The Nine Yards
Artist: Paperboy
Community Score: 6.50

In the late '80s and early '90s, rap invaded the pop music world to the point where many rappers were considered mere pop artists. As a result, the genre produced an abundance of one-hit wonders who failed to reconnect with either rap or pop audiences after their moment of glory. Along with artists like Young MC, Candyman, Domino, and Positive... Read More

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

Regulate...G Funk Era
Artist: Warren G
Community Score: 7.17

Anchored by the laid-back G-funk anthem "Regulate," Warren G's appropriately titled Regulate...G Funk Era embodies the mid-'90s era of Cali sunshine, endless blunts, and switch-hittin' lowriders with a welcome and somewhat surprising sense of kind-heartedness. Unlike most of his West Coast G-funk peers, Warren doesn't celebrate drive-by... Read More

187 He Wrote
Artist: Spice 1
Community Score: 7.60

Spice 1 continues his bleak, stripped-down version of gangsta rap with 187 He Wrote, an album that can be harrowing and appalling. Throughout the record, the spare, funky production keeps the music engaging, making the disturbing lyrics cut even deeper. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read More

Buhloone Mindstate
Artist: De La Soul
Community Score: 8.40

The last album of De la Soul's creative prime, Buhloone Mindstate was also their last with producer Prince Paul. After the claustrophobic De la Soul Is Dead, Mindstate is a partial return to the upbeat positivity of 3 Feet High and Rising, though not its wildly colorful invention. Instead, Buhloone Mindstate takes a calmer, more laid-back... Read More

Bring It On
Artist: Ali Dee

Add Ali Dee to the list of rappers successfully exploiting rap/jazz fusion. His cut "Dee Swings Jazz" expertly demonstrates the genres' shared qualities, and his whole release has both a loose, improvisational air and an edgy, combative street vibe. The single "Who's Da Flava" attracted the most attention, but there are other, equally sharp... Read More

Terror Squad
Artist: Terror Squad
Community Score: 8.12

Terror Squad spends much of their eponymous debut trading in gangsta clichés -- it only seems like there's been a hundred songs called "Pass the Glock" -- but beneath those rehashed themes lay some clever rhymes and music. Fat Joe and Big Punisher lead the group, which contains such promising rappers as Prospect and Cuban Link. The two... Read More