From Block Parties to World Domination:

It’s one thing to appreciate listening to hip hop music... and another to take the time to discover the tunes that made it huge and the incredible artists that helped hip hop achieve total world domination.

The Bronx, a borough of New York City, was the birthplace of hip-hop music in the 1970s. It began as groups of young people, predominantly from the Black, Latino, and Caribbean communities staged block parties for friends from the neighbourhood. Local DJ’s played disco, soul and funk music to packed local dance floors. To make it even more interesting the DJ’s improvised vocal parts over the beats they were playing and, as they say, the rest is history.

From its humble beginnings, hip hop is now the dominant popular music style around the world. Hip hop and more broadly, black American music, inspires and leads the trends for music, fashion and culture for the world’s youth of today. Recent reports show over 30% of music sold in the US is made up of hip hop and R&B and that doesn’t even include black artists in the pop genre.

But what is the history of the music behind the phenomenon? And what were the albums that made hip hop so great and inspired generations of young artists to follow? Ladies and gentlemen, we hereby present to you our countdown of the hottest hip hop albums of all time

and how they changed the world...

10. “Midnight Marauders” A Tribe Called Quest - 1993

Nearly always included in people’s list of the best hip-hop albums of all time, A Tribe Called Quest proved in 1993 that, despite having released two excellent albums, they were still growing as artists. With their earlier works, the group had already gained the admiration of die-hard hip-hop fans as well as followers of other genres. However, Midnight Marauders was a game changer for the group by solidifying their reputation and turning them into genuine heroes of hip-hop.

9. “Supa Dupa Fly” Missy Elliott - 1997

This album, released in 1997, established a new hip-hop style while also broadening the notion of rap. As legend has it, the album was made in just over a week, with Elliott and famed producer Timbaland writing, producing and recording all of "Supa Dupa Fly”. The Elektra Records label released the record and provided Elliott with a level of autonomy that was unusual for a female artist at the time.

Missy Elliott's hip-hop reign began with Supa Dupa Fly, which sold 1.2 million copies in the United States and was certified Platinum and she continues today as a leader for both black artists as well as women in hip-hop.

8. “Paul's Boutique” Beastie Boys - 1989

The Beasties, always known for incredible lyrics, have never sounded more cutting and insightful than on this 1989 release. Not only were they bringing their usual hatful of brat-bro gags, they were now capable of creating full-bodied storylines and evocative images of characters and places.

The road to the album's release was full of artistic troubles and differences, both with their label and legendary producer Rick Rubin. In the end the Beasties decided to go it alone and it’s obvious in the listening. Their unique take on the world was given free reign, setting them apart from all of their contemporaries and providing us with one of the ultimate hip-hop albums of all time.

7. “Things Fall Apart” The Roots - 1999

For many, The Roots are best known as Jimmy Fallon's backing band on The Tonight Show and the drummer Questlove plays with but there’s a lot more to the story of this legendary group.

Their album Things Fall Apart is not just the best hip-hop album of 1999 but also one of the greatest hip-hop albums of the late 1990s and the group's best overall collection of tracks.

The Roots had already established themselves as one of the most brilliant hip-hop groups of the 1990s by the time they went into the studio for Things Fall Apart. Managing to surpass their earlier work, this was a watershed moment for The Roots and the album where they figured out their true identity as a band. It sounds just as fresh today and is definitely one of the hottest hip-hop albums of all time.

6. “Fear Of A Black Planet” Public Enemy - 1990

It seems that Public Enemy's "Fear Of A Black Planet'' couldn't be more relevant now than it was on its release in 1990. Truly one of the greatest hip-hop albums of any decade, it's a masterwork of righteous rage and ferocious force. Tracks like “911 Is A Joke” and “Fight The Power” were once again thrust into the forefront of the cultural discourse via the Black Lives Matter movement and the brutal killings of both Michael Brown and Eric Garner via extreme use of force by police. And, along with the album's timeless political messaging, it also contains incredible rapping and beats that were as powerful on the ear in 1990 as they are now. Incredible...

5. “The College Dropout” Kanye West - 2004

Sure he’s middle-class, civilised and politically minded in a way that makes other rappers appear brutish. In a scene still dominated by authenticity wars and gangster posturing, Kanye's‘04 release stood out from the pack with it’s originality and cemented his place in hip-hop culture.

Critics claim that he’s not the best at intricate wordplay, cadence and gangsta attitude but he sure as hell makes up for it with production that still feels as fresh today as it did on its release.

This album set a high bar for hip-hop rivals in 2004 with enough singles in reserve to last the entire year and definitely earned its position in our list of our favourite hip-hop albums of all time.

4. “Mama Said Knock You Out” LL Cool J - 1990

Mama Said Knock You Out will always be considered as one of the great hip-hop comeback mega-successes, plus one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. It shook the hip-hop landscape like an earthquake on its release and is still an inspiration to aspiring artists around the world.

L.L. may be about as subtle as a sledge hammer but when he hits... BAMM.. he hits hard! A particular target is the often maligned M.C. Hammer who gets a barrage of insults on "To Da Break of Dawn” that would leave any opponent flattened. The match by knockout to LL Cool J!

3. “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” Lauryn Hill - 1998

Whilst straddling the genres of hip hop, R&B and neo-soul, this 1998 masterpiece was a huge hit on black and mainstream charts around the world.

Hill, whose personality has been described as “abrasive” by some, made good use of her personal strength and independent attitude when making the album. Only 23 years old at the time, she had a confidence and sense of purpose that was considered a “bad attitude” by some. In tracks like "Doo Wop (That Thing)” and the monster hit "Superstar" she takes aim at those who pull up short with a righteousness that is backed-up by a God-given musicality that can’t be denied. At a time when a lot of women in hip-hop were merely used as arm candy for tough guy rappers, we can appreciate the trail she blazed and why she deserves a place on our best hip-hop albums list.

2. “The Blueprint” Jay-Z - 2001

No list of hip-hop's best albums would be complete without something by the legend that is Jay-Z. 2001’s “The Blueprint '' is considered by many to be not only Jay-Z’s ultimate album but also one of the finest albums of the 2000s. It’s a sonic and lyrical masterwork that represents the finest output from a musical wizard at the very height of his powers. Even more than the incredible tracks on the album, it’s Jay-Z’s overpowering self-assurance, confidence and mastery of his craft that has kept this album at the top of the hip-hop favourites lists for more than twenty years.

1. “The Chronic” Dr Dre - 1992

The Chronic is the debut solo album from arguably the greatest producer in hip-hop history. Dr Dre revolutionised the sound of hip-hop music forever when he released his debut album thirty years ago and he defined the sound for generations of new artists who followed in his footsteps. A mega-selling triple platinum monster, the album's biggest single "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang", went on to become one of the most popular songs of the 1990s. Dre went on to further greatness by producing mega hits for everyone from to Snoop to Eminem and found time in between to invent the Beats headphones. He’s truly one of the greats and The Chronic is a worthy entry on our best hip-hop albums of all time.