10 Rap Albums That Rock Fans Need To Check Out

For most of the '80s, the genesis of rap music was supposed to be about fun more than anything. While acts like Run DMC were bringing the sounds of the street to the suburbs, acts like the Beastie Boys seemed to be the making this new kind of music a lot more of a joke in the eyes of your average teenager. In a world where feelings were mixed on rap's voice, Public Enemy made everyone stand at attention for It Takes a Nation of Millions.

Compared to the some of the traditional rap music coming down the pipeline, these guys weren't afraid to tackle some of the harshest subject matters they could think of, from the dark narcotic benders on Night of the Living Baseheads to the pure anarchy conjured up on songs like Rebel Without a Pause. Chuck D didn't sugarcoat any of these either, with a flow that grabbed you by the collar and beat you up with every word he sang.

Much like the influential rock records coming out around the same time, this is rap really starting to sink its teeth into the cultural zeitgeist, looking to hit you over the head with their messages with an unapologetic swagger to it. In just a couple of harsh beats and one of the fiercest lyric sheets of all time, Public Enemy managed to make the US answer to something like the Clash's London Calling with this record.