The Art of Storytelling
Artist: Slick Rick
Community Score: 7.41

If there's one thing Slick Rick has mastered, it is The Art of Storytelling. Ever since his debut, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, he has been known for his literate, winding narratives, but his career was marred by legal troubles that kept him in prison for much of the '90s. Consequently, The Art of Storytelling is only his fourth album,... Read More

Introduction to Mackin'
Artist: Rappin' 4-Tay

Though given Rappin' 4-Tay's decade in the rap game, fans hardly need an Introduction to Mackin', the album turns out to be one of his best yet. Part of the reason is the great cast of guest appearances -- Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Daz, Frost, Jayo Felony -- but it's also due to 4-Tay himself, who provides a focus for each track, lends his production... Read More

Rap Life
Artist: Tash
Community Score: 9.00

As one-third of the California rap trio, (Tha Alkaholiks), (Tash) has been responsible for some of the most raucous and rowdy lyrical gems ever laid down by any West Coast crew. But in 1999, (Tash) branched out on his own for a solo debut, and committed his talents towards broadening the hip hop audience with his own brand of smooth, yet... Read More

Y2K
Artist: Screwball

Controversy sells -- it'ss a well-known fact in the recording industry -- and the group Screwball learned this lesson quickly. This inner city quartet first gained notoriety when they released the somewhat disturbing single "Who Shot Rudy?" (concerning the fictional shooting of New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani). With the debut of their... 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

Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryder's First Lady
Artist: Eve
Community Score: 7.32

The full title of Eve's full-length debut is Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady for a reason. The Philadelphia rapper sets out to prove she's earned her place in the Ruff Ryders crew, matching rhymes, raunch, and rounds with the hardest hardass. Minimal beats laced with synthesized strings and keyboards back traditional hip-hop brag... 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

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

The RZA Hits
Artist: RZA
Community Score: 8.75

Perhaps the best overall introduction to the dauntingly large Wu-Tang universe, RZA Hits is an excellent singles compilation covering the first round of Wu projects -- their debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and the five solo albums recorded in its wake. The material here traces the Wu's rise from underground heroes to full-fledged stardom... Read More

In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1
Artist: Eightball & MJG
Community Score: 9.43

Aging does not become most hip-hop artists, nor do reunions. However, there are always exceptions that prove the rule and, apparently, In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1 is one of those cases. Eightball & MJG went on hiatus in 1998, and they both released solo albums that weren't bad but weren't particularly noteworthy, either. Their reunion on In Our... Read More

...And Then There Was X
Artist: DMX
Community Score: 7.55

Though it's DMX's third album in two years, ...And Then There Was X doesn't show much sign of burnout. True, it's similar to his last, which balanced new-school gangsta tracks ("The Professional," "Make a Move") with a couple that question the inevitable trappings that come with success ("Fame," "One More Road to Cross"). And the productions by... Read More