Lists innately differ from person to person, so I’ll say a little bit about me so you can at least respect where I’m coming from. I was born and raised for the first decade or so of my life in the suburbs of New York City, where I learned the laws of the land and what music even was. As such, I am extremely biased towards East Coast rap: you will not see Tupac, NWA, or Pharcyde on this list. After a wholly underwhelming stint in Florida, I moved to Oak Park, Illinois for middle school and some of high school. We are all malleable at this age, and my time in the shadow of Chicago coincided with Kanye taking the throne, bookended by "Graduation" and "My Dark Twisted Fantasy." My Midwest roots remain strong, and there will definitely be a nod to the Windy City. Aside from those biases I am a classic hip-hop head--enjoy.

1.) "Ready to Die" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Biggie at the peak of his powers could rival any emcee. Though his life was tragically cut short, "Ready to Die" remains the epitome of all that is Biggie. As his first album, this project was raw and harbored his unbridled fury--but he packaged that anger into his trademark flow oozing with swagger. While Juicy and Big Poppa are all-time classics, this album is infinitely more than just those two masterpieces. "Suicidal Thoughts" stands as one of his realest hits, touching on everything from his human nature to girl problems to whether his mother really loved him. While Biggie’s sheer lyrical skills are on display throughout the course of the album, he also flaunts his storytelling prowess in songs like "Me & My B*tch." On its face, this album is just a standard gangster rap album that could arguably be replaced with several other albums, but in actuality, "Ready To Die" tells the story of Christopher Wallace--a black overweight dude from Brooklyn--and his come up from the streets of Bed-Stuy to the covers of Vibe and Source. In the course of an album Biggie goes from, “I know how it feel to wake up fucked up / pockets broke as hell another rock to sell / Baby on the way mad bills to pay" to “phone bill about two G’s flat, no need to worry my accountant handles that." Biggie's album, "Ready to Die" chronicles the harshness of mid-90’s New York City life and juxtaposes it with a laid-back, melodic flow.

2.) "Illmatic" by Nas

A hip-hop aficionado’s classic #1 choice, Nas’s Illmatic has to settle for the second best hip-hop album out of New York and of all time on my list. Though only containing a meager 10 tracks, Illmatic is packed to the brim with some of hip-hop’s greatest songs. Nas’ freshman debut was lyrical and painted a harkening portrayal of the street life in New York City in '94. The marquee verse, however, isn’t from the mouth of Nas, but rather, by Brooklyn-based emcee: AZ. The first verse of "Life’s a B*tch" is arguably the best hip-hop verse of all time, “Visualizing the realism of life in actuality / fuck who's the baddest / a person status depends on salary.” With other beat-breaking lines, AZ makes the most out of the only feature on the entire album. Nas defines the album by dropping classic lines like, “Straight out the f*ckin’ dungeons of rap where fake n*ggas don’t make it back” and “Time is illmatic keep static like wool fabric / pack a 4-matic to crack your whole cabbage." On "Illmatic," Nas cements himself as an all time great while fundamentally changing the rap game, exhibiting impressive storytelling chops and unparalleled polish and lyricism.

3.) "Aquemini" by Outkast

It is my firm belief that Outkast is the best musical duo of all time, regardless of genre. Up until very recently, this #3 spot was held by another Outkast masterpiece, "ATLiens", though upon closer inspection, it is evident that "Aquemini" is Outkast at the peak of their powers. Also, there’s a track named Nathaniel (my name), so I had to give it a top three spot. "Aquemini" is the manifestation of Outkast’s ongoing progression. The second track, “Return of The ‘G’” perfectly captures this evolution. In a monologue at the end of the song, “Man, first they was some pimps, man. Then they was some aliens, or some genies, or some shit. Then they be talkin’ about that black righteousness space, man, whatever, man. F*ck them. I ain’t f*cking with them no more, man.” What separates "Aquemini" is that it is conscious of what it is, and what it isn’t. That being said, Andre’s patented erratic flow that he made famous in his previous albums remains prevalent, while his subject matter only expands.

4.) "Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star" by Black Star

If you are wondering what this album is doing in the top ten, then maybe you haven’t listened to it recently enough. The potent amalgamation of Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def), Talib Kweli, and Producer Hi-Tek, delivers arguably the most potent ‘conscious’ rap album of all time. Released in ’98, this album is not that far removed from the peak of gangster rap, yet is on the complete other side of the spectrum in terms of content. I honestly believe this album was released before its time and that rap today still isn’t ready for the lyrical genius of Black Star. “So many emcees focusin’ on black people extermination / we keep it balanced with that knowledge of self, determination / It's hot we blowin’ the spot with conversations." The sheer beauty of this album lies in its uplifting lyrics--the time when rappers could hide behind the excuse of consciousness compromising flow was gone. On this album, Talib begins to forge his path towards becoming one of the most critically acclaimed rappers of all time, while Yasiin Bey begins a fruitful venture in one of many fields.

5.) "Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous" by Big L

If you are not 100% sure who Big L is, go lock yourself in a room with his album and some headphones--you might learn something. The king of the punchline, reigning from Harlem, "The Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous" was the highlight of Big L’s career (R.I.P). What I love about this album is that he puts the two best songs on the album at number one and two on the track list. I’ve bumped to this album in my car so many times that my brother will never forget the words to "MVP." The ultimate personification of the come-up album, Big L perfected his delivery for this album. His unique mode of emphasizing the punchlines and using multisyllabic rhymes comes together to create a hell of a magnum opus. “Battles I lose none / I make crews run / I get fools done / I got ten fingers but only use one.” Big L may be the most underrated rapper of all time, but it isn’t for wont of trying. "Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous" is a classic album laden with brilliant songs worthy of closing out the top five.