Ironman
Artist: Ghostface Killah
Community Score: 8.53
...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

The Master - CLEAN
Artist: Rakim

When you've been named the best rapper ever in countless readers' and critics' polls, it must be easy to get a bit complacent. And as a veteran who's been on the mic since 1985 (yes, there are several rappers who weren't even on the earth back then), it also must be easy to make a few concessions to all the rappers and delivery styles that have... Read More

The Master
Artist: Rakim
Community Score: 6.37

When you've been named the best rapper ever in countless readers' and critics' polls, it must be easy to get a bit complacent. And as a veteran who's been on the mic since 1985 (yes, there are several rappers who weren't even on the earth back then), it also must be easy to make a few concessions to all the rappers and delivery styles that have... 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

Blackout!
Artist: Method Man & Redman
Community Score: 7.91

Hip-hop fans have known for years that Method Man and Redman are two of the top MCs in the field, and their tour together not only proved the fact, but also showed they rap incredibly well together. Their deliveries are similar and the flow never falters, but the hint of gravel in Meth's voice makes them easily distinguishable. Now, with... Read More

Rhapsody
Artist: Mr. Mike

Reportedly involving almost two years of work, Mr. Mike's second album is the result of an extended rumination on the state of urban America, the Dirty South, and the entire hip-hop world in general. But don't think that just because Rhapsody involved some thought, it's an unexciting, introspective album. From the midtempo bump of the first... Read More

Uncontrolled Substance
Artist: Inspectah Deck
Community Score: 7.85

While Deck has always been overshadowed by the more personable bees in his Wu-Tang hive, there is no disputing his messiah-like flow and delivery pure as artesian water. Wu-Tang's diehard fans have always demanded more and Deck gives them just that, as he routinely leaves microphones grotesquely disfigured on his stellar debut. Besides the usual... Read More

Beneath the Surface
Artist: GZA/Genius
Community Score: 7.48
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

Murda Muzik
Artist: Mobb Deep
Community Score: 7.86

After a three-year hiatus and numerous release date pushbacks, Mobb Deep got on their job once again with the punishing release of Murda Muzik. The duo, well-known for their lethal realism both in their infinitely dark yet moving beats and their stark and ruthless crime-rhyme lyrics, continued their grim odyssey with this, their fourth effort.... Read More

Supreme Clientele
Artist: Ghostface Killah
Community Score: 8.38