972. Get Rich or Die Tryin'

Get Rich or Die Tryin'
50 Cent
2003

Tracks
1. Intro
2. What Up Gangsta
3. Patiently Waiting
4. Many Men (Wish Death)
5. In Da Club
6. High All The Time
7. Heat
8. If I Can't
9. Blood Hound
10. Back Down
11. P.I.M.P.
12. Like My Style
13. Poor Lil Rich
14. 21 Questions
15. Don't Push Me
16. Gotta Make It To Heaven

Damn, that album cover has certainly brightened up my morning. Stupid broken glass. If he could just scooch a little to the left I'd be happy.

So I actually enjoyed this a bit. He has really good singles, with a slow and soft delivery. This might be because he was shot 9 times and not necessarily an artistic decision, but I still appreciate it. 

50 Cent was recently harassed by his ex Chelsea Handler into renouncing his endorsement of Trump. That's the kind of ex girlfriend I aspire to be.

RATING: 3/5

779. Ready to Die

Ready to Die
Notorious B.I.G.
1994

Tracks
1. Intro
2. Things Done Changed
3. Gimme The Loot
4. Machine Gun Funk
5. Warning
6. Ready To Die
7. One More Chance
8. Fuck Me
9. What
10. Juicy
11. Everyday Struggles
12. Me And My Bitch
13. Big Poppa
14. Respect
15. Friend Of Mine
16. Unbelievable
17. Suicidal Thoughts
18. Who Shot Ya
19. Just Playing (Dreams)

The List continues its eerie trend of featuring artists who were uncomfortably prophetic about their impending demise. Biggie Smalls even has a track called "Who Shot Ya." 

Predictably, I hated this and even more predictably, he had to have a track that was just the sounds of two people having sex. Is that to be funny? Is it to prove to the listener that a woman will actually have sex with him? Fair point, I have difficulty believing it myself. Anyway, it's immature and, at this point on the darkest timeline, not even original. I am surprised this is an East Coast album, it sounds much more West Coast (lyrically speaking).

Just a lot of ego with the usual recommended dosage of misogyny. But at least now I understand a few more Hamilton allusions.

RATING: 1/5

752. Doggystyle

Doggystyle
Snoop Doggy Dogg
1993

Tracks
1. Bathtub
2. G Funk (Intro)
3. Gin And Juice
4. Shiznit
5. Lodi Dodi
6. Murder Was the Case
7. Serial Killa
8. Who Am I (What's My Name)?
9. For All My Niggaz & Bitches
10. Ain't No Fun (If The Homies Can't Have None)
11. Doggy Dogg World
12. GZ And Hustlas
13. Pump Pump

Yawn. Yet ANOTHER gangsta rap album that is demeaning towards women, more commonly known as bitches and hoes. And it's not shocking, groundbreaking, or brave. Misogyny is old, old, old.

I will point out the things that made this album different for me. I like the funk samples, and Snoop Dogg's delivery. He really takes his time with his lyrics and seems completely at ease throughout the album. Which I am sure he was.

I'm just bored with these albums. I feel like the List has represented this genre well enough, can we please move on? Preferably with a large helping of Bjork?

RATING: 2/5

728. The Predator

The Predator
Ice Cube
1992

Tracks
1. The First Day of School
2. When Will They Shoot?
3. I'm Scared (Insert)
4. Wicked
5. Now I Gotta Wet'cha
6. The Predator
7. It Was A Good Day
8. We Had To Tear This Up
9. Fuck 'Em
10. Dirty Mack
11. Don't Trust Em
12. Gangsta's Fairy Tale 2
13. Check Yo Self
14. Who Got The Camera
15. Integration
16. Say Hi to the Bad Guy

Yawn. More misogynistic bragging that is both dull and repetitive. It's like Public Enemy (although at least that was original), but with even more ego.

It's scary how relevant "Who Got The Camera" is. But his self justification for his anti semitism is wearing. At least he addressed that issue though. I wish he would address his sexism. If it's a white/black thing, why aren't you more respectful of black women in your music?

Not as offensive as I was imagining, but just kind of boring.

