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- The Pharcyde - "Runnin'" (from Labcabincalifornia, 1995) Let’s start with a bridge — one between the insurgent wave of early ’90s West Coast indie and all the potential dynamism, insight, and creativity that underground hip-hop would cultivate by the decade’s end.
- J-Live - "Braggin' Writes" (12", 1995) One of the other calling cards, it should be noted, is rapping about rapping — the recentering and arms-race showoff of skills.
- Dr. Octagon - "Blue Flowers" (from Dr. Octagonecologyst, 1996) Kool Keith’s always been a crazy bastard, if by “crazy” you mean “can sound fly even rapping complete nonsense” and “bastard” you mean “stylistically fathered by immaculate conception.”
- The East Flatbush Project - "Tried By 12" (12", 1996) When street rap mourns, it’s the strongest case there is for hip-hop not as the detractors’ “inspiration for violence,” but as something inspired by violence — of something that has to be paid attention to, made sense of, after-the-fact justified, but not so much celebrated as chronicled in ways that at least try to find the resilience of artistic expression in the midst of a grim scenario.
- Daniel Johnston – “Some Things Last a Long Time” from 1990(1990; Shimmy Disc) Texas-based singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston’s instrumentals have always been pretty basic and the most positive word one could use to describe his vocal stylings might be “endearing.”
- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – “Mustt Mustt (Lost In His Work)” from Mustt Mustt(1990; Real World) When Kurt Cobain named Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as one of his heroes in the early ’90s, it seemed possible that the next 25 years might be the period that allowed for non-Western artists to routinely mingle with homegrown names in the charts.
- Skinny Puppy – “Spasmolytic” from Too Dark Park(1990; Nettwerk) “Spasmolytic” was the single off of Too Dark Park, but its video, featuring Ogre acting like a zombie, probably only graced 120 Minutes once or twice.
- 1000 Homo DJs – “Supernaut” from “Supernaut/Hey Asshole” single (1990; Wax Trax!) Chicago’s Wax Trax! label was the center of a spiderweb of relationships that helped to evangelize and eventually reshape industrial music.
- Young Black Teenagers – Tap The Bottle
- The Whoridas – Shot Callin’ & Big Ballin’
- Rappin’ 4-Tay – Playaz Club
- Slick Rick – Street Talkin’
- Heltah Skeltah – Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka
- WC and The Maad Circle – West Up!
- 3X Krazy – Keep It on The Real
- Mack 10 – Foe Life
- The Dove Shack – Summertime in The LBC
- The B.U.M.S – Elevation
Young Black Teenagers released an album in 1993 called Dead Enz Kidz Doin’ Lifetime Bidz. It was an obvious – though plenty powerful – statement on the way Black kids were treated in the United States, and the way mainstream society viewed rappers. But the kids liked to have fun, too. “Tap The Bottle” is a boisterous drinking anthem, buoyed by a ch...
The WhoRidas were Oakland staples, but they found a home on the prosperous LA label, Delicious Vinyl. On the West Coast, they became massive after the release of “Shot Callin’ & Big Ballin’,” which was a far cry from the g-funk dominated radio that had come in the wake of Dr. Dre’s success. The WhoRidas proved that, well, shot callin’ and big balli...
“Playaz Club” emerged as a g-funk classic, the sort of song that was an immediate appeal but also appeared on compilations collecting West Coast classics long past its release date in the 90s. The song utilizes an excellent sample from Judy Clay and William Bell’s 1968 hit “Private Number,” with a guitar line that effortlessly highlights Rappin’ 4-...
By 1999, Slick Rick was 15 years into his lauded career, looking for a final boost for his final LP, The Art of Storytelling. He found that boost in OutKast, who helped turn “Street Talkin’” into a street-ready anthem that instantly introduced OutKast’s young audience to the legendary smooth-talking rhymes of Slick Rick.
Heltah Skeltah has always been credited with “Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka,” but the song’s chorus lays out all the main players: “Yes yes y’all (yes y’all)/OGC, Heltah Skeltah be the best y’all (best y’all)/Fab 5 slam from East to West y’all.” This is a posse cut in the truest sense of the word, uniting the trio of OGC and the duo of Heltah Skeltah, w...
A year before WC left the Maad Circle to form Westside Connection with Ice Cube, he invited the MC to appear on his group’s song “West Up!” The track eschews the g-funk of the era in favor of soulful keyboard chords and a bevy of back-and-forth verses that finds each MC waxing poetically on the merits of the West Coast sunshine.
3X Krazy didn’t really hide their intentions with their hit “Keep It On The Real,” a standout hit from Keep It On The Real. Foreshadowing the hyphy era of hyper stylized vocal performances in the late 90s Bay Area, the song is an unabashed West Coast classic, and considering that’s exactly what 3X Krazy set out to do with “Keep It On The Real,” it’...
On “Foe Life,” Mack 10 humorously pits himself against the “yes yes y’all” call-and-responses of East Coast hip hop. At first, Mack and (guest artist and producer) Ice Cubechant about being the best MCs out, before Mack interrupts and says, “Wait a minute, that ain’t how the West Coast rock!” The song shifts beats, and “Foe Life” emerges as a g-fun...
C-Knight, Bo-Roc, and 2Scoops were clear Warren G disciples. They made their debut on his seminal album, Regulate…G Funk Era, but on “Summertime In The LBC” they stand out on their own. Even though they admit to running with Warren G, the sultry vocals, delightful harmonies, and smooth funk bassline gives the song a perfect summertime feel. It’s a ...
The Bay Area B.U.M.S, also known as Brothas Unda Madness, had a penchant for throwing the kitchen sink into their raps. The duo, alongside frequent producer Joe Quixx, relied on lush samples and an R&B influence to subvert traditional West Coast g-funk and hardcore hip hop. The chorus, a simple call to “Free My Mind,” foreshadowed the heady, mindfu...
90’s is tough there is a plethora of great hip hop albums and songs. But my list of top 100 would be incomplete without the folloiwng: DJ Quik – Tonite LL Cool J – I Shot Ya (remix) EPMD feat. LL Cool J – Rampage Queen Latifah – U.N.I.T.Y. Das EFX – They Want EFX Mobb Deep – Quiet Storm DMX – Ruff Ryders Anthem
- “The World Is Yours” by Nas. “The World Is Yours” is taken from Nas’ debut studio album “Illmatic” released in 1994. It’s arguably one of the most iconic 90s hip-hop album songs.
- “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” by Pete Rock & CL Smooth. This catchy tune is a top hip hop song of the 90s. It was inspired by the death of Troy Dixon (Trouble T. Roy) who was Pete Rock’s and CL Smooth’s close friend.
- “Regulate” by Warren G and Nate Dogg. “Regulate” is a smooth, easy-going track. It’s also one of the most popular old school hip hop songs. The song has a rather classic story – Nate comes to the Warren’s rescue when he’s being robbed in Long Beach.
- “Cream” by Wu-Tang Clan. While talking about the best 90’s hip hop songs, I can’t skip Wu-Tang Clan. As you probably already know, their signature song “Cream” stands for ‘Cash Rules Everything Around Me.’
These albums changed the underground and became staples in the genre. Don’t expect major label releases here (Loud, Def Jam, Interscope, etc.). This is for the subterranean labels and projects that need to get brought up as seminal albums all across the board in Hip Hop period. Let’s begin!
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Jul 3, 2023 · The transformative era of '90s hip-hop. Explore the artists, subgenres, and the best hip-hop songs of the '90s that defined a decade.
