This Is How We Do It
Artist: Montell Jordan
Community Score: 7.00

Montell Jordan was blessed with a strong set of producers for his debut album, This Is How We Do It. Working with material that is essentially sub-par, the production team turns in a seamless performances, creating hooks and melodies from the deep bass and beats. Jordan's skills as a rapper are fine -- he does nothing particularly noteworthy,... Read More

The Best of U.T.F.O.
Artist: U.T.F.O.

U.T.F.O. never had many hits. During the mid-'80s, the rap group released a series of singles, but only one stood out, and for good reason, because that song, "Roxanne, Roxanne," is one of the classic rap singles of all time. Though "Roxanne, Roxanne" only hit number ten on the R&B charts, it was far more popular than its chart position... Read More

Hemp Museum
Artist: B-Legit
Community Score: 5.00
All World: Greatest Hits
Artist: LL Cool J
Community Score: 8.52

All World: Greatest Hits is an excellent compilation of LL Cool J's greatest hits, featuring 16 of his biggest and best singles, including "I Can't Live Without My Radio," "Rock the Bells," "I'm Bad," "I Need Love," "Going Back to Cali," "Jingling Baby," "The Boomin' System," "Mama Said Knock You Out," "Around the Way Girl," and "Hey Lover."... 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

11-20-79
Artist: Mona Lisa
Community Score: 9.23
Adventures of Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & The Furious Five: More of the Best
Artist: Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
Community Score: 10.00

Although much of Grandmaster Flash's best, biggest, and most groundbreaking work was compiled on Message From Beat Street: The Best Of, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: More of the Best is necessary for any comprehensive rap collection. The rest of Grandmaster Flash's most important singles, many of which have not appeared on compact disc... 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

Curb Servin'
Artist: WC and the Maad Circle
Community Score: 5.37

Musically, WC & the Maad Circle's Curb Servin' is by-the-books West Coast gangsta rap, with deep funk grooves and lazy, rolling beats. Coolio, who used to be a member of the crew in the early '90s, and Ice Cube make guest appearances, but what distinguishes it from others of the genre is the lyrical flair of WC, who spices up his rhymes with... Read More