The Mid 90's (Part 1)

Blackalicious - Melodica Blacalicious (gift of gab and chief Xcell) really came through with this album. The beats are phat and the gift of gab never ceases to lyricaly blow my cerebral cortex into the outer realms of space.
Shadz of Lingo - A View to a Kill Eric Sermon & Diamond D lend a hand on this joint...Everything about this album is on point. The only downfall is that it's ony 11 tracks.
Boogie Monsters - Riders of the Storm: The Underwater Album This is right up there with some the most slept on albums EVER. I bought this album after buying the 12" single for "Recognized Thresholds Of Negative Stress" because it was so dope. I think everyone should experience the beauty of this album at least once. This album gets my highest reccomendation.
Shyheim - AKA The Rugged Child It's hard to imagine someone so young coming on the scene with such a great album, but at the ripe old age of 14 Shyheim came on the '94 scene and did just that. You can hear the early Wu Tang influences in his flow and his rhymes.
Da Bush Babees - Ambushed Packed with solid banging beats+ amazing lyrics from all 3mc's, you're in for a treat. MR.MAN spits highly intricate, intelligent yet witty+funny flows, LEE MAJORS(KAOS) brings that hard edged, no nonsense battle angle, while YTEE is the reggae / dj element of the group.
House of Pain - Same As It Ever Was IMO this is House of Pains finest album. This album was more rough ,the beats were solid and heavy and Everlast sounds more aggressive than on the debut. This album is str8 up mid 90's hip hop!
South Central Cartel - N Gatz We Truss The West Coast Prodeje & Havoc come correct on this joint. This is one of the last West side gangsta albums i bought in the 90's. N gats we truss is one hell of a original gangster rap lp . From start to finish the album just blows out bangin anthems .

Requests.......
The Troubleneck Brothers - Release Me (EP)

The Early 90's (part 2)

Lords of the Underground - Here Come The Lords (1993) "Here Come The Lords" is nothing short of excellent in its production. With DJ Lord Jazz on the wheels of steel and productions from Marley Marl, I guarentee this album will keep your head noding for its entire length. Doitall and Mr. Funke's lyrics are on point.
DMG - Rigormortiz (1993)This comming out album of one of the finest to ever hit the 5th ward Texas scene is bangin'. Bushwick, Scarface and Willie D (if you are a ghetto boyz fan you know what I'm saying) are all on it and the tracks and rappin' are timeless.
Justin Warfield - My Field Trip To Planet 9 (1993)Some of the most tripped out rhymes ever recorded. Who can forget "I'm not ma'am and George, but I'm down to Papadopalis/Swingin' from my rhymes like Spidely in Metropolis"? This is a GREAT hip hop album... upbeat and twisting ryhmes. For fans for A Tribe Called Quest/De La Soul this is for you.
Kam - Neva Again (1993) This album is alot different than simple gangsta rap that steady repeats itself. KAM 's lyrics make you think about the world we all live in. Combined with his partly rough and partly smooth music, his significant rhymes make the whole thing. Peace Treaty is the banger!
Spice 1 - 187 He Wrote (1993)187 He Wrote is my favorite gangsta rap Cd ever!! From top to bottom it's a classic. A must own!!! For any fan of that early 90's west coast rap this ones for you. Spice takes you through with Rhythmic wordplay and street knowledge.
Brotha Lynch Hung - 24 Deep (1993)Every single track on this joint is seriously off the hook, you'll be jammin' all the way through. It's too damn short, but the quality is high. His delivery and voice are the strong points.
Leaders of the New School - T.I.M.E. (1993)This never did well in the mainstream but it's an intelligent rapper's album, some said TIME was too hardcore for the people, and this in a day when street cred was already being measured primarily in terms of number of threats of violence issued rather than musical talent. Busta Rhymes at his best.

