If you’re not listening to the Joe Budden Podcast, you need to be. It’s hilarious and it’s officially a good place for good hip-hop conversation.

Episode 8 made me reflect and inspired this post. It was said that Meek Mills album intro was the best ever in hip-hop. Now, it’s kind of hard to deny that because of impact and social media showing people going nuts to it at every club or event in every city. Especially when it’s over 2 years old now.

There was a disagree and the question “What intro is better?” came up. Now there was definitely a couple I thought of off top to consider , so let me run my list of great hip-hop album intros, in no real order.

1. Jay-Z Dynasty Intro: Realistically for me, the Intro to the Dynasty album is worth the price of the CD. So many quotable bars on this, it’s hard to deny. Even if you hate Jay-Z you mess with this intro. Everybody wanted the beat but only 1 man killed it.

Jay-Z – The Prelude: The one extremely bright spot on the Kingdom Come album that seemingly only I talk about. Had to have this one stand in since only the Dynasty instrumental is available.

2. Cam’ron – Come Home With Me Intro: For me, the hardest 2 rap bars to ever kick off an album are in this intro. Cam went nuts on this intro and this album! YO! I advise you to step son…For I Fawk ya moms, make you my Step-son, you’ll be calling me dad!

3. Fabolous – The Way Intro: To me Loso’s Way is Fab’s best album. The amount of truth he tell on this intro made me love it and I was literally anticipating the rest of this albums sound. Fab makes dope intro’s but this is his best one to me.

4. 50 Cent – What Up Gangsta: After the coins drop, you have no choice but to go NUTS when what up gangsta come on! This joint is hard! Again one of the few intros that over 10 years later gets play in clubs and events and 50 still perform this joint.

5. CNN Intro: Change Is Gonna Come feat Carl Thomas: YO! Just listen. Carl Thomas slaughtered this!

6. Jeezy – The Recession Intro: Man…It’s the Recession…Everybody Broke! So I just came back to give everybody hope. This is intro go so hard that I don’t even need to explain why it’s on here.

7. Ludacris – Coming 2 America [Word of Mouf Intro: Yo! Luda intros be super hard. Honestly, he could be over half this list. He definitely spit hard every single intro and it’s actually concept behind them. Luda’s intros are insane!

8. DMX – It’s Dark and Hell is Hot Intro: The Dog had to make the list. Come on now. I couldn’t even create a great album intro list without him on it. DOG….That’s my mans and nem…Also! The Grand Champ intro was FIRE!

9. Mobb Deep – Start of Your Ending (41st Side): I don’t know if this counts as an intro, but man is it a super official way to kick off a great album! Havoc and Prodigy murdered this! Still excites me when I hear it.

10. Busta Rhymes – The Coming Intro: I like this intro because I love the beat and the change up KEEP FALLING…..AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! KEEP FALLING! LOL! Not too many intros holds me without actually rapping. This one does though.

11. Joe Budden – Joe Budden Album Intro: “Everything’s reverse now I live in the matrix, so how can I stay anonymous, when it’s my job to be famous.” Joey been nice. This album is underrated and this intro was a dope kick off.

12. Meek Mill Dreams and Nightmares Intro: It’s really on my list of great intros and I just wanted to stop where the conversation started. I mean, how could you not. This is a dope joint. Although I do believe the Dreamchasers 2 mixtape intro is better, you can’t deny how people feel about this intro…..When the beat drops..

Being realistic and thinking about this, Ludacris might be “King of The Album Intro”. Every single album intro goes! Like I can’t think of one I don’t like and he hasn’t dropped a bad album. The Red Light District Intro is SUPER SERIOUS!

What are some of your favorites? I obviously didn’t list them all and I would like to know what the people feel and if you are actually even really listening to album intros.