Perseverance

Like Too $hort, South Bronx rapper Percee P became just as known for his DIY hustle as he was for his lyricism, and sold so many copies of his self-pressed mixtapes outside Manhattan rap Mecca record store Fat Beats that he was destined to have his own shelf space inside eventually. Stones Throw made that happen in 2007 with the Madlib-produced PerseverancePerserverance, where the then-38-year-old rapper let every permutation of his pure-technique style hit with decades’ worth of sword-sharpening refinement. And if the “rapping about being good at rapping” subject matter is simultaneous show/tell/prove, Madlib’s production — ranging from 8-bit action-game burbles to dirtbag hard rock guitar riffs — gives those lyrics countless environments to unfold in.