all good sh!t mentioned...
a few i think were over-looked:

beastie boys: PAUL'S BOUTIQUE
eric b & rakim: PAID IN FULL/DON'T SWEAT THE TECHNIQUE
epmd: STRICTLY BUSINESS
kool g rap: WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE
brand nubian: ONE FOR ALL


not to mention Guru's Jazzmatazz series & Brand New Heavies' HEAVY RHYME EXPERIENCE.

Sure I left out plenty & other favs of mine were already mentioned, but these are a few that were overlooked IMO.

PE Fear of Black Planet
Ice Cube Death Certificate

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Thanks for being understanding, I thought I was going to get blasted for that one.

everyone has a right to define what is classic to them, and I guess it also depends on when you got into the game. to some the golden era could be late 80's/ early 90's, to others there golden era could be pre- sugar hill when it was just cassette tapes being passed around the city. i still remember hearing the harlemworld battle between kool moe dee vs busy bee starski. kool moe dee pretty much claimed the crown as king of new york with that battle. Also the cold crush 4 vs the force mcs (before they were the singing group the force mds) in patterson, nj. Those were some of my golden days. I have downloaded a few of those battles recently, and its just amazing where hip hop is today (back in those days it was called b boy music, not hip hop). But then moving forward another golden era to me was the mid 90's with wu-tang "protect your neck", and nas debut on "live at the bbq", and hearing biggy smalls and method man on "the what" for the first time. Everytime I hear jay-z "where I'm from" it takes me back to when I was 14. so a classic record or classic period is relative to the person defining it, and where they were at when…

I think that this would be a good forum to trade "hip-hop classic" experiences also, I love to hear what was poppin on the london hip-hop scene in the 80's or wherever else.

Wow !! Glad to see all you NYC heads come out and support the NYC state of mind and view. May i just say that i never argued about it's historical impact or it's reverence amongst anyone with an ounce of knowledge of the art. I still remember hearing Kurtis Blow, Ramalzee,Pumpkin All Stars, Timezone,Man Parrish, Sequence,Funky Fresh Four, Cold Crush Crew and Afrika Bambaata for the first time and knowing that something big was coming. Although I understand completely that the music was a product of it's environment and the politics and lifestyles of the time and that music still stands up now despite the almost juvenile spitting. I also would recognise that Classic could be applied to any of that amazing old school canon from the eschelons of Hip Hop history, but the definition should be allowed to breath in the way that Justonekid suggested and opinions allowed to stand. All respect and love to people who support and love the art and the culture be that painting, dancing, spitting or just living it. Let's be glad that the world has embraced it with massive love and that it's past is lauded for the cultural phenomenon it was and it's future is secure even though the corporate world has control, hopefully it will always be the peoples CNN!!

Peace

i kno im only 14 and i aint from new york but i know my hip hop beta den i kno my ABCs from da beginnin 2 da present. most adults and stuff dont think i kno real hip hop until i start talkin bout it becuz of my age since i been growin up listenin 2 da new stuff but i definetly kno my hip hop roots and glove i definetly agree NY Should always be loved 4 bein a historical place 4 hip hop. i mean NY gave us def jam and run dmc and all dat and itz not really gettin the respect it deserves. most of these kids 2day dont kno wut the roots of hip hop were. all in all dat ish was well sed glove...

-urb luv-

glove, 100% agree with you my man. Growing up in Brooklyn, NY in the late 70's - early 90's hip hop was an undeniable fabric in my life and it is very hard to explain that to non-NYers without coming off as arrogant or overly protective of the past. I can say that the hip hop that we see today is more a reflection of the sad state of the human condition vs. any historical lineage to that golden era of NY hip hop. Commerce over caring, fame over knowledge, etc.

All of that aside, I think we could refocus this whole thread in the same way that baseball purists break down baseball history. You have records that stand for any given era before you see a dynamic shift in the "game"/"music" and then you start with a new set of records. Example. Lou Gehrig is the ONLY ironman. Modern fans may say Cal Ripken Jr., but purists know better. Until last decade Roger Maris had a mark on his record 61 home run season because he played a few more games than Babe Ruth did to hit the extra home run to break Ruth's record. A purist might say that McGwire and Bonds should have the same next to their records with juiced baseballs, different wood bats, supplements (legal and illegal), shorter fences and bad pitching. Now, I'm WAY off topic here and what I'm trying to say is we could do "Classic Hip Hop Albums" - Creation of hip hop through 1989, 1990 - 2000, and 2000 through present as three separate lists. I think that gives everyone a lot more room to have some play in their lists and to open up the conversation a bit.

glove......

u broke it down lovely man - im always trying to explain that to people......its a cultural music - and i dont mean that by race - but by nyc culture

…I know the (raid / buddah) thread is over but I would just like to add my two cents.  I realize us NYers could be viewed as a little uncompromising when it comes to the subject of hip-hop.  I always hear comments that just because NYC is the birthplace doesn't mean you guys are the only authorities on the subject.  Which I agree with up to a certain point.  I sincerely appreciate that the culture is being  represented and respected on a global basis.  But there is definitely a difference between observing and studying  the culture and living it, especially when talking about classic hip-hop (music and overall culture).  I know growing up in my neighborhood in NY in the late 70's/early 80's you didn't choose hip hop, it sort of choose you, and it wasn't just about the music you listened too. We lived it whether we were trying to or not.  I love the music and the culture, but there are definitely two sides to the game.  hip hop could be uplifting, educational, and a host of other positive things, but at the end
of the day it is street music derived from a street culture, lived by
street people.  The NYC that birthed this culture is almost a complete 180 from the NY that we see know, those streets were much dirtier and more violent than they are today.  So as much as hip hop was born out of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, we also have to recognize the source and circumstances that lead to the frustration and despair that helped to create the culture as well.  Once again speaking for my fellow NYCers again, sometimes we feel that "you had to be there" to truly understand. And this is reason why we are passionate when we feel that others are trying to define the culture.  I know I going catch h*** for this one.

peace

Forgot a few...
Pete Rock + CL Smooth, Mecca + the Soul Brother
Pece Rock + CL Smooth, Main Ingredient
Souls of Mischief, 93 Til Infinity

My 2¢:

Organized Konfusion, Organized Konfusion
Organized Konfusion, Stress
Beatnuts, Street Level
Showbiz + AG, Runaway Slave
Common, Resurrection
Diamond, Stunts, Blunts + Hip-Hop
Juggaknots, Juggaknots (reissued as Clear Blue Skies)
Siah + Yeshua Dapo ED, Siah + Yeshua Dapo ED
Group Home, Livin' Proof
OC, Word Life
OC, Jewelz
and an obvious classic,
Main Source, Breaking Atoms