DJ Paul — Vol. 15 For Them Niggaz W/ Anna [mixtape]

In 1994, DJ Paul released what may actually be his number 15 cassette.

Doug E. Fresh & The New Get Fresh Crew — Doin' What I Gotta Do

Doug E. Fresh did not deserve this end. This is only his third studio album, it's kind of weird, curious if you want, that most of the pioneers of the genre didn't make it to two complete LPs, many stopped their career after the second work. Doug E. Fresh isn't even thirty years-old when he releases his third studio album, many years, four years, after his last work, a classic from the late eighties. Capitol Records still believes in him — and indeed, the album enters the Billboard hip-hop chart — but hip-hop is galloping fast and Doug E. Fresh can't keep up with the pace, his album is far behind with the contemporary sound and it maintains a lyricism typical of the early eighties.

The Brand New Heavies — Heavy Rhyme Experience: Vol. 1

Sophomore for this British group consisting of Simon Bartholomew, Jan Kincald, Andrew Love Levy, Carl Evans, Lascelles Gordon, Jim Wellman and N'Dea Davenport. In their second album, they bring several rappers among the best performers of the US scene in ten different tracks on jazzy rhythms: a quite curious choice, because usually the group plays jazz or funk music without going to touch hip-hop. As guests arrive Large Professor, Guru, Grand Puba, Masta Ace, G Rap, Dres, Edo G and The Pharcyde.

DJ Quik — Safe + Sound

Three years after the previous record, DJ Quik, inspired by Dre's work, understands the potential of live instrumentation and uses it as a major component in building the rhythms for his third studio album, of which he is the unique producer. Guests are Hi-C, Gangsta D, Playa Hamm, 2nd II None, General Jeff, 2-Tone, and Kam.

Al Kapone — Pure Ghetto Anger

Second or perhaps third studio album by Al Kapone, one of the first rappers to impose a dominant funk sound in Memphis, Tennessee.

Ant Banks — Do or Die

Ant Banks' third studio album in three years coincides with his latest work and closes his contract with Jive.

 

Remy Ma — I'm Around [mixtape]

After publishing her debut disk and after having distanced herself from Fat Joe, Remy Ma is preparing to release a worthy follow-up ("PunisHer") and a collaborative album with her new all-female rap group 3Sum, along with Shawnna and Jacki-O (the latter recently feuded with Foxy Brown, as well as Remy Ma). In July 2007, Remy Ma is arrested for shooting her friend and sentenced to eight years in prison.

Remy Ma — There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story

Bronx-born emcee Reminisce "Remy Ma" Smith emerges from a complicated childhood, becomes passionate about hip-hop and is discovered by Big Pun, that launches her career in the music industry making her debut in the tracks "Ms. Martin" and "You Was Wrong" from his album "Yeeeah Baby" (2000). After Big Pun's death, Remy Ma signs with Fat Joe's label Terror Squad Entertainment, under Steve Rifkind's SRC Records and Universal, becoming a new member of the group Terror Squad.

Havoc & Prodeje — Kickin' Game

Havoc & Prodeje improves their music on their second album, which came out about a year and a half after the debut.

Kwamé and A New Beginning — A Day in the Life: A Pokadelick Adventure

Sophomore jinx incredibly negative for Kwamé. The title refers to the rapper's penchant for wearing polka dots. In the author's idea, the album should be a concept album about "Bone Age". Each song beginning with a snippet of one of his answering machine messages. Also sinking the whole project is Kwamé's idea of ​​giving up sampling, playing almost every instrument to build the tracks.

Original Flavor — Beyond Flavor

Ski supports T-Strong and DJ Chubby Chub on the second album of the Bronx group Original Flavor.

EA-Ski — 1 Step Ahead of Yall EP

First effort for Shon Adams, the first artist to sign and to release both a single both an album for No Limit, after the founder of the label Master P and his group TRU. The production is funky, hard, with hard and pure drum machine, skinny tight syncopated and pounding, and rhythms provided by EA Ski itself and CMT, their sound full of synthesizers approaches mobb music. While EA Ski's rapping adapts to the chosen musical carpet, his delivery is slow and flowing and his gangsta hardcore bars allow him to solidly hold this long EP of over half an hour. It's a fun album, fast and smooth, with no skit or filler nor bangers, with a lot of braggadocio and some street history, overall, it's a nice qualitative effort pretty unusual for the No Limit, but usual for the nineties Bay Area scene. 7/10.

Eminem — The Marshall Mathers LP 2

Recorded in one year and half, in the late 2013 is released the studio album number eight for the Detroit artist Eminem, three years after the flop of "Recovery" and a couple of years after the appreciated collaborative project with Royce da 5'9" under the name of the duo Bad Meets Evil. The title places it as a direct sequel to his personal album from thirteen years earlier. The production is invented by S1, M-Phazes, Streetrunner, Eminem, Rick Rubin, Luis Resto, DJ Khalil, Emile, Alex da Kid, DVLP, Frequency, Jeff Bhasker and Sid Roams. The guests are the rapper Kendrick Lamar and the singers Skylar Grey, Nate Ruess and Rihanna.

