Curren$y's 25 Favorite Albums

We caught up with Spitta to talk about his favorite records from Marvin Gaye, Camp Lo, Soulja Slim, and many more.

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Image via Complex Original
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Intro

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We’re only half-way through 2011 but Curren$y has already dropped so many projects that he’s putting every rapper who claims to “grind” to shame. After releasing Covert Coup (with The Alchemist), as well as his mixtape Return To The Winners Circle, he dropped his latest release this week, Weekend At Burnie’s.

As much as Spitta loves making music, we can’t help but wonder which records he loves to listen to. To find out, we got him to break down his 25 Favorite Albums. However, despite our sincerest attempts, we couldn’t get him to rank the albums.

“The first 25 I think about will be the most impactful on my life,” Spitta said. “I don’t think it’s fair [to rank them]. They’re each something major to my life. They’re all the most important album I’ve ever heard in my life. So I can’t rank them but I can tell you why they’re all important...”

As told to Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin)

I Want You

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Marvin Gaye, I Want You (1976)

Label: Tamla Motown

Curren$y: “[I like that because] I saw him perform a gang of those songs on a DVD called Marvin Gaye Live At The Montreaux. The performance that he gave in that was right from the heart and that made me want to hear the album. He has the studio recordings of those same songs and they were equally as good. He had some awesome fucking music on there with a good sense of timing.”

Here, My Dear

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Marvin Gaye, Here, My Dear (1978)

Label: Tamla

Curren$y: “[When Marvin Gaye made that album] he getting divorced from his wife [Anna Gordy] and that album was like the settlement. All the money from that album went [to his ex-wife]. That’s why he was like, ‘Here, my dear. Here’s my fucking life. Here are all the fucking proceeds, bitch.’ That’s fucking tough.

“The money [from the album] wasn’t his, but he still did the shit like it was his bread. That’s why I liked it, because of why he did it and what was behind it. He didn’t let [the divorce] compromise the music. All the music was still fucking good quality, Marvin Gaye music.”

Niggaz4Life

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N.W.A., Niggaz4Life (1991)

Label: Ruthless Records/Priority Records

Curren$y: “One of the dudes from down the street, he gave the album to me. I remember getting in trouble with my mom for having that album because it had a lot of curse words and disrespectful stuff. My mom asked me where I got it from, I didn’t tell her, and she took it.

“I think I was grounded for a couple weeks. I was like little as fuck. I couldn’t go out. I don’t even remember when that came out. Like, I had a bike and was scared of monsters at the time. So I was like in elementary school.”

The Chronic

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Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)

Label: Death Row Records

Curren$y: “[That’s one of my favorites] because of ‘Let Me Ride,’ which is one of the greatest songs ever. I‘m obsessed with low riders. I’ve always liked the whole low rider culture and that album was a symbol of that.

“Even though it had the big weed plant on it, when you opened the booklet they definitely was posted with a nice, ‘64 Impala. So it was a car culture thing, why I liked that album and why it was important to me. I was listening to that growing up. I was young and I was building my low rider cars at that time.”

Doggystyle

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Snoop Doggy Dogg, Doggystyle (1993)

Label: Death Row Records

Curren$y: “That one was a serious album for me. It was like there was a whole world. If you played it all the way through, it was like a movie. Fucking, ‘Murder Was The Case’ was actually like a drive-by. [Laughs.]

“Snoop did it with the artwork. If you look through the booklet, you get to see the comic book and all that shit on the inside of it. They were using the same slang from the rap so if you wasn’t already on that, you didn’t understand it. I kept my artwork from the album way after the CD was scratched to pieces.”

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

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Raekwon, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (1995)

Label: Loud/RCA/BMG

Curren$y: “That’s another thing with creating a world. Rae’s fucking amazing with the shit that he does. Even if you don’t know what he’s talking about, you’re going to listen to it. You’ll be fucking bobbing your head and trying to fool the person next to you into thinking that you understand it and they’re lame because they don’t. And that’s a powerful motherfucker to be able to do that.

“Rae is one of my all-time favorites. I’m glad I worked with him [on the ‘Michael Knight (Remix)’]. I could talk forever about him. And fucking the last song on the album [‘North Star (Jewels)’], just to listen to that fucking old dude giving him all that game after everything was dope.”

Down South Hustlers

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Various Artists, Down South Hustlers: Bouncin’ and Swingin’ (1995)

Label: No Limit/Priority Records

Curren$y: “Master P had everybody on that album. It was fucking like a shot for everybody from New Orleans. That was a good look for a lot of people in the South. Not just in my city, but that was just a major look for everybody to be on something that went national like that.

