Panel Talk: Which Album Best Defines the 40 Years of Hip Hop?

Imagine if you were to encounter someone who either a) fell asleep starting from the '70s and missed the rise of hip hop, b) never bothered to pick up a hip hop CD, or c) just somehow didn't know a single thing about the genre. 

Your task: educate that person by recommending one album from the genre's 40-year history.

While it may seem impossible to narrow down the options, members of Fuse's Absolute Hip Hop: From Tupac to 2 Chainz panel managed to single out four LPs that perfectly define the artistry of the New York-born genre.