Kwamé featuring a New Beginning — The Boy Genius

Kwamé's debut album, unknown cat that had emerged to the surface of the hip hop scene coming from Queens and from the Invincibles, with A New Beginning as his personal backing band. Production is realized by the emcee himself along with The Invincibles and Hurby "Luv Big" Azor. At the end of the eighties, he had a brief moment to shine and then he was unable to keep up with the contenders — they were going too strong — and his career was later mocked also by Biggie due to Kwamé's polka-dot motif in the costumes and production design present in his music videos, which did not contribute to the well-being of his image, despite becoming the rapper's trademark and a fad in hip-hop fashion.

Down South — Lost in Brooklyn

Unique album by hip-hop group formed by Shawn J Period, Myorr "The DJ" Jahna and Jeremy "Soda Pop" Jones. Shawn J Period takes care of the production, leaving some beats for T-Ray, Stretch Armstrong and the Beatnuts, while the guests are The Funkaholic and Bobbito Garcia.

Odd Squad — Fadanuf fa Erybody

Digging deep into the Rap-A-Lot catalog you may eventually find some very well-hidden gems like this: debut for Odd Squad, a Houston group consisting of Devin "The Dude" Copeland, Robert "Rob Quest" McQueen aka Blind Rob, and Dexter "Jugg Mugg" Johnson.

Havoc & Prodeje — Livin' in a Crime Wave

Debut album for the Los Angeles rap duo composed of Cary Calvin and Austin Patterson, who under the names of Havoc & Prodeje are among the founders of the South Central Cartel collective.

Isis — Rebel Soul

In 1990, Lin Que (X Clan affiliate) released his hip hop debut under another name (Isis) and choosing political themes and hip house rhythms, or the two trends of the moment in the genre that's rapidly gaining popularity.

Stezo — Crazy Noise

Stephen "Stezo" Williams is born in 1968 in New Haven, Connecticut. The kid chooses to become a rapper after being a background dancer for EPMD, appearing in the music video of their single "You Gots to Chill", extracted by "Strictly Business". A year later, in 1989, Stezo signs with Sleeping Bag Records and publishes his debut single "To the Max" before his full LP. There's no guest and is almost all self-produced, the first two tracks are produced by Vicious V.

Da Youngsta's — No Mercy

Third album in three years for Da Youngsta's, a trio of kids from Philadelphia formed by Tajj, Tarik and Qu'ran and managed by Lawrence Goodman.

Jungle Brothers — Done by the Forces of Nature

Almost exactly a year after their amazing debut album, New York City hip-hop group Jungle Brothers returns with a second LP self-produced (as The JB's). The guests are A Tribe Called Quest, Monie Love, Vinia Mojica, Jungle D.J. Tohwa, KRS-One, Caron Wheeler, De La Soul and Queen Latifah.

Positive K — The Skills Dat Pay da Bills

At 22 y/o, Darryl Gibson manages to release his debut album, released by Island Records and launched by a hit single, "I Got a Man": the producer, Shawn Thomas aka Easy LG, inserts a series of samples stratified taken from songs of the eighties, managing to mix them on a jazzy boom bap with a lean, syncopated and lively drum machine.

Westside Gunn — Flygod Is an Awesome God

In 2019, Westside Gunn releases his third studio album, twelve choices, half-a-hour of listening. Daringer, Madlib and Denny LaFlare offer two beats each, the other rhythms are provided by The Alchemist, JR Swiftz, Motif Alumni, al.divino, Sadhugold, Evidence and DJ Muggs. The guests are Keisha Plum, Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, Sauce Walka, Raekwon, Westside Pootie, Meyhem Lauren and Hologram.

Cypress Hill — Unreleased & Revamped EP

Nine tracks recorded between 1991 and 1996 make up this EP for a total of 36 minutes of music. Production is credited to DJ Muggs, remixes are performed by East Coast producers such as Fugees, Q-Tip, Prince Paul, Diamond D, and by T-Ray who is from Lancaster, California. DJ Muggs is the author of a remix. The guests are Fugees, Erick Sermon, Redman, MC Eiht and Call O' Da Wild. The whole project can be read as an attempt to bring the two coasts closer together in a period in which the feud is inflaming at its highest level.

MC Shy-D — Don't Sweat Me

MC Shy D abruptly separates from Luke Campbell and is label to drop his effort number three via Benz Records and On Top Records. Music is handled by DJ Toomp, MC Shy D and Michael Sterling. He hadn't gone badly in previous years, but here he falls: everything still points to the skeletal and raw beat (in 1990!), with bad results. The only silver lining is that the guy still proves to have a following among his niche audience and the title track is driving the album up in sales, even if it lacks the promotional push of his previous releases under Campbell.

No Face — Wake Your Daughter Up

Originally known as Funktion Freaks, No Face is a hip-hop duo formed by Mark "Mark Sexx" Skeete and Shawn "The Shah" Trone. The group became controversial due to the nature of its obscene and exaggerated lyrics, their songs aren't play in radio stations even with the censored versions. The duo signs with dance label Great Jones, sub-label of Island Records, releasing a couple of singles, "Revenge of the Bat (He's a Bat Mutha)" and "Hump Music", the latter enters in Australia chart. In 1990 No Face signs with Russell Simmon's Rush Associated Labels and published their disk through their own label No Face Records, affiliated to Rush. The production is realized by No Face, the guest are 2 Live Crew and BWP.