Darren Ratner

Darren is a Bronx-born writer/reporter who's dabbled in entertainment journalism for over a decade. Bylines have appeared in/on Maxim and Maxim online, AOL's The Boombox, Alternative Press, Popmatters, Star, Blender and others. His CD reviews have been published in the All-Music Guides to Rock and Hip-Hop.

10 Legendary Rap Albums of the 1980s

Remember the '80s? Boy, do we ever! There were gold chains and track suits, boomboxes and shelltops, freestyling at the clubs and rhyming on the streets. The memories are vast and the culture was hot.

Slick Rick, ‘The Great Adventures of Slick Rick’ – Legendary Rap Albums of the 1980s

With controversial acts like 2 Live Crew as company, rapper Ricky Walters aka Slick Rick was one of hip-hop's leading sickos in the '80s. 'The Great Adventures of Slick Rick' was his debut effort, and we're proud to say it's as glorious and shocking today as it was 25 years ago...

N.W.A., ‘Straight Outta Compton’ – Legendary Rap Albums of the 1980s

Almost an obligatory choice for this list, 1988's 'Straight Outta Compton' is perhaps the ultimate gangsta rap album --- a violent, uncompromising springboard for the success of West Coast rap and soon-to-be superstars Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube...

Beastie Boys, ‘Paul’s Boutique’ – Legendary Rap Albums of the 1980s

Boasting a dizzying array of samples, narratives and whacked-out beats, 1989's 'Paul's Boutique' was more than just the Beastie Boys' quest to prove that 'License to Ill' wasn't a fluke. This was the start of a creative juggernaut, dedicated to making hip-hop underdogs look incredibly hip and way ahead of their time...

Biz Markie, ‘Goin’ Off’ – Legendary Rap Albums of the 1980s

Born Marcel Hall in Harlem, N.Y., Biz Markie strived to be hip-hop's fourth Stooge, that goofball kid in the classroom who just had to hog the attention; he eventually found it with 1988's 'Goin' Off,' his independent debut and proof that rap didn't always have to take itself seriously...

Public Enemy, ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’ – Legendary Rap Albums of the 1980s

"Our attitude by the second album was to destroy music," said Public Enemy vocalist Chuck D in an interview. That about sums up the direction of 1989's 'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,' an album so filled with political indignation and brilliance it nearly re-invented the rap game...

Whodini, ‘Escape’ – Legendary Rap Albums of the 1980s

It's a shame Jalil Hutchins and Ecstasy never became household names by the end of hip-hop's golden era. Though they can take comfort in knowing that 1984's 'Escape,' their second LP, is really a stellar example of rap's bare-bones inception...

Eric B. & Rakim, ‘Paid in Full’ – Legendary Rap Albums of the 1980s

Hot on the heels of Run-DMC in the mid-to-late '80s, Eric B. and Rakim were whom many saw as the future of New York rap, if not the future of rap itself. 'Paid in Full,' the duo's 1987 debut, is gutsy, sharp, a collaboration of B's supreme scratch work and Rakim's cool-but-complex lyricism...

Big Daddy Kane, ‘Long Live the Kane’ – Legendary Rap Albums of the 1980s

Big Daddy Kane was always more of an iconic rapper in his Brooklyn neighborhood than on the Billboard charts. But 1988's 'Long Live the Kane' LP still made a distinct imprint on hip-hop with brawny, Casanova-like attitudes, gold chains and serious braggadocio...

Fat Boys, ‘Fat Boys’ – Legendary Rap Albums of the 1980s

Overweight, but never overrated, is an apt description for the 750-pound Fat Boys in the early '80s. And thanks to the hefty lip gymnastics of one Darren Robinson aka the Human Beatbox, this Brooklyn trio's 1984 debut gets major props for giving life to the art of beatboxing...