20 Hip Hop Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

9. Dr Dre - The Chronic

While most of the albums on this list made the cut because of a mix of rapping and production, Dr. Dre's The Chronic got on here because of the influence it's had on nearly ever rapper from the west coast. Now no one is saying that Dre is a great rapper, in fact, he doesn't even write his own lyrics. However, what he does better than everyone else is create a funky sound that is damn near impossible to copy.

You can see how he was influenced by groups like Parliament - Funkadelic and the Ohio Players in his production, especially in a song like Nuthin' But a G Thang where the bass and the synths just mesh so perfectly. Of course, it's got a young Snoop Dogg and plenty of tracks so you know there's some good rapping but the true enjoyment of The Chronic is in its production.