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We know some of you commenters won’t believe us, but at Complex we take our lists seriously. Real debate goes into what does and doesn’t make a list like the 90 Best Rap Albums of The 90s. We get together and argue...for hours. It’s actually pretty nerdy, but it’s fun. After the list is sorted out, we take a long time writing blurbs.
A lot of people spent a lot of time writing about rap albums from the ‘90s.
Like everyone else, the people who helped make this list have their own opinions about what this list should have been. So we asked them to provide us with their personal list of the 10 Best Rap Albums of the 1990s. And as a bonus, we asked them to name five albums they wish had made Complex’s original list. Here’s what they had to say...
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Insanul Ahmed
Twitter: @Incilin
Top 10 Albums
1. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
2. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
3. Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)
4. Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt (1996)
5. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995)
6. Ice Cube, Death Certificate (1991)
7. 2Pac, Me Against The World (1995)
8. Genius/GZA, Liquid Swords (1995)
9. UGK, Ridin' Dirty (1996)
10. Mos Def, Black On Both Sides (1999)
Five That Should Have Made It
AZ, Doe or Die (1995)
Black Star, Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star (1998)
Wu-Tang Clan, Wu-Tang Forever (1997)
Ice T, O.G. Original Gangsta (1991)
Xzibit, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz (1998)
Al Shipley
Twitter: @alshipley
Top 10 Albums
1. A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory (1991)
2. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die (1994)
3. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
4. De La Soul, De La Soul Is Dead (1991)
5. Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt (1996)
6. UGK, Ridin' Dirty (1996)
7. Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)
8. Gang Starr, Daily Operation (1992)
9. A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders (1993)
10. Mobb Deep, The Infamous (1995)
Five That Should Have Made It
Big L, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous (1995)
Camp Lo, Uptown Saturday Night (1997)
The Lost Boyz, Legal Drug Money (1996)
Scarface, The World Is Yours (1996)
8Ball & MJG, In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1999)
Kyle Kramer
Twitter: @KyleKramer
Top 10 Albums
1. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
2. Lauryn Hill, Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
3. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
4. UGK, Ridin' Dirty (1996)
5. Goodie Mob, Soul Food (1995)
6. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die (1994)
7. OutKast, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994)
8. E-40, In a Major Way (1995)
9. Dr. Octagon, Dr. Octagonecologyst (1996)
10. Genius/GZA, Liquid Swords (1995)
Five That Should Have Made It
Camp Lo, Uptown Saturday Night (1997)
Wu-Tang Clan, Wu-Tang Forever (1997)
Dr. Octagon, Dr. Octagonecologyst (1996)
Missy Elliott, Supa Dupa Fly (1997)
Big L, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous (1995)
Jack Erwin
Twitter: @fultimejackmove
Top 10 Albums
1. The Pharcyde, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde (1992)
2. Cypress Hill, Cypress Hill (1991)
3. De La Soul, Buhloone Mindstate (1993)
4. Goodie Mob, Soul Food (1995)
5. A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory (1991)
6. UGK, Ridin' Dirty (1996)
7. Beastie Boys, Check Your Head (1992)
8. Common, Resurrection (1994)
9. The Beatnuts, The Beatnuts: Street Level (1994)
10. Public Enemy, Fear of A Black Planet (1990)
Five That Should Have Made It
De La Soul, Stakes Is High (1996)
Sadat X, Wild Cowboys (1996)
The Roots, Illadelph Halflife (1996)
MF DOOM, Operation: Doomsday (1999)
KMD, Black Bastards (1993)
Matt Welty
Twitter: @MatthewJWelty
Top 10 Albums
1. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
2. A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders (1993)
3. OutKast, Aquemini (1998)
4. Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt (1996)
5. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die (1994)
6. Freestyle Fellowship, Innercity Griots (1993)
7. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995)
8. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
9. Common, Resurrection (1994)
10. De La Soul, Buhloone Mindstate (1993)
Five That Should Have Made It
Gang Starr, Moment of Truth (1998)
Freestyle Fellowship, Innercity Griots (1993)
AZ, Doe or Die (1995)
Hieroglyphics, 3rd Eye Vision (1998)
MF DOOM, Operation: Doomsday (1999)
Angel Diaz
Twitter: @ADiaz456
Top 10 Albums
1. Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt (1996)
2. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die (1994)
3. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
4. Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)
5. A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders (1993)
6. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995)
7. Mobb Deep, The Infamous (1995)
8. Big Pun, Capital Punishment (1998)
9. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
10. Nas, It Was Written (1996)
Five That Should Have Made It
MF DOOM, Operation: Doomsday (1999)
Jay Z, Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)
Wu-Tang Clan, Wu-Tang Forever (1997)
The Roots, Illadelph Halflife (1996)
Gang Starr, Moment of Truth (1998)
Russ Bengtson
Twitter: @russbengtson
Top 10 Albums
1. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die (1994)
2. A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory (1991)
3. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995)
4. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
5. OutKast, ATLiens (1996)
6. Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)
7. Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt (1996)
8. Gang Starr, Step In The Arena (1991)
9. Ice Cube, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990)
10. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
Five That Should Have Made It
MF DOOM, Operation: Doomsday (1999)
Ice T, O.G. Original Gangsta (1991)
The Roots, Illadelph Halflife (1996)