The Early 90's (Part 1)

Scarface - Mr Scarface Is Back (1991)This is the album that helped him become the King of the South, a title the man still easily has. Hands down my favorite album from any of the Geto Boys group or solo joints. There are no interludes or shout out trks on here to be found. This is not just mindless "gangsta rap" this is Harcore Hip-hop at its finest!!
Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs - Life of A Kid In The Ghetto (1991)"Be a father to your child", "Bug a Boo", and "I got to have it", which samples Big Daddy Kane's "Aint no half steppin" is a timeless classic, with its unforgettable funky beat & flawless flow. This album is too slept on, and needs to be checked out by mainly people who are a fan of hiphop back when it meant something.
Heavy D & The Boyz - Peaceful Journey (1991)Solid Heavy album the whole way through. Has the classic posse joint "Don't Curse" and one of my favorite tracks ever "Letter To The Future". This is early Pete Rock production at it's greatest.
Yo Yo - Make Way For The Motherload (1992)Ice Cubes female protege YO-YO spit hard like a west coast MC Lyte. You cant play with my Yo Yo with Cube is my favorite jam on the album.
Hard Knocks - School of Hard Knocks (1992)Just hard knocks on your ears. "A dirty cop named harry" is a must have on every rap sampler. I wish there would be more albums like this.
Insane Poetry - Grim Reality (1992) Classic 1992 horrorcore hardcore hip hop. These headz where doin this long before The Gravediggaz came onto the scene.
Point Blank - Prone to Bad Dreams (1992)Point Blank came on the scene hard, This is classic underground southern rap from Texas.

1989 Revisited

Cool C - I Gotta Habit The beats and lyrics on this CD are incredible! The biggest single on this CD was the radio friendly "GLAMOROUS LIFE". But every thing else on this CD is strictly hard-core Hip-Hop! Unfortunately, Cool-C was executed in prison for the murder of a female Police Officer in a bank robbery turned sour.
Divine Styler - Word Power I think that is the first artist with creative & strange aspect of hip hop like freestyle fellowship or kool keith etc.. I say only one word this is hip hop!!
Geto Boys - Grip It On That Other Level This is the original version, grip it on the other level was released in '89. the geto boys self-titled album is the re-released version that was released in '90 because it was so classic in rhyming skills. to be honest, this version is much better because the other version doesn't include the original songs like the gangsta of love version and it also doesn't include search and destroy and no sell out.
King Sun - XL If you like genuine Hip-Hop, you gotta get this record. He is the first king of Hip-Hop, truth! Low Profile - Were In This Together Low Profile's "We're In This Together" was the beginning of the great floresence of West Coast sample-based hip hop lasting from 1989 to 1993. It was gangsta rap without the ridiculous gangsta posturing common to the likes of late 80's comtemporaries Eazy-E and NWA.
3rd Bass - The Cactus Album Let me just say that lyrically this album was way ahead of it's time and even now, the lyrics on this joint are far more complex than most mc's coming out. this is a true classic joint that stands the test of time and keeps hittin'.
Tuff Crew - Back To The Wreck Shop This has to be ranked along side "Paid In Full" and "Critical Beatdown",classic old skool beats and safe rhyme.You don't get much better.All rap artists these days are trying to top what Tuff Crew and UltraMagnetic did years ago.In the words of Tuff Crew,"Gimmie Some".
Chill Rob G - Ride the Rhythm "Motivation" "I'm shootin' my mouth. Cause suckas are shootable. I'm flauntin' my rhymes. Cause I'm black and it's beautiful." That was all it took for me to realize that Chill Rob G was Lyrical master.Being young, intelligent and a black college student became cool again and Chill Rob's brilliance as a writer and beat-oligist will forever live on.

Shyne

Jamal Barrow of Brooklyn, New York. Born to the Prime Minister of Belize (Dean Barrow), Shyne has denied acknowlodging him as his father. He has good reason too being that his father has publicly stated that Shyne was "unwanted". Not much is known of his mother. Then on December 27, 1999, Shyne, along with Combs and his girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, allegedly was involved in a high-profile incident at a Manhattan club which left three people injured and the then,19-year-old rapper, whose debut album was pending release, facing charges of attempted murder, assault, and reckless endangerment.On July 2001 Shyne was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Some say he took the fall for his then boss Puff Daddy. Brooklyn Stand Up! Free Shyne!!



