Following the announcement of a near complete-reunion of Three 6 Mafia earlier this month (as Da Mafia 6ix), Memphis, Tennessee musical mainstay DJ Paul is the latest artist to break down his five favorite Hip Hop albums.
The 20-year vet and Academy Award-winning Paul dismissed, “That’s easy—well actually, that ain’t easy ‘cause there’s too many of’em—I’m actually go over five but I’ll go back and scale it back.”
In reference to Public Enemy’s seminal sophomore release in 1988’s It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Paul professed a particular affinity for the record’s final video single, posted below: “Public Enemy, ‘Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos,’ I think that’s the correct name of it, it was a long-ass title.” He went on to list another Russell Simmons-backed album, the 1987 debut of Eric B. & Rakim with Paid In Full as another favorite and influential album.
Moving across the country to the West Coast where he currently does business and records his own music, Paul named the final album from infamous Compton, California group N.W.A., Niggaz4Life. Nine years later, Rakim would collaborate with N.W.A.’s Dr. Dre on Oh My God, an album that was never completed due to creative differences.
AD LOADING...
Returning to the same year that brought Paid In Full, Paul listed LL Cool J’s Bigger And Deffer (B.A.D.) as his penultimate choice. LL’s sophomore album featured cross-country production with L.A. Posse and DJ Pooh, a change from his team on 1985 debut, Radio. Finally, he listed the only Southern record to make his list in The Geto Boys’ sophomore release, 1989’s five-mic Source magazine recipient, Grip It! On That Other Level. The Geto Boys would later celebrate strong ties to N.W.A. members Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, collaborating extensively in the 1990s.
Ice Cube, LL Cool J and Public Enemy are all on the Kings Of The Mic Tour together right now.
RELATED:Jeru The Damaja Names His 5 Favorite Hip Hop Albums
AD LOADING...