Gravediggaz, 6 Feet Deep (1994)
The Beatnuts, Intoxicated Demons: The EP (1993)
David Drake
Twitter: @somanyshrimp
Top 10 Albums
1. 2Pac, All Eyez On Me (1996)
2. Gang Starr, Hard to Earn (1994)
3. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995)
4. Scarface, The Diary (1994)
5. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die (1994)
6. DJ Quik, Rhythm-al-ism (1998)
7. Nas,Illmatic (1994)
8. Snoop Doggy Dogg,Doggystyle (1993)
9. OutKast, Aquemini (1998)
10. A Tribe Called Quest,The Low End Theory (1991)
Five That Should Have Made It
DJ Quik, Rhythm-al-ism (1998)
Missy Elliott, Da Real World (1999)
Suga Free, Street Gospel (1997)
Mystikal, Unpredictable (1997)
Tha Dogg Pound, Dogg Food (1995)
Matt Barone
Twitter: @MBarone
Top 10 Albums
1. Genius/GZA, Liquid Swords (1995)
2. Gang Starr, Hard to Earn (1994)
3. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
4. Mobb Deep, The Infamous (1995) 5. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
6. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995)
7. Souls of Mischief, 93 'til Infinity (1993)
8. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die (1994)
9. Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)
10. OutKast, ATLiens (1996)
Five That Should Have Made It
Gravediggaz, 6 Feet Deep (1994)
Artifacts, Between a Rock and a Hard Place (1994)
Killarmy, Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars (1997)
Onyx, All We Got Iz Us (1995)
Naughty By Nature, 19 Naughty III (1993)
Jason Parham
Twitter: @nonlinearnotes
Top 10 Albums
1. Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)
2. Jay Z, Reasonable Doubt (1996)
3. OutKast, ATLiens (1996)
4. Missy Elliott, Supa Dupa Fly (1997)
5. 2Pac, All Eyez On Me (1996)
6. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
7. Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
8. The Roots, Things Fall Apart (1999)
9. The Notorious B.I.G., Life After Death (1997)
10. Mos Def, Black on Both Sides (1999)
Five That Should Have Made It
DJ Quik, Rhythm-al-ism (1998)
Missy Elliott, Supa Dupa Fly (1997)
A Tribe Called Quest, Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996)
The Roots, Illadelph Halflife (1996)
Busta Rhymes, Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front (1998)
Ross Scarano
Twitter: @RossScarano
Top 10 Albums
1. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
2. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready to Die (1994)
3. OutKast, Aquemini (1998)
4. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
5. Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt (1996)
6. Ice Cube, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990)
7. A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders (1993)
8. Genius/GZA, Liquid Swords (1995)
9. The Pharcyde, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde (1992)
10. 2Pac, Me Against The World (1995)
Five That Should Have Made It
De La Soul, Stakes Is High (1996)
Pharcyde, Labcabincalifornia (1995)
Missy Elliott, Supa Dupa Fly (1997)
Black Star, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998)
Busta Rhymes, E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front (1998)
Damien Scott
Twitter: @thisisdscott
Top 10 Albums
1. Nas Illmatic (1994)
2. The Notorious B.I.G. Ready to Die (1994)
3. Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt (1996)
4. Makaveli, The Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory (1996)
5. The Notorious B.I.G., Life After Death (1997)
6. Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
7. Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)
8. Mase Harlem World (1997)
9. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995)
10. Redman, Muddy Waters (1996)
Five That Should Have Made It
Black Star, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998)
Jay Z, Vol 3… Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)
Lost Boyz, Legal Drug Money (1996)
Missy Elliott, Supa Dupa Fly (1997)
MF DOOM, Operation: Doomsday (1999)
Rob Kenner
Twitter: @boomshots
Top 10 Albums
1. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
2. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die (1994)
3. A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders (1993)
4. Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)
5. Snoop Doggy Dogg, Doggystyle (1993)
6. 2Pac, All Eyez On Me (1996)
7. Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt (1996)
8. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
9. Mobb Deep, The Infamous (1995)
10. OutKast, ATLiens (1996)
Five That Should Have Made It
Jay Z, Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)
Camp Lo, Uptown Saturday Night (1997)
Missy Elliott, Supa Dupa Fly (1997)
Black Star, Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star (1998)
Def Squad, El Niño (1998)
Brendan Frederick
Twitter: @bfred
Top 10 Albums
1. Snoop Doggy Dogg Doggystyle (1993)
2. A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory (1991)
3. Jay-Z, Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998)
4. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
5. The Notorious B.I.G., Life After Death (1997)
6. OutKast, ATLiens (1996)
7. The Fugees, The Score (1996)
8. Capone-N-Noreaga, The War Report (1997)
9. 2Pac, Me Against The World (1995)
10. The Beatnuts The Beatnuts: Street Level (1994)
Five That Should Have Made It
Wyclef Jean, The Carnival (1997)
Xzibit At The Speed Of Life (1996)
Busta Rhymes, When Disaster Strikes... (1997)
Tela, Piece Of Mind (1996)
Ice T, OG: Original Gangster (1991)
Noah Callahan-Bever
Twitter: @N_C_B
Top 10 Albums
1. A Tribe Called Quest, Low End Theory (1991)
2. Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)
3. Nas, Illmatic (1994)
4. Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995)
5. Masta Ace Incorporated, SlaughtaHouse (1993)
6. The Pharcyde, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde (1992)
7. Mobb Deep, Hell On Earth (1996)
8. Brand Nubian, In God We Trust (1993)
9. De La Soul, Buhloone Mindstate (1993)
10. Black Sheep, A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing (1991)
Five That Should Have Made It
Kwest Tha Madd Lad, This Is My First Album (1996)
Leaders Of The New School, Future Without A Past (1991)
KMD, Black Bastards (1993)
Jay Z, Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)
Gang Starr, Step In The Arena (1991)