The Flip Squad All-Star DJs
Artist: The Flip Squad All-Star DJs

Employing eight hip-hop DJs (including Funkmaster Flex, DJ Hollywood and Mister Cee) and various East Coast rappers (most notably, Luvbug Starski and the goofy Biz Markie), the Flipsquad All Star DJs are the rap equivalent of a hard bop jam session. Just as jazz saxmen and trumpeters would tend to be especially extroverted at a jam session show... Read More

Fearless
Artist: Marvaless

Although Marvaless refuses to abandon her hardline hardcore hip-hop stance, the years have treated her well, if her fourth album Fearless is anything to go by. She's still spinning gangsta tales, with all the violence, sex and dope clichés that entails, but her music is tougher and catchier than before, and her lyrical flow is the best it has... Read More

Sabotage
Artist: Land of the Heartless
Vendetta
Artist: Mic Geronimo

With his second album, Vendetta, Mic Geronimo proves that his hard-hitting debut was no fluke. Geronimo may flirt a little too heavily with the crossover -- Puff Daddy's production on "Nothin' Move But the Money" is a little too smooth, and the blatant materialism doesn't suit him well -- but the fact of the matter is, even when he tries his... Read More

Lunitik Muzik
Artist: The Luniz

The Luniz' name is pronounced "loonies," and the Oakland rap duo lives up to that name on Lunitik Muzik, one of the most memorable rap releases of 1997. This eccentric effort must be taken for exactly what it is -- wild, nutty, outrageous fun. When Yukmouth and Numskull (whose guests on the CD range from the 2 Live Crew, Too Short and Redman to... Read More

L' Ecole du Micro D'Argent
Artist: IAM
Community Score: 9.00
Welcome to Our World
Artist: Timbaland & Magoo
Community Score: 8.84

Welcome to Our World is one of the better rap debuts of 1997, establishing Timbaland & Magoo as gifted hip-hop musicians in their own right. The pair had previously written or produced tracks for such stars as Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Ginuwine, and the spare, kinetic beats of "Supa Dupa Fly" and "Pony" are a good indication of what's... Read More

My Soul
Artist: Coolio
Community Score: 6.40

Coolio's third album, My Soul, follows the same formula as its two predecessors, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Where others have failed as pop-rappers, Coolio succeeds because of his love of melody, message, and funky beats. My Soul lacks anything as monolithic as "Gangsta's Paradise," yet it has a more elaborate production, boasting... Read More

Jewelz
Artist: O.C.
Community Score: 9.00

D.I.T.C. cohort OC returned in 1997 with his second full length LP, titled Jewelz, and that is exactly what it is. Even though his 1995 debut was well-received within the hip-hop community, the same adulation did not correlate to sales success. Instead of succumbing to mainstream pressure, OC kept his music street-based, and the listeners reap... Read More

Hello Nasty - JAPAN
Artist: Beastie Boys

Loaded with analog synthesizers, old drum machines, call-and-response vocals, freestyle rhyming, futuristic sound effects and virtuoso turntable scratching, Hello Nasty, the Beastie Boys' fifth album, is a head-spinning listen and one that doesn't entirely reveal its secrets upon its first play. Since the success of Check Your Head, the Beasties... Read More