Hello! I've decided to do a little 3-part series for the next 3 songs of the day. I'll talk about the evolution of new-school hip-hop! Now, I'm no expert on the subject, but I do have music from all 3 period I'll discuss. I'll start off with the 90s, then the early 00s, and then the past 3 years. What I'll give are thoughts on the genre, not necessarily facts. Still enjoy the links and the info!
1990s
Rewind to 1991. This is the early end of my listening experience, and coincidentally the year I was born! Before this, the genre grew up as MCs rapping over various beats, originally over disco and later over electronic productions. These MCs, especially in the 80s, often had a socially conscious message. Now, I don't really have much to draw from pre-'91, so I'm going to jump ahead!
A Tribe Called Quest! 1991 is the year their classic album The Low End Theory came out. It's cool stuff, with stand-up bass plucking and jazzy saxophones and all. I'm a big fan of this style, but moreso with what Q-Tip did with it later during his solo career (more on that in part 3). Other great albums from this period include Common Sense's (now called Common) album Can I Borrow A Dollar? Then comes Dr. Dre's legendary first album after NWA, The Chronic. This is pretty much Snoop Dogg's debut, as he features on at least half the tracks. It's one of the foundations of the G-Funk hip-hop style, and has so many classics (despite the misogyny). The Ben Folds cover of Bitches Ain't Shit is just too funny though, I had to share it.
This is also before Ice Cube was in Anaconda, so I can still respect him. Why? Because of his legendary track It Was A Good Day from his album The Predator. There's also the early work of Pete Rock & CL Smooth to check out! Great production for a solid MC. Then comes Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde! This has always been one of my favourite albums. This is before J Dilla started producing for the group, but they still manage to pull off an awesome album through sheer talent.
In 1993 came Snoop Dogg's first solo album, Doggystyle. This is one of my all-time favourites, featuring such tracks as Gin And Juice, Pump Pump, Ain't No Fun, and one of the biggest beats of all time, GZ and Hustlas. A Tribe Called Quest (ATCQ) comes back with the album Midnight Marauders, another success. In '94, The Notorious B.I.G. released Ready To Die. Such a sick album! The late Biggie Smalls was one of the most talented MCs of all time. Too good.
1995 features Ol' Dirty Bastard's Return To The 36 Chambers, a classic. Shimmy Shimmy Ya! It also was the year The Pharcyde's album Labcabincalifornia came out, featuring the sick tracks She Said and Runnin', and my personal favourite, Drop. Loving the Beastie Boys sample.
1996 features (among many other things) The Fugees' release The Score and Jay-Z's first album Reasonable Doubt. Skipping up to '98, we've got Hello Nasty by the Beastie Boys, Black Star by Mos Def & Talib Kweli, and ATCQ's The Love Movement. There's also Jay-Z's first big hit Hard Knock Life!
In 1999 there are a lot of solid releases! Eminem's The Slim Shady LP was groundbreaking. There's the classic Life and Times of Shawn Carter by Jay-Z, and The Roots' Things Fall Apart. Last but certainly not least, there's the manager of Stones Throw Records', Peanut Butter Wolf's album My Vinyl Weighs A Ton. Top quality scratching and sampling.
Without further ado, I give you my favourite 90s hip-hop track, and today's song of the day:
Lauryn Hill- Doo Wop
Did you think I'd forget about Lauryn Hill? Embarrassingly, this album escaped my notice for 19 years until a little while ago when it was finally introduced to me. I've pretty much had it on repeat ever since! Check out some of her other sick tracks: To Zion, When It Hurts So Bad, I Used To Love Him, and Forgive Them Father.
I know this post is a bit long, but enjoy all the links! There are a lot of great releases from this period I still had to leave out to control the length of the post. Regardless, check all this music out, and get excited for the early '00s tomorrow!
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