This might be better suited for the Illmatic thread, but since that Thought freestyle got thrown it here... If Black Thought is number 1, I'd put Royce as 1A. Prhyme 2 is about to drop, for sure...

No joke, I've always thought Black Thought is one of the best ever, but that might put him in the top spot. That would be sick if it was a written rhyme, going for ten minutes in one take, but...

After a few listens, the Tribe album is good, but nothing about it really stands out. That De La album, though. It gets better and better.
And since this is the old school thread, and I'm pumped...

New Tribe has Phife. All new stuff, recorded before he passed. Just got it, haven't listened yet. New De La Soul is good. Actually, a lot better than I was expecting. The album starts a little...

Dookey beat me to it. For the longest time I considered that the best hip hop album ever. It still might be, but it's hard to compare to some of the more recent stuff.

can't find an actual video, but it's the debut of Nasty Nas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgJ9k5X9ZNY&feature=player_detailpage
And speaking of AK and Main Source:
...

Who remembers this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgJ9k5X9ZNY&feature=player_detailpage

Boom...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P38MLq53JM&feature=player_detailpage

Runaway Slave had a bunch of good tracks

A few albums I just dug out of the collection and listened to for the first time in a long while:
Buckshot Lefonque (both albums, good shit)
Sex Packets (some serious funk on that one)