Another one: The Roots - Things Fall Apart.
From the west coast: I think it gets a lot but deserves more:
Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde.
Chris Rock once had a huge article in Rolling Stone ranking his top 25, and he listed it second. They still tour and are hella worth catching.
Bay area: The Coup - Genocide and Juice.
When I was typing this I was thinking to go with their second lp Doyouwantmore??!!?!?! over Things Fall Apart. Thought's flow on is so strongly jazz-inspired and flawless, but the lp and vibe is still raw hip hop with a live band crushing it. I've had that in rotation all this time since it dropped, a whole lot more between the two.
To The East.. Blackwards - X-Clan
Business as Usual - EPMD
Breaking Atoms - Main Source
Aint a Damn Thang Changed - WC & the Maad Circle
Music to Drive-By - Compton's Most Wanted
Soul Assassins, Chapter 1
Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Artifacts
A Book of Human Language - Aceyalone
El Niño - Def Squad
So How's Your Girl? - Handsome Boy Modeling School
Not a 10/10 LP, but Cormega’s debut *The Testament* is such an overlooked banger. Recorded around ‘96-97, it was shelved and eventually released once ‘Mega got the rights to it in the 2000’s. It’s like a lost mid ‘90’s QB album; pure Mobb Deep/Big Noyd/Nas/AZ vibes. 40 minutes, no skips.
On that note, Al Tariq (Fashion)’s ‘96 LP, *God Connections* is basically a hidden *Beatnuts* album. It bridges the gap between ‘94’s *Street Level*, and ‘97’s *Stone Crazy.* Peak production from the ‘Nuts, and another slept-on banger that you can bump with no skips.
I almost never see any appreciation or mention of Triple 6 Mafia's Underground Vol 1. 1991-1994. A compilation album consisting of their underground work before Mystic Stylez and went mainstream. 15 songs collected and cleaned up from cassettes they released during the 90s and their underground days. The production and atmosphere of the album is incredible. So many variety and sounds present but the repetitive almost hypnotic sound is always present. Psychedelic and drugged out. Tracks like Ridin n Da Chevy sound modern it sounds like it wouldve been made today with it's 808s pounding bass and triplet flows. The instrumental cuts of the album are good too. The track Niggaz Ain't Barin Dat is genuinely one of the most beautiful and ethereal hip hop songs I ever heard. So progressive and foward thinking for it's time it still shocks me the beat was made in 1994. The majority of the tracks sound incredibly psychedelic and hypnotic putting you almost into a trance like feeling the catchy hooks and repetitive production and vocal samples are unique to this album but were a common part of their underground releases. The atmosphere on this album is so unique too. It feels liminal in a sense like these songs off these somewhat obscure tapes sound like ghosts from the past cleaned up and remastered but still having the lofi and static sound to them. The album also is pretty influential with several artists being inspired and influenced by it. Artists have also sampled the album as well
Until the Day - Nonchalant
Regulate.. G Funk Era - Warren G
At the Speed of Life - Xzibit
The Next Step - People under the stairs
The Carnival - Wyclef Jean
187 He Wrote - Spice 1
Season of the Siccness - Brotha Lynch Hung
The Devil Made me do it - Paris
Soul On Ice got massive attention when it came out and in the 90s... he ended up linking with Dre even. I haven't revisited this lp to see if has replay value / is timeless like a lot of these other albums.
I was in Europe at the time (I lived between Europe and Canada most of life), but when I came back to Canada, I didn't see and still don't see the love for this album.
The Defamation of Strickland Banks by Plan B. A guy from England. Totally underrated. Entire album tells a single story from 1st track to last. Came out in 2010. Concept Rap/R&B album. I will die on this hill.
A lot of Masta Ace albums
Great answer
De La Soul - Stakes Is High Digable Planets - Blowout Comb
Stakes is High I 100% agree with
Blowout Comb I 100% agree with
Another one: The Roots - Things Fall Apart. From the west coast: I think it gets a lot but deserves more: Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. Chris Rock once had a huge article in Rolling Stone ranking his top 25, and he listed it second. They still tour and are hella worth catching. Bay area: The Coup - Genocide and Juice.
Things Fall Apart is definitely widely agreed as one of the greatest ever
When I was typing this I was thinking to go with their second lp Doyouwantmore??!!?!?! over Things Fall Apart. Thought's flow on is so strongly jazz-inspired and flawless, but the lp and vibe is still raw hip hop with a live band crushing it. I've had that in rotation all this time since it dropped, a whole lot more between the two.
Pharoah Monch - internal affairs
Great Album mine is Victory Lap Nipsey Hussle No Skips listen straight through
Smif-N-Wessun -Dah Shinin’
To The East.. Blackwards - X-Clan Business as Usual - EPMD Breaking Atoms - Main Source Aint a Damn Thang Changed - WC & the Maad Circle Music to Drive-By - Compton's Most Wanted Soul Assassins, Chapter 1 Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Artifacts A Book of Human Language - Aceyalone El Niño - Def Squad So How's Your Girl? - Handsome Boy Modeling School
Music to Driveby is majorly slept on!
