Official Blog of Hip Hop Scriptures - Virtual Hip Hop Museum
He would return in 2000 with his follow-up to Ironman, Supreme Clientele. "Cherchez LaGhost ", a single off the album, became a minor club hit, and the sentimental "Child's Play " brought numerous comparisons with Slick Rick.
Read more about Ghostface Killah here.
Alfred and Gavin spent the next few years mastering the recording process and in 2000 released their debut full-length, Let’s Get Free, to almost universal acclaim. Much of the praise came on the strength of ‘It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop’, which welded their common sense critiques of capitalist society to a southern jeep-beat better outfitted to deliver them to the masses. Tracks such as ‘Mind Sex’ and ‘Be Healthy’ found them expanding their philosophical as well as their sonic repertoire, employing Latin guitar and spoken word interludes to promote an alternative lifestyle à la the Native Tongues Posse. They even adopted a cautionary, if not counter-revolutionary tone on ‘Animal In Man’, a rap adaptation of George Orwell’s satirical take on the Russian revolution.
Read more about Dead Prez here.
Slim Baby just dropped some underground heat you need to hear. The remix to her song “Lost My Mind” now features Boosie Badazz and it is straight fire.
In 1991, Sir Mix-A-Lot signed to the Def American label, which also bought the rights to his first two albums, and released his third album Mack Daddy in 1992. The single "Baby Got Back" was a number-one hit that went double platinum and won the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. MTV aired the music video for the song only after 9 PM because of "many, many, complaints."
In God We Trust is the second album from hip hop group Brand Nubian. It was released on February 2, 1993. In 1991, Lead Grand Puba left the group to pursue a solo career. Shortly after DJ Alamo left to work with Puba, leaving just Sadat X and Lord Jamar. The album was less successful than the group's debut but still received strong reviews. The album peaked at #4 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #12 on US Billboard 200. Read more about Brand Nubian and their career here.
Rebirth is the seventh studio album by Lil Wayne, released February 2nd, 2010. Although Lil Wayne is a hip hop artist, the album was promoted as his rock music debut, it still however includes some hip hop tracks. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, selling 176,000 copies in its first week. The album mostly portrayed negative reviews from critics. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone found Wayne's "taste in rock" to be "very questionable" and the album's flaw. Despite that, the album produced four singles that attained chart success and went on to be Wayne's seventh top-ten album in the United States. The album became certified platinum, selling over a million copies in the US. Read more about Lil Wayne and his career here.
The group signed a record deal, changed their name (short for Refugees, an allusion to their Caribbean roots) and, a year later, finished recording their debut album, Blunted on Reality.
Because of internal problems at their label, the album was not released until two years later, in 1993. When it was finally issued, Blunted on Reality made little impact on the music landscape. It was largely a collection of overproduced songs that sounded tremendously dated and, at times, downright annoying. The Fugees' concert appearances didn't add much to their reputation either. Their shows featured live instruments, but, embarrassingly, the group cavorted around the stage in color-coordinated outfits, engaging in somewhat goofy routines. Today, the group readily admits that in their youth, they were just happy to have a record deal and were doing whatever the producers told them to do. Indeed, Hill was only 16 when the album was recorded, and Jean, the eldest member, was a scant 21.
Read more about the Fugees here.
Now touring nationally on a more regular basis (the twenty-one date Ford One Tour brought them to the East Coast for the first time), Slug was able to leave his job at a record store, as well as a second job working overnight shifts at a department store. In 1999, the Rhymesayers-owned record store, The Fifth Element, was opened in Minneapolis. In 2001, the two EPs, Ford and Lucy, were combined and released as an LP titled Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs. Originally intended as a tour-only release, it sold so well that it was later released as an official LP, making it the only Atmosphere album with producers other than Ant. In 2001, Atmosphere made three separate tours across North America and Europe. With Lucy Ford, Atmosphere also finally achieved national distribution through the independent distributor Fat Beats.
Read more about Atmosphere here.
Their first album, Fadanuf Fa Erybody!! was released on February 1, 1994 under Rap-A-Lot Records. The album is considered by Scarface to be the label's finest release.
Despite much praise, the album was a failure, reaching only #66 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Soon after, Devin would join Scarface's protege group Facemob before going solo in 1998. His ties with the Odd Squad however continued.
Read more about the Coughee Brothaz here.
The Mighty Capeech returns with his Rel McCoy-produced “Wanna Go Home.” The rapper flips the script on social/political controversies and issues involving the world.
On January 26th, 1993 King Tee released The Triflin’ Album as his third studio album. The album peaked at number 95 on the US Billboard 200 and number 17 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and features guest appearances from Ice Cube and Tha Alkaholiks. The success of this album is quite significant as it allowed King Tee's protégés, Tha Alkaholiks, to gain a following. It also provided a foundation for King Tee's Likwit Crew. Read more about King Tee and his career here.
Released on January 26, 1999, Chyna Doll is Foxy Brown’s second studio album. It debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, making it the first solo female rap album to debut at number one on the chart and landing a spot in the Guinness World Records of 1999! It later became certified platinum. On this album she collaborated with many producers including Kanye West as well as guest appearances from Jay-Z and DMX. The album was a commercial success selling 173,000 copies its first week. Read more about Foxy Brown and her career here.
In the summer of 1999, the trio found themselves disappointed with the direction of Bad Boy, and the trio wanted to be released from their contract in order to join Ruff Ryders. The Ruff Ryders had always served as The Lox's managers and the group felt like the new label could better represent the hard-core sensibilities which they expressed in their rhymes. Bad Boy was known for its radio friendly dance hits and high priced videos, while the Lox were quickly establishing themselves as hardcore rap artists. The identities clashed — "We just needed to be with a rougher label," said Sheek Louch. "A harder label that fit our image."
The Lox tried all of the legal maneuvering available to be released from their contract with Bad Boy. However, the lawyers and conference calls did not work. At a New York rap concert, the trio sported "Let The LOX Go" T-shirts and sparked a grass roots movement to "Free The Lox." Pressure resultant from the campaign ultimately caused Bad Boy and Puff Daddy to release the trio from their contract. "We really changed the game by doing that," says Styles concerning the contractual drama. "It might take years from now, but other people are gonna do it. We made it so they don't have to be scared to speak up." “We Are The Streets” was the trio’s first album under Ruff Ryders.
Read more about the Lox here.