RATING: 2/5

718. The Chronic

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680. Fear of a Black Planet

Fear of a Black Planet
Public Enemy
1990

Tracks
1. Contract On The World Love Jam
2. Brothers Gonna Work It Out
3. 911 Is A Joke
4. Incident At 66.6 FM
5. Welcome To The Terrordome
6. Meet The G That Killed Me
7. Pollywanacraka
8. Anti-Nigger Machine
9. Burn Hollywood Burn - Ice Cube, Public Enemy
10. Power To The People
11. Who Stole The Sole?
12. Fear Of A Black Planet
13. Revolutionary Generation
14. Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man
15. Reggie Jax
16. Leave This Off Your Fu*Kin Charts
17. B Side Wins Again
18. War At 33 1/3
19. Final Count Of The Collision Between Us And The Damned
20. Fight The Power

Ugh, I am getting so tired of these (can you tell?). More gangsta rap. Actually, this wasn't as bad as the last two entries on the List. I feel like they were more interested in making a black nationalism album here, rather than just boasting about all the women they bang and treat horribly (well, there is a little of that too of course).

So not nearly as bad as other gangsta rap albums on this List and I become more and more convinced that East Coast hiphop is much better than West Coast hiphop. 

Still, will never be a favorite genre.

RATING: 2/5

679. Mama Said Knock You Out

Mama Said Knock You Out
LL Cool J
1990

Tracks
1. The Boomin' System
2. Around The Way Girl
3. Eat Em Up L Chill
4. Mr. Good Bar
5. Murdergram
6. Cheesy Rat Blues
7. Farmers Blvd. (Our Anthem)
8. Mama Said Knock You Out
9. Milky Cereal
10. Jingling Baby (Remixed But Still Jingling)
11. To Da Break Of Dawn - LL Cool J, Marly Marl
12. 6 Minutes Of Pleasure
13. Illegal Search
14. The Power Of God
15. Mama Said Knock You Out

And we're back. Not quite as bad as Ice Cube's violent misogyny but still just more degrading comments about women and self aggrandizing. And a super annoying song about cereal.

I'm sick of wasting time on these guys, so I'll just cut to the chase.

RATING: 0/5

677. AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
Ice Cube
1990

Tracks
1. Better Off Dead
2. Nigga Ya Love To Hate
3. Amerikkka's Most Wanted
4. What They Hittin Foe
5. You Can't Fade Me
6. Once Upon A Time In The Projects
7. Turn Off The Radio
8. Endangered Species
9. Gangsta's Fairytale
10. I'm Only Out For One Thang
11. Get Off My Dick And Tell Yo Bitch To Come Here
12. Drive By
13. Rollin' Wit' Tha Lench Mob
14. Who's The Mack
15. It's A Man's Man's Man's World
16. Bomb

I am a bit behind in writing about these albums, even though I just finished listening to 679. This is because I am finding this recent trend of hip hop albums very taxing, with the constant barrage of misogyny, homophobia, and/or anti semitism. I have really tried to approach each album with understanding about where these artists are coming from, but it is wearing being degraded everyday, as any person in a marginalized community knows.

So yeah, I don't want to listen to an album where someone gleefully raps about kicking a pregnant woman. I thought it was disgusting. I think it is really sad and scary that this is celebrated or tolerated in any way. 

RATING: 0/5

663. Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A.
1989

Tracks
1. Straight Outta Compton
2. Fuck Tha Police
3. Gangsta Gangsta
4. If It Ain't Ruff
5. Parental Discretion Iz Advised
6. 8 Ball
7. Something Like That
8. Express Yourself
9. Compton's N The House
10. I Ain't Tha 1
11. Dopeman
12. Quiet On Tha Set
13. Something 2 Dance 2

The movie Straight Outta Compton is on the 1001 movie list, and I think will be the next entry I tackle. That, ladies and gents, is synergy for you. 

So this is the kind of music my mother would have forbidden my brother to listen to when we were younger. I guess we are officially in the phase of rap where women are all "bitches" and the rappers are susceptible to fits of testosterone. Fortunately, there were some good tracks in there that contained more meaningful messages; Fuck Tha Police really says it all, doesn't it?

And with that, we are officially done with the 80s. Praise Farore.

RATING: 2/5