As part of Complex.com‘s week-long feature surrounding the release his major label debut good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar spoke wtih the site about his top 25 favorite albums.
Naming LPs from DJ Quik, Ice Cube, Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G. and more, K. Dot said that Dr. Dre’s The Chronic was the first album that was played in his household from front to back.
“That was probably the first rap album I remember them playing in the house from top to bottom. Songs that I actually remember as a kid. That’s the start of them house parties I always talk about growing up,” he said. “‘Lil’ Ghetto Boy’ was crazy because of the storytelling, and I do a lot of storytelling in this album. I really pattern… Like I listen to my album and how it’s broken down to 12 songs. It really kind of shapes and forms into an album like that. Just with the storytelling and what represents the city today and kids around the world today.”
Check the full feature over at Complex.com and check out the list of his favorite albums below.
DJ Quik, Quik Is The Name (1991)
Ice Cube, Death Certificate (1991)
Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)
Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle (1993)
Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die (1994)
2Pac, Me Against The World (1995)
Tha Dogg Pound, Dogg Food (1995)
2Pac, All Eyez on Me (1996)
Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt (1996)
2Pac, Makaveli (1996)
Notorious B.I.G., Life After Death (1997)
DMX, It’s Dark and Hell is Hot (1998)
Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
Juvenile, 400 Degreez (1998)
DJ Quik, Rhythm-al-ism (1998)
Hot Boys – Guerrilla Warfare (1999)
B.G., Chopper City in the Ghetto (1999)
Lil Wayne, The Block Is Hot (1999)
E-40, Charlie Hustle (1999)
Kurupt, Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha (1999)
Dr. Dre, 2001 (1999)
DJ Quik – Balance & Options (2000)
Nas, Stillmatic (2001)
Clipse, Lord Willin’ (2002)
Jay-Z, The Black Album (2003)
RELATED: Shyne Explains Why He Thinks Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city” Is “Trash”
Perfect list.
near perfect list, there be hope in the hip hop thanks to rappers like kendrick who are genurine hip hop fans see that when things started getting messed up when the non-hip hop based started making raps for us who are all hip hop we stand by artists who give us what we want there dedication leads to inspiration for up and coming fans to keep the community flowing this is how hip hop survives i shall check the album and give you my loyalty in return for your services.
Learn to use a period man. Nobody can tell wtf you are tryin’ to say.
so nothing makes this list from the past 10 years?
i guess he really meant it that its not a classic unless its 10 years old
kudos to the black album
so 2005 isnt in the past 10 years smh!!! dumn fuck
^^ there were no albums from 2005 in the list. LOL. you’re the dumb fuck.
surprised they’re no eminem albums
Just a few weeks ago he said Em is the greatest ever, yet not one Em album didn’t make his list. Kinda odd.
maybe he’s more of a fan of certain Em songs than his albums…
or he just appreciates Eminem’s raw talent, nothing says he has to dig an entire album of his
everyone’s entitled to different opinions. but I find it hard to believe that out of 25 albums he didn’t fit illmatic on there. just about every major artist would have it top 10…let alone top 25. and the em thing is real odd..
nigga stfu. everyone is different. i personally wouldn’t put ready to die or life after death in my top 25, yet most people would. its all about which music you happened to get exposure to growing up, and which albums you bumped. that’s why his list has so much west coast stuff.
Damn!! Can’t nobody post here cuz of Malone.. He fuckin up the program!!
Sincerely Yours
-Malone
Nigga you a dumbass
When hiphopdx is ashes… you have my permission to die..
this nigga just quoted a damn batman movie lol
fag
who’s malone..whats he doing?
Eminem?
word right? i was jus thinking the same thing
No Outkast?!?!