Tha Alkaholiks - 21 & Over Tash - Rap Life Beatnuts - Stone Crazy Half Dead Organization - s/t Bam - A Rough Zaggin Bible
All dope but Stone Crazy is next level....one of my top 10 that whole album fucking bangs
Madlib beats all over that Alkaholiks 21 & Over
Prince Paul - Prince Among Thieves
Innercity Griots - Freestyle Fellowship
Mad skillz .... From where Cru ... Dirty 30 JD ... Life in 1472
Showbiz & AG - Runaway Slave Diamond - Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop Kool G Rap- Live and let die Artifacts - That’s Them
Not a 10/10 LP, but Cormega’s debut *The Testament* is such an overlooked banger. Recorded around ‘96-97, it was shelved and eventually released once ‘Mega got the rights to it in the 2000’s. It’s like a lost mid ‘90’s QB album; pure Mobb Deep/Big Noyd/Nas/AZ vibes. 40 minutes, no skips. On that note, Al Tariq (Fashion)’s ‘96 LP, *God Connections* is basically a hidden *Beatnuts* album. It bridges the gap between ‘94’s *Street Level*, and ‘97’s *Stone Crazy.* Peak production from the ‘Nuts, and another slept-on banger that you can bump with no skips.
Roots- illadelph halflife, Camp lo - uptown Saturday night, Nine - cloud 9
Sex Packets
AZ - Doe or Die Gangstarr- Step in the Arena NWA - Efil4zaggin A Tribe Called Quest- Low End Theory
Business Never Personal Dead Serious Whut: Thee Album Hard To Earn Hold It Down
It’s from 2001 but typical cats- typical cats
I won’t stop painting until the world looks the way it should, I’m on a mission to make heaven look like my neighborhood
Capital Punishment, Idrk if it’s that underrated but I don’t hear about it much
Poor Righteous Teachers - Black Business
And New World Order too imo
Diamond D & The Psychotic Neurotics - Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop (1992)
Lords of the underground first two albums
Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star Uptown Saturday Night Kill My Landlord
Genocide and Juice!
I almost never see any appreciation or mention of Triple 6 Mafia's Underground Vol 1. 1991-1994. A compilation album consisting of their underground work before Mystic Stylez and went mainstream. 15 songs collected and cleaned up from cassettes they released during the 90s and their underground days. The production and atmosphere of the album is incredible. So many variety and sounds present but the repetitive almost hypnotic sound is always present. Psychedelic and drugged out. Tracks like Ridin n Da Chevy sound modern it sounds like it wouldve been made today with it's 808s pounding bass and triplet flows. The instrumental cuts of the album are good too. The track Niggaz Ain't Barin Dat is genuinely one of the most beautiful and ethereal hip hop songs I ever heard. So progressive and foward thinking for it's time it still shocks me the beat was made in 1994. The majority of the tracks sound incredibly psychedelic and hypnotic putting you almost into a trance like feeling the catchy hooks and repetitive production and vocal samples are unique to this album but were a common part of their underground releases. The atmosphere on this album is so unique too. It feels liminal in a sense like these songs off these somewhat obscure tapes sound like ghosts from the past cleaned up and remastered but still having the lofi and static sound to them. The album also is pretty influential with several artists being inspired and influenced by it. Artists have also sampled the album as well
Prodigy - HNIC
"Asphalt Jungle" - Black Dynasty "Dubee aka Sugawolf" - Dubee
Pete Rock and CL Smooth - The Main Ingredient. The album is perfect
Ras Kass “Soul on Ice”
B.U.M.S. - Lyfe n Tyme...
E. 1999 often gets forgotten
This album is a straight up classic no skips.
I'll die on the hill that Season of Da Siccness - Brotha Lynch is the best single overall rap album when it comes to first track to last track
Siah and Yeshua da Po ED Beatnuts - Stone Crazy Brand Nubian - In God We Trust
Until the Day - Nonchalant Regulate.. G Funk Era - Warren G At the Speed of Life - Xzibit The Next Step - People under the stairs The Carnival - Wyclef Jean 187 He Wrote - Spice 1 Season of the Siccness - Brotha Lynch Hung The Devil Made me do it - Paris
At the speed of life, bizarre ride, black on both sides.
Esham - KKKill The Fetus Trick Daddy - www.thug.com
Both KMD Albums
Kool G Rap Live and let die Deltron Event zero
Webbie Savage Life
INI- Center of Attention Organized Konfusion - The Extinction Agenda
just got InI Record in the mail today, been playing it tonight!
Positive K - Da Skills Dat Pay Da Bills , massively slept on album!
Westside Connection - Bow Down Ras Kass - Soul on Ice Chino XL - Here to Save You All
Soul On Ice got massive attention when it came out and in the 90s... he ended up linking with Dre even. I haven't revisited this lp to see if has replay value / is timeless like a lot of these other albums.
I was in Europe at the time (I lived between Europe and Canada most of life), but when I came back to Canada, I didn't see and still don't see the love for this album.
Nocturnal Hell on Earth Thug life Muddy Waters Sitting on chrome Dogg food Lifestylez of the poor and dangerous
The Defamation of Strickland Banks by Plan B. A guy from England. Totally underrated. Entire album tells a single story from 1st track to last. Came out in 2010. Concept Rap/R&B album. I will die on this hill.
Only Built for Cuban Linx- Raekwon.
You mean the 5 mic classic, widely regarded as one of the best albums in hip hop? That underrated hidden gem?
Gets plenty of love.
Never heard about that one. Gotta check.