The dictionary defines 'Classic' as of model quality especially, literary or artistic. Recently there have been a lot of people talking about how certain albums constitute classic albums. So today I have decided to talk about the albums I consider to be classic east coast hip hop albums.

In the modern area (1993 to present) I consider only 3 albums from the east to be classics albums the albums are Nas Illmatic, Mobb Deep The Infamous... & Raekwon Only built For Cuban Linxs. the three albums all fit the dictionary definition of a classic album, as each one is a model that other artists try to emulate in one way oranother.

Nas's Illmatic is still today the album that all east coast hard core albums are compared too by every critic in the game. Illmatic basically brought the streets back to the east in a way that nobody had ever seen or heard before. There had been a absence of the hardcore in NYC before Illmatic came out then Illmatic came out talking about just how the projects of queens operated and people stood up and realised just how hard the projects actually were. What need to be remember is that during this time the west coast was where all the money was and where all the props where at, with the exception of a few east coast clicks, namely Mobb Deep, Black Moon, Kool g rap etc, the rest of NY was on this peace and happiness shit, which can be seen in many artists albums from around this time, so people stood up and looked at Nas's Illmatic when it came out, in a way that no album before had been looked at. Nas's ability to talk about the projects and life that he and the people around him live is unparalleled by any other artist to this day. For this reason Nas's Illmatic is considered a model to which all other east coast albums are compared to.

A year after Nas introduced to the world the hell known as the projects Mobb Deep came out with there album The Infamous which showed the world the story of the projects from people who where actively caught up in the games that got played. While this album didn’t match the quality that Illmatic brought, it is still looked at as the best ever East Coast 'gangster rap' album that has ever been produced. The stories told and the beats these are all layed over perfectly highlight the evil and underling nature which can been found in the Queensbridge housing projects. When artists today come from Queensbridge there albums are always firstly compared to Nas's Illmatic then to Mobb Deeps' The Infamous... for this reason The Infamous... played a major part in shaping the way of thinking of many of the artists who are currently coming outta the boroughs of New York city.

The final album I consider as a classic in Raekwon’s Only built for Cuban Links. In my opinion this album is the most influential album that has ever been produced in the history of Hip Hop and Rap. Cuban Linxs introduced to the world the concepts of the Gambino, (which is just a name representing the life of the Mafia). This album has been bitten to pieces by just about ever artist that has since come out. Nas started to talk about that shit, then the firm, then all the No Limit, Cash Money, Rap A Lot.. etc clicks came out with there own versions of Gambino rap, so bitten was this album that Method Man, had his name "Johnny Blaze' bitten so hardcore by artists like B.I.G and Fat Joe that he can no longer call himself this name any more. Cuban Links is the most influential album that has ever been received. the irony that exists is that Ghostface actually sits in 'Sharkbiters' talking about how niggaz bit on Nas's shit after they heard Illmatic going onto say that he didn’t want anybody sounding or looking like the Wu. Well while people didn’t go around looking or sounding like the Wu, they basically took all the ideas behind the Wu Gambino’s jacked that shit and then started to mass produce it. The model quality of Cuban Links is unquestionable and for this reason I consider it not only the most influential Hip Hop album ever but also one of Hip Hop's classic albums.