1. Me So Horny – 2 Live Crew – The raunchy Miami boys returned with their 3rd—and most controversial—album, “As Nasty As They Wanna Be,” which landed them in the national spotlight, and in the courtroom. A huge “Freedom of Speech” battle ensued, wherein they found unlikely allies, like PBS political satirist, Mark Russell (who wrote the lyrics for the “Teddy Roosevelt” plays at the Kennedy Center). This single was HOT! I hid this cassette from my parents in a shoebox, but this album definitely provided extra curricular education to my friends and me. LOL!
2. Jackin’ for Beats – Ice Cube – Nowadays most people probably know Ice Cube moreso for his filmwork than his rhymes, but back in the late 80s and early 90s, NOBODY was searing the conscience of AmeriKKKa, like Cube. This is why his alliance with Public Enemy was so perfect. As an original member of N.W.A., Cube wrote a lot of the lyrics for these godfathers of gangsta rap who outlined life on the streets of L.A. with detail and rawness. Cube soon broke away from N.W.A. and went solo. His first album, “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted,” walked a thin line from preachy-Public-Enemy prowess to raw, uncut gangsterism. This song is unique because Cube takes the act of “jackin’” (which is basically slang for “robbing”) and turns it on his rap peers. He takes the hottest beats from that era and rhymes over a hot medley. Definite classic!
3. Bonita Applebum – A Tribe Called Quest – No rap group is more beloved by the world than Tribe. This is the 2nd single from their first album, where Q-Tip rhymes about—what else?—a hot honey that he’s been peepin’. A definite welcomed break from the emerging gangsta rap of the day. A simple, head-bobbin’ classic.
4. The Choice Is Yours – Black Sheep – Another dancefloor classic! This still will turn out any party or club at any time! “You can get wit’ this. . . or you can get wit’ that.” It’s just that simple. Black Sheep, along with De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, and others formed the crew, called Native Tongue, which provided hip-hop heads an alternative to the mainstream.
5. Brenda’s Got a Baby – 2Pac – Prior to this single, 2Pac emerged with the group, Digital Underground, in a song, called “Same Song.” You would’ve never been able to calculate from his verse on that song that he would one day become one of the biggest thug rappers of all time. This single from his first album showed the 2Pac with the huge heart. The story in this song is a heart-wrenching story of a young teen mother on the outs. This track features Jodeci who would soon become R&B superstars not too long after this song.
6. Alwayz Into Somethin’ – NWA – The rap group that America loved to hate! These guys rode onto the scene with the middle fingers WAY up in the air. Dr. Dre, Eazy-E (R.I.P.), Ice Cube, MC Ren, and DJ Yella had no shame in sharing the stories of growing up on the darkside of Los Angeles. They said exactly what was on their mind, and that scared the mainstream, yet the mainstream couldn’t get enough.
7. Scenario – A Tribe Called Quest – One of the best rap collaborations to date! A rap classic, guaranteed to rouse any hip-hop head to his/her feet. Also featured are other members of Native Tongue, Leaders of the New School (which featured a very young Busta Rhymes), and De La Soul. Full of energy and positive vibes!
8. How I Could Just Kill A Man – Cypress Hill – As gangsta rap branched out, Cypress Hill entered the scene with their brand of gun-talk. The lead, B. Real, has a nasally-voice that was catchy and kind of eery, especially when talking about murder and guns. I couldn’t front. Though I never led a gangster life, this Latin rap group had me hooked!
9. Time 4 Sum Aksion – Redman – Now enters one of the best (and underrated) rappers of all time. Redman is the rapper’s rapper. His lyrics and wordplay cannot be touched. His rhymes are chocked full of punchlines, and charisma. This song is a headbanger! Sampling B. Real’s voice from Cypress Hill, looped over and over again, this song definitely got the attention of the hip-hop community when it dropped in the early 90s.
