EPMD — Strictly Business

In 1987, Erick "E Double" Sermon and Parrish "Parrish Mic Doc" Smith formed the Brentwood, Long Island, New York hip-hop duo Easy Erick and Parrish the Microphone Doctor. The duo later shortened their name to the acronym EPMD, removing an "E" due to NWA's Eazy-E's notoriety, and changed the meaning of the acronym to "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars". The group signed to Fresh Records and released the single "It's My Thing" in 1987, and released a full-length LP the following year. The effort is devoid of guests, either on the mic or behind the keyboards.

A Tribe Called Quest — Midnight Marauders

At the height of their dazzling splendor, A Tribe Called Quest complete a trinity of classic albums by releasing their third project in three years.

Divine Styler — Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light

In 1990, Geffen Records moved to MCA and Warner Bros. was forced to look for another subsidiary, choosing the independent Giant Records, a label for which Divine Styler signs thanks to the friendship he has with Ice-T, a top artist of Warner Bros.

Souls of Mischief — 93 'Til Infinity

Debut album by Souls of Mischief, a hip-hop group from Oakland that is part of the Hieroglyphics collective founded by Del the Funky Homosapien. The group is made up of rappers Tajai Massei, Adam "A-Plus" Carter, Opio Lindsey and Damani "Phesto" Thompson, while production is provided by the producers of the collective Hieroglyphics. Crew members Pep Love, Casual and Del are guests on the album.

L.L. Cool J — Radio

James "LL Cool J" Smith was born in Bay Shore, on Long Island, New York, and raised in Queens. Passionate about hip-hop, he approaches rapping thanks to the Harlem hip-hop group The Treacherous Three, and was helped in his youth in his musical passion by his grandfather and mother, later his father also became closer to him. Using instruments received from his relatives, the boy creates his own demos and sends them to the city's record labels. Smith changes his moniker from J-Ski to LL Cool J (acronym to Ladies Love Cool James) and signed with independent Def Jam, label founded by the young Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons: at the age of 17, he's the first artist to sign with the label.

Onyx — All We Got Iz Us

In the spring of 1994, Fredro Starr is at the beginning of his acting career when Lyor Cohen offers him to record a new album. Big DS leaves the group, Fredro Starr aka Never, Suave aka Sonee Seeza aka Sonsee, and Sticky Fingaz remain. Production is handled entirely by the Onyx and co-producer 8-Off Assassin aka Agallah, whom Jam Master Jay decides to credit only three times. Guests are Panama P.I. and All City (Greg Valentine & J Mega), artists who have signed with the Onyx label. The album consists of ten tracks and five additional skits, for a total of three quarters of an hour of listening.

Westside Gunn — Supreme Blientele

In 2018, the Buffalo rapper Alvin "Westside Gunn" Worthy releases his second studio album. The production is realized by Daringer, The Alchemist, SADHU Gold, Hesh, Roc Marciano, Harry Fraud, Statik Selektah, Pete Rock and 9th Wonder. The guests are Keisha Plum, Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Crimeapple, Elzhi, Roc Marciano, Anderson .Paak, and AA Rashid.

Cookin Soul & Don Cannon — The Lost Tapes 1.5 [mixtape]

Mixtape to homage Nas. Don Cannon shouts in "Puffy style" on the "Genesis" rhythm, ruining the opening track of "Illmatic" in a weirdo way. It follows a track named "NY State of Mind", but that's from "Street of NY" by Alicia Keys featuring Rakim. Cookin Soul cut the part from Alicia Keys and maintains the first verse from Nas and the last one from Rakim Allah, both sick. Good, simple and vivid drum machine that provides a good boom bap for the delivers of the two legends, pretty good lively jazzy rhythm, syncopated, basically devastated by the flow of the God MC.

Almost September — Almost September

Extended play of a group that is made up of MC Lyte, Jared Lee and Whitey White. This trio offers some of hip hop mixed with sweet soul, keeping love as the main theme.

RZA — Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai [soundtrack]

Second studio album in the discography of RZA, founder of the Wu-Tang Clan: more than an LP, it looks like a mixtape, and derives from the soundtrack of the eponymous movie, directed by Jim Jarmusch. The tape is almost entirely instrumental and comes a year after Bobby Digital's debut, already far from his best years.

