E 1999 Eternal
Artist: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Community Score: 8.59

Following the surprise success of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's summer 1994 anthem "Thuggish Ruggish Bone," the group returned a year later with E 1999 Eternal, an impressive debut full-length that dismisses any notion that the group was merely a one-hit wonder. From beginning to end, the album maintains a consistent tone, one that's menacing and... Read More

Charlie Hustle: The Blueprint of a Self-Made Millionaire
Artist: E-40
Community Score: 8.25
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

Mac Mall Presents Mallennium
Artist: Mac Mall
Da Real World
Artist: Missy Elliott
Community Score: 7.27

It's really not that difficult to hurdle the sophomore blues provided you're an excellent songwriter and performer, that you have the same, equally excellent producer behind the scenes who contributed to the first album, and most importantly, that you haven't tampered with the hit-making formula from the first. Thankfully, Da Real World is... Read More

Greatest Hits - DEATH ROW
Artist: 2Pac
Community Score: 8.69

Greatest Hits is a strange release. Sure, Tupac Shakur had more than enough hits to make a terrific compilation, but its appearance in the fall of 1998 felt a bit like another opportunity to milk his catalog, simply because of the plethora of releases, from previously unheard recordings to interview discs and bootlegs. Even with these misgivings... Read More

Greatest Hits - CLEAN
Artist: 2Pac
Community Score: 7.40

Greatest Hits is a strange release. Sure, Tupac Shakur had more than enough hits to make a terrific compilation, but its appearance in the fall of 1998 felt a bit like another opportunity to milk his catalog, simply because of the plethora of releases, from previously unheard recordings to interview discs and bootlegs. Even with these misgivings... Read More

The Collection, Vol. 1 - CLEAN
Artist: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony had only released two albums and an EP, plus a handful of side projects, when they released Collection, Vol. 1 in the fall of 1998. Usually, that would be the sign of a rip-off, but since their albums have been notoriously uneven, this functions as a useful summary for both casual and hardcore fans alike, since it contains... Read More

Based on a True Story
Artist: Mack 10
Community Score: 5.67

When Mack 10 returned in 1997 with his second album, Based on a True Story, the West Coast gangsta movement had began to simmer in the aftermath of Death Row's dissolution, 2Pac's death, Too Short's retirement, Dr. Dre's confusion, and Ice Cube's move to Hollywood. Mack gladly fills the void with a spirited album that's proudly Cali and proudly... Read More

Legal Drug Money
Artist: The Lost Boyz
Community Score: 9.07

Legal Drug Money covers the same themes that many other hip-hop artists were covering in the mid-'90s. The Lost Boyz rap about getting high, being rich, and other topics typical of the genre. The best track on this album is easily "Renee," a song about a woman who fell in love with an MC but gets killed. Smif-n-Wessun's Dah Shinin and Heltah... 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