bloggedy blog: the personal weblog of a music lover and aging punk wannabe

:: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 ::

Sinista's list of life-changing albums

The lists just keep coming. Long-time reader Mista Sinista, this blog's resident hip hop expert, weighs in with his list of the top 10 albums that changed his life. They are, in no particular order:
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication

I was introduced to this album while the west coast gangsta rap still had a stranglehold on the popular image of hip hop. The Beasties really opened me up to the more conscious New York rap stylings, and the guest appearance of Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest introduced me to that group as well. Ill Communication opened the door for me to see that Hip Hop wasn't just Snoop, Cube and Dre rapping about killing cops and banging hos.

Atmosphere - The Lucy Ford EP

This album is a collection of two EPs and several singles previously released only on vinyl. Somehow, this hodgepodge has become underground hip-hop's greatest release to date. Deviating from mainstream rap's insistence on false posturing and tough-guy images, rapper Slug wears his heart on his sleeve. However, I'll kick anybody's ass that calls Atmosphere "emo rap."

Dan Fogelberg - The Innocent Age

This album, released in 1981, has been with me my whole life (minus the one year I was alive before it was released), and different songs have been important to me at different times. Lyrically and musically, the whole album is simply beautiful.

Green Day - Dookie

My first real foray into punk music, laying the groundwork for later punk appreciation.

Radiohead - OK Computer

This album provided the sountrack to my life during the transitional years where I moved out of my parents' fairly sheltering house and out on my own in college.

The Beatles - White Album

Hard to say when this album changed my life, but I'm sure it has.

Bob Dylan - Greatest Hits Vol. 1

Due to my own crappy guitar playing, I learned a LOT of Dylan songs.

Mike Knott - Strip Cycle

My first band really tried to style ourselves around this mostly-acoustic album.

Sir Mix-A-Lot - Mack Daddy

Really grasping here, but "Baby Got Back" is definitely my theme song.

The Roots - Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide to Understanding the Roots, Vol. 1

While most hip hop artists are a rapper with studio-produced beats, The Roots are true musicians. A band that makes their own music that has a rapper instead of a lead singer. This approach was another reason I went from a self-righteous rock fan that automatically dismissed all rap to the hip hop junkie I am today. FYI - Atmosphere also tours with a live band.
Tags: music, rock, rock and roll, rock'n'roll, lists, music lists, countdowns

:: Andrew 14:58 + ::
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