 Maxinquaye was named 1995 's best record in year @-@ end polls by numerous English publications , including NME and Melody Maker , and finished second in the voting for the Pazz & Jop , an annual poll of American critics . The record also received a nomination for the 1995 Mercury Prize , an annual music award given to the best album from the UK and Ireland , losing out to Portishead 's 1994 debut Dummy . It was later ranked high in Q magazine 's poll determining the 100 greatest British albums , Mojo 's " 100 Modern Classics " , and Rolling Stone 's " Essential Recordings of the 90s " , among other lists . Since then , Maxinquaye has frequently appeared on authoritative lists of the greatest records ever , including NME 's 2013 list of the 500 greatest albums , which ranked it 202nd best . Slant Magazine named it the 21st greatest electronic album of the 20th century and wrote that along with Blue Lines and Dummy , it was also " one of the most influential trip @-@ hop albums of the ' 90s " . According to Acclaimed Music , Maxinquaye is the 170th most ranked record on critics ' all @-@ time lists . It was also included in the music reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ; according to contributing writer Alex Rayner , the " Innovative , thought provoking , and intricately arranged " album played a significant role in popularizing British hip hop and spoken word music in the UK . 
