Needless to say, I felt kind of lame after I finished the Top 100 Albums list and I realized that the only rap album on the entire list was by a trio of white guys. But considering that rap is relatively young in the lifespan of rock and roll and that it is primarily a singles genre that continues to rapidly evolve (turning hip rappers into has-beens in a second), I didn't feel so bad. The one rap album that has been around long enough to prove its greatness without giving us tramatizing flashbacks to the late '80s is the Beastie Boys' Dust Brothers-producted hip-hop collage, Paul's Boutique. Even after repeated listening the album continues to surprise. Its cut-and-paste sampling style holds up more than 10 years later. Something I wish I could say for artists like Public Enemy and A Tribe Called Quest.