All Entries tagged with "Classic Albums"

Classic Album: Boyz II Men “II” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 08/31/10 | Filed under Features, Classic Albums, Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men first sauntered their way onto the music scene with their debut album, "Cooleyhighharmony", in 1991. The album wasn't just a simple breakthrough, by the end of the decade it would become on of the best selling debut albums of all time, but the point being that a new R&B group had hit the music scene, and they had the chance to be one of the biggest ever. With the release of their second album, the simply titled, "II", the 'Boyz' assured their spot at the top of the charts and as the most successful group of the right now (well, the 'right then' aka the 90's). See more...

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Read more: Features, Classic Albums, Boyz II Men

Classic Album: Usher’s “Confessions” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 08/24/10 | Filed under Features, Usher, Classic Albums

If "8701" was Usher's last 'teen' album, "Confessions" was his graduation into adulthood. Usher sang on his previous album with a boyish breeziness that few could match, but on "Confessions" it's clear the boy is now a man. Usher recorded over forty tracks for "Confessions", which was released in March 2004 to great reception from critics and fans alike. See more...

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Read more: Features, Usher, Classic Albums

Classic Album: 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Trying” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 06/15/10 | Filed under Top Stories, Features, 50 Cent, Classic Albums

Massive expectations usually are the precursor of two things: that a star is about to be born, or it’s about to explode and flame out forever, never to regain its brightness. In the case of Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent, massive expectations led to one thing and one thing only, a domination of the rap world, all thanks to an album called "Get Rich or Die Trying". See more...

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Read more: Top Stories, Features, 50 Cent, Classic Albums

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

Posted by Matt Juss on 05/17/10 | Filed under Features, Classic Albums, Common

Although you’d most likely say that Kanye is the biggest Chicago rap star, it’s Common that has been in the game the longest. After debuting with “Can I Borrow A Dollar?” which received a lot of underground attention, he released “Resurrection” in 1994. Although “Resurrection” didn’t have much mainstream success, it did very well with critics and proved how truly skilled Common is as an MC. See more...

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Read more: Features, Classic Albums, Common

Classic Album: Wu-Tang Clan’s “Enter the Wu (36 Chambers)” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 05/10/10 | Filed under Features, Classic Albums, Wu Tang Clan

Wu Tang Clan’s debut album “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” is easily one of the most influential hip-hop albums of all time. RZA’s distinctive production style and Wu Tang’s cast of unique and talented MC’s created the blueprint for hardcore hip-hop and helped revitalize the New York rap scene. The album laid the groundwork for young rappers on the East coast such as Nas, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G. and Mobb Deep. See more...

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Read more: Features, Classic Albums, Wu Tang Clan

Classic Album: Tupac’s “All Eyez on Me” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 05/03/10 | Filed under Top Stories, Features, Classic Albums, Tupac

In October 1995, after serving eleven months, 2Pac was released from the penitentiary due in large part to the help and influence of Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row Records, who posted a $1.4 million bail pending appeal of the conviction in exchange for 2Pac to release three albums under the Death Row label. Maybe it was his time in prison, or maybe it was simply his signing with Knight's Death Row label, but whatever the case, 2Pac emerged hardened and hungry with “All Eyez on Me”, the first double-disc album of original material in hip-hop history. It only took 2Pac two weeks to record the 27-track epic. See more...

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Read more: Top Stories, Features, Classic Albums, Tupac

Classic Album: Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 04/12/10 | Filed under Features, Eminem, Classic Albums

When Eminem first exploded onto the scene in 1999 with the release of his debut album “The Slim Shady LP”, he injected a shot of adrenaline to hip-hop. Along with having some truly graphic lyrics, the album went triple platinum and solidified Eminem as one of the most controversial and popular artists in the game. To follow up his controversial debut, Eminem released “The Marshall Mathers LP”, which is considered by many to be one of the best hip-hop albums of all-time and is Eminem’s magnum opus, his defining work. See more...

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Classic Album: Lupe Fiasco’s “Food & Liquor” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 04/05/10 | Filed under Top Stories, Features, Lupe Fiasco, Classic Albums

Although it was released only a few years ago, Fiasco’s album is one of the most eclectic and profound rap albums of the past decade. Lupe is nothing like a traditional rap star, and “Food and Liquor” is nothing like a traditional rap album. Without making much use of the usual imagery that finds it way into hip-hop, Fiasco reflects on the personal and the political, and reminds fans of everything hip-hop can be. See more...

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Read more: Top Stories, Features, Lupe Fiasco, Classic Albums

Classic Album: Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 02/22/10 | Filed under Top Stories, Features, Classic Albums, Dr. Dre

There are a lot of things that can be said about Dr. Dre’s album, “The Chronic”. That it’s an inventive, unique, fantastic piece of music and a memorable debut. Or that it embodies what it means to be ‘West Coast’ and live the ‘gangsta’ lifestyle. And although all of that is accurate, I think a quote from Kanye West describes “The Chronic” in perfect terms. In an interview West gave to Rolling Stone magazine, he said: "The Chronic is the hip-hop equivalent to Stevie Wonder's ‘Songs in the Key of Life’. It's the benchmark you measure your album against if you're serious." See more...

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Read more: Top Stories, Features, Classic Albums, Dr. Dre

Classic Album: Kanye West’s “The College Dropout” (Review & Video)

Posted by Matt Juss on 02/15/10 | Filed under Top Stories, Kanye West, Classic Albums

It’s hard to imagine West as an up-and-comer, but back before “The College Dropout” was released, that’s all he was. With his debut album he became an overnight sensation, rap’s new wunderkind. Maybe it was lucky timing, but Kanye was able to connect to a generation of students and hip-hop fans looking for a voice. In that was he was a revolutionary in a way, becoming that voice. But West's breakthrough almost never happened. See more...

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Read more: Top Stories, Kanye West, Classic Albums

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