An album for each year

So there's a blog trend going around these days where people post their favorite albums from each year they've been alive. Seemed like a cool idea, so my fellow bloggers Jonathon and RJ decided to do a list as well. Here's my first post -- expect theirs sometime soon.

First off:

1987

Eric B. and Rakim -- Paid in Full



Rakim basically invents modern lyrical technique over the course of Paid in Full, setting the bar for every emcee to come after. Have some surpassed it? Sure. But he did it first, and this album stands as a staple in the genre -- it's an undeniable classic in every sense of the word. In 1987, hip-hop was undergoing a vast transformation: lyrics were in the forefront and the beats were becoming more intricate. Rakim and Eric B. are at the top of the list for the most important and fundamental artists to garner this change, and rightly so because of the impeccable and nearly flawless content and quality of the album. Hip-hop would sound much different today if it weren't for Paid in Full.

As an emcee, Rakim is perennial GOAT. He is referenced by countless other emcees and critics as being the driving force behind the turning point in hip-hop music, constantly associating him with the leader of the old school.

Key tracks: "I Know You Got Soul", "Erik B. For President", "Move the Crowd" and the title track.

Next week: 1988
Hint: Onasnas