Tag: Hip Hop
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Pop Smoke ‘Meet The Woo’ (2019)
Pop Smoke’s untimely death at the age of 20 robbed hip hop fans of a young burgeoning talent, but his debut mix tape Meet The Woo helped to ignite a resurgence of Drill and Grime music in the United States during the late 2010’s. This album is perfectly fit for late nights in dark clubs,…
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Central Cee ‘Can’t Rush Greatness’ (2025)
Central Cee is one of the most prominent British MC’s right now and is a fun listen. UK Drill is just kind perfect to zone-out to while you’re taking a walk, especially because it’s pretty clear Cee both acknowledges how massive he’s becoming internationally while also making sure to let you know he doesn’t take…
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GoNoodle ‘Presents Blazer Fresh Vol 1’ (2017)
One day you become a parent and realize that most kids songs really suck. So you do one of three things: I fall into the last two camps (because exposing my kids to quality music is a massive priority of mine), which led me to find GoNoodle. The best way to describe them is if…
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Capone-N-Noreaga ‘The War Report’ (1997)
The Queens rap duo of Kiam “Capone” Holley and Victor “Noreaga” Santiago first met in 1992 while serving time at Collins Correctional Facility and bonded over their shared backgrounds in Queensbridge and LeFrak City neighborhoods. After being released from prison they adopted stage names inspired by infamous gangsters and began recording together, signing with Penalty…
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G Perico ‘Crip James’ (2024)
Crip James is a sharp album filled with West Coast cool and 70’s funk, basically a mix of Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle and Rick James Street Songs. It’s got the G-funk bounce, a helluva lot of swaggy funk, and a minimalist soulful backbone that makes it a fun ass listen. But what stands out most is…
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Outkast ‘ATLiens’ (1996)
When Outkast released ATLiens in 1996 hip-hop was locked in a coastal war. You had New York’s materialistic swagger on one side and Los Angeles’ gangsta theatrics on the other. André 3000 and Big Boi broke the binary almost immediately, expanding Southern rap beyond Cadillac anthems into something cosmic and weird AF (especially for the…
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Coolio ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ (1996)
“Gangsta’s Paradise” is an absolutely iconic hip hop song for about a million reasons. The stark social commentary. The cinematic production. The haunting orchestral sample from Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise.” The chorus hook delivered by singer LV (whose unforgettable, gospel-tinged hook gives the song a massive spiritual weight). All of the elements for greatness are…
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Whodini ‘Escape’ (1984)
Whodini is one of those groups that define 80’s hip hop. They’ve got the slow grooves, heavy synths, and staccato vocal delivery down pat. Their 1984 hit “Friends” is a signature track that lands on pretty much every damn hip hop playlist paying homage to the early days of genre, pairing a haunting synth groove…
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Big K.R.I.T. ‘4eva Is a Mighty Long Time’ (2017)
From soulful Southern anthems to hi-tempo party bangers to introspective spiritual ballads Big K.R.I.T. covers a metric ton of ground on 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time. It’s actually an interesting approach he takes to deliver that message, adopting two personas- the bombastic Big K.R.I.T. and the vulnerable Justin Scott (his real name). The double-disc…
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The Sugarhill Gang ‘The Sugarhill Gang’ (1980)
The Sugarhill Gang’s self-titled debut from 1980 is basically considered the first full-length hip hop studio album, which makes it a pretty awesome historical landmark. Anchored by the song “Rapper’s Delight” which had been released a year prior as a single, The Sugarhill Gang proved rap’s mainstream potential and effectively marked the moment rap moved…
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Run D.M.C. ‘Raising Hell’ (1986)
Raising Hell made history as the first hip hop album to go platinum (and then multi-platinum) and marked a pretty significant turning point in pop culture where rap broke into the commercial mainstream. The album was released in 1986 and blended hard-hitting beats with rock guitars, most famously with their crossover hit “Walk This Way”…
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Vanilla Ice ‘To The Extreme’ (1990)
Vanilla Ice’s debut album To The Extreme may be remembered more for its cultural spectacle than its musical legacy, but it undeniably left a permanent mark on pop history. Catapulted to fame in 1990 by the ubiquitous “Ice Ice Baby” (which most definitely lifted its bass line from Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure”) Vanilla…
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Dr. Dre ‘2001’ (1999)
Everyone (and I mean everyone) in my age group got a massive hit of nostalgia as soon as they saw this album cover come across their internet browser. To say 2001 was a formative album for anyone in their mid-30’s to their late-40’s is an understatement. This was the album that served as a soundtrack…
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Wale ‘The Gifted’ (2013)
The internet is ablaze today after streamer Kai Cenat snubbed Wale at the BET Awards and mispronounced his name “Wally” before being corrected by his fans. It’s a silly thing of course but also shows just how quickly your time in the sun can come and go. So inevitably I decided to take a bit…
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Snoop Dogg ‘Doggystyle’ (1993)
Snoop Dogg’s transition from gangsta rap icon to mainstream celebrity is remarkable. Originating as Calvin Broadus, his partnership with longtime friend Dr. Dre, culminated in the success of his debut album Doggystyle in 1993.
