Happy Birthday, Hip Hop.
The culture that molded, influenced and (gasp!) even raised so many people across the globe is now 45 years young.
Throughout its heyday, it’s managed to avoid extinction, scrutiny and while reveling in controversy to the point it is the dominant musical genre in the present day.
To celebrate its Born Day, we over at HipHopDX took a trip down memory lane (word to Nas’ Illmatic) to reminisce on the first albums we ever bought. (Something the current generation will unfortunately likely never experience.)
And don’t hesitate to share your experience on the matter as well. The comment section is open.
Outkast’s Speakerboxx/The Love Below — Marcus Blackwell
The first album that I bought was Outkast’s Speakerboxx/The Love Below back in ’03. I was eight years old at the time and watching the extravagant “Hey Ya” and “The Way You Move” videos was something my older siblings and I did on a daily basis. When the album dropped, we put our money together and got our parents to take us to pick the duo’s fifth album (the clean version of course). Despite not understanding a lot of the content at the time at such a young age, the musicality and groove displayed on records like “Roses” and immaculate storytelling heard on “A Day In The Life of Benjamin Andre” were undeniably good.
Those were our favorites and looking back has shaped a lot of my musical preferences to this day.
Death Row Records’ Murder Was the Case OST — Trent Clark
Editor-In-Chief’s Note: SMH. Would someone please clear these muthafuckin’ songs?!
I owned several full bootleg rap albums but my first actual retail hard copy was the Murder Was the Case soundtrack on cassette. (Nostalgia aside, I still rank it at No. 1 on the Hip Hop soundtrack list.) Being a big Snoop Dogg fan, I easily convinced my mother to buy it for my 11th birthday but there was a bit of controversy in the car ride home from Media Play. My little brother screamed and told me to read the title to track No. 7 (“Who Got Some Gangsta Shit?”). My mother gave me this stern ass look and told me, “If you just got some trash, you know I’m taking it” but thanks to my trusty Sony Walkman, the raunchy project mostly stayed blaring through my headphones.
Damn, those were the days of the past.
Beastie Boys’ Licensed To Ill — Kyle Eustice
I got Tone Loc’s “Funky Cold Medina” single the same day I got my first Hip Hop album — the Beastie Boys’ Licensed To Ill. My dad, who’s a musician, used to take my little sister and me to our local record store once a week. On this particular day, my mom was waiting in the car as we ran into the West Omaha location of Homer’s Records and Tapes. My dad actually knew about the Beasties already and bought the tape for us. I was really, really young and probably had no business listening to songs like “Fight For Your Right” and “Girls,” but I digress.
Anyway, he popped it in the cassette player (yes, it was a tape) and the second that 808 hit, it was over for me. I can still hear my mother saying, “Turn that off Bill!” She was not a fan. But I was entranced by the simplicity of Rick Rubin’s production and the apathetic attitudes of Ad-Rock, Mike D and MCA. But the bass on songs like “Hold It Now, Hit It” and “Time To Get Ill” had little Kyle digging for more. That album marked my introduction to Hip Hop and I’ve been gettin’ ill ever since.
Method Man’s Tical 2000: Judgement Day — Justin Ivey
I don’t remember the first album that I ever heard, although it was definitely a Cash Money Records project. But, I do remember the first LP I bought with my own money – not that I’d earned the money or anything. It was Method Man’s Tical 2000: Judgement Day, which was released around my birthday. My mom gave me some money as a birthday gift and Method Man’s second album was my first purchase with the cash. I had become fixated on his “Judgement Day” single, staying glued to MTV (remember when they used to play videos!?!) and BET to watch those crazy, apocalyptic-style visuals. I even ordered it on The Box (long story if you’re unfamiliar with the channel) twice.
Getting the album so I could listen to it whenever I wanted seemed like a good investment to my younger self.
Nelly’s Nellyville — Aaron McKrell
What’s the old adage? If you want kids to gravitate toward something, tell them they can’t have it. We weren’t allowed to listen to the local pop radio station on my bus because some kid’s parents called and complained after he told them Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” was blasting through the speakers on his way to get his valuable suburban education. Naturally, I was enthralled by Nelly’s music. His doubled-up, high-pitched delivery, combined with Pharrell’s ear-grabbing production, had me swearing to my mother up and down that it was OK for her to by the explicit version of Nellyville, because only a few songs had curse words and I would never subject my 12-year-old ears to such profanity. “Air Force Ones” had me wishing I had two pair, while “#1” made me feel like, well, just that.
