19. Jay-Z - The Black Album (2003)
Notable Tracks: Dirt Off Your Shoulder, Moment of Clarity, Encore Jay-Z. What else is there to say? If you haven't heard of this particular rap magnate, then please come out from under that rock (no pun intended). As I've stated before, hip-hop is not particularly my genre of choice, but every few years an album comes out that flat out deserves to be recognized and appreciated. I'm pretty sure Jay doesn't need any more recognition, especially from me, but this album certainly deserves to be included in this list. For what seems like many, many years, people have discussed and debated Jay-Z's best album or best song. And since there is no compromised conclusion among "Jiggaman" (cringe) audiophiles, I'm going to use this album as his best work within the last 13 years. I must include, however, that his new album, save for a few redundant and annoying tracks, is quite impressive for the aged rapper. If you haven't listened to this album in a while, however, I suggest you go on and brush the dust off your old CD and pop it in your Walkman (yes, that's right, I said "Walkman") to properly ride the wave back to 2003.