Okay so my behavior on this site has gone far beyond the point of trolling. It is time for me to take a brief break from my regular troll programming to bestow some manly advice to the young males attending this site. Today’s topic is old women. See most of you judge a women based on her looks and not her intellectual status. You see an 80 year old women and you say to yourself with judgmental dismay “awhhh I’m not making out with her” Well today I want to tell you that that is wrong. See because you need to make out with that 83 year old. Statistic show that 85% of males who sleep with women between the age of 80 – 87 experience:
1.Penis rejuvenation
2.Longer lasting sexual stamina
3.More full fulling orgasm
4. This is my personal favorite… the effect of looking 6 years younger.
I like to believe I am like a big brother to most the people on this site and If you ask anybody on this site they’ll tell you they feel the same way about me. You know I love you all and I would never lead any of you wrong. This is probably the most heart felt post I’ve ever posted because its from my own experience. Take action in your life today by having sex with an 83 year old. It will change your life!!
Sincerely Yours
-Malone
I bet your grandma got that good good. You should let me get that.
SOLD!
I agree and am TOTALLY down with octogenarian cootchie…
Please give me your grandmothers address, and I will drop her a UPS special delivery in my big brown van A$AP…
Not feeling this list. A tad bit West Coast bias.
makes sense seeing he’s from west coast
Okay so here is your daily motivational moment from your beloved hiphopdx troll: Life is like Natalie Nunn’s chin, if you take it too seriously you’ll only see how long and hard it is.
Sincerely Yours
-Malone
So you see it doesn’t matter what you go through in life you make it out as long as you take into consideration what I have written below.
Sincerely Yours
-Malone
Shut the fuck up Malone and do something with your bum ass
First off…thank you DX for not making clicking 25+ times on the complex site.
Second…interesting list with some dope underated west albums.
Obviously a little 1999 (and west coast bias) but “Chopper in the City Ghetto”?! GTFOH. That shit isn’t even on Baby’s list.
chopper city was dope. Where you think bling bling came from and Cash Money is Army better yet a navy. The production and flow was ill.
Lol this nigga Malone funny as fuck
Except that he’s not…
No he is! LMAOO
My Personal Top 20:
2pac – Me Against The World (1995)
2pac – Makaveli (1996)
OutKast – ATLiens (1996)
Biggie Smalls – Life After Death (1997)
Big Pun – Capital Punishment (1998)
DMX – It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot (1998)
DMX – Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (1998)
Eminem – The Slim Shady LP (1999)
Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
Jay-Z – The Blueprint (2001)
Nas – Stillmatic (2001)
Nas – The Lost Tapes (2002)
Nas – God’s Son (2002)
Eminem – The Eminem Show (2002)
Royce Da 59 – Rock City (2002)
Jay-Z – The Black Album (2003)
50 Cent – Get Rich or Die Tryin – (2003)
Obie Trice – Cheers (2003)
Royce Da 59 – Death Is Certain (2004)
The Game – The Documentary (2005)
Okay.. Okay. I mean I feel you on that list. I really do. I feel what you sayin but here’s my list
My Personal top 20
1. No one gives a fuck about your list
2. No one gives a fuck about your list
3. No one gives a fuck about your list
4. No one gives a fuck about your list
5. No one gives a fuck about your list
6. No one gives a fuck about your list
7. No one gives a fuck about your list
8. No one gives a fuck about your list
9. No one gives a fuck about your list
10. No one gives a fuck about your list
11. No one gives a fuck about your list
12. No one gives a fuck about your list
13. No one gives a fuck about your list
14. No one gives a fuck about your list
15. No one gives a fuck about your list
16. No one gives a fuck about your list
17. No one gives a fuck about your list
18. No one gives a fuck about your list
19. No one gives a fuck about your list
20. No one gives a fuck about your list
Sincerely Yours
-Malone
My Top 25 (In No Order – Subject to change each week except where starred*)
1. Eminem – The Eminem Show*
2. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP*
3. Lil Kim – Hard Core*
4. 2Pac – All Eyez on Me*
5. 2Pac – Makaveli*
6. Eminem – The Slim Shady LP*
7. Nas – Illmatic
8. Notorious BIG – Ready to Die
9. Dr. Dre – The Chronic*
10. Dr. Dre – 2001*
11. Snoop Dogg – Doggystyle
12. 50 Cent – Get Rich or Die Tryin*
13. 2Pac – Me Against the World*
14. OutKast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
15. Notorious BIG – Life After Death*
16. The Pharcyde -labcabincalifornia*
17. The Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique*
18. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of…*
19. Mobb Deep – The Infamous
20. Raekwon – Only Built for Cuban Link*
21. De La Soul – Three Feet High and Rising*
22. A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory
23. Ice Cube – Death Cerifticicate
24. Common – Be
25. Legal Drug Money – The Lost Boyz*
This List could go on forever. I made a list one time and it totaled to over 80!
