Slum Village

One of the most celebrated indie hip-hop albums to never see a proper release, Fan-Tas-Tic was initially slated for a 1996 release but was delayed and inevitably shelved until its reissue in 2005. Though many of the tracks seem half-formed, and the raps are particularly uneven, this has some of the most amazing hip-hop beats ever. Many of the stronger tracks ("Players," "2U4U" and "I Don't Know) reappear on Vol. 2 in more polished form, but for beat addicts and J Dilla diehards, this is essentially listening.