“What really matters is what you like, not what you are like.”
– Nick Hornby, High Fidelity (1995)
Readers who have enjoyed our interviews from time to time know that we typically ask artists to share their five favorite albums of all time at the end of our conversations with them. No matter who the artist is, it’s always fascinating to discover which long players have impacted their personal and professional lives. A few of our interview subjects have even scoffed at the standard five-album limit, rattling off upwards of a dozen or so titles and second-guessing if they’ve made the right choices.
Today, and considering that we’re still in the midst of the year 2020, we’re excited to reveal our writers’ respective lists of their 20 all-time favorite albums. We all reserve the right to change our minds about these choices in the future, but for now, here are the indispensable albums that we can’t live without and the reasons why.
Explore Daryl McIntosh’s 20 favorites below, click the “Next” button at the bottom of the page to browse the lists or return to the main index.
Erykah Badu | Baduizm
Kedar/Universal (1997)
What can be said about the LP that introduced the unique voice, soulful sexiness, and introspective content of Erykah Badu, that hasn’t already been said? The monumental debut LP not only introduced one of the brightest voices and personalities of the ‘90s and beyond, but it offered a blueprint for the entire neo-soul movement. Songs like “On & On,” “Next Lifetime” and “Appletree” sonically shifted the trajectory of R&B for the late ‘90s while lyrically introducing new themes of urban intellectual feminism.
Mary J. Blige | What’s the 411?
Uptown/MCA (1992)
One of my favorite things about music is how it creates moments that seem to freeze-frame and endure in our memory. I still remember being 10 years old and being shooshed by my teenage brother as Mary J. Blige, clad in a baseball jersey, ball cap and signature nose ring appeared on our T.V. in the music video for “Real Love.” To an adolescent boy, she left a remarkable first impression and went on to become undoubtably one of the most important musical voices for my generation. Five of 411’s songs including “Reminisce,” “You Remind Me,” and “Love No Limit” went on to become colossal singles, pushing the LP toward soaring sales as hip-hop, R&B, and soul were perfectly blended as never before.
Mary J. Blige | My Life
Uptown (1994)
Often described as the definitive “break-up” album for Generation X, My Life has aged to become so much more. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul slowed her pace for her sophomore outing, to allow a greater emphasis on her rich and earthy vocals. My Life’s production is impeccable, with most of the load going to Bad Boy Entertainment Hitman Chucky Thompson, with oversight from Mary’s frequent collaborator Sean Combs. The songwriting allowed for one of the great soul-stirring performances of the decade, as Mary connected with audiences on the level to cement herself among the all-time great soul-women.
D’Angelo | Brown Sugar
EMI (1995)
When the world was originally introduced to D’Angelo, he may have looked more like a rapper, but within a matter of seconds you could see that he was without a doubt one of the leading soul men of his generation. Songs like “Brown Sugar” and “Lady” found themselves as radio favorites that endure as hallmark love anthems of the mid to late ‘90s. The entire project is smooth, seductive, perfectly fluid and still satisfies as one of the elite neo-soul albums of its era.
Gang Starr | Moment of Truth
Noo Trybe/Virgin (1998)
The crowning jewel of hip-hop’s most consistent rapper/producer duo. After a four-year hiatus, Gang Starr blessed fans with this 1998 album-of-the-year contender. Moment of Truth is a further testament to the unmatched chemistry between DJ Premier and Guru as evidenced on the title track and lead single “You Know My Steez,” while showcasing some of the best verses from respected lyricists including Freddie Foxxx and Wu Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck, respectively.
Marvin Gaye | What’s Going On
Tamla (1971)
Widely celebrated as a candidate for the all-time, definitive soul album, Marvin Gaye’s magnum opus What’s Going On helped shape the social conscience of my parents’ generation. Fortunately, growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, this R&B/Soul classic was regularly served to me like a dessert to accompany my mother’s southern-style home cooking. Unparalleled in its smooth delivery, fluidity, and superb songwriting, What’s Going On is a national treasure, and one of the albums that help measure who I am and my social observation and responsibility.
Fred Hammond & Radical for Christ | Pages of Life – Chapters I & II
Verity (1998)
Fred Hammond had been one of Gospel music’s most recognizable voices since the mid ‘80s as a member of the group Commissioned, but broke out and crossed over as a solo artist with Pages of Life in 1998. The double LP features all new music on Chapter 1, with songs like “Let the Praise Begin” and “I Wanna Know Your Ways” going on to become some of the Gospel icon’s most recognizable hits. Chapter 2 is an entertaining live concert which reminds fans of Hammond’s early days as a bassist and allows them to experience the energy of his classics “Glory to Glory to Glory” and “No Weapon.”
Lauryn Hill | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Ruffhouse/Columbia (1998)
A clear contender for album of the decade, Ms. Hill launched her solo career after helping spark Fugee-Mania with the colossal 1996 LP The Score. One of the best examples of a focused project, perfectly written, and composed with Lauryn giving a superb performance of vocal soulfulness and lyrical dexterity, Miseducation is arguably the greatest hybrid album of hip-hop and R&B with additional themes of Gospel and Reggae, which combined to create a whole new musical standard for a generation.
Michael Jackson | Bad
Epic/CBS (1987)
I was born about 3 months before the undisputed King of Pop released Thriller in 1982, so it undoubtedly is an album I’ve grown up with and adore. But the 1987 release Bad has the personal memories of the anticipation of its release and experiencing its reign and dominance. The colossal hits like “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and “Dirty Diana” helped usher in a new sound heading into the ‘90s, while “Smooth Criminal” and “Leave Me Alone” set new visual standards with their dazzling music videos. It’s virtually impossible to follow up such a groundbreaking album like Thriller, but the King solidified himself with Bad to prove that no one could entertain on his level.
