my top 20 from the 2000's

My top 20 albums of the 2000's - they're predominantly hip hop, so excuse the bias

20. Usher - Confessions Special Edition- I can't tell you how much "Yeah" played on the radio in 2004 and onward, but every song on this album, even today, can conjure up memories and it does a really good job covering all the bases and moments you have in high school and college. Not too musically experimental, but it does its job.

19. Kem - Album II - more sappy R&b soul type music, but the album is really good at bringing it back old school and keeping it mellow, something which music has strayed from lately.

18. Kanye West - College Dropout. -- This should be higher up, considering how much I played it, but there were too many more influential albums with probably more substance to the lyrics. Family Business, Last Call, and Get Em High are my favs from this album.

17. Talib Kweli - Quality - experimental rap sound with good production and lyrics to match. "Get By" and "guerilla monsoon rap" are my top songs from this one

16. Dr. Dre - Chronic 2001 - I think this album captured the spirit of the decade haha. Literally everything on this album has played out over the decade. Dr. Dre is beyond his time with this one.

15. Hans Zimmer - Batman Begins Soundtrack - This might be a weird one to put on this list, considering how much rap and r&b is on this list, but I swear orchestral music has never been so relevant to me as it was when I heard this soundtrack.

14. NERD - In search of- From "brain" to "provider" to "lapdance" to my ultimate favorite "run to the sun", NERD provides a unique soundscape and friggin awesome collection of songs to jam to anytime. Cool to chill to and cool to party to, what could be better than that.

13. dead prez - Let's Get Free - If the Chappelle show opens up with one of their songs, then it has to be THAT good

12. Jay Z - The Blueprint. Just listen to it....

11. Avant - Private Room and Avant - My thoughts.....Great R&B and i really cant pick which one is better. Both hit the spot so pick your poison.

10. Nas - Stillmatic - Jay Z got owned with "Ether" and so did Queensbridge with "Destroy and Rebuild". "One mic" and "Poison" also make this album a classic all the way through.

9. Reflection Eternal - Train of Thought - Talib Kweli and Hi Tek really made hip hop what it is with this one. "Good Mourning" and "Four women" along with "Too Late" were crucial.

8. Cormega - Legal Hustle - I swear I can't get enough of "Beutiful Mind"

7. Cormega - The True Meaning/ The Realness special edition 2CD - Just listen to "the Saga remix" or the original along with "Verbal Graffiti" and you'll see what I mean.

6. Clipse - Lord Willin'" - "Im not you" and "Grindin" never get old, especially the first song I mentioned with the Caribbean background beat and some of the grittiest but truest lyrics you'll hear from a rapper.

5. Alicia Keys - Songs in A Minor - Though I try and avoid listening to it just because it feels weird for me to be jammin out to Alicia Keys, I cant help but do it. Too good and too true.

4. Neptunes - The Neptunes presents: The Clones - Just check this out, it has one of the most unique sounds in rap, r&b, and rock that you'll hear.

3. Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liqour - The 2nd album kinda sucked, but this one along with the bootlegged version with some different songs on it like "Ghetto Story" was epic. Especially the song "The Instrumental"

2. John Legend - Let's get Lifted. A new and fresh approach to R&B, but it works really well. Covers all the bases but Legend's 2nd and 3rd album do come close, but they're not worthy of a top 20 of the 2000's list.

1. Common - Be - i swear Ive wasted too much of my life listening to this on repeat. Each song is good all the way through. Kanye is sick with the production and J Dilla lends a hand as well. They say it was good, I say it's even better


1.