Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force - Planet Rock

I think I'll always have a soft spot for early hip-hop, but I'm especially fond of intelligent hip-hop that has something to say. Afrika Bambaataa basically started the whole clever, politically aware hip-hop thing.

Planet Rock itself is as pure a slice of 80's hip-hop. Every single track sounds familiar because, whether you think you've heard them or not, they've been sampled in dozens of places. Also, they were a force to be reckoned with in their own day. Afrika Bambaataa mixes up Herbie Hancock-ish synth lines with old school scratching. Planet Rock is absolutely one of the greatest hip-hop albums of the 80's. Listen to "Looking for the Perfect Beat" and tell me it isn't so.