10. They Want EFX – Das EFX – Woow! When these 2 guys dropped this single back in the early 90s, people were like, “WTF?!” Their quick, tongue-twisting rhymes made the world pay attention. I was a fan instantly! Their rhymes never really had a through-line or story, especially on this album, but they alluded to a lot of popular TV catch-phrases and pop culture. They were discovered by legendary rap duo, EPMD, at a contest at Virginia State University, in Petersburg, VA, so it gave my home-state a little shine.
11. Passin’ Me By – The Pharcyde – C-L-A-S-S-I-C! Nobody can argue that this song is one of the best ever. The Pharcyde dropped one of the funniest albums, which featured this as their premiere single, back in 1994. This song has a great hook for those of us who cannot sing. The worse you sound, the better the hook sounds. LOL! Plus, these guys’ flows were RIDICULOUS. They ride the beats like pros.
12. Pocket Full of Stones – UGK – Honestly, I wasn’t crazy about these Houston, TX boys back when this song dropped, but they were featured on one of my favorite soundtracks (“Menace II Society”). It wasn’t until years later, that I realized that these 2 were pioneers. They, along with Scarface, put Houston on the hip-hop map. They’re style was so drastically different—so laidback and country, during a time when NYC aggression ruled hip-hop. UGK member, Pimp C, just passed a couple years ago, due to overdosing on that Purple Drank/Sizzurp. REST IN PEACE, PIMP C!
13. Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang – Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg – When Dr. Dre presented Snoop in the song, “Deep Cover,” that he did for the movie by the same name, it shook up the world like Muhammad Ali. LOL! Who was this tall, lanky guy who rhymes like he just woke up? During the era of NYC Aggression, Snoop brought the same lyrics and charisma, but he didn’t have to raise his voice. This song dropped and set the summer on fire! It was obvious that Dre and Snoop was a marriage made in heaven.
14. Hip Hop Hooray – Naughty By Nature – This was certainly not Naughty’s first hit single, but could arguably be their best anthem. These guys were HOT in the early 90s. In rap, you are fortunate if you can drop at least 1 anthem. These guys dropped a few, including their first single, “O.P.P.” “Hip Hop Hooray” is a celebration of all that we love about Hip Hop. They were one of my favorite groups back in the day. Treach, like Das EFX, had a crazy, rapidfire flow. Try to keep up.
15. Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) – Digable Planets – Ah, an anthem for us non-gangsta types emerged like a diamond-in-the-rough. Digable brought forth the jazz/hip-hop fusion with this cool-like-Miles hit! It definitely lives up to its name.
16. Slam – Onyx – The complete antithesis to Digable Planets, Onyx came onto the rap scene like a natural disaster. They ushered in the era of “grimy,” grovelly-voiced, loud, rock-like hip hop, that had brothas in mosh pits and getting rowdy, like they were at a Megadeath concert. “Slam” was their biggest hit. A hardcore classic!
17. U.N.I.T.Y. – Queen Latifah – Before she was lighting up the big and small screens with her acting ability, the Queen was bringing an air of respect to the ladies of hip-hop. She stepped on the scene demanding to be respected, and people listened. This was not her first hit, but it may have been her biggest. A very positive message. By this time, her protégé’, Naughty By Nature, was a well-established hip hop group. You can definitely hear the similarities in their styles.
18. Can It Be All So Simple – Wu Tang Clan – I do not know what my life would have been like, if the Wu never happened. I may have been a dental assistant or a baker. Who knows? Outside of my favorite hip hop group of all time, Public Enemy, lies the Wu—my 2nd favorite hip hop group of all time. NO group has ever done what the Wu did in 1993! 9 MCs shook up the world with their kung-fu-theatre-infused music and lyrics. Just like kung-fu, each one came with their own different style and technique. Their first album is a CLASSIC! This particular song only features 2 of the members, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. It is one of the more laidback tracks on the album, however, it talks about all of the details of a life growing up in poverty, barely getting by, when the streets came calling. At the end of the song, there is an interview where they introduce all of the members, and give a little blurb about their function and style within the group. Every member of the Wu has gone on to do several solo albums, but they reunite every few years to do a group album. I am a WU fan for life!!!
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