In subsequent years, the likes of T.I., JAY-Z and Kanye West would put Nelly firmly into my second (and even third) tier of favorites. But put on Nellyville, and I’ll still dance like I got pimp juice in my veins.
Young MC’s Stone Cold Rhymin — Dana Scott
The first rap album I got was Young MC’s Stone Cold Rhymin for my 10th birthday in 1990. It may seem corny now but Young MC’s debut hit single “Bust A Move” made me really fall in love with Hip Hop. The B-side of that single “Got More Rhymes” was the first song I memorized. I had no turntables so I used to try to play DJ with both tapes in two stereo tape decks with the cassette single and the album cassette.
Young MC was considered “safe rap” like MC Hammer and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, but that album — and the other artists like Tone Loc on the Delicious Vinyl label — took me down the rabbit hole to learn the rap music industry, reading liner notes and such. Those artists deserve a lot of credit to help push rap music’s emergence into Top 40 radio when it was scratching the surface during glam rock’s heyday.
Eminem’s The Eminem Show — Daniel Spielberger
I got The Eminem Show in 2002 during a family road trip. My cousin was a huge Slim Shady fan so he convinced his dad to stop at Best Buy and get us his latest CD. My uncle thought he was getting the clean version but unfortunately for him and maybe fortunately for us, he didn’t notice the “Parental Advisory” sticker. Throughout the entire road trip, my cousin couldn’t stop chanting the chorus of “My Dad’s Gone Crazy.”
I remember being dumbfounded by Eminem’s music, feeling confused as to whether or not he was pretending to go off the rails or was actually spiraling out of control. “What’s up with this dude? Is he okay?” — My nine-year-old self wondered.
LL Cool J’s Mama Said Knock You Out — Riley Wallace
Though a new generation of listeners missed the boat, iconic rapper LL Cool J is — and always will be — one of my favorite artists. There was a kid at my babysitter who had this huge boombox and used to dance to ”Around The Way Girl.” Obviously, I became obsessed with the record. I had just gotten my first boombox for my birthday, and I shoveled insane amounts snow (because I was terrible at business apparently) to make money to buy my first tape: Mama Said Knock You Out. I still have it to this day — although, it’s been eaten and re-spooled too many times to count.
Beyond the surface singles, there were some serious gems on this album; ”Mr. Goodbar” and ”Milky Cereal” sparked my love of B-sides. This album holds up — don’t @ me.
Now, it’s your turn. What’s the first Hip Hop album you ever owned?
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Kool Moe Dee “Knowledge Is King” in cassette. I had $10 and it was on sale at Sam Goodys. They Want Money and I Go To Work were everything at that time.
Chicken and Beer. Was my favourite album for so many years
Summer ‘86 bday present from my Cuz LL Cool J “Radio”(cassette)…hip hop junkie ever since…
Meth&red blackout, I was 11 and had to get my older sisters friend to buy it for me because hmv wouldn’t sell it to me. I dont think I’ve listened to a single album more, maybe chronic 2001 or blueprint……”tear the roof off this mufucka!…..
I bought that the first day it dropped. I’ll never forget the first time I heard “Da Rockwilder.” Life-changing experience, son!
Chingy’s Jackpot….fuck what yall say that Right Thurr song was lit!
Especially the video!
Which one though??? lol. That right thurr video had one of the best uncut videos! which was rare for a mainstream song like that. Chingy was cool, the track he had with jason weaver, tyresse, janet jackson, and anthony hamilton were my favs from him.
Yes it was. Love that song myself
The Fat Boys first album was my first. I fell in love with hip hop after hearing Doug E Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew’s album “Oh, My God” I have been tied to hip hop for a long time and developed an incredible ear along the way!
Methodman – Tical 2000.
1st – Bone Thugs – East 99
2nd – The Fugees – The Score (My parents took this one ironically enough for being too vulgar and let me keep E.99.)
