Jay-Z – American Gangster

What We Said Then: “Where this ranks amongst Jay’s catalogue will be determined as time passes. It certainly isn’t perfect, but it has a quality that should resonate into something special. Maybe he said it best himself a decade ago; ‘last year when niggas thought it was all up/this year, I did it again…Jigga, what the fuck?!?’” Rating: 4.5

What We Say Now: As one of the few people who really liked Kingdom Come, I have to say that I was pleased with Jay-Z’s drastic gearshift on American Gangster. The rise and fall of the drug dealer is a tale few can weave as intricate as Hov. It was as if he was showing today’s dopeboy rappers that this is how it should be done on record. The lyrics, the production, the concepts are all on point – although I have come to realize that I hate Hello Brooklyn. The 4.5 sustains in my book. – Andreas Hale 

Statik Selektah – Spell My Name Right

What We Said Then: “It’s a rarity to find an all-star cast like this on any album, particularly these days. Spell My Name Right has the distinction of being one of the very few hip hop compilation albums that works as well in practice as it looks on paper, making it definitely worth your while.” Rating: 4

What We Say Now: I don’t think there was a more pleasant surprise this year than Statik’s debut album. Everyone knew he was a good mixtape DJ, but to produce a full album this good? He really set himself apart from his peers with this one. 4 out of 5. – J-23

Freeway – Free At Last

What We Said Then: “Though the exceptional outside contributions make it easy to do so, overlooking Freeway’s own performance would be criminal. His freewheeling, high-octane flow continues to contribute as much musicality as his producers’ beats.” Rating: 4

What We Say Now: Freeway is a bit of an acquired taste, and really, I only listened to his debut for the red hot production. So with no Just or Ye this time? I was barely interested. Free improved 10 fold and the producers filled in admirably for the Roc stars. I may lean a little closer to a 3.5, but 4 isn’t a stretch at all. – J-23

Cunninlynguists – Dirty Acres

What We Said Then: “Much like A Piece of Strange, Dirty Acres is increasingly refined and mature. The clowning around on Will Rap For Food and Southernunderground is all but gone, as are the up-tempo beats. Gone are fire filled tracks like The South, replaced by a serious and often somber tone.” Rating: 4

What We Say Now: “Note to the industry: STOP SLEEPING ON KNO! Dirty Acres is a beautifully produced piece of work that is recommended for anyone who loves good music. Say what you want about Deacon and Natti, but front on Kno and I may be forced to fight you. Sooner or later someone will take notice of Cunninlynguists’ run of great albums. Dirty Acres gets a 4.25 from me. I know it doesn’t exist but that’s what these columns are for and dammit I’m the editor!” – Andreas Hale

Ghostface Killah – The Big Doe Rehab

What We Said Then: “It’s not very difficult to track the path of Ghost's success – it all comes down to consistency. Whereas his Wu brethren’s albums saw a great drop in quality after their debuts, nearly every one of Ghost’s albums has lived up to his potential. With his raw lyricism, storytelling ability and charisma, it is ultimately his tremendous ear for beats that has carried him” Rating: 4.5

What We Say Now: The only guarantees in life are supposed to be taxes and tombstones. 7 albums deep and it looks like Ghost is trying to add his name to that ol’ adage. Pretty Tony knocks’em out the box every time, and Big Doe is his best work in a decade. Ironman indeed, easy 4.5. – J-23

Scarface – M.A.D.E.

What We Said Then: “Back with longtime label Rap-A-Lot, Scarface treads plenty of familiar territory; murder, drugs, ho’s, money, love, pain. Doesn’t sound like the most appetizing menu, but when one of hip hop’s greatest lyricists and storytellers is the one cooking it up, best believe you’ll be satisfied.” Rating: 4

What We Say Now: Like KRS-One, 'Face is a man of contradictions - a Muslim who never turns his back on Jesus. A loyal Rap-A-Lot emcee who's always in search of a better deal. Though it falls light-years short of The Fix, this is an album that provided streetcorner wisdom from a name you can trust, as “Girl U Know” and “Never” became the biggest singles of fourth quarter ‘07 that radio expectedly ignored without any reason. This one has longer play than most of rap’s disposable art as of late. Rating Now: 4/5 – Jake Paine

Lupe Fiasco – The Cool

What We Said Then: “As far as narratives go, there aren’t many who can claim the same space of storytelling superiority as Fiasco. The Cool plays out like a novel filled with short stories that relate to each other in some way, shape or form.” Rating: 4.5

What We Say Now: Hard to give any real retrospect to this one, given I’ve had it for all of a week. But yeah…I think dude can rhyme. He’s the Junior Monster of the Double Entendre. Great fucking album, 4.5. – J-23

What's your top 25?