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Naughty By Nature ‘Naughty By Nature’ (1991)
Naughty by Nature pulled off what most couldn’t—massive pop hits without losing an ounce of street cred. Formed in East Orange, NJ by three high school friends, the group started out playing talent shows as New Style before catching the right ears and signing with Tommy Boy Records. Their 1991 breakout single “O.P.P.” lit up…
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Raekwon ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…’ (1995)
Like we said when we discussed Ghostface’s 2000 album Supreme Clientele, any member of the Wu Tang Clan had their legacy pretty much cemented due to the sheer epicness of the group’s 1993 album 36 Chambers. But goddamn did their members ever have some bangers for solo albums, with Raekwon being no exception to that…
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Codefendants ‘This Is Crime Wave’ (2023)
Originally coined as their self-made genre, This Is Crime Wave evolved into a fluid fusion of punk, hip-hop, and reggae layered with dark, cinematic storytelling. With Fat Mike (NOFX) at the helm alongside Sam King (Get Dead) and Ceschi Ramos, the group embraced a raw, unfiltered sound reminiscent of The Transplants meets Days N’ Daze.…
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The D.O.C. ‘No One Can Do It Better’ (1989)
An album titled No One Can Do It Better from an artist relatively unknown to the mainstream might sound like typical hip-hop bravado, but in this case, the claim holds weight. The D.O.C. is one of the most iconic “what could have been” stories in hip-hop history. Before releasing his debut in 1989, he was…
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Kid Rock ‘Devil Without A Cause’ (1998)
Kid Rock’s journey to mainstream success was anything but overnight. After his 1990 debut Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast led to his departure from Jive Records, he spent much of the decade toiling in relative obscurity, self-releasing albums and cultivating a small but loyal Midwest following. And by the time rap-metal exploded into the mainstream in…
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Beastie Boys ‘Licensed To Ill’ (1986)
Once a hardcore punk band, the trio of Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock brought their raw, chaotic energy into the world of rap, trading guitars for turntables without losing an ounce of their rebellious spirit. Their debut album Licensed To Ill is pretty much a masterclass in blending irreverence with innovation, marking one of the…
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Lauryn Hill ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ (1998)
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill redefined hip-hop and soul music almost immediately after it was released. At the time Lauryn Hill was already a respected member of the Fugees, but following a somewhat tumultuous breakup of the group. she was determined to create something entirely her own. Drawing inspiration from her new experience with motherhood,…
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Dizzee Rascal ‘Tongue n’ Cheek’ (2009)
Born Dylan Mills, Dizzee Rascal grew up in a challenging environment in East London’s council estates, where he struggled academically and often got into trouble. A transformative music class provided him a refuge, allowing him to create his own unique productions and develop a distinct lyrical style. Influenced by U.S. hip-hop, his songwriting evolved to…
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Chuck Strangers ‘The Boys & Girls’ (2023)
On The Boys & Girls Chuck Strangers eschews optimism and embraces pessimism in a stark way. With a brooding baritone Strangers embarks on a somewhat cryptic journey, weaving together bits and pieces of anecdotes in a way that makes it clear the aesthetic he’s shooting for is a lo-fi blueprint very similar to Earl Sweatshirt’s…
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Mach-Hommy ‘#Richaxxhaitian’ (2024)
Mach-Hommy is known for his opaque caginess lyrically and his ability to shapeshift verbally, twisting into different verbal configurations both stylistically as well as linguistically– the album is kind of a trip in that he abruptly will transition from English to Kreyòl and back again at a moment’s notice. But the thing I appreciated most…
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Dr. Dre ‘The Chronic’ (1992)