Hip Hop FOR LIFE! 1990 – 2006 = Best Years, but it is finding it’s revival!
You all are far too kind….
.
.
.
Sincerely Yours
-Malone
I hope they give you a IP BAN
F*cking DX-TROLLS
Ontopic:
Nice list
Suprised @ no Outkast, and Nas (Illmatic)
And too bad he (Kendrick) mentioned Wayne
IMO, his Lil Wayne-ism is his only flaw as a MC
Makes a lot of sense!!!! pretty similar to my own personal list, though I’m surprised to see the Cash Money albums there…
Juve & B.G. but no Marshall
400 degrees was a classic. Not shocked EM is not on the list. A lot of people like EM but not a stan.
Everybody all butt hurt because EM wasnt in the list. This is favorite albums. SMH. His favorite album doesnt have to be yours.
Also in the hood nobody is really bumping EM like that. Plus in Compton is mostly hood shit getting played. BG and Juve put out classics especially in the south. That shit is classic albums in the south. The west show luv instead of hating. But Juve flow and subject matter was ill on that album. You felt like you was in the NO. Shout out to Kendrick for showing that luv down south.
That’s cause his lyrics go over their trap minded heads.
Pretty solid list when it comes to west coast music from that era. Makes me want to pull out some Quik
“I don’t wanna party wit you… hell naw
You need to put some lotion on
Cause your skin is peelin’ around them bullet wounds on your back
You’re fat, plus you’re abortion-prone” lol, classic…
NO CUBAN LINX OR ILLMATIC FOR KENDRICK IS TOO REAL FOR HIM.
WHAT A SAP.
LOSER
Agree
lol i knew these white kids on here cry about eminem missing.
little food for thought from one white guy to another white hysteric bitch (YOU):
did it ever cross your mind that you can relate better to eminem than mos def/stickman/wutang and so on..?
and its not that all these black legends are bad.
you just dont get the fuckinng lines, you dont get the wordplay.
ask your hero em, he willl tell you not to disrespect black music period.
no. i relate to emcees just as easily no matter their background/race. i can listen to wu-tang and feel their lyrics just as much as em and i’m white.
Your whole post was dumb as shit, and Im black!!
no eminem???? so what, its kendricks opinion this guy below me is 1 faggot vvv
No Collage Dropout? you aint got no fuckin’ yeezy nicca?
no he doesn’t. and late registration is better btw.
No, there’s no COLLEGE drop out here except for you. Trolololol
I’m actually surprised to not see any Outkast in this list, good kid maad city has a couple of atliens/aquemini inspiration moments imo.
I respect his list although I’m surprised some albums didn’t make the list.. it’s his opinion so let it be
Yeah, great colection, I have all albums except the cds of Laurin Hill, DMX, Juvenile and E-40. In the Jay Z mention, I prefer the first Blueprint than the Black Album.
ehhh EMINEM ??????
Great albums except for The Block is hot and 400 degreez…I could do without those two. Sub those with slim shady and that list is A1
Lol, no Illmatic???
cant believe no illmatic or public enemy it takes a nation of millions to hold us back smh
What do I keep telling you? Nobody listens to Illmatic.
^^^ LMAO man quit dat shit or the Nas stans will b on u like crazy! I listened to Illmatic for the first time last year and it was a great album to be honest.
