All Entries tagged with "Classic Album"

Classic Album: Mobb Deep’s “The Infamous” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 02/10/11 | Filed under Features, Classic Album, Mobb Deep

When the group Mobb Deep first landed on the hip-hop scene they didn't make much of an impression. But two years after releasing an album critics deemed basically meaningless to the hip-hop genre, the group released "The Infamous" to widespread acclaim and helped fuel the reemergence of East Coast rap. See more...

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Classic Album: Common’s “Be” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 12/21/10 | Filed under Features, Classic Album

Way back in the year 2000, Common released his fourth album "Like Water for Chocolate" and received great reviews as well as solid sales results. The recognition from the album elevated Common to a point where he was on the cusp of mainstream success and stardom. So two years later when he was set to release his next album, anticipation and expectations were very high. See more...

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Classic Album: Notorious B.I.G.‘s “Ready to Die” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 11/02/10 | Filed under Features, Classic Album, Notorious B.I.G.

When writing about such an iconic album and artist it's hard to remember that there was a time that Notorious B.I.G. was at one time an up-and-coming rapper, unsure of how successful he'd become. Biggie was only a kid, 21 years old when he started recording his debut album, "Ready to Die". At the time no one knew that album would change the course of hip-hop history. See more...

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Classic Album: Ice Cube’s “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 10/19/10 | Filed under Top Stories, Features, Classic Album, Ice Cube

Using notebooks full of songs he had planned to use for N.W.A, Ice Cube brought on a fierce, determined attitude to his solo debut, crafting an album that is considered to be one of the most defining hip-hop records of the '90s. Released in May 1990, "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" was filled with social and cultural commentary, along with Cube's fierce and determined raps. See more...

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Classic Album: N.W.A.‘s “Straight Outta Compton” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 10/12/10 | Filed under Top Stories, Features, Classic Album, N.W.A.

Released in August of 1988, N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" had one of the biggest impacts on the industry than any other. The album embodied the genre of gangsta rap, and launched it into mainstream popularity. One of its biggest impacts was how it helped shift focus from the East coast to the West, establishing that coast as the power player of rap in the early '90s. See more...

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Classic Album: Kanye West’s “Graduation” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 09/21/10 | Filed under Top Stories, Features, Kanye West, Classic Album

West literally exploded onto the scene in 2003 with his debut album, "The College Dropout", and continued his success with his sophomore effort, "Late Registration". West had been in the business for a while, showing his skills as a producer, but until he dropped his album, no one really knew what he could do. Two years after "Late Registration", West finally decided to make things official, and "graduate". His third album, and arguably his best, "Graduation", was released in 2007, to great commercial and critical success. See more...

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Classic Album: LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 09/14/10 | Filed under Features, Classic Album, LL Cool J

Increasingly dismissed by hip-hop fans as an old-school relic and by some as a pop sellout, the rapper was fueled by the desire to regain some of those same fans back. With all that coming at him, LL Cool J headed back into the studio to work on his fourth album, which would become "Mama Said Knock You Out". See more...

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Classic Album: Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 08/17/10 | Filed under Features, Classic Album, Lauryn Hill

Although the Fugees had been hugely successful, a lot in part due to the talents of Hill, few were prepared for her stunning debut album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill". Not in the sense that people expected her to fail, but due to the fact that her debut went above and beyond what anyone realized she could do. See more...

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Classic Album: Pharcyde’s “Labcabincalifornia” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 08/10/10 | Filed under Classic Album, Pharcyde

For their second album, "Labcabincalifornia", released in 1995, Pharcyde took on a more emotional tone and tackled more serious issues like drugs, broken relationships and the hardships of fame. The album is full of excellent tracks, but "Drop", "The E.N.D.", "She Said" and "Groupie Therapy" stands out above the rest. See more...

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