Digable Planets — Blowout Comb

After the release of the debut, the Digable Planets move from Philadelphia to New York and settle in Brooklyn, changing their image: musically, they keep a jazz aura, while lyrically, they renounce the concept of "space insects" and set aside part of their abstract nature, bringing more clearly Afrocentric arguments to the table.

 

Taiyamo Denku — If I Did an Album with Daringer

Rapper Taiyamo Denku freestyles over a set of beats made by Daringer, best known to underground hip-hop aficionados for being the in-house producer of Griselda Records and one of the primary producers behind most of the records by the group from Buffalo, New York. Denku spits bars for about twenty minutes in these seven songs. I wish the effort was memorable, but something just isn't quite right. The set provided by Daringer isn't that good, the boom bap sounds a little generic and Denku's delivery style is a bit too soft, flat, slow, light. The tape is forgettable, strange to say for a project with Daringer. 5/10.

Stunna Gang & Statik Selektah — Powerful Musik

The debut in the rap game of Sonny "Stunna Gang" Dixon, son of Grand Puba, takes place in 2019, in a collaborative extended play together with the producer Statik Selektah. Just under twenty minutes divided into seven tracks in which one of Statik's protégé, Haile Supreme, covers half the EP. The laid-back jazz rhythms of the Massachusetts beatmaker are uninspired and unmemorable, while the young rapper from New Rochelle decides to deliver lyrics in an effortless, listless and lazy style: he's close to mumble, halfway between ordinary light-hearted rap and mumble rap. The drum is weak, sluggish, normally it would not be able to handle the normal rapping of an ordinary MC, nevertheless, the delivery is even weaker than the drum and the samples are not powerful enough (unlike what the title wants you to believe) in such a way as to carry on the songs independently. A forgettable tape comes out.

Whodini — Six

In 1996, Whodini releases his studio album number six. It's called six. The fantasy is over. After losing their chance to deal with Def Jam a couple of years earlier, the boys signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def. The production is handled by Dupri himself along with Dave Atkinson, Red Spyda and Carl So-Lowe. The guests are Lost Boyz, Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, Trey Lorenz, Trina Broussard, Nicole Jackson and Mr. Black, among others.

Conway — Everybody Is F.O.O.D. 2: Eat What U Kill [mixtape]

This is the second chapter of Conway the Machine serie "Everybody Is Food". The production is provided by DJ Shay, The Alchemist, Graymatter, Ral Duke, Mephux, Khrysis and DJ Skizz. Benny the Butcher, Flee Lord and Amber Simone are the guest of the project.

Westside Gunn & Conway — Griselda Ghost EP

On September 11, 2015, the brothers Westside "Hall" Gunn and Conway "Nash" the Machine release their second project under the name Hall & Nash, after the eponymous debut a few months earlier. The production is entrusted to Big Ghost Ltd., at the debut. The cover is perfect. Beautiful. Flawless. The image represents the first moments immediately after the attempted assassination of then-US President Reagan, on March 30, 1981, at the exit of the Washington Hilton hotel, in Washington, D.C. The photo shows Secret Service agents cover Press Secretary James Brady and police officer Thomas Delahanty. Secret Service Agent Robert Wanko can be seen holding a Uzi in case of further attack. This is the cover of the reissue, it has a wonderful filter and a different title font than the original. On the back cover, Reagan himself fumbles with a bolt-action rifle. On reddit, a genius has created an "alternative cover" which is a masterpiece.

Slick Rick — The Great Adventures of Slick Rick

Richard "Slick Rick" Walters was born in Mitcham, London, to Jamaican parents. As a child, he was blinded in his right eye due to a broken glass. In 1976, the family moved to the USA, settling in the Bronx. After graduating in visual arts, he met Dana Dane with whom he formed the Kangol Crew. In 1984, the young man met Doug E. Fresh who included him in his group, the Get Fresh Crew, and the following year the crew released "The Show / La-Di-Da-Di" for Reality Records: the single achieved enormous success, but the B-side, performed entirely by Slick Rick aka MC Ricky D, became even more popular, launching his artistic career.

