Vocally Pimpin' EP
Artist: Above the Law

Improved production and studio techniques, and sharper quips. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide Read More

The Geto Boys
Artist: Geto Boys
Community Score: 6.25

This is a revamped version of Grip It! On That Other Level, an album released earlier in the year on Rap-A-Lot. Rick Rubin stepped in, signed the group to Def American, and proceeded to tweak some of the tracks; some other tracks were simply lifted from Grip It!, while a couple went so far as to have new vocals recorded. This works like a charm... Read More

Hard or Smooth
Artist: Wreckx-N-Effect
Community Score: 9.00

Together with "Baby Got Back," Wreckx-N-Effect's "Rump Shaker" helped to blur the line between decency and debauchery that, in the early '90s at least, was allegedly still intact. But unlike Sir Mix-A-Lot, who capitalized on his 1991 monster hit with a seemingly endless cache of goofy double entendres, lurid song ideas, and bombastic... Read More

F.U. Don't Take It Personal
Artist: Fu-Schnickens
Community Score: 9.00

Even before they made it to the record bins, three-man New York crew Fu-Schnickens created quite a buzz in the hip-hop community with the oddity of their group name. Once they dropped their debut album, F.U. Don't Take It Personal, their music turned out to be every bit as curious and intriguing. The music is inundated with kung fu movie... Read More

Mama Said Knock You Out
Artist: LL Cool J
Community Score: 8.08

Increasingly dismissed by hip-hop fans as an old-school relic and a slick pop sellout, LL Cool J rang in the '90s with Mama Said Knock You Out, a hard-edged artistic renaissance that became his biggest-selling album ever. Part of the credit is due to producer Marley Marl, whose thumping, bass-heavy sound helps LL reclaim the aggression of his... Read More

Cypress Hill
Artist: Cypress Hill
Community Score: 8.22

It's hard enough to transform an entire musical genre -- Cypress Hill's eponymous debut album revolutionized hip-hop in several respects. Although they weren't the first Latino rappers, nor the first to mix Spanish and English, they were the first to achieve a substantial following, thanks to their highly distinctive sound. Along with Beastie... Read More

The Collection, Vol. 1
Artist: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Community Score: 8.49

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