6. Nas - God's Son. Originally titled "Nasir Jones : God's Son", this album was released on December 13th of 2002. The album was critically acclaimed due to Nasir's lyrical ability but received some criticism on the production side. This album is recognized as a more personal perspective of Nas due to the untimely death of his mother and the ongoing feud with Jay-Z. Nas spoke of religion, violence and emotional turmoil on "God's Son" which further helped my argument on Nas being one of the greatest of all time. Although the album had similar themes, each track is distinct in its own way which gave "God's Son" a "narrative" feel. This album has been in my personal collection since 2002 and that is where it will stay.
7. Clipse - Lord Willin'. Produced solely by The Neptunes, The Clipse shined brightly on their debut album. It was certified Gold by the RIAA quickly after its release in October of 2002. Malice and Pusha T received commercial success with the singles "Cot Damn" and "Grindin". "Virginia" is my favorite song. As soon as I heard the introduction of "Lord Willin'", I fell in love with these guys. I don't know whether it was the dark tales of the drug game or Malice's witty punch lines. "Lord Willin'" is a hip-hop classic.
8. Devin The Dude - Just Tryin' Ta Live. We all know Devin for his "pussy, weed and alcohol" tales, but on this release, he showed more of a conscious side. Receiving production from greats such as Raphael Saddiq, Dr. Dre and DJ Premier, Devin shined on the majority of this album. Highlights include "Who's That Man, Moma" and "Just Tryin' Ta Live". The Dude tickled us with a story of a broken down cadillac on "Lacville '79" with lyrics such as "I go about 47 in a 55. Fuel injected niggas be honkin' but fuck it, my shit is fine." Then he lifted us up with songs such as "It's A Shame" and "Just A Man." Overall, I personally gave this release 4.5 stars. If you haven't added this to your collection yet, then its obvious you're still asleep.
9. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 2 : The Gift & The Curse. Although this album was criticized for its pop appeal, I appreciated Jay-Z for going against the grain. He had a plethora of different artists on the album including Outkast, Lenny Kravitz, Pharrell, Dr. Dre, Rakim and a few others. "Meet The Parents", "Somehow Someway", "Excuse Me Miss" and "All Around The World" were my favorites. I do believe that if Jay would have made this one disc, it would have been another classic album. Nonetheless, it was still better than 85% of the releases in 2002. Hate it or love it.
10. Talib Kweli - Quality. This was Kweli's first solo album and it was released under the now defunct Rawkus Records. It gained some commercial appeal with the song "Get By" which was produced by Kanye West. Quality was certified GOLD by the RIAA. This album is a true Hip-Hop classic featuring collaborations with Xzibit, Mos Def, Cocoa Brovaz, DJ Quik and a few others. "Guerrilla Monsoon Rap", "Good To You" and "Where Do We Go" are my favorites off the Quality album. This was BACKPACK RAP at its finest.
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