Lol They def didn’t get to that Mo murda or buddah lovaz then. East 99 Eternal by Bone was and still is one of few rap albums that bang from start to finish without skipping
Oh. Now i see it’s on the list. Funny 🙂
Don’t remember the first album I ever bought but the first CD was eazy e eazy duz it.
The first album I bought was the classic cassette of Eric B. & Rakim Paid In Full.
Yep…Im old..
It was the first of many. I used to love reading the liner notes. God forbid the actually had the lyrics in the cassette or cd jacket. Sony walkman. Then portable cd player etc..
Been in love with this thing called hip hop since birth.
Pretty sure nellyville was mine as well. Of course I mean the first that my parents got me, I didn’t buy my own until about five years later.
this explains the site so much
Care to elaborate?
36 Chambers Murtha Frs… one of the GOATS
Blue Scholars’ self-titled album
First shit I ever bought was a Cassette Tape of SkeeLo’s song “I wish”… I was 6 years old and set up a tent in my grandma’s backyard grabbed my Fischer price tape player I had gotten that year for my birthday… Very good memories… One of the 1st songs I remember hearing as a kid was EazyE ft. MC Ren “the mothafuckin real”
Long live hip hop!!!
2pac – all eyez on me
1st album l ever owned was Snoop Doggy Dogg – Doggystyle
1st album I ever bought was Warren G – Regulate a G Funk era
First rap album I ever bought with my own money? Madvillainy – Madvillain. Must have been about 13, read about it in Spin magazine and was just intrigued by the fact the dude rapped in a mask, bought it and was truly blown away, never heard anything like it before.
Fifteen years prior to that release, DOOM rapped as Zev Love X in KMD down with 3rd Bass and was a monster on the mic like he still is today.
Raising Hell Run DMC or Criminal Minded Krs 1…whichever came out first not sure. Those were the first 2 then Big Daddy Kane.
Cypress Hill IV and Busta Rhymes ELE. Bought them on the same day.
Stole both Kane Taste of Chocolate and Ice T OG in 91 from a gas station cause they “looked different” had never heard hip hop before that
BDP-Edutainment + Minnie Love-Down to Earth on cassette
1st CD was LL Cool J-Mama Said Knock You Out
Run DMC Rasin Hell….bootleg cassette from the Fleamarket!
The Score
Snoop doggy style
With cassettes already gone and cds on their way out ima miss unfolding the album covers
No One Can Do It Better by The D.O.C. Still bangin! Light years ahead of his peers lyrically!
Snoop Doggy Dogg Doggystyle cassette then CD years later
Cypress hill black sunday
Black sheep-wolf in a sheeps clothing
My dad R.I.P Eric Wayne Little bought me my first tape Kutis Blow I’m Hip Hop Baby for life !
My first album was Nastradamus from Nas I used to love it I’d know the words to just about every song but it’s pretty shit when I listen to it now don’t know why I liked it so much
Not going to say it’s a good album, but Project Windows is still a great song
I loved the majority of that album too.
My first album I believe was Outkast ATliens… Though forgotten the basic aims of Hiphop are three fold: to provide playful entertainment an serious art for the rituals of the young an young at heart. To forge new ways of escaping social misery an to explore novel responses for meaning an feeling in a market driven world…
The first rap album i ever got my hands on was ice t power…i was waaaay to young lol..but the first album i ever bought was 2pac me against the world..still bump it in its entirety often and i listen to “heavy in the game” everyday
EPMD Business as Usual
I had always been captivated by the Hip-Hop culture. But I’ll never forget the day I truly fell in LOVE with Hip-Hop. My big sister use to have a habit of leaving money in her clothes and forgetting about it. Won up on 20 dollars off her and went up the block to the record store. As I was walking in they had “Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos” from Public Enemy’s “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back” was playing loudly in the store. I was fuckin’ mesmerized. And maaaaan…. I was so stuck on that Public Enemy for at least a year before I even bothered to pop the plastic on the 3rd Bass The Cactus CD I bought with it. That Public Enemy was the soundtrack to my life and had me militant af. The only other album that had me close to being on that page again was Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly”.
