Raising Hell

I went into my deep dive on classic rap with the expectation that most pre-Illmatic albums will sound outdated and won't resonate with me. While that's not entirely untrue here, this record was still able to prove to me why it's an essential listen. It's easy to see why this album was so influential in shaping the sound of hip-hop with it's sparse beats and tight production. Unfortunately, the repetitiveness of the flow is often too grating for me to really enjoy (true for most 80s rap).

3 Favorite Tracks:
Walk This Way
It's Tricky
Peter Piper