Kanye West's Graduation, (2007) 
On which the one-time underdog of the Chicago scene and nerdy hipster outsider of the Roc-A-Fella family solidifies and revels in his place as one of rap's top dogs. The soul-drenched samples of the previous two albums are replaced by the space-funk of Daft Punk ("Stronger"), sophisticated live string arrangements and hooks courtesy of T-Pain and Chris Martin. Kanye got his diploma as well as his name in "Flashing Lights." Stand-Out Moment: The ecstatic, celebration of going on a "living spree" in the T-Pain assisted "Good Life."
Ghostface Killah's Fishscale, (2006)
While his fellow Wu-Tang Clan alumni have suffered tragedy (Ol' Dirty Bastard, fatal overdose), embarrassment (Method Man, Right Guard endorsement contract) and obscurity (U-God, um?), Ghostface has become one of hip-hop's most consistently enthralling weirdoes. Here, he sets his hyper-detailed, free-associative splatter-flow to raucous true-crime tales ("Shakey Dog") and brassy brag-a-thons ("The Champ"), with time left to reunite the whole crew for the best song they've made in a decade ("9 Milli Bros."). Stand-Out Moment: Ghostface spots Spongebob driving a Bentley during the hallucinogenic bedtime story "Underwater."
Jay-Z's The Black Album, (2003) 
This was supposed to be Jigga's curtain call -- the last album he'd ever make, he promised, before retiring into a life of board meetings, yachts, and board meetings on yachts. From "December 4th" to "P.S.A." to "99 Problems," this is everything you'd want from the godhead MCs final bow: it's nostalgic, self-mythologizing, preening, raucous and, at the very last moment, just a little bit sad. Stand-Out Moment: Jay and a state trooper butt heads on the roaring "99 Problems." Guess who outwits who?
Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, (1998)
This is how you sell 10 million CDs in the hip-hop era: write a parade of crossover smashes that deftly update mournful R&B, '60s girl groups and string-laden soul. In the late-'90s, so-called urban music was just pushing its way on to Top 40 airwaves, and this New Jersey-born polymath did as much as anyone to kick open the gates for good. Stand-Out Moment: Hill dissects the war of the sexes with merciless wit on "Doo Wop (That Thing)."
Nas' Illmatic, (1994)
Nas has a big mouth -- his debut is a dizzying assault of crisp, interlocking rhymes that punch and jab without settling into anything as sedate as a 'flow' -- but it wouldn't mean a thing if it weren't for the Queens MC's jumbo-size eyes. On his debut, he plays omniscient narrator, zooming out from tense drug transactions in dim hallways to crumbling urban panoramas. Stand-Out Moment: "N.Y. State of Mind," Nas's vivid, 360-degree bumrush through the Queensbridge projects.
A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory, (1991) 
The New York trio's second disc -- full of sleek jazz loops and boom-bap beats -- has one of the most singular grooves in the history of hip-hop. Whether it's Ron Carter's jazz bass riff or a simple snare drum crack, the inspired goofballs make everything glow in the dark. The backpack movement gets its jump start. Stand-Out Moment: The drum kit fires up, eight bars into a devastatingly smooth Q-Tip rhyme, on the opening "Excursions."
Kanye West's The College Dropout, (2004)
His apprenticeship was making five beats a day. West is a student of hip-hop history, and he rolls up the goofy humor of the early days with the lush soul patches of its present. Winning and deserving of the hype. Stand-Out Moment: The troops begin grunting on "Jesus Walks," an anthem so irresistible it brought God back into the charts.
The Roots' Phrenology, (2002)
The Philly hip-hop band hold it down for the likes of Jay-Z and Dave Chappelle, but left to their own devices, get up to some weird
sh*t. From Bad Brains tributes to free jazz freak-outs, this is their blueprint. Stand-Out Moment: "Water," an endless journey into drugs hell meant to serve as a warning to departed member Malik B.
Jay-Z's The Blueprint, (2001)
With nothing left to prove, J-Hova set down his most enduring tracks -- dealing with family, heartbreak and laboring in Biggie's shadow. The guests wisely stayed at home. This is the work of a man on fire. Stand-Out Moment: Jay-Z folds his biography ("I was brought up in pain, y'all can't touch me") into the closing "The Blueprint (Momma Loved Me)."
OutKast's Stankonia, (2000)
The Dirty South wasn't only dirty. It was also littered with envelope-pushing dudes whose personal chemistry helped build boundless soundscapes and explode stereotypes about thuggin' and freakin'. Big Boi and Andre 3000 were right about many things, and one of their claims remains irrefutable: ain't nobody as dope. Stand-Out Moment: The first time Andre 3000 hits that high note when he tells Mrs. Jackson, "I am for REEEE-all!"
The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die, (1994)
Biggie Smalls was a commanding MC whose street narratives were taken from first-hand experience. He made New York rappers stand tall again, in spite of (or perhaps because of) partner P. Diddy's pop savvy. Stand-Out Moment: "Suicidal Thoughts." Most MCs waited for the world to take them out. But B.I.G.'s introspection is such that he might just do it himself. A shattering insight into the hopelessness of a G.
Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), (1993) 
Just what were they rapping about? And more importantly, who cared? This Staten Island choir of crazed MCs refused to compromise, and those sinister grooves were scarier than Norman Bates' basement. Stand-Out Moment: Seconds into "Shame On a N****" ... "Do ya wanna getcha teeth knocked the *** out?" Ladies and gentlemen, meet Ol' Dirty Bastard.
Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, (1993)
Stitched together from beats by Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Funkadelic, Rose Royce and countless others, it's a chart-topping party soundtrack whose cool ooze renders Snoop's hedonism PG-13. Stand-Out Moment: Snoop turns the G-funk ethos into a playground chant: "Smokin' endo, sippin' on gin and juice/ (Laidback) With my mind on my money and my money on my mind."
Dr. Dre's The Chronic, (1992)
