Evidence, “Likwit Connection,” “Bionic” Marley Marl – In Control, Volume There is a lot to love about the Likwit MC’s Tommy Boy Records debut Aside from the top-tier bars, there’s a massive amount of production by Evidence (eight tracks worth), as well three joints by Alchemist among others. Notable Songs: “1999” by Common and Sadat X, “Any Man” by Eminem, “Next Universe” Mos Def, “B-Boy Document ’99” by The High & Mighty, Mos Def and Skillz Defari – Focused Daily Notable Songs: “So Tough,” “Can’t Break Away” Rawkus Records – Rawkus Presents Soundbombing IIġ999 was a stellar year for Rawkus Records, and - aside from debuts by Mos Def and Pharoahe Monch - Soundbombing II is possibly the best full-bodied encapsulation of the era. T” Freddie Foxxx – Crazy Like A Foxxīumpy Knuckle’s sophomore LP was meant to be his first as a part of Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit but was ultimately shelved only to see the light over two decades later courtesy of Fat Beats Records. Notable Songs: “Off The Books,” “Do You Believe,” “Give Me The Ass” Westside Gunn – Flygodįor those unable to afford the resale price tag for the rare physical copies, YouTube is the only place to hear Flygod’s seminal, sample-heavy classic. LOX Beatnuts – “Stone Crazy”Īlmost certainly a victim of licensing issues, the duo’s sophomore LP, which included the mainstream hit “Off The Books” featuring Big Pun and Cuban Link, stands as the highest-charting body of work from their catalog. Drag-On – Opposite of H2Oĭrag’s forgotten Ruff Ryders/Interscope debut - following the success of his single “Down Bottom” and features on DMX’s first three solo LPs - peaked at number five on the Billboard’s Hot 200 and was certified gold by RIAA a year after it’s release.
Here at HipHopDX, we’ve compiled a list of must-listen albums that for various reasons, ranging from master ownership to sample clearances and licensing, aren’t available on platforms - sadly making them not exist to a grand portion of the population. But, what if you aren’t able to make it available? In short, having your music on all the various DSPs is - without a doubt - an absolute necessity. For one, having instant access to back catalogs means that one can explore the timeline of the genre on a whim. Great video of Mos Def on Letterman rapping and drumming on ‘Quiet Dog’ after the transinfomational drift, thanks to Jenna for the tip.Today’s industry is wholly reliant on streaming and algorithms, which is in some ways kind of amazing. Listen to the Madlib joint ‘The Auditorium’ feat. This tune has production by another of the record’s producers Preservation: The Ecstatic is still a good album, I just want to hear more of those incisive rhymes which blew me away ten years ago. As Adam pointed out on Twitter, he’s still not rapping nearly enough for my liking.
The Ecstatic sees Mos gain some great productions from Madlib and Oh No, J Dilla amongst others. There’s no doubting that Black on Both Sides was a landmark hip-hop album, the kind of album that only comes along in the genre every few years but that was 1999 – TEN BLOODY YEARS AGO WTF? While Mos has been off doing movies and getting attacked on current affairs programmes his musical output has waned significantly. It’s certainly a step in the right bloody direction.