hip hop today were just getting started here, from Rick Rubin's amazing production to the samples of classic rock joints like Walk This Way, which managed to pull in Aerosmith for a guest spot.

That's before you even get to emcees, with both Joseph and Darryl having incredible chemistry playing off each other, all while Jam Master Jay creates some of the greatest beats imaginable behind them. There are even some more serious topics thrown into the mix, like Proud to Be Black balancing out the silliness of something like You Be Illin. This isn't your standard rap of today. This is the kind of rhymes that date back to the stone age of hip hop.