“That shit was in every record store with big ass cutouts for it. And a Dayton wheel and a tent with a g-string on it. Master P didn’t have a picture of his face or a picture of none of the other artists on there. But there was a fucking billion people on that motherfucker. Everybody was pretty much on that shit.”

All Eyez On Me

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2Pac, All Eyez On Me (1996)

Label: Death Row Records

Curren$y: “That was at a crazy time man. And it was a double disc. I had never heard of [doing a double disc] outside of the Down South Hustlers album, but that was because everybody was on that shit. Fucking one person putting out a double CD, that was a gang of work. And all of the fucking shit was groovy as fuck. My mom bought me that shit.”

Reasonable Doubt

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Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt (1996)

Label: Roc-A-Fella Records

Curren$y: “That was a movie. I liked the whole album, it played the whole way through. The fucking beats were good. ‘Feelin’ It’ was amazing. And the video for that was tight. That’s what made me go buy the album. And I’m a big fan of Ski Beatz. He put together some good music on there.”

It Was Written

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Nas, It Was Written (1996)

Label: Columbia Records

Curren$y: “I love It Was Written. I like more songs off It Was Written than on Illmatic. I remember listening to both albums and always—bar none—I liked more records on It Was Written [than Illmatic].

“There were more songs that were pleasing to me on it. Nas picked good beats and good vibes on that album. He had more songs and touched on more subjects. There was more shit for me on that album.”

Ridin' Dirty

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UGK, Ridin’ Dirty (1996)

Label: Zomba Records/Jive Records

Curren$y: “I could talk about it, but it’s fucking UGK’s Ridin’ Dirty. You could just put that. It’s UGK, it’s unexplainable. It’s fucking Bun B and Pimp C and they did everything themselves, that’s why.

“I heard a few of those songs when it came out, but I didn’t really grow into appreciation of that album until maybe last year. I wasn’t going to the stores and shit at the time the album came out. So right now, I’ve really been able to get into it. And now I understand what the independent grind is. So [for me] to see people staying true to themselves like they did in their music [it speaks to how I’m living].”

Tha Doggfather

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Snoop Doggy Dog, Tha Doggfather (1996)

Label: Death Row Records/Interscope Records

Curren$y: “One of my cool older cousins gave me that CD and one of the first rides I took was listening to it. I put Doggfather [on this list] because he had a song on there called [‘(Tear 'Em Off) Me & My Doggz’] that was about pit bulls. He dedicated a whole song to the pit bulls in his yard and the shit that they’ve done and I think that was cool because I really like my dogs too. That’s why I fucked with that album so much, because of that record.”

ATLiens

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Outkast, ATLiens (1996)

Label: LaFace Records

Curren$y: “Again, [it’s one of my favorites] because of the artwork and ‘Elevators.’ And fucking ‘Mainstream’ was on that album. ‘Mainstream’ was one of the best records I heard from Outkast and Goodie Mob. It was a classic, they had everybody on that record. It was tough.”

Uptown Saturday Night

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Camp Lo, Uptown Saturday Night (1997)

Label: Profile Records/Arista

Curren$y: “That was another one with the artwork. Doggystyle one was the first time I had anything like that. Uptown Saturday Night—I don’t know the artist’s name—but they [used the same art] that was at the ending of the opening song of Good Times. They recreated that painting and painted themselves into it for the cover, and that was like the illest shit I’d ever seen.

“I talked to [Ski Beatz] and [Camp Lo] about the album. I told them it was my favorite, but I don’t like when people talk to me about my music so I don’t talk to artists about their music because it’s weird to me. I don’t want people to start talking to me in a regular setting about something I did, so I don’t do that.”

Life

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The Notorious B.I.G., Life After Death (1997)

Label: Bad Boy Entertainment/Arista

Curren$y: “That was a tough album. It was a double disc and it was the last [time Biggie put out new music]. It’s Life After Death. If I were the guy to explain, like why? That’s why I don’t want to rank them. Now can you understand how tough that would be?”

H.N.I.C.

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Prodigy, H.N.I.C. (2000)

Label: Loud Records

Curren$y: “The single for that, ‘Keep It Thoro,’ didn’t have a chorus and that was very ill to me. I like songs without choruses. And for that be your single for your album, I thought that was real dope. It made me want to check the album out. The fucking album was awesome. It had ‘We Goin’ Diamond,’ that’s an inspirational song where they’re talking about selling ten million records and shit.”

Tha Last Meal

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Snoop Dogg, Tha Last Meal (2000)

Label: Priority Records/No Limit Records/EMI Records

Curren$y: “That was the last album he put out before he got his own label. He was saying that was the last time people were going to eat off him. From that point on, he was going to be his own boss and he would be in control of his own label. That’s why I fucked with that album, outside of the music being good.”

