The Infamous
Artist: Mobb Deep
Community Score: 8.37

One of the cornerstones of the New York hardcore movement, The Infamous is Mobb Deep's masterpiece, a relentlessly bleak song cycle that's been hailed by hardcore rap fans as one of the most realistic gangsta albums ever recorded. Given Mobb Deep's youthful age and art-school background, it's highly unlikely that The Infamous is drawn strictly... Read More

Stickin' to the Plan, Vol. 1
Artist: E.B. Daddy of Da Hood
Hell on Earth
Artist: Mobb Deep
Community Score: 8.08

Mobb Deep became a street-level sensation with its second album, The Infamous, and the duo saw no reason to tamper with its signature style on the follow-up, Hell on Earth. The first words on the record announce "You know how we did on the Infamous album, right? All right, well, we gon' do it again," and that's exactly what they do. Hell on... Read More

Wrath of the Math
Artist: Jeru the Damaja
Community Score: 8.57

Jeru reunited with DJ Premier for this slightly sprawling second record, though fans must have been delirious with joy to find it was similar to -- and usually just as strong as -- his debut. Though it's clear Jeru isn't as hungry a rapper as he was two years earlier, he has just as much to say, and he's just as angry with the state of hip-hop... Read More

Business Is Business
Artist: PMD
Firing Squad
Artist: M.O.P.
Community Score: 10.00

M.O.P. has succeeded in doing what few hardcore rap groups have been able to do, by increasing the quality of production on their album and still keeping that same raw, rough feel that typically disappears as money enters the equation. While the album is solid from start to finish, "Anticipation" stands out, partly inspired by KRS-One's "MC's... Read More

Ridin' Dirty
Artist: UGK
Community Score: 8.33

UGK's third album, Ridin' Dirty, is their first to be released by a major label, which gives you some sort of indication of how far the group has gone in four short years. In that span of time, UGK scaled to the top of the small but vicious hip-hop scene in the Southern United States, creating a distinctive gangsta hybrid in the process. UGK is... Read More

Greatest Hits
Artist: N.W.A
Community Score: 7.29

N.W.A's career isn't necessarily one that lends itself well to anthologies. Though the group had important singles, especially in the underground hip-hop community in the late '80s, it never received any support from radio or MTV, which meant it never had any official "hits." Instead, N.W.A's albums were more important, popular, and influential... Read More

Gamers
Artist: Conscious Daughters
Community Score: 8.00
1990-Sick
Artist: Spice 1
Community Score: 6.38

Spice-1 doesn't change his style much on 1990-Sick, his third album. Building from a solid West Coast hip-hop base, Spice-1 adds raggamuffin and dancehall flourishes, which makes him distinctive as an MC. Much of the record suffers from unimaginative production and standard musical ideas, but Spice-1 is an engaging rapper -- he is talented... Read More

Liquid Swords
Artist: The Genius
Community Score: 8.78

Often acclaimed as the best Wu-Tang solo project of all, Liquid Swords cemented the Genius/GZA's reputation as the best pure lyricist in the group -- and one of the best of the '90s. Rich in allusions and images, his cerebral, easy-flowing rhymes are perhaps the subtlest and most nuanced of any Wu MC, as underscored by his smooth, low-key... Read More

War Zone
Artist: O.C.F.