Hope it's okay if I post my Top 5:

1. Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
2. A Tribe Called Quest: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
3. Eric B. & Rakim: Follow the Leader
4. The Roots: The Tipping Point
5. De La Soul: 3 Feet High and Rising

Straight outta compton!
"a preacher-provoking, mother-maddening, reality-stinks diatribe that wallows in gangs, doping, drive-by shootings, brutal sexism, cop slamming and racism"

My number 1 is ludacris word of mouf it was pure hiphop all the way through.

Can I have 10? Or 20? I am old!

Eminem Curtain Call. It has a good mix of funny raps and serious ones.

Buhloone Mind State - De La Soul
'93 Til Infinity - Souls Of Mischief
(Enter The) 36 Chambers - Wu Tang Clan
Blackout! - Redman & Method Man
Things Fall Apart - The Roots
No Need For Alarm - Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
White People - HBMS
Grip It! - Geto Boys
Endtroducing - DJ Shadow
Pauls Boutique - Beastie Boys
3rd Eye Vision - Hieroglyphics
El Nino - Def Squad
Midnite Marauders - a tribe called Quest
Graduation - Kanye West
Ghetto Pop Life - Danger Mouse & Jemini
Fishscale - Ghostface Killah
Fantastic Vol.2 - Slum Village
I Got Next - KRS - One
The Chronic - Dr Dre
Quality Control - Jurassic 5

And quite a few more - tried to pick a favourite/most significant album from artists I have loved for years so as not to include multiple albums from the same artist/s.

Oh wow, that's too hard to pick one, I don't know if I could pick twenty lol. I mean the 80's had some real good stuff from the likes of Eric B and Rakim, KRS-One, Slick Rick right up P.E., Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep and the Jungle Bros. EPMD has some real classics too....get the bozak!!! Then the 90's....more Tribe and De La (I always like them more though), NWA, Gang Starr, Nas, Wu-Tang, Fat Joe, Mos Def & Talib Kweli, The Roots, Company Flow, MF DOOM and so on....

I guess I can only give artists, sorry. Here are my 5 favorite based on what I've listened to most of and in no particular order. El-P/Company Flow, MF DOOM, Mos Def, De La Soul and I can't separate Nas because of Illmatic and Raekwon because of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, those two tapes/cd's got much play in the mid-90's.

I'm rolling with you Toad!

I commend you for being able to do what I couldn't do...make a nice and neat list. I also agree with your taste in Hip-Hop.

Lol, old dudes FTW. I scanned your list and saw some great ones as well, reminded me of some stuff actually. Gheto Boys, there's one I forgot about. Their album (lol, I said album) We Can't Be Stopped saw some heavy rotation back in the day too.