Music

33 albums that are now old enough to drive

by Mark Teo

In case you’ve forgotten, for adolescents, turning 16 is a huge deal: You’re at the midway point of your teenage years. You’re legally allowed to join the army—with consent from your parents. In some places, you can legally withdraw from your parents’ control, and you can drop out of high school. But most importantly, you’re legally old enough to drive—and that means that you can leave your tiny, shit-butt suburban town behind. For that, we’re forever indebted to the car.

Indeed, 16 is a huge milestone—and many classic albums come of age this year, too. So, welcome to the semi-adult world, cohort of 1999: Your graduating class includes emo classics, scrub-destroying hip-hop, rap-metal and, of course, Will Smith’s Willenium.