KXNG Crooked x Bronze Nazareth — Gravitas

Judging by the tracklist, this should be one of the albums of the year. Bronze Nazareth produces rhythms for the socio-conscious bars and the powerful flow of KXNG Crooked, with a sensational cast of guests, Snoop Dogg, Ghostface Killah, RZA, La the Darkman, Killah Priest, Hus Kingpin, Ras Kass, Bishop Lamont, PURE, Compton Menace, Planet Asia, Tristate, Benny the Butcher, 38 Spesh, Bronze Nazareth, Kevlaar 7, Statik Selektah, Royce and DMX.

Whodini — Bag-a-Trix

Hip-hop trio Whodini leave London and local label Jive to return to New York and sign with MCA. In 1991 the fifth disc of the group was released, which remained faithful to its roots, creating a funky, minimal, danceable project. Produced by Larry Smith, Major Jam Productions, Fresh Gordon and Joe Simmons, unfortunately the album all sounds the same, the beats are very similar to each other. The weak delivery of the duo doesn't work, among tasteless rnb hooks, ballads and boring songs. "Freaks" brings the group back to the rnb chart after four years and second single "Judy" charts too, however, the album fails to garner sales like it used to and ignored by fans in retrospect. Not a good record for the casual listener, fans of the group might find several tracks of interest. 4/10.

Whodini — Open Sesame

Whodini jumps on the Run-DMC bandwagon, but there's not much room to be comfortable. "Rock You Again" is a parody of the legendary duo: rocking rhythm, rap rock, decent delivery on a bare and hardcore Run-DMC style rhythm, clearly copied; the difference is that Whodini places a trivial hook on it and its delivery is lackluster.

Roc Marciano — Marcielago

This record is released at the peak of Roc Marciano's lucky decade, which came out of the underground less than ten years ago. The music is realized by Roc Marciano himself, Animoss provides two beats, one is offered by The Alchemist. The guests are Ka, Knowledge the Pirate, Cook$, Westside Gunn and Willie the Kid.

Ghostface Killah — The Pretty Toney Album

After the "Bulletproof Wallets" tracklist and packaging mess, the Stapleton emcee decided to leave the Epic Records label and the following year compiled a short compilation of tracks to quickly free himself from his contract and look for a new home. In 2002 he released "Shaolin's Finest" and in 2003 he signed with Def Jam.

In 2004, Tony Starks released his fourth studio album, the first and only under the moniker "Ghostface". It's also the first album by the Staten Island emcee to be completely devoid of guests from the Wu-Tang Clan. Among the guests linked to the supergroup is only affiliate Trife da God, member of TMF and Ghostface's group Theodore Unit. Wu-Tang mentor Allah Real is credited on "Holla". Guest appearances by all the members of the LOX stand out, as well as those of Missy Elliott, Jacki-O, Musiq Soulchild and K. Fox. The production is handled by multiple people. RZA provides two beats, the rest of the album is made with the efforts of Emile Haynie, True Master, Minnesota, No ID, Ghostface, K-Def, Derrick Trotman, Dub Dot Z, Digga and Nottz.

Whodini — Back in Black

Whodini returns to London to record his third LP and this time Jive wins a tug of war that forces the trio to follow Run-DMC more and more. Larry Smith produces the entire effort and manages to build an interesting rhythmic solution much of the time, even if his funky skeletal production doesn't sound at the same high level as the previous record. Electro music is abandoned, the subgenre had lost its appeal around the same time. The guys' delivery style is just decent, in its best moments, as several rnb hooks appear and some are performed with the vocoder. Standouts include the rock steering "Fugitive", the controversial "I'm a Ho" and the singles "Funky Beat" and "One Love", that Nas will take and extend the hook for his homonymous track on "Illmatic". "One Love" brings the group back to the top ten rnb singles after "Friends", and the third single from the album "Growing Up" also enters the charts, also thanks to the fact that Whodini receives generous airplay from New York radio stations York. The album achieved good commercial success, went strong in the charts and was certified gold, becoming one of the best sellers of the year. It's believed to be the group's last good album before their fall.