Mobb Deep | The Infamous
Loud/RCA (1995)
“We got you stuck off the realness / we be the infamous / you’ve heard of us /official Queensbridge murderers.” Every bar is hard-hitting and well landed from Mobb Deep’s Prodigy with his partner Havoc also scoring his fair share of memorable verses throughout the LP and providing the perfect sinister production to fit the theme. More than two decades later, The Infamous has aged to become one of the elite albums that define East Coast hip-hop of the mid ‘90s and brilliantly captures the inner-city teenaged angst of that era.
Nas | Illmatic
Columbia (1994)
As a twelve-year-old kid growing up in West Baltimore, Illmatic struck a chord with me like no other album, and immediately became my gold standard for lyricism, production, and overall album construction. The short and to the point LP gleams as an example of less being more. All of hip-hop, particularly the East Coast, was almost instantly grounded upon its arrival. A generation earlier and I believe Illmatic could have been a collection of essays that sheds light on the psychology of growing up in the economically divested ghettos of urban America.
The Notorious B.I.G. | Ready to Die
Bad Boy/Arista (1994)
After one of the most successful mixtape circuit campaigns, 1994 finally saw the debut LP from The Notorious B.I.G. Very close to being a full concept album, Ready to Die serves as a psychological thriller, which depicts the mental deterioration of the Urban American drug dealer. The title track, along with album closer “Suicidal Thoughts” and “Everyday Struggle,” tackle some pretty dark and intense subject matter but are balanced by more radio friendly hits “Juicy” and “Big Poppa.” The versatility to swing from both sides of the lyrical pendulum is why many rap fans consider B.I.G. in the argument of the all-time greatest, even though we only received one more album from the late icon before his untimely passing just three years after the release of his classic debut.
P.O.D. | Satellite
Atlantic (2001)
A feel-good metal album which has the ominous distinction of being released September 11, 2001. In the wake of a monumental tragedy, America needed as many pick-me-ups as possible, and received a handful with the Nu-Metal band P.O.D’s LP Satellite. Home of some of the band’s signature songs such as “Alive, ”Youth of a Nation,” “Boom,” and the title track, P.O.D’s genre-blurring style helped refine a genre and give voice to a generation at the dawn of the new millennium.
Raekwon | Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…
Loud/RCA (1995)
Wu-Tang Clan’s clearest example of precision sees group member Raekwon take center stage as Master Chef, to serve up the perfect meal a la carte, which satisfies every musical taste bud. With each single, my friends and I had new slang, fashion, and everyday anthems with gems like “Glaciers of Ice,” “Criminology,” “Incarcerated Scarfaces,” and “Ice Cream” all having immediate cultural impact. The album has also proven itself to be timeless which adds to the lore of the incomparable “Purple Tape.”
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth | Mecca and the Soul Brother
Elektra (1992)
If I only had one opportunity to explain hip-hop culture to someone who was totally oblivious, I would recommend Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s Mecca and the Soul Brother. Home to what I believe is the greatest hip-hop song of all-time, “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)”, the entire LP is poignant lyrically, with themes on family, community, and culture. Mecca also served as the catalyst for super-producer Pete Rock, who is still actively constructing one of hip-hop’s most storied and revered careers.
The Roots | Illadelph Halflife
Geffen (1996)
Philadelphia’s 5th Dynasty, and one of hip-hop’s most consistent groups stepped forward to offer the apex of their storied and acclaimed career. With guest appearances from D’Angelo, Common, and Q-Tip, Illadelph is an uncredited prelude to what would become the Soulquarians conglomerate. With a heavy dose of Malik B and Dice Raw among some of the premier penmanship from emcee extraordinaire Black Thought, the LP is arguably the Roots’ most aggressively backpack-ish project that transports you into the heart and soul of historic Philadelphia.
Jill Scott | Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1
Hidden Beach (2000)
The quintessential singer, songwriter and performer, Jill Scott did far more than merely introduce herself when she debuted in Y2K. Succinct in its preparation and execution, Who Is Jill Scott? is a sultry masterpiece, that offers R&B, Jazz, Spoken Word with a little Funk sprinkled throughout to satisfy every auditory erogenous zone, for the ultimate climactic musical experience.
A Tribe Called Quest | The Low End Theory
Jive (1991)
The album I most directly attribute to my lifelong love affair with hip-hop. Q-Tip, with the assistance of Ali Shaheed Muhammed comes of age as one of the premier producers within his genre, having a keen ear for Jazz and Soul music extractions. Phife takes additional strides toward the forefront of the group, to offer the memorable back and forth on “Check the Rhime” and the energetic posse cut “Scenario.” “Jazz (We’ve Got)” and “Buggin’ Out” are both grounded in hip-hop tradition and optimistic about musical possibilities to balance one of the most inspirational rap albums of all-time.
Stevie Wonder | Innervisions
Tamla (1973)
Released during the incline of what may be the most impressive musical stride in history, Innervisions may be the greatest testament to the brilliance that is Stevie Wonder. Virtually a one-man band, the instrumental experimentation changed the trajectory of album construction and its consciousness added layers to the exhausting conversation of socioeconomic inequality.
Wu-Tang Clan | Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Loud (1993)
From the LP’s lead single “Protect your Neck”, the look, sound, and feel of hip-hop culture was never the same. 36 Chambers sparked what is widely recognized as one of the biggest movements in hip-hop history. Each single pushed the eventual Wu-Tang takeover, stronger and stronger. From the epically unique “Method Man” to the poignant street narrative “C.R.E.A.M.,” my friends and I were among the millions who had the perfect contemporary soundtrack, which forever changed our lives and the entire musical landscape.