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Pitchfork Staffers on Their Most Formative Rap Albums | Pitchfork

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As part of Pitchfork’s ongoing celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, we asked our staffers to write about the rap albums that hold a rarified place in their soul. The ones that flipped an early switch, turning them into lifelong fans. The ones that shaped their taste. The ones that opened them up to the full potential of what rap could be. Their choices span decades, regions, and styles, offering a testament to the genre’s elasticity and resilience. Here are 14 Pitchfork staffers on their most formative rap albums. As a teenage rap fan struggling to identify, let alone articulate, emotions in 1998, I immediately recognized DMX’s armor. It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, the late Yonkers, New York rapper’s debut album, is aggressive and defensive in a way that suggests a deep sensitivity. I knew this music was made for me. It was a salve at a time when I needed to hear a gravelly voice barking about being conflicted and misunderstood. I remember being viscerally energized by the blitzkrieg

Save this story Save this story As part of Pitchfork’s ongoing celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary , we asked our staffers to write about the rap albums that hold a rarified place in their soul. The ones that flipped an early switch, turning them into lifelong fans. The ones that shaped their taste. The ones that opened them up to the full potential of what rap could be. Their choices span decades, regions, and styles, offering a testament to the genre’s elasticity and resilience. Here are 14 Pitchfork staffers on their most formative rap albums. DMX : It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998) As

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