The Blueprint

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Jay-Z, The Blueprint (2001)

Label: Roc-A-Fella Records

Curren$y: “All them songs were awesome. But you want to know why I liked the album? I liked the album because of the ‘All I Need’ record. ‘All I Need’ was the song [where he was talking about having] a fucking nice bucket and some white Nike Airs. That’s all he needed, so I appreciated it.

“At that time, Jay-Z was at the pinnacle, at the top of the game, but all he really needed was a bucket and some Nike Airs. I always felt the same way, I don’t need too much. I’m not trying to be the ultimate mega-zillionaire. I just want to be able to buy Jordans when they come out and keep my bills paid.”

In Search Of...

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N.E.R.D., In Search Of... (2001)

Label: Virgin Records

Curren$y: “I really dig all the music that The Neptunes make. It was a good play all the way through, I didn’t skip shit on there. The music on there, the dude was singing and that was different for me and what I listen to.

“I’m not too much into R&B songs. For me to like singing it’s got to be good beats too. There’s certain shit that’s gotta be done for me to even listen to somebody singing.

“They pushed a lot of lines. A lot of beats, I knew that was shit people would be afraid of and wouldn’t know how to get on the beat. Some shit you’d have to do some different shit to fill in the spaces and they would do all that. They pushed the envelope on that album.”

Let's Do It Again

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Camp Lo, Let’s Do It Again (2002)

Label: Dymond Crook Records

Curren$y: “I put that because they did it again. That was just the second installment of them grooving with the world they created with Uptown Saturday Night and people just went out and picked up that music again.

“They were my favorite. Anybody who knows me, knows that Camp Lo is my favorite because they created their own [world]. Anytime you create your own language and own world, you’ve done something major. I took that page from them [with my own music].”

Lord Willin'

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Clipse, Lord Willin’ (2002)

Label: Star Trak Entertainment/Arista

Curren$y: “The artwork is why I kept it. I think you get the pattern! I’m a big fan of Pharrell and he did all the fucking production for them, like a no-brainer. And they had throwback jerseys in the ‘Grindin’’ video that ain’t nobody knew. All they had was Mitchell and Ness.

“I don’t really listen to that drug life, but that shit was tough because I believed it and the way they described it was pretty trill. [I liked Clipse’s style because] it sounded true. It didn’t sound like the same drug rap.”

Years Later

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Soulja Slim, Years Later (2002)

Label: Cut Throat Committy

Curren$y: “[I put that because] that’s right after he left No Limit and broke off from Master P, so that’s a major step for independents. I mean, I’m independent too. [Do we have a] similar story? I don’t know. It’s because we were both under No Limit, but other than that...I feel like we’ve both been through some shit in the game, but it’s not like that happened because he left. I can only tell you that.

“I’m not selling it like that, there’s no way I would ever put myself in this dude’s shadow. This is one of the greatest rappers in the world to me. He’s no longer here, that’s why I’m saying I don’t even know how to think like that. I don’t compare myself to him. I just can’t even fathom an answer.”

Fly Or Die

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N.E.R.D., Fly Or Die (2004)

Label: Virgin Records

Curren$y: “If I had to really rank them, I would put In Search Of… higher than Fly or Die. Fly Or Die was closer to like fucking 311 or Green Day and all of that shit. I used to listen to all of that, too.

“And it wasn’t as electric-sounding as In Search Of... so I fucked with that one too. It was good to hear them do that. I felt like it was more un-standard to see two black dudes and an Asian dude make the music they were making on Fly or Die.”

It's All Around You

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Tortoise, It’s All Around You (2004)

Label: Thrill Jockey

Curren$y: “I heard It’s All Around You on the roof of Dame Dash’s apartment in New York on 4th of July last year. I wasn’t on mushrooms, but the girls who played it for me were definitely tripping on mushrooms and they wanted to hear that album. It was all like…I don’t know, electro?

“I don’t even know what you classify it as because it’s got guitar music and all that in it too. It’s all instrumental and it’s like the craziest shit I ever heard. It was like a trip. I don’t do major drugs, but it was an acid trip in audio form. And the artwork for it is ridiculous. It’s a fucking waterfall in the middle of some mystical land.”

Godfather Buried Alive

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Shyne, Godfather Buried Alive (2004)

Label: Def Jam Recordings

Curren$y: “I feel like if he wouldn’t have caught that brick at that point, he would be at a different level in the game. That album was really good, but he wasn’t able to support it because of everything that was going on. That album is a movie.

“Both of his albums [were like that], but Godfather Buried Alive was just a little more turned up to me. With the exception of that ‘Life Behind The Walls’ record—he did that because he had 15 years—that’s the only one I was really fucking with. But everything else was good.”

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