Black Album, WTF, how you can put the Black album in a list with 2Pac and Biggie
the reason why kendrick MAMA is wack, is becoz EMINEM is not on dat list…..if he had listened 2 some shady he wud hev been better
Dude eminem is really not tha tight. He’s like…. Cassidy… No doubt Rees lyrical talent but overall just not good
fuck you nikkas complaining about eminem. why should he pick eminem. it are his favourites goddamn. and fuck those nikkas comong up with there own lists
It’s favorite list not a best ever list, there’s a difference. No reason for any of you to get so emotional over this.
nice list
2x DJ Quik! + he puts DMX on there
I co-sign him, nice list
no Bone Thugs tho….
You missed out:
Hot Boys – Guerrilla Warfare (1999)
DJ Quik – Balance & Options (2000)
Thank God he didn’t put that peckerwood on this list, even though it has some New Orleans bullshit on it anyway.
you really love eminem don’t you? just admit you wanna play his cd right now.
Thought Outkast would be on there. He has some Aquemini vibes imho
for someone that said eminem inspired him he didnt include him in the list
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. so what there’s no Eminem on his list? Em is my favorite rapper, and there are people that don’t like eminem… so what? its an opinion chill out damn.
Kendrick is entitled to his opinion… and so is everyone who is hating on his opinion. It goes both ways.
Kendrick Lamar is da worst rapper alive. fuck Aftermath! Eminem is wack too. Fuck Dre Gay!!! YMCMB and MMG all day err day. swag
swag
Nigga you gay
nigga you is a wack son of a bytch. ymcmb and mmg suck dick and eat each others ass for a livin. fuckin faggots
got all them on the ipod except the E-40 one cause that nigga is whack i dont give a fuck what ne one says the stupid slang weird voice accent tilted glasses he aint a trendsetter or inventing new flows or slang hes a fat corny weirdo
Word up! E-40 is straight garbage. I don’t know how this fool makes music
Both of you are retards. E40 is a Bay Area legend.
All Eyez on Me is so overrated!
You’re kidding right? Unless you were growing up and listening to hip hop during that time, you will never understand how heavy that album is. And it’s harder than most, if not all west coast albums out recently, and truly poetic. The beats are flawless. You need to go figure out your life before opening your gap about shit you don’t understand.
I think Me Against the World is better personally
Agree. If it wasn’t for California Love, that album would have totally sucked. Only die hard Pac fans treat it like the holy grail.
I’m so glad he didn’t put that annoying voice white boy on his list.
Damn K…No love for any Wu affiliates? You still the man tho.
Surprised there’s no Bone thugs on his list
borin fkin list, shows kendrick knows less abt the culture then i thought
wow… and i thought Kermit-dot might b cool… you think it’s a coincidence he gave a shout out to Em about a month before his album drops? this guy just wanted some stan sales by saying Em “definitely influenced his style and that’s he’s genius” …Glad I didn’t buy his shit, go colab with Drake some more ya bish… and Kermit.. if you meant Em influenced you in the sense of having an annoying voice, you out did him by 50x
What would make you feel better about his list? A dude can’t state his opionion without getting sh*tted on?
this muh-fucka said Kermit-dot…hahaha
gotta love white people…. “if u dont say EM is the best” we don’t like u
Stillatic over illmatic? Really? huh.
And, ya, I would have expected Outkast to be on here. Although, outkast has 4 on my top 25…. so i might be a little biased.
Mercy (feat. Kendrick Lamar and Eminem) (produced by Dr. Dre; co-produced by Eminem) …
I too prefer Stillmatic over Illmatic. Illmatic is a classic no doubt, but Stillmatic for me is just creatively the greatest album. Plus it’s really hard to fully appreciate Illmatic when you weren’t around when it came out, I wasn’t so I don’t really have a connection to it like others might.
you ain’t got no Yeezy?
