Rap albums you need to hear

If you aren't a rap fan because of crap you've heard on pop radio, here's a few rap albums you need to hear from the past few years:

Madvillian - Madvilliany: Whether they are sampling jazz, accordions, or cartoon themes, these guys sound like a more dark paranoid version of De La Soul. Make this album the soundtrack of your next drug/alcohol binge.

Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury: There's no real trick here: just combine simple beats and two pissed-off MCs. Rich, flashy pop rappers are the target of this brutal assault.

Kanye West - Late Registration: I know it's easy to hate this guy, but he and Jon Brion have an original masterpiece here. Just listen to the orchestral coda in "Crack Music" and tell me if you've ever heard anything like it.

Jay-Z - The Blueprint: Overexposed and irritating? He's still the best. And "Renegade" with Eminem might be the best rap duet ever recorded.

Outkast - Stankonia: If there has ever been one album that shows the potential and excitement of hip-hop, here it is. "B.O.B" puts all the cards on the table: chaotic beats, choirs, guitars, and rapping that makes me dizzy in a good way.

If you still don't like rap after listening to any one of these, I can't help you.