NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
We celebrate hip hop this year as the amazing music genre turns the big 5-0. Throughout those 50 years, we have had hit songs and entire albums that leveled up the game and had dance floors packed. Like sports and movies, we always ask which year was the best in terms of classic releases and timeless songs. In the same way, people who grew up during the time of Woodstock swear that is the best year in the history of rock and roll I say 1996 was the most significant year in hip hop. We were introduced to new artists and, saw people reinvent themselves and their sound. Rocking the official outfit of the era black Timberland boots, baggy jeans, and a freshly ironed Polo Sport shirt I spent each and every Friday waiting. Standing outside “The Wiz” or “Sam Goody” grabbing the new hotness, that’s right kids before streaming and downloading you had to BUY these things called CDs and it was all part of the experience checking out the cover art, reading all the shoutouts and track listings.
A Febuary To End All Febuarys
January was a slow time and most of us were still bobbing our heads to all the heat 1995 brought us. Songs like Survival of The Fittest, Shook Ones (Part II), and the ENTIRE Only Built for Cuban Links had hatchbacks nationwide rocking. Two of my personal favorites from 95 Coast II Coast by the Alkaholiks and Goodfellas from Showbiz & A.G. That all changed in February when two BOMBS got dropped on us in the form of 2Pac All Eyez on Me and a group called the Fugees released The Score. It’s 2023 and those albums still are talked about and get major runs by fans worldwide. We had no idea this would be Pac’s last album before his tragic death. You shortchange it by calling it a hip-hop classic, it’s a musical classic PERIOD. Hits like California Love, 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted, and Only God Can Judge Me. There is just something about riding around in the car playing Ambitionz az a Ridah that just sets the tone for the day. Straight play all the way ZERO skips. And on the other end, you had The Fugees who I had heard of a bit when Blunted on Reality dropped but this was something different. This was a break from the boom bap I was raised on and that was owing the genre and was anything BUT gangster. Pras, Wyclef, and Lauren Hill brought a whole new vibe and sound. We had never heard anything like it the blend of classic NYC hip hop and introducing a bunch of us to some sounds from the Islands and blending it all perfectly. In one month 4 mega talents flipped the game on its head and we loved every minute of it and that wasn’t it.
When the dust settled we got more great music as Busta Rhymes dropped The Coming. Woo-Hah! Got You All In Check, Everything Remains Raw, It’s a Party all solid songs. Also just a sign of things to come from Busta Bus which was not a bad thing at all. The rest of the year saw
Mad Skillz- “From Where”
Ras Kass- “Soul on Ice”
Westside Connection- “Bow Down”
A Tribe Called Quest- “Beats, Rhymes and Life”
Healtah Skeltah- Nocturnal”
De La Soul- Stakes is High”
Makaveli (2Pac)- “The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory”
Mobb Deep- “Hell on Earth”
UGK- “Ridin Dirty”
Lil Kim- “Hardcore”
Xzibit- “At The Speed of Light”
Just when you thought that was enough for ONE year it doesn’t even begin to explain how epic a time it was. Eric Sermon gave us a classic Redman album Muddy Waters it was so good all these years later we still want a part 2! Nas i “It Was Written” showed he could make radio-friendly music and it worked like a champ. The Wu-Tang were everywhere and always had pressure to bring us a banger and Ghostface Killah did not let us down with his debut. Storytelling top level and the RZA on the boards winning combo. You can’t talk 1996 hip hop and not mention Outkast’s “ATLiens” just like the Fugees it was a different type of hip hop but in a great way. The beats, Big Boi and Andre 3000 flow was unlike anything we had heard. I don’t know about you but I picked up at least 5-6 new southern slang words in my vocab. The Roots are a music lover’s dream group musically and lyrically Black Thought is a top 10 MC and the album is so good. Concerto of the Desperado is my joint!
The Summertime King
The first time I heard “Feelin’ It” I was at a friend’s house and his brother had just bought Reasonable Doubt from somebody named Jay Z. Little did I know he would be a major part of not just mine but millions of music fan’s lives. Such an arrogant dude who painted a hell of a picture with words and storytelling expert. Songs like “Brooklyn’s Finest” with the late great Notorious B.I.G. stamped him as the next big thing and we have seen his run isn’t over still. A young hungry Memphis Bleek on “Coming of Age” I could do a whole article on how good a debut album this was. And yet another example of why 1996 is the greatest year in hip-hop music. Shoutout to groups and artists like Company Flow, Lil Kim, Master P, and Xzbit. Keep the beats knocking and the rhymes tight until next time…
For more hip-hop talk follow @JoeCardoso301
