10 Me Against the World
– 2Pac – I swear to God, that album was so close to me I thought Pac was from my hood. Everything he said on that album was me. How he came with “Outlaw” and “Fuck the World” and “Me Against the World,” and even with “Can You Get Away,” Pac made it cool to be romantic with a female. You have to respect that. He was saying real shit. My favorite song was “So Many Tears.” I lost so many homies and that song was just me all around. Out of all the albums on my list, that’s the one that emotionally touched me the most.
9
Lethal Injection – Ice Cube – That’s Cube’s best album. I don’t know if Cube was a Muslim at the time or what, but he had a chip on his shoulder with America and he wasn’t afraid to say it. Every song on Lethal Injection was a story. Cube always had a talent for writing stories. He was the mastermind behind N.W.A. I respect Cube for what he stood for.
8 Illmatic & Stillmatic
– Nas – You could mix both of these together. These albums had the same effect on me – it’s just different generations of music. Nas was New York. He was so ahead of his time with Illmatic. That was Nas’ #1 album of all time. If you listened to it you knew Nas was gonna be a problem. I was a big fan of the whole Nas vs. Jay-Z thing, seeing who was gonna say what.
7 Doggy Style
– Snoop Dogg – This was hands down Snoop’s best album. It was a funny, well put together album, even with the cartoon album cover. It was something different. And who didn’t want to be signed to Death Row at that time? Snoop could turn from a gangster to a pimp and people respected him. Snoop was ahead of his time. Even now with the “Sexual Seduction” and the wigs he puts on, Snoop is more than a rapper, he’s an entertainer. Even with the pimp character he plays with the buck teeth and everything, Snoop is probably the only emcee that could pull that off and keep his street credit. He’s the best West Coast artist in my opinion.
6
Straight Outta Compton – N.W.A – I think Eazy E was what DJ Quik was when he came into the game. His voice just stood out and the delivery was crazy. I know they used to shit on him and try to say that Cube wrote his lyrics. Regardless of how it came across, Easy was a star – from his image to the way he lived. I remember they used to wear the leather gloves and I used to try to mimic them when I was 9 years old, with the workout gloves and flannels. Besides the songs, Eazy is what made me like the album. The whole N.W.A movement started the West Coast getting respect in my eyes. I think a lot of people from the South and East Coast were influenced by that, which was a good thing.
5 4 3 2 1
Life After Death – Notorious B.I.G. – I liked Ready to Die but Life After Death was my favorite. At the time when Ready to Die came out, I was really into the West coast music. I loved Biggie, his swag was crazy, but at the time I was just getting into New York music. That’s when I really started listening to Biggie. I went to jail when Life After Death came out. That was in ’95. The whole reason I got into East Coast music was because the East Coast/West Coast beef was going on. The Blueprint – Jay-Z – That album speaks for itself. As far as Jay-Z’s albums go, this was probably the only album where I liked every single song. People were sleeping on his last few albums before that, except for Hard Knock Life. I think The Blueprint was a classic. That’s when I was introduced to Kanye West and Just Blaze as producers. I think their style made producers step they game up. American Gangster – Jay-Z – That album just did something to me. I’m a rapper and lyricist so I listen to lyrics. I think Jay-Z reached his peak with this album. He took his whole swag and put it on the album. Plus, American Gangster was an anticipated movie. I used to work out to this album when it first came out. It was something I used to listen to all the time. Dogg Food – Tha Dogg Pound – That was like the prime of my life, as far as being a knucklehead. Snoop is still the man, but back then, even if you were a Blood you were damn near cool with Crips just because of Snoop. He brought that whole new vibe. I really respected that whole movement. The Chronic – Dr. Dre – Dre came like a beast. He came with a whole new slang. I liked the whole swag and the new team. He had Daz, Rage, Kurupt, Snoop. Everything from top to bottom, from the beats to the flow, was the best. He had the best female emcee, the best duo – Daz & Kurupt, the best solo artist – Snoop Dogg, plus him. Of course, that was when the West coast was at its peak and had the game on lock, with the whole Death Row movement. Honorable Mention: ATLiens – Outkast
Nominated for Patiently Waiting: Arizona As told to Ms Rivercity // Photo by Hannibal Matthews
OZONE OZONEWEST MAG // 17