“Stillmatic better than Illmatic”??? You must be smoking various drugs. Or, you’re a youngin. Anybody with any sense of classic hiphop knows how ridiculous of a statement that is. But oh well, music is subjective. Can’t help if you’re just plain wrong though.
dont be sheep bro… everyone is aloud to have their own favourites… especially when they are both classic albums.
Stillmatic is ffucking ridiculous -people forget the records on there… Blueprint seems liked some material pop album in comparison.
East Coast!!!!!
So why is it blasphemous to say stillmatic is better than illmatic? Because in my eyes their both classic plus better is in the eye of the beholder. Age has nothing to do with ability to judge talent
ur a fucking fool if u think Stillmatic is better than Illmatic. Nas’ first joint was revolutionary and changed the game. 10 tracks of flawlessness. The same can’t be said about Stillmatic, even though it was a great album. Stillmatic isn’t even better than It Was Written! Youngster!
@Hip Hophead
You’re statement lost all validity, especially with your last sentence. Gotdamn, rap fans are stupid as fuck nowadays.
Stillmatic >> Illmatic.
I’m 26 – I was 14 when Stillmatic came out… I was 7 when illmatic came out.
Poision (IMO) >>> every track on Illmatic
That record changed my life.
lauryn hill album DOPE
fuck the block is hot
How you don’t have an “EM” Album in there????
he’s not white….so hardly a suprise bro.
… no black male wants to listen to EM talking about pills rape and suicide…. can’t really relate.
so what can you relate to? drivin lambos? ownin a mansion? killing someone? movin keys? lmfao
Lol ..Exactly i know you don’t have no lambo …And yes black people have listened / enjoyed listening to Em …Dude has /had skills …You just some young boy fag who thinks he is being controversial ..Fucking cornball peasant !! R.O.F.L
Eminem would destroy your favorite rapper
thank u.
…big baby jesus, i can’t wait.
Good list, but Eminem and Kanye West are missing.
kanye is wack dawg, he put out pop rap. and eminem is white, so he in a catergory with other white faggots.
^ those kinda comments are why racism will never go away .. All I can say is, you’re lucky ur hiding in your moms basement behind a computer saying that kinda shit
kanye is not wack. but i agree…. EM is white and corny.
he may be white, but he’ll rap circles around your sorry ass all day
lol
the whole aftermath click be fucked up now, no good music since get rich or die tryin. no instant classics no more, and dre be doin nuthin about detox but playin around wit other people’s shit. and this list by k dot is pretty lame dawg. the only classic’s on that list is 2pac matw, aeom, tsdt, and biggie btd.
suck on nicki minaj ass cheeks, eat lil kim’s floppy pussy, deep throat lil wayne and suck on rick ross’s fat titties.
fuck mariah in the ass while nick watches, ram my penis down taylor swift’s sexy throat. watch gunplay and 50 69each other while eminem jacks of dr dre hiding in the closet.
shit on j-lo while pissing on hallie berry, then suck her asshole dry while jacking of to k dot.
No Illmatic?
To add to that, kendrick doesn’t even know what BDP stands for or who the Cocoa Brovaz are…
Hip Hop is the only genre of music where people with no knowledge of the music’s history can gain accolades. If this was Jazz or Rock, you’d be straight laughed at.
WHY does every cat make it big and forget about the underground rap cats who’ve been makin’ solid albums for years? Mabe its cause im from the bay, but no hieroglyphics or souls on this list? 3 Pac albums but no Living Legends? Soo many hot boys and snoop affiliates on this list…. Binary Star’s Masters of the Universe could easily replace the crazy amount of redundancy on here. But if ya gotta name ONLY mainstream hip hop albums, wheres Outkast’s shit on this? Its easy to fill a list with all pac, big, nas, jay and snoop shit, but why not narrow it down to a few favorites? Its hard to believe that Kendrick put much thought into this list.
^ 100% co-sign
Kendrick Lamar names HIS 25 FAVOURITE ALBUMS!
NO WUTANG???
