Cypress Hill — III (Temples of Boom)

As the title suggests, third studio album by Cypress Hill, group from South Gate, California. The production is handled entirely by DJ Muggs, who reserves a beat for his friend RZA. Muggs is in charge of mixing, aided by Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo, Jason Roberts and Ross Donaldson. Percussionist Eric Bobo becomes an official member of the group.

Ed O.G & Da Bulldogs — Roxbury 02119

Edo.G & Da Bulldogs' second effort, which came three years after its debut, is disappointing: the Boston MC keeps various arguments and he's acceptable on the lyric side, however, it's not adequately supported by the production.

Terror Squad — True Story

The release of the hip-hop group Terror Squad's debut album was a success and seemed to have launched the group's career. However, a few months later, Big Pun died, and later, members Cuban Link and Triple Seis left Terror Squad in conflict with Fat Joe, who replaced them with Remy Ma and Tony Sunshine. In 2004, the group was ready to return to conquer again the market and their rightful place in the circuit. Fat Joe was coming off a solo album that had little success in sales, but he managed to land a hit that saved his career and relaunched it: "Lean Back".

Fugees (Tranzlator Crew) — Blunted on Reality

Debut album by Fugees, hip-hop group from East Orange, New Jersey, formed by Samuel "Pras" Michel of New York, Wyclef Jean of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, but raised between East Orange and Newark, and Lauryn Hill of South Orange, New Jersey.

Original Flavor — This Is How It is

After their second album, the group disbanded and was integrated by Roc-A-Fella Records, a fledgling label created by Kareem Burke, Damon Dash and Shawn Carter. Original Flavor will not make other albums, on the other hand Carter's artistic career will be immediately launched high thanks to the rhythms provided by the group's producer, David Willis.

Tommy Wright III — Ashes 2 Ashes, Dust 2 Dust

Self-produced and self-distributed (Street Smart) debut album by the Memphis teenage rapper Tommy Wright III, who collaborates with several local MCs, including Mac T-Dog, Shawty Pimp, Princess Loko, MC Spade and King Goldie. The young cat delivers rough and violent themes typical of the Memphis scene with a dynamic and competent style, sometimes ultra-fast, producing a series of lo-fi rhythms that approach the trap sound, thanks to a frenetic snare drum that often prevails over dark samples. In general, the cassette doesn't have particularly memorable songs, but it's certainly different and, if we want, innovative for the genre: produced by an artist who was rediscovered by fans at the end of the two thousand and ten years, the tape consists of about an hour of listen, and it's a must for trap lovers. 7/10.

Kokane — Funk Upon a Rhyme

Kokane's second studio album, three years after his debut under the moniker "Who Am I?". Almost certainly, the guy here's at his best: the record is a great tribute to Digital Underground's p-funk and George Clinton, which you can hear in some of the samples, in the numerous fat bass lines and vocal inflections of Kokane's singing.

Esham — She Loves Me Not

Simple, tight dark rhythms and mediocre, weak jazzy, Esham provides a wack, gray, tasteless, never inspired dark rapping. Samples are never needed and sonic variations like looped guitar riffs, never required. Halfway through the LP, a trap foray with an out of time and generic rapping on a generic rhythm, Esham doesn't even use the bridge. Forget it. In the end, he turns completely to the trap music by choosing generic beats and dropping a poor rapping: in "Bag of Demons" he tries a delivery that looks like a parody of Future. 4/10.

Esham — She Loves Me

Esham's 2020 is opened by a very interesting as well as irregular, deeply irregular choral production: it goes from g-funk to frenetic rhythm, from sparse boom bap to dark rhythm, passing by trap rockin' and elegant piano with female soul samples. Musically, despite all the flaws you can find inside, it's quite enjoyable; however, Esham never exploits the potential of these rhythms, he delivers tired, without ever involving the listener, detached, cold. Try a couple of horrorcore cuts with his raw voice, some dark delivery, but its flow is weak, quite flowing aight, but never exciting or impressive in any way despite the unusual duration for the time ("Football Player"). 6/10.

Roxanne Shanté — Bad Sister

In 1984, the UTFO release "Roxanne, Roxanne". A normal song, fine, about a girl, nothing too interesting. In the same year, however, this trio cancels the presence in a show hosted by Mr. Magic and Marley Marl. For this insignificant suburban trio is the beginning of the end.

Esham — Closed Casket

On his fourth solo album in five years, Esham begins to lose relevance in the rap game coinciding with his renunciation of Satanism as the cornerstone of his records: this is his latest album to deal with the subject, and it's mainly a horrorcore CD with violent themes and music that tends to recall the production of his previous albums.

Esham — KKKill the Fetus

Fourth solo album in three years for Esham, one of the most committed teens in hip-hop at the time. The production is based on the usual skeletal lo-fi sound, while still cheap and raw, it's better than his previous records, which had an amateur sound.

Common Sense — Can I Borrow a Dollar?

In 1992 Chicago arrived on the hip-hop map thanks to the debuts of Twista and Common: the latter made an irregular and deeply incoherent debut studio album.

Esham — Judgement Day Vol. 2 - Night

Officially, it's Esham's third studio album, it's actually the second part of "Judgment Day", the second record from the Michigan pioneer rapper, often rightly considered inferior to the Day Side.

Esham — Judgement Day Vol. 1 - Day

Esham is ahead of his time and in 1992 thinks of a double album for his sophomore record, until then no one has tried anything like that in hip-hop. Instead of releasing a double album, the Detroit rapper releases two CDs on the same day, dividing the volumes into Day Side and Night Side.

A.G. & Cuns — Bronck's Kill EP

Andre "AG" Barnes breaks into 2019 with a new collaborative EP, this time trying to bring Italian producer Cuns out of the underground, and the latter brings out several interesting gems. The tape is released under the Italian label Tuff Kong Records, mixed and mastered by the veteran Bassi Maestro. AG doesn't fully exploit it — typically for him — and leaves little to analyze, but the dark, obscure, tight, jazzy boom bap dropped by Cuns during the whole EP deserves to be listened to. There's a dedicated instrumental part in one of the editions of "Bronck's Kill", I recommend that to jazz rap fans. The light delivery of AG more than anything else disappoints, in fact one of the best cuts is the gloomy, tight remix of "When It Rains It Pours" which presents a couple of guests. The instrumental, ça va sans dire, is pretty dope. 6/10.

Terror Squad — Terror Squad: The Album

At the end of the millennium is released the first album in studio by the group leaded by Fat Joe and Big Pun, Terror Squad. The music is handled by The Hitmen production team, along with The Alchemist, JuJu Gigante (of The Beatnuts), Infinite Arkatechz, VIC, DJ Noodles, Don "AP" Sellers, LA' Smouve, Dirtman and Armageddon. The guests are Buju Banton, Keith Nut and The Bleach Brothers.

Esham — Esham's Boomin Words From Hell 1990

Although some sources give him basically as an infant or little more than a pre-adolescent, Esham is 16/17 years old when he comes out with his debut, recorded on cassette in one day and released in 1989.

John Robinson & A.G. — Penelope EP

Second EP published by the duo AG & John Robinson in the year, after the spring "They Watching", it's the turn of the autumnal "Penelope". Mixed by Dave Dar, is entirely produced by Ray West.

John Robinson & A.G. — They Watching EP

Collaborative EP of eight songs between John Robinson & DITC member AG. The tape is completely produced by Ray West, long-time associate of Andre the Giant.