the juliana theory - emotion is dead (2000)

this is one of the best albums i own. odd thing about is i pretty much dislike or was bored to tears by the rest of their discography. emotion is dead is a classic album from start to finish. lush instrumentals, slick vocals and huge choruses are pretty much what this album is built on.

download:



-the grizzly theory

nas - illmatic (1994)

as far as my stance on this album goes, there are very few words to describe this album. to sum it up, it's brilliant. nasir jones is one of the greatest musicians of all time. any sub-par album he ever releases will be overshadowed by the fact that he released this album at the age of 21.

basically, he puts out a revolutionary album at the age of 21, and i blog about it when i'm 21. my life sucks.

www.nasindependenceday.com

download:



-grizzmatic

puff daddy and the family - no way out (1997)

alright, alright. "diddy" doesn't put out the greatest music anymore. but this album (in my eyes, anyway) is a classic. puffy was never the greatest emcee, but his debut is full-blown proof that he is a great producer and can get enough heat on his album to make an impact. growing up, this was one of my favorite albums, and i bumped it for weeks straight after i got my hands on it.

hell up in harlem.

download:



-puff daddy and the grizzly

2pac - all eyez on me (1996)

tupac was (is?) a true poet and lyrical genius and king of his craft. for the purpose of the second installment of a classic hip-hop album(s), i'm choosing his last album released before he died (excluding the makaveli album). if anything, you get two albums of solid gold.

anyway, read up on pac's wikipedia page also.

download:



disc one.

disc two.

-grizzly

the notorious b.i.g. - ready to die (1994)

ok, i was thinking about updating some essential hip-hop for quite some time. first up is christopher wallace/biggie smalls/notorious/frank white. instead of writing a novel about how dope he is, i'm gonna refer you to his wikipedia page. and yes, i'm serious.

anyway, this is one of the best hip-hop albums ever created. i remember hearing it for the first time in 7th grade and losing my shit over it.

download:



-the notorious g.r.i.z.z.

alkaline trio - from here to infirmary (2001)

i picked this album up yesterday and rediscovered my love for it. their best release, in my opinion. got the new jam from their myspace for you too. love on it. new record is gonna be dope.

alkaline trio on myspace

download:




new song!

alkaline trio - in vein

-grizzly

brandtson - send us a signal (2004)

not a huge fan of this band, but this release is stellar. definitely a record everyone should listen to. i fell in love with this record in 04, and pick it up frequently. this is one of those bands that "progresses," but you wish never did. sighhhh.

brandtson on myspace

download:



-grizzly