#8 - Dr. Dre - The Chronic

The West Coast continues to dominate LOUD.com’s Top 10 Hip Hop Albums of All Time.  Hitting the streets at the end of 1992, this album introduced the world to Snoop Dogg, began Death Row Records’ ascent, and cemented Dre in Hip Hop’s Hall of Fame.  Dre isn’t the greatest MC of all time, but the album is composed of hits from start to finish.  Even skits like “Deeez Nuuuts” are quotable classics 15 years later!!!

While not the first album from N.W.A. this was the one that broke the doors open for the group. With classic records like F#$k Tha Police, Express Yourself, and Dopeman this was Eazy, Yella, Cube, and Dre at their finest. Straight Outta Compton had a very punk rock quality too it that a lot of people gravitated towards. The other thing remarkable about this album is the influence it had on the South. Almost all southern artists list this in their top 5 albums.

To kick off the new “Top 10s” section on LOUD.com, we started with the centerpiece of hip hop: the album.  The LOUD.com staff had some heated debates over our final 10 list but we finally came to a conclusive, and sure to be controversial, list of the Top 10 Greatest Hip Hop Albums of All Time.

This 1996 classic was certified platinum four hours after being released.  It went on to sell over 10 million albums.  With the huge single, “California Love” remix leading the way,  All Eyez On Me churned out classics such as “Only God Can Judge Me”, “2 Of Americaz More Wanted” and “Can’t C Me”.  Arguably, Pac’s greatest album, it was released exactly 7 months before his death.