The Chronic revolutionized hip-hop and established the G-Funk sound as a defining genre of the West Coast rap scene. Following his tumultuous departure from N.W.A. (which is detailed rather extensively throughout the entire album), Dre sought to carve out his own identity, blending smooth funk samples with hard-hitting beats. The album’s lush production, characterized by…
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Kids See Ghosts ‘Kids See Ghosts’ (2018)
When Kanye West and Kid Cudi teamed up to drop Kids See Ghosts in 2018 it was a pretty historic moment in hip hop history. Both MC’s were at the height of their powers commercially and the subject matter they dove into was uniquely introspective. The album broke conventional boundaries in a way only a…
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Big Daddy Kane ‘Long Live The Kane’ (1988)
Big Daddy Kane’s Long Live the Kane is a seminal album in the golden age of hip-hop. It has the distinction of also being one of the most sampled albums from that era– legendary MC’s like Nas, Beastie Boys, The Notorious B.I.G., and MF Doom have all sampled beats and lyrics from this album, with…
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Open Mike Eagle ‘Brick Body Kids Still Daydream’ (2017)
Brick Body Kids Still Daydream pays tribute to Open Mike Eagle’s housing project, the Robert Taylor Homes, which he grew up in on Chicago’s South Side. Amidst the album Open Mike Eagle subtly navigates the dynamics of that upbringing– the hopes, the dreams, the bruised reality of living in a housing project filled with violence.…
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EPMD ‘Strictly Business’ (1988)
From the opening note of EPMD’s Strictly Business it’s clear what Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith are here to do– deliver memorable hooks over soulful samples with a confident, no-frills approach that captures the spirit of late 80’s hip-hop. The production is crisp and funky. The vocal delivery is smooth and measured. The bass lines…
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J Dilla ‘Donuts’ (2006)
It was the winter of 2006 and iconic beatmaster J Dilla was in and out of the hospital. With his previous chart-topping performances with artists like Common, The Roots, Mos Def, Janet Jackson, and Busta Rhymes in the rearview mirror, and his health quickly deteriorating due to a rare terminal blood illness, Dilla got to…
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Veeze ‘Ganger’ (2023)
It’s hard to find a rapper who has reached immense online popularity while at the same time being seemingly unaware of the fact that he’s in front of a microphone than Veeze. The Detroit MC almost sleepwalks through his bars, slurring his enunciation on every syllable, and yet it sort of works the more you…
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Nicki Minaj ‘Pink Friday’ (2010)
Pink Friday reshaped the hip hop landscape in a way that has a lot of parallels to Lil’ Kim’s magnum opus Hard Core. It marked the rise of Minaj as a multifaceted artist, blending rap with pop, and broadening hip hop’s appeal to a more diverse audience. And like Kim before her, Minaj’s dynamic persona…
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Geto Boys ‘We Can’t Be Stopped’ (1991)
In terms of memorable album covers We Can’t Be Stopped is a memorable entry. The cover features a real-life photo of Bushwick Bill in the hospital, flanked by his bandmates Scarface and Willie D, as he recovered from emergency surgery after getting shot in the eye following an argument with his then-girlfriend. The provocative nature…
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Slick Rick ‘The Great Adventures of Slick Rick’ (1988)
The Great Adventures of Slick Rick is, in a word, surprisingly obscene. When you think of the Golden Age of Hip Hop of the 1980’s you typically think of smooth flows with a bit of braggadocious spirit, some strong political statements a la Public Enemy, or something a bit cheesy like MC Hammer or Vanilla…
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Vince Staples ‘Big Fish Theory’ (2017)
Following the success of his breakthrough 2015 album Summertime ’06 Vince Staples was at somewhat of a career and personal crossroads. On one hand Staples was free from the shackles of his upbringing in Long Beach that saw him experience gang violence and poverty on a daily basis. On the other hand, Staples was now…
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