Me Against the World
Artist: 2Pac
Community Score: 8.01

Recorded following his near-fatal shooting in New York, and released while he was in prison, Me Against the World is the point where 2Pac really became a legendary figure. Having stared death in the face and survived, he was a changed man on record, displaying a new confessional bent and a consistent emotional depth. By and large, this isn't the... Read More

T.H.U.G.S.: Trues Humbly United Gatherin' Souls
Artist: Flesh-N-Bone
Community Score: 9.18

Flesh-N-Bone's solo release is a continuation of the rapid-fire delivery of lyrics patented by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. The words come so fast you're forced to listen intently to identify them. Lots of preaching and sermonizing here; the first cut uses lines from the "Lord's Prayer," while "Reverend Run Sermon" features Run (of Run-DMC) preaching a... Read More

Dr. Dre Presents...The Aftermath
Artist: Dr. Dre
Community Score: 7.75

Dr. Dre shifted directions drastically halfway through 1996, leaving Death Row Records and abandoning gangsta rap, claiming that he had "Been There, Done That." So, Dre founded a new record label, Aftermath, and built an artist roster consisting entirely of new, unproven talent. He also decided not to concentrate on rap, signing urban R&B acts... Read More

Hemp Museum
Artist: B-Legit
Community Score: 5.00
Can You Feel Me
Artist: Dru Down
Community Score: 10.00

Can You Feel Me is a revelation, proving that Dru Down has rhyming skills far superior to most of his West Coast gangsta rap brethren. While the music isn't stylistically different from G-funk, it is catchier and more memorable than many sub-Dre productions. More importantly, Dru Down is a terrific rapper, capable of laconic phrasing like Snoop... Read More

Legal Drug Money
Artist: The Lost Boyz
Community Score: 9.07

Legal Drug Money covers the same themes that many other hip-hop artists were covering in the mid-'90s. The Lost Boyz rap about getting high, being rich, and other topics typical of the genre. The best track on this album is easily "Renee," a song about a woman who fell in love with an MC but gets killed. Smif-n-Wessun's Dah Shinin and Heltah... Read More

The Natural
Artist: Mic Geronimo
The Mix Tape, Vol. 1: 60 Minutes of Funk
Artist: Funkmaster Flex
Community Score: 10.00

Funkmaster Flex's The Mix Tape, Vol. 1 recalls hip-hop's past while pointing toward its future. Featuring a wide array of hip-hop styles graced by amazing freestyle raps by some of the '90s top MCs, the album sounds like a mixtape compiled from the radio and 7" singles -- there's simply nothing but first-rate music, with no filler whatsoever.... Read More

Gangsta's Paradise
Artist: Coolio
Community Score: 8.50

Most of Coolio's hit debut It Takes a Thief was fairly upbeat material, but the appearance of the stark single "Gangsta's Paradise" in the summer of 1995 signaled a change in the rapper's music. Driven by an ominously deep bassline and slashing strings, the creeping, threatening funk of "Gangsta's Paradise" was the most chilling thing Coolio had... Read More

Based on a True Story
Artist: Mack 10
Community Score: 5.67

When Mack 10 returned in 1997 with his second album, Based on a True Story, the West Coast gangsta movement had began to simmer in the aftermath of Death Row's dissolution, 2Pac's death, Too Short's retirement, Dr. Dre's confusion, and Ice Cube's move to Hollywood. Mack gladly fills the void with a spirited album that's proudly Cali and proudly... Read More