By the way. That Public Enemy album is also what had me paying attention to and reading the liner notes on albums. It was a way of following what other artists, DJs and producers were out there waiting for me to discover when they were being mentioned and shouted out in the notes. And that’s what helped make hip-hop so personal to me. Because when I’d listen to an artist that I found out about from reading the liner notes from an album I already had, and didn’t many people know about that particular artist because they didn’t read the liner notes, it had me feeling like I was in some in-the-know circle of purists that only we knew about, hence the term “Hip-Hop head”.
First album I ever bought was Nas It Was Written…but first album to fall in love with Hip Hop was LL Cool Js Mama Said Knock You Out album.
TELL THE WORLD MY NAME BY K-SOLO
Dope! “Ya Moms In My Business,” “Fugitive,” and “Spellbound” are classics from that album.
My mom bought me my first rap albums for Xmas when i was 10. She got me Snoop Dogg Deathrows Greatest Hits, Tupacs Greatest Hits, and Dr. Dre 2001
1849 Sedgwick over here, so the hip-hop been in my blood since I was born (Kurtis Blow THE BREAKS first record I can remember in my house… With my own ?? Beastie Boys LICENCE TO ILL… Brass Monkey was my sh!t!!!!!
DJ QUIK- WAY TO FONKY
Eric B and rakim – paid in full. Still got all my albums in a VERY safe place
I bought the edited version of DMX – Flesh of My Flesh.. what a joke! Haha.. First real album was Black Rob – Life Story.. highly underrated album!
Life is Too Short
Man what an album still
1984 Kurtis Blow Ego Trip. Yea I’m old so what
The first one I bought myself with my own money was either skills Season or BG’s heart of the streets vol.1, which every came first. I first one I ever asked for was Bravehearts album.
I grew up in Nort La, I never was a fan of cash money, but I always heard the earlier work before they blew up, Mannie fresh was so underrated as a producers Those Big tymers albums has some Fire production all of them. It was cool to see someone early on be consider a local or regional act blow up on the national scene. Hopefully with B.G gets out they do a Hot Boyz tour
First tape i ever bought was the D.O.C No One Can Do It Better edited by the way from Zarye! Lol! If it wasnt for that damn car crash i sear he would Be one of the G.O.A.T’s! Fax!
brotha lynch hung- season of da sickness. nuff said an mic drop.
Most raw, gutter album of all time!!!
First album(cassette at that) I ever owned was Fat Boys – The Fat Boys Are Back. It was out for a few years already, but I saw it while standing in line at a store with my mom. I asked her if she could buy it for me.. I rocked that tape everyday.
The first album I BOUGHT myself, I’m not really sure. Maybe Bushwick Bill – Phantom of the Rapra. Did a lot of dubbing albums on tape before that.
1997 I remember my mom buying me READY TO DIE and WUTANG FOREVER at the same time. Man did I play those two albums front to back over and over again in 7th grade. I can still say almost every word of both of them from memory.
First song I recognized as rap: Cypress Hill- Insane in the brain
First rap video: Coolio-Fantastic Voyage
First album purchase: Eminem-Marshall Mathers LP
NWA–Straight Outta Compton. Made the mistake of playing it (loudly and freely) in the living room stereo system. Pops heard it, swiftly asked me what was wrong with me and why I thought it was a good idea to play that language in the house, and stomped on it, a la C. Delores Tucker…
Reasonable Doubt
Bought Bone thugs N Harmony Crossroads single from the tape man for 5$. After that I bought everything with Bone thugs on it. Even before that my older brother would always steal my uncles tapes, unc had every thing that drop in his truck on grey tapes. Spice 1, LL, Ugk, Ice cube, Cypress hill
On my birthday moms came home with radio, the best of Shaquille O’neal and Bone Thugs Art of War I still have
and bump both
Dr Dre The Chronic
LL Cool J – Radio
Tougher than leather- Run DMC
1. Dre – 2001, 2. Jay Z – vol 3, 3. Pharoahe Monch – Internal Affairs. Beyond that can’t remember what came after those..
At the Speed of Life & It’s Dark & Hell is Hot
Bone thugs n harmony Creeping on tha come up!!!!
LL Cool J Bigger and Deffer.
First original was methodmans tical0:prequel lol but very first was bootleged eminem show
First rap album I got was a gift and it was Onyx Bacdafucup tape.
