Hip hops greatest album intro's

mufcboy1999

2 choices your favorite & runner up in video format as many honorable mentions as you like...

there's been some class intro's down through the years what are your favorites? it can be an intro that transcends into the opening song of the album too.

mine is 2pacs bomb first intro from the makaveli album followed by NWA's straight outta compton intro...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CctWgVK0VkY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JjqTinl-VI

honorable mentions

nas- stillmatic
50 cent - get rich
common - be
dr dre - chronic 2001
eminem - MMLP

Bobby Baccala

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Htf1KSUVEE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZy_ifhtHgI

conor.hogan.2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DMyz1KvWYU

Long intro of JMJ and then straight into it, no messing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo5-74dWGS0

This one is pretty much the reverse, straight into the lyrics then the instrumental.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHEl1HiybQo

"in about four seconds"

HalloweenJack

Couldn't agree more with the Stillmatic intro, love it. Also really like the I Am... and It Was Written intros, too. It was actually the I Am... intro that convinced me to buy Illmatic. This was pre-Youtube days.

Ice Cube's early albums had good intros but can't find any videos that linked the intro to the song, which is what made them work so well.

Some others I love:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA46QyQ4sQ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXyadsrRWsk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Gu9B4cRfo

tossy

Possibly one of the greatest album intros ever (not just Hip Hop)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-sNyZKe7_M

Jason Todd

Would this be considered an Intro? Have a soft spot for it anyway...

An intro I really didn't like was DMX's spiel on Game's L.A.X.

Boom_Bap

The most memorable is "You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge"

I also love the intro to Cube's Predator album and how the cough's blend into the first track.

Cecil Otter's 'Poet is a Rapist' is decent.

The intro to P.O.S. 'Audition' is great, it's the instrumental from the last track on his previous album Ipeceac Neat.

Snoops Bathtub intro on DoggyStyle is wack as a heart attack.

....there are loads more great ones that I cant think of right now. Off to iTunes to sort by track #1 and listen to them all

Andy_rse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-uoxmlHyKM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o02na1Tqjqo

horsebox09

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbfGkiecl2M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1_FDi7j3-E

Honorable mentions go to;

Common - BE
Kanye - Dark Fantasy and Good Morning
Ghostface Killah -Iron Maiden
Cannibal Ox - Iron Galaxy
Jay-Z - The Dynasty and The Rulers Back
Nas - Get Down and Queens Get The Money
Rakim - Follow the Leader
King Geedorah - Fasers

Raekwon

Primo's posthumous intro to Big L's final album is dope

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5utSPC2-wWU

I love the background music from different generations throughout Biggies life growing up (even though Puff does his best to ruin it at the start)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPngVzHk2qg

It's been mentioned before but Ice Cube's "First Day at School" intro to Predator is a classic. Even the skits in Predator were class: "Hey man what's up" You know you won G", "Won what"? "The wet t-shirt contest motherf**ker" then the sound of an AK47 opening the next track "Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha". Brilliant!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grqg0GlJqWU

Boom_Bap

There are a few more that i've rembered;

Onyx - Bacdafucup -> the perfect intro for that album, anounces who they are and what to expect on the album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Topy8lweQ

Edan - Polite Meeting -> Pulls together interview snippets that describe what is happening and going to happen on the album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDPGVfQeCBU

Action Bronson - Pouches of Tuna -> Excellent violin sample looped, anounces his name, starts rapping, messes up his line, restarts it, and deliveres a dope verse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2XCtWs6nPs

Company Flow - Bad Touch Example -> "Since your my special friend", and then it gets weird before the track starts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwkgSnsoUWA

El-P - Tasmanian Pain Coaster -> A little narrative at the start which pretty much sets the tone for not just the song it leads into, but the album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuYf2-B2wAc

pragmatic1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDYe1ncQzj8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhv5Wv5ehnA

Greatest song intro of all time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kXK5-Svwxk

GodlessInfidel

love this, dont know why but gets me everytime, really beautiful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YisqJDhU_k

as is this not as good as the former though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT0XS1YRfU0

great title, great lyrics, great intro. a brilliant appetizer to the main course that is ether

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcTDi7qkYnE

love the sound of the train, straight away one is transported to the bowels of new york city

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhv5Wv5ehnA

dope beat, would love to hear a whole song outta this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Zb0mmaNAI