He from westside tho… that’s why there is alot of non-classic records in there lol
Its not about west or east man. The internet ended all that ignorance with free flow of all music….. Kendrick just never expanded his tastes in hip hop. Sad, I know.
Really sad. I find his music on some pretentious kikibobo shit.
His 25 Favorite Albums…..
HIS 25 Favorite Albums
His 25 Favorite Albums
(is the clear??)
LOL I know every white guy on here bitching?? No EM? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA….
Do white people really thin black people listen to EM in there own houses??? Nigga please… EM was cool on up in smoke tour… then black people fell back!
Yes they do play him!! I know a lot of black dudes that listen to Eminem, I listen to him too and its mainly cos I heard my uncles play him when I was growin up.
Benzino is that you? black people dont listen to eminem cause hes stealing your culture right? moron.
MAKAVELI- one of the best albums ive ever heard…. and if you never heard it go listen… please reply if you have listened to this album, and can recommend another on the list that might be as intellectual as tupac’s genius-ness
notice how all of the albums came out from 1990-2003 none from nowadays thats when rap was good
That’s very true!
but last 2 years ive heard some classics in the make, gkmc section 80, life is good, food and liquor 2, welcome to our house, live from the underground, 1999, all 6’s and 7’s, the cool, cole world, pl3dge, r.a.p. music, raw, the dreamer, the believer, succes is certain, w.a.r., greatest story ever told, but we can only tell in about 10 years iif these albums make it. its easy to say old time were better, and thats what people will be saying in the future too i bet half of this list he gave us the critics were not as possitive about it as they are now,
You people on here are fuckin retards. its HIS favorites, not the best rap albums of all time. these albums are albums that he grew up with and made him what he is today, so everybody shut tha fuck up saying u lost respect for kendrick just because he didnt mention an album YOU like LOL y’all never had any respect to begin with
We share the similar loves
Congrats Kendrick… your album is dope! Keep it 100
First off as stated these our “His” Favorites not everybody elses.And there all Classics! Second off fuk outta here with all that white n black stuff! Em is a dope mc regardless and it has nothing to do with skin color. Time to get relevant people. Real Talk
where is WU TANG???
where is Eminem???
Dammn you fuckin retards ….this is a WESTCOAST MC !!why should he name Wutang or eminem in his list!!!????
If he mentions jayz/nas/x why wouldnt he mention em/wu/rakim? Its his own personal choice, i just think its odd.
N.W.A -niggaz for life ,Above the law -Livin like a Hustler ….maybe he forgot them….
This is a very good list of albums. Plus this is his own personal list. If Eminem and Wu Tang isn’t on this list then it might be in its top 50 top 75 or top 100. I hate you commenters.
i’m glad to see that he named Dogg Food, that album is definitely a classic.
I hate when rappers name nothing but commercial albums and artists. You didnt come up on nobody local nigga? No RBX? No King T? Above the Law? Spice 1? Nobody Ive never heard of at all?
Eigtball&MJG- On Top of The World
UGK- Ridin Dirty
Goodie Mob- Soul Food
Bone Thugz N Harmony- E.1999
Mobb Deep- Hell on Earth
Brotha Lynch Hung- Loaded
Devin- The Dude
Twista- Adrenaline Rush
UGK- Super Tight
Outkast- Aquemini
Slim Thug- Underground Hoggin
Chamillionaire and Paul Wall- Get Your Mind Correct
Swishahouse All Stars- Northside 11
DJ Screw, Lil KeKe, Big Pokey- Leanin on a Switch
Slim Thug- I Represent This
Master P- Ice Cream Man
Nas- God Son
Jay Z- Blueprint
Mr Mike- Wicked Wayz
Z-Ro- Let The Truth Be Told
Scarface- The Fix
Eminem- Marshall Mathers LP
Goodie Mob- Still Standing
COMMERCIAL ASS NIGGA. and nas on there once NO WUTANG I LOST RESPECT FOR YOU MY DUDE
Not one OutKast album…