11. Digable PlanetsBlowout Comb

It’s funny, I came back to this one. I heard it when it came out, of course, and the previous record, Reachin’, had the hits on it. And I remember getting Blowout Comb at the time, and just kind of being like, “I don’t know, it’s not really the same, and I don’t really understand why. Like, it’s okay.” And then, 10 years later I  threw it on and was just like, “Why is this record not at the top of the list of the greatest hip hop records of all time?” The arrangements, and the three of them sounding amazing together. On Reachin’ there’s a whole song, ‘La Femme Fetal’, about abortion, and it’s really good, arguing why this should be a human right. And not a lot of people can pull that off. I know that at the beginning they got sort of pushed aside, like, “Oh, you guys aren’t real hip hop,” but they’re actually talking about very important, deep social issues that a lot of dude rappers were not speaking about. I just love Digable Planets, and I love [Ishmael Butler’s subsequent project] Shabazz Palaces. I feel like Ishmael is just on top of it, one of those people who pushes into their own future and builds their own worlds, and it’s always just so cool.