The Questyen

So to continue on from my 1992 thread I'm now moving on to 1993. I turned 14 in '93 and this was the year I really started almost solely listening to hip-hop. The album I consider the greatest hip-hop album of all time came out this year and it's easily the album I've listened to more times in my life than any others. But even still there are a bunch of considered classic albums from 1993 that I've never listened to. I scoured the internet for best of lists and took the cream of the crop and I came up with 16 albums from 1993 that I will be listening to (some for the first time and some I'm familiar with) and writing some thoughts (and a personal letter grade) on each one. I plan on doing one or two a week and I'm interested in your thoughts on the albums also. So here's the list of albums I will be listening to:

Black Moon -- Enta da Stage
Cypress Hill -- Black Sunday
De La Soul -- Buhloone Mindstate
Del the Funky Homosapien -- No Need for Alarm
Digable Planets -- Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)
Freestyle Fellowship -- Innercity Griots
KRS-One -- Return of the Boom Bap
Lords of the Underground -- Here Come the Lords
Masta Ace Incorporated -- SlaughtaHouse
Onyx - Bacdafucup
Queen Latifah -- Black Reign
Snoop Doggy Dogg -- Doggystyle
Souls of Mischief -- 93 'til Infinity
A Tribe Called Quest -- Midnight Marauders
2Pac -- Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.
Wu-Tang Clan -- Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

brayzie

I remember when this one came out, but I was unaware of the anticipation building up towards it. I managed to get the original CD version that has "Gz Up Hoes Down." It's probably one of the most perfect rap albums I've listened to. The variety in the beats was crazy while still sounding like an overall cohesive theme. No filler.
I don't know what happened to Snoop's voice and delivery after this. He never sounded the same again.


I thought he was a soft rapper at the time based on his first singles and acting career. I got into his music with All Eyez On Me and usually avoided anything prior to Thug Life. I gave this album a listen recently and it's solid.
"Streetz R Deathrow," is probably my favorite and more in line with his later work. Some of the other tracks on the album seem heavily influenced by Ice Cube's rapping style and beat choice.

Toddarino

93 and beyond was all about the Wu-Tang Clan. I collected everything I could get my hands on. I remember driving to Atlanta and cleaning out a record store I read about in the Source. I got cd singles, lps, tapes, everything. I still have all that shit to this day.

The Questyen

I'm right there with you. Wu-Tang Clan is to this day my favorite music group of all time. I made a thread on another forum years ago where I went through and reviewed every Wu-Tang related album that had been released up to that point.

Fist of Doom Jr

Ah, the 90s. Looked at a list of albums released that year, and I haven't listened to some of this stuff in a long time. Spice 1's 187 He Wrote is probably my fave - like the best Gangsta Rap, it had a 70s soul and funk vibe. Akinyele's Vagina Diner was a good one - he's got a unique voice.

I don't think I listened to them at the time, but the Roots debuted that year.

The Questyen

I love The Roots but their first release Organix is not great. It's a self published album they were selling at shows that only got a full release once they got bigger a few albums in. Do You Want More is really their debut and where they started to shine.

The Questyen

Black Moon -- Enta da Stage

Black Moon released their debut album in October 1993. Even though it was released on Nervous Records this is pretty much the start of the Duck Down Records catalog. The group consists of Buckshot (who does the majority of the rapping on the album. 10 of the 14 songs are him alone), 5 Ft (the other rapper who only appears on 3 songs), and DJ Evil Dee who handles the production along with future Duck Down staples Da Beatminerz. There are only a few guest appearances on the album with future Duck Down group Smif-n-Wessun on 2 tracks and then Havoc (of Mobb Deep) and Dru-Ha on the album's closer.

I was a big Duck Down fan in the mid to late 90's and early 2000's but I was mainly into Heltah Skeltah, Smif-n-Wessun, and O.G.C. so I didn't listen to much Black Moon stuff other than when they would guest on those groups albums. I had heard some of the singles off this album though and really liked them so I'm not sure why I never listened to this before. It's too bad because I would have really liked Enta da Stage. Buckshot is definitely the standout of the group but 5Ft holds his own on the few tracks he's on including his solo song "Son Get Wrec" which is one of my favorites on the album and has a real RZA-esque feel to its production. I mainly knew "I Got Cha Opin'" from the remix that was released as the single but I actually prefer this album version quite a bit more. The quality stays steady throughout the album with great production and rapping even if the subject matter is your basic crime raps. So overall a great album and I look forward to checking out some more of their work.

Favorite Tracks: "Powaful Impak!", "Son Get Wrec", "I Got Cha Opin'", "How Many MC's..."
Letter Grade: B+

JasonX

You should give The Coup - Kill My Landlord a shot.

The Questyen

It almost made my list but I'll definitely give it a listen.

PhantomStranger

The I Got Cha Opin remix is one of the 90's best singles.

The Questyen

Cypress Hill -- Black Sunday

Cypress Hill released their second album Black Sunday in July 1993. B-Real & Sen Dog handle all rapping duties with no guest appearances. DJ Muggs produced the majority of the tracks with T-Ray producing two of them.

This is my first time giving Cypress Hill a real shot. Back when this came out I was deep into hip-hop and the only people I knew who listened to Cypress Hill were metal kids and stoners so I avoided them just based on their fanbase. Of course I heard "Insane in the Brain" a zillion times on MTV and I became a big fan of DJ Muggs with his Soul Assassin albums which are excellent compilations and the DJ Muggs vs GZA album. So going in fresh Black Sunday is pretty much what I was expecting. The raps are pretty generic songs about weed and gangs but what makes them standout is DJ Muggs production and B-Real's voice. Sen Dog while not a bad rapper can't hold a candle in comparison. Even after over 25 years of airplay "Insane in the Brain" is still a great song and holds up. Overall a solid album that could have been improved with better lyrical content but I can now see what people liked about it.

Favorite Tracks: "Insane in the Brain", "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That", "Hand on the Glock"
Letter Grade: B

LorenzoL

I didn't care much for Black Moon even though I heard "How Many MCs...". However, I loved "Leflaur, Leflah, Eshkoshka" couple of years later with Buckshot, SmiffNWessun and OGC.

PhantomStranger

You'd probably enjoy the Boot Camp Clik, which is most of Duck Down's various acts all rapping together for a couple albums. That includes Black Moon, Heltah Skeltah and others.

The Questyen

De La Soul -- Buhloone Mindstate

De La Soul released their third album in September 1993. The album features guest appearances by Guru, Dres of Black Sheep, and Biz Markie. It is also their last album with Prince Paul doing production.

De La Soul is another blind spot in my hip-hop life where I've heard their stuff throughout my years but I've never actually sat down and listened to an album all the way through. Thankfully I was smart enough a few years back when they gave away all their music for free to download everything knowing I would someday get around to it since their record company issues have kept their early albums off streaming sites. Buhloone Mindstate had me hooked on the first listen. It's a fairly short album especially for 90's hip-hop with only 10 "normal" length songs but it's definitely quality over quantity. "Long Island Wildin'" a less than 2 minute track is catchy as hell featuring Japanese rap group SDP trading verses. "Patti Dooke" has Guru doing the chorus with three jazz veterans doing the instrumentation and it is a standout. The production by Prince Paul is top notch with each track having a distinct feel. I definitely missed out by not listening to this back when it came out but thankfully it is timeless and easily appreciated in 2020.

Favorite Tracks: "Patti Dooke", "Ego Trippin' (Part Two)", "Long Island Wildin'", "I Am I Be"

Letter Grade: A