1. Scarface - The Fix. I mean..hey...Scarface is my favorite rapper. Did you really think "The Fix" wasn't going to make my list? Although some of the beats weren't really made for Face's flow, the production was still absolute fire nonetheless. Before "The Fix", Scarface was known for his deep rhymes and sometimes psychopathic flow but on this album, he showcased his relationship with God. "What Can I Do", which featured Kelly Price, touched you through the speaker. He dropped a classic verse along with Nas on "In Between Us". "In Cold Blood", "Safe" and "Sellout" which is my personal favorite, are all standout tracks. Scarface let it be known that he never changed his game...HE CHANGED THE GAME. Oh and did I mention that EVERY song on this album is a banger?
2. Eminem - The Eminem Show. The Em Show was the biggest selling album of 2002 with 8.7 million units sold. TES is my personal favorite from Eminem because it was a more personal album. "Cleaning Out My Closet" in which he aired out his mother's dirty laundry, "Square Dance" in which he spoke on terrorism and "White America" are standout tracks on this album. "The Eminem Show" was the first album in which Shady produced himself and it was the first release on Shady Records.
3. The Roots - Phrenology. "Phrenology" experimented with jazz, rock and hip-hop music. The Roots literally tried to analyze the mind and turn it into a musical sound. "Water", "Complexity" and "Break You Off" are my favorites off the album. The album was highly anticipated because the recording process took two years but it was only certified Gold by the RIAA. But socially conscious music rarely sells off the charts so what would we expect? I have this album (along with every other Roots release) in my collection. If it wasn't for Eminem and Scarface, this would have been my number one album of 2002.
4. Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections. Judging from the album cover, you could see that Cee-Lo was already on the deep end. Following in the footsteps of Andre 3000, Cee-Lo took this album a bit further. Showcasing his lyrical ability on tracks such as "One For The Road" and "Big Ole Words (Damn) with words such as "No need for the dramatics and systematics..simplicities strictly like science and mathematics." Then he flirted with the pop side of things with "Gettin' Grown" but he managed to keep it socially conscious. Then Cee-Lo harmonized on "Basehead Jazz"...OMG. I'm just realizing all over again how well put together this album was. "Closet Freak" is still one of my favorite songs to this day. Buy this album, cherish this album because no one makes this kind of music anymore. Period.
5. Nas - The Lost Tapes. TLT was a compilation of unreleased material that was recorded between "I Am..." and "Stillmatic". Most of the times when we hear "unreleased" material, we only find one or two songs that really sound good. This 12-track album was incredible from start to finish. Again, we hear Nas at his finest telling stories of adultery, drugs, violence and social commentary. It's a shame that Nasir's unreleased material was better than some of these artists' albums. Think about it...
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