The 10 Best Hip-Hop Album Skits

​This next joint is getting lit for a tradition in hip-hop long since passed--not Iceberg sweaters, but album skits. There've been so many awful ones that the handful of good ones weren't enough to keep them from going to hell in a backpack. But a few were incredibly vivid--and funny. Of course, it helped if the rapper performing them sounded cool saying pretty much anything, a la Ghostface Killah ("It feel hot at night..."). Or they were performed by Dave Chappelle, who Talib Kweli brought on board to imitate Nelson Mandela.

As you read on, you'll realize that three out of the 10 skits collected here are Wu-Tang related. To anyone tempted to complain about that, I say: Fuck off. I'm from the Wally era.

10. "$20 Sack Pyramid": Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1993)
This was a lot of people's introduction to the anything-is-possible world of rap skits. Posing as a contestant on a 'hood version of The 20,000 Pyramid, The D.O.C. does a pretty good job of acting. He had already gotten into the car accident that turned his voice into little more than a strangled whisper, but somehow it worked anyway. Who could forget the digs at Compton's biggest hater, Tim Dog, with a few shots thrown at Luke for good measure?

9. "Getting Ass, Getting Ass": Heltah Skeltah, Nocturnal (1996)
Though far from happy-go-lucky, Ruck and Rock always did a good job of straddling the line between hard-as-a-rock and comedic. This skit is pretty funny throughout; Rock initially chastises Ruck for calling a girl ('What you think you're a player now, bitch-ass nigga?") then horns in on the conversation, trying to convince Ruck to "ask her if she got a friend." The skit culminates with Ruck whipping out his Wanya Morris impersonation and trying to convince his lady to come over with a bit of Boyz II Men's "Uhh Ahh." Laughter ensues. SEAN P!

8. "General Hospital": Kool Keith, Dr. Octagon (1996)
Posing as an alien gynecologist--one of his many personas--Kool Keith attempts unsuccessfully to be a surgeon in this typically weird skit. It's all to no avail as he utters, "Fuck it, he's dead" in regards to one of his patients; "There's a horse in the hospital" just adds to the confusion. Shout out to White Mike from Pitt Street.

7. "Dating Game": Handsome Boy Modeling School, White People (2004)
Dan the Automator and Prince Paul need a sketch comedy series, as evidenced by this take on The Dating Game with rappers as contestants. Though Tim Meadows gets a few laughs, the real comedic talent is in the dead-on RZA and Jay-Z impersonations. Most credits list Hines Buchanan and Neelam, respectively, as the actors behind those two voices--although some list the RZA as playing himself, which just goes to show how accurate of a portrayal Buchanan did of Bobby Digital.

6. "Pimps (Freestyle at the Fortune 500 Club)": The Coup, Genocide & Juice (1994)
This was a dope concept but unfortunately, like most stuff The Coup put out, it was slept on. The skit is technically a segue linking two Genocide & Juice compositions to its overlying theme: the real hustlers wear suits and push legislation. The skit starts with some rich people talking money. One guy is asked to do a rapper impersonation. It continues as a part of the following song, serving as hook of sorts.