Jay-Z “the blueprint 2” the first album I bought with my own money but my first album that I owned as mine was N.E.R.D- “in search of…”
RunDmc Tougher Than Leather. Mom copped it for me
Nas – God’s Son
1992 I was in 2nd grade lol.
1st ever album purchase was Eazy E – Eazy duz it
In Jr High I ended up buying Jay Z’s in my lifetime volume 1.
Summertime 04. Lloyd Banks Hunger For More
1996 Crucial Confilcts-The Final Tic
Chicago’s first rap group to go gold… These dudes came in witha style called Rodeo and was destroyin shit.
Project pat Getty green got out a magazine that BMI thing where you buy 10 cds for $0.10 lol all I did was check bill me later …. everything free lol
My first album bought with my parents were “ dj jazzy Jeff and the fresh prince – he’s the dj, I’m the rapper”. I was 7 or 8.
My first album bought by myself was Dr Dre’s Chronic (1992). I was 10.
public enemy fear of a black planet
I copped my first 3 albums at the same time when I was 10 years old and got my first bit of money. Cypress Hill Black Sunday, III: Temples of Boom and Snoop Doggystyle. Smokin that fire and laying the pipe to these thirsty hoes ever since.
Tha Dogg Pound-Dogg Food
Above the Rim soundtrack
Public Enemy, Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age
My first hip hop album was Wu-Tang’s 1st album Enter the 36 Chambers. Real ass music…
Kendrick Lamar GKMC
Bone Thugs N Harmony Art of War
2PAC Me against the world
Bone East 1999 Eternal
Run DMC – Tougher Than Leather
Run DMC “Raising Hell”, that’s right, I’m very old
Thats right n LL’s “Radio” joint. The good ole days.
Dream Warriors And Now The Legacy Begins
First album I ever got was The Predator by Ice Cube in 7th grade.
The Documentary
Bone thugs : The collection Volume 2
I got that joint also it wasn’t my first though, I got vol 1 and 2. I don’t smoke but weedman is one of my favorites tracks ever, Look into my eyes atlantis remix is unreal, I thought it was 10x better than the original.
The Fat Boys-big and beautiful(1986)
MC Hammer Too legit to quit.
On my birthday I got a radio and 2 cd’s The best of Shaq with songs like biological father, outstanding, 2nd cd was Bone thugs n harmony Art of War a double cd That was the album that made me fall in love with rap.
yeah I first listened to beastie boys too when I was about thirteen or fourteen. they had released a greatest hits back in 1999.
beastie boys go way wayyy back.
Fat Boys, Run DMC and Force MDS. That was a great bday!
My first album was Mystikal- Ghetto Fabulous. Parents did not know what i was buying lol.
Tribe called quest ….People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
My First Album was Bone Thugs N Harmony “Creepin On Ah Come Up” And The Other 1 was Warren G “Regulators Album”
Lady B to the beat y’all and King Tim III
FAVORITES It takes a nation of millions..Go Stetsa..Long live the Kane.. Lyte as a Rock..Road to the Riches..Paid in Full ..EPMD..First 3 Quest joints ..Pete Rock and CL…Gangstarr joints and anything Philly
3xDope Steady B..Cool C ..Tuff Crew and Mechanism..Robbie B ..Bahamadia..Tasc4orce..Schoolly D ..Jeff and Prince…Jewel T…
Del The Funky Homosapien – I wish my brother George was here
My 1st album was Cypress Hill (self titled). I had my Dad take me since I was only 10. He didn’t ask no questions LOL
When I was 11 I bought It’s Dark and Hell is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood at the same time and it changed my life.
First hip hop album I owned was Will Smith’s “Born to Reign” when my parents bought it for me for my 13th birthday (my parents were a little over-protective). But first hip hop album I bought with my own money a few years later was Lupe Fiasco’s “Food & Liquor”. That album was like my personal soundtrack for about a year, and really saved me from the repetitive sounds of snap rap and the dance crazes of the time. And from then, I started to discover (and re-discover) some classic hip hop and haven’t looked back since.
license to ill was my first back in 86!!!!!!!!!!!!
Run DMC Tougher than leather
Bone Thugs East 99 Eternal
Blueprint 2 MOMMA gave me some Christmas money and I went and copped that BK days it got stolen at school ps 327
LL cool J – Radio album
SugarHill Gang. Rappers Delight
Street sounds Electro 2