The "100 Best Albums" is an alphabetically sorted list of the one hundred best hip hop albums, published in the one hundredth issue of the magazine The Source in January 1998. The earliest albums on the list are from 1984, with the latest albums being from 1997.
A Tribe Called Quest, Eric B. & Rakim, EPMD, LL Cool J and Public Enemy have the most albums on the list, with three albums each. 1988 is the most common year, with fifteen albums on the list released in that year.
List[]
- A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (1991)
- A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)
- A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders (1993)
- Above the Law - Livin' Like Hustlers (1990)
- Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill (1986)
- Big Daddy Kane - Long Live the Kane (1988)
- Big Daddy Kane - It's a Big Daddy Thing (1989)
- Biz Markie - Goin' Off (1988)
- Black Moon - Enta da Stage (1993)
- Black Sheep - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (1991)
- Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - Creepin on ah Come Up (1994)
- Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded (1987)
- Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary (1988)
- Brand Nubian - One for All (1990)
- Chill Rob G - Ride the Rhythm (1989)
- Common Sense - Resurrection (1994)
- Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill (1991)
- Das EFX - Dead Serious (1992)
- De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
- De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead (1991)
- Diamond D - Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop (1992)
- Digital Underground - Sex Packets (1990)
- DJ Quik - Quik Is the Name (1991)
- The D.O.C. - No One Can Do It Better (1989)
- Doug E. Fresh - The World's Greatest Entertainer (1988)
- Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)
- Eazy-E - Eazy-Duz-It (1988)
- Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full (1987)
- Eric B. & Rakim - Follow the Leader (1988)
- Eric B. & Rakim - Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990)
- EPMD - Strictly Business (1988)
- EPMD - Unfinished Business (1989)
- EPMD - Business as Usual (1990)
- Fugees - The Score (1996)
- Gang Starr - Step in the Arena (1991)
- Gang Starr - Daily Operation (1992)
- Genius - Liquid Swords (1995)
- Geto Boys - Grip It! On That Other Level (1989)
- Heavy D & the Boyz - Living Large (1987)
- Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990)
- Ice Cube - Death Certificate (1991)
- DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988)
- Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt (1996)
- Jungle Brothers - Straight out the Jungle (1988)
- Jungle Brothers - Done by the Forces of Nature (1989)
- Just-Ice - Kool & Deadly (1987)
- Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Road to the Riches (1989)
- KRS-One - Return of the Boom Bap (1993)
- LL Cool J - Radio (1985)
- LL Cool J - Bigger and Deffer (1987)
- LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out (1990)
- Lord Finesse - Funky Technician (1990)
- Makavelli - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996)
- Main Source - Breaking Atoms (1991)
- MC Lyte - Lyte as a Rock (1988)
- MC Shan - Down by Law (1987)
- Mobb Deep - The Infamous (1995)
- Naughty by Nature - Naughty by Nature (1991)
- Nas - Illmatic (1994)
- Nice & Smooth - Nice & Smooth (1989)
- The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (1994)
- The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death (1997)
- N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton (1988)
- N.W.A - N****z4Life (1991)
- Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version (1995)
- Onyx - Bacdafucup (1993)
- Organized Konfusion - Stress: The Extinction Agenda (1994)
- OutKast - Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994)
- OutKast - ATLiens (1996)
- Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca and the Soul Brother (1992)
- The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde (1992)
- Poor Righteous Teachers - Holy Intellect (1990)
- Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush the Show (1987)
- Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
- Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet (1990)
- Queen Latifah - All Hail the Queen (1989)
- Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (1995)
- Redman - Whut? Thee Album (1992)
- The Roots - Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995)
- The Roots - Illadelph Halflife (1996)
- Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C. (1984)
- Run-D.M.C. - Raising Hell (1986)
- Salt-n-Pepa - Hot, Cool & Vicious (1986)
- Scarface - Mr. Scarface Is Back (1991)
- Schoolly D - Saturday Night! - The Album (1986)
- Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988)
- Smif-N-Wessun - Dah Shinin' (1995)
- Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle (1993)
- Souls of Mischief - 93 'til Infinity (1993)
- Special Ed - Youngest in Charge (1989)
- Spice 1 - Spice 1 (1992)
- Stetsasonic - On Fire (1986)
- 3rd Bass - The Cactus Album (1989)
- Three Times Dope - Original Stylin' (1988)
- Too Short - Born to Mack (1987)
- 2Pac - Me Against the World (1995)
- Ultramagnetic MC's - Critical Beatdown (1988)
- Whodini - Escape (1984)
- Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
- X Clan - To the East, Backwards (1990)