So why is Dilated Peoples’ 20/20 on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
“You Can’t Hide, You Can’t Run” is one of my most favorite hip hop songs of the 2000s. Like Dilated Peoples’ “Worst Comes to Worst,” off of Expansion Team (#783 of best 1,000 albums ever), it’s endlessly catchy and never seems to get tiresome – even on heavy repeat plays.
Beyond its absolute smasher of a hook, I realized that there’s something about the warm-sounding, soulful production and the superior and clean-sounding flow of Evidence and Rakaa that reminds me of fellow west coast rap collective Jurassic 5*.
* Spoiler alert that the best 1,000 albums ever project hasn’t gotten to these guys… yet.
“Kindness For Weakness,” featuring Talib Kweli, leans even further into soul-sample territory while amping up the tempo with a pulsing keyboard.
“Satellite Radio,” with its percussive keyboard, reminds me of another LA-based hip hop legend – this time Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.”
“Rapid Transit,” which features Krondon, has a wilder funk sound and odd effects. And it also reminds me a bit of 50 Cent for some reason.
Personal stuff that’s somehow related to Dilated Peoples’ 20/20
I don’t have a full story here, but there’s something about 20/20 that reminds me of the era when my wife and I purchased our first home on the north side of Pasadena, California. This makes sense as the year was 2007, so I likely had the album and “You Can’t Hide, You Can’t Run” cranked up on my iPod while moving in.
I like to refer to it as a “shoebox” of a house, as it truly was tiny (if not what these days might be referred to as the “tiny house movement”). It was perfect for us though, as it had a detached garage that had been converted into a carpeted storage space – which became our office eventually – and a large backyard by Los Angeles County standards with a view of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Some stats & info about Dilated Peoples – 20/20
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rap, Hip Hop, Bay Area Hip Hop, Underground Hip Hop
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3 out of 5 stars
- When was 20/20 released? 2006
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #481 out of 1,000
Dilated Peoples’ 20/20 on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Dilated Peoples’ 20/20 that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
About to steal the game, I’m a whole new crook. Bakin’ up that fire, I’m a whole new cook.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.