Personal favorites, though not necessarily regarded as the greatest of all time, in terms of impact--
Nas - Illmatic --
In terms of flow, lyrics, and production, the
greatest hip-hop album I've ever heard, as well as having one of the
largest impacts of the genre.
Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full
Krs-One - Return of the Boom Bap
Ultramagnetic MC's - Critical Beatdown
Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C.
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
B.I.G. - Ready To Die
Pac - Me Against The World --
I know it seems to be the general
opinion that All Eyez is Pac's greatest, but even Pac couldn't hold up
a double album flawlessly. 'Gainst The World is pre-Death Row,
pre-full-blown-thug Pac.
Mobb Deep - Infamous
Wu-Tang - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Outkast - ATLiens
The Roots - Things Fall Apart
Common - Resurrection
De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Mos Def, Talib Kweli - Black Star
Mos Def - Black On Both Sides
Talib Kweli - Quality
Slick Rick - Great Adventures of Slick Rick
Dr. Octagon (Kool Keith) - Dr. Octagonecologyst
Del Tha ***ee Homosapien - I Wish My Brother George Was Here
I could go on, but things tend to get a bit more out of the mainstream after this point, beginning with Del's Hieroglyphics
3rd Eye Vision and so forth. I know I missed some key albums, but I'm going with it.