Bacdafucup
Artist: Onyx
Community Score: 8.23

At the time that Bacdafucup hit the record racks and airwaves, Onyx seemed to be inventing a genre all their own: heavy metal rap. Of course, on closer inspection, it is not at all surprising stylistically, given their link to Def Jam and Run DMC, the record company and crew that introduced heavy guitar riffs into hip-hop. Onyx, though, seemed... Read More

Out of Business - LIMITED EDITION
Artist: EPMD

After the popular, praised 1997 comeback album Back in Business, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith returned with another solid effort that proved they remained one of the best combos in hip-hop, as relevant and tight in 1999 as they were ten years earlier. Most of the tracks are in-house productions (either Sermon or Smith), a true rarity in the... Read More

RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo
Artist: RZA
Community Score: 7.37

RZA's first solo album, the soundtrack to a film involving experimental self-transformation, has many of the same fractured strings and crisp, staccato beats he made trademarks on Wu-Tang Clan recordings. In fact, this could well be a Wu-Tang album, even more so than the legion of other related albums. The only contributors to the project... Read More

Killer Kuts
Artist: Kool G Rap & DJ Polo

The unfortunate early-'90s bust-up between Kool G Rap and DJ Polo cleaved one of the finest rap duos of all time. Leaving behind a trio of fine LPs -- the raw Road to the Riches, the refined Wanted: Dead or Alive, and the underrated Live and Let Die (the latter unfortunately gaining more notice for the provocative cover than the content) -- the... Read More

Business Is Business
Artist: PMD
KRS-One
Artist: KRS-One
Community Score: 6.42

For his second solo album, KRS-One worked with a variety of younger hip-hop talents, perhaps in an attempt to resuscitate his street credibility and his commercial standing. Featuring appearances by Das EFX, Mad Lion, Fat Joe, and Channel Live, KRS-One is loaded with fresh talent of the first rank and they help spark the Teacher into giving an... Read More

Illmatic
Artist: Nas
Community Score: 8.76

Often cited as one of the best hip-hop albums of the '90s, Illmatic is the undisputed classic upon which Nas' reputation rests. It helped spearhead the artistic renaissance of New York hip-hop in the post-Chronic era, leading a return to street aesthetics. Yet even if Illmatic marks the beginning of a shift away from Native Tongues-inspired... 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

19 Naughty III
Artist: Naughty By Nature
Community Score: 8.63

Despite an excellent debut album, Naughty by Nature was pegged as a one-hit wonder by some observers -- after all, they'd never duplicate the inescapably catchy "O.P.P.," would they? 19 Naughty III's lead single, "Hip Hop Hooray," proved that they could, and the album confirmed that Naughty by Nature were indeed highly underrated in terms of... Read More

Out of Business
Artist: EPMD
Community Score: 5.85

After the popular, praised 1997 comeback album Back in Business, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith returned with another solid effort that proved they remained one of the best combos in hip-hop, as relevant and tight in 1999 as they were ten years earlier. Most of the tracks are in-house productions (either Sermon or Smith), a true rarity in the... Read More