Shyne - Shyne


Shyne - Godfather Buried Alive


Shyne - If I Could Start From Scratch


Shyne - The Most Authentic

Frankie Cutlass & Green Lanturn Mixtapes

The only thing wrong with this album was it was too damn short...all the tracks are on point. I loved the way Frankie mixed & matched his MC's. Heltah Skeltah & Rampage/ Smif N Wessun & Busta Rhymes..... You never see those kind of callaborations anymore. This has been & always will be one of my favorite released mixtapes.
Frankie Cutlass - Politics & Bullshit (1997)
1. Puerto Rico/Black People 2. Feel The Vibe(Rampage,Doo Wop, Heltah Skeltah) 3. Focus(Lost Boyz, M.O.P.) 4. You & You & You(Sadat X, June Lover) 5. Bordiquas On Da Set Remix(Fat Joe, Doo Wop) 6. Old School Radio (Interlude) 7. The Cypher: Part 3(Craig G, Roxanne Shante, Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane) 8. Know The Game(Mobb Deep, Kool G. Rap, M.O.P.) 9. Games (Roc-City-O) 10. Pay Ya Dues(Keith Murray, Busta Rhymes, Smif N Wessun) 11. Bordiquas On Da Set(Fat Joe, Doo Wop, Evil Twins)



DJ Green Lanturn Live on Hot 97 (2001)
This was a show from Hot97 recorded in 2001..Green Lanterns "Takin it To The Streets" weekend mix. Exclusive Freestyles from MOP, Mobb Deep, KRS-1, Cam'Ron, Raekwon, Jadakiss, Nas, Jay-Z, Noreaga

KRS-One - Return of Da Boom Bap

KRS-One - Return of Da Boom Bap (Download)

This is a review from qnzgrimiest
i got this cd as a christmas gift in 2004, let me tell u, this album is a calssic, this shouldve been 5 mics, as soon i saw this post i had to pop it in as i am writing this review, i mean the production is straight hood, it does have that jazzy feel but its still hard at the same time,and the concepts this guy got is crazy, and he was angry on this album ,which i like because it really shows the emotional side of the artist,my favorite tracks are the intro (he wasted a good beat but at the same time it was a good intro), outta here (primo did his thing on this album,anytime i hear this or the beat i get goosebumps (u know what im talkin about) the ones u hear a ill beat and get that weird feeling), black cop (hot beat, mad lion also used this beat for his song shoot to kill, mortal thought (i like that bass in the song, that cello plucking, sound of da police (i used to hear this song all the time back in the 90's because all the hustlas in my hood used to blast this song from their cars), mad crew (hot beat), return of the boom bap (primo did it again),p is still free (this is my second favorite primo track from this album) and finally my favorite song of this album is higher learning (that beat is so ill, i love that sample, that shit reminds me of a cold winter morning in nyc with the sunrising when its all gold, or the sun is setting over new york, he made some good points in this song i didn't agree with some of them but its a banger), bottom line if u like this album then u would like bdp's last album sex and violence (another underrated album, they went i should say he went out with a bang with that album, but its not as jazzy,u should post that album too crooks) thanks for posting this album, peace, support real hip hop.

Capone & Noreaga

Capone (born Kiam Holley) and Noreaga (born Victor Santiago) grew up in the projects of Queensbridge and LeFrak City, respectively. When hip hop was getting blinged out in 97 with the mainstream MTV crap like Puff Daddy & Master P, CNN was one of the few groups that really held it down for me. The War Report is right behind other street classics such as Mobb Deep's Infamous, Raekwon's ..Cuban Link, and Nas' Illmatic. It boasts the buzz-gaining "L.A. L.A." w/ Mobb Deep and Tragedy, an answer record to the Dogg Pound's "NY NY". The production is straight raw beats provided by EZ Elpee, Buckwild, Lord Finesse, Clark Kent, Havoc from Mobb Deep, Marley Marl and Bay Boy Hitmen producers Nashiem Myrick & Carlos Broady, who produce The War Report favorites "T.O.N.Y." and "Driver's Seat". Also peep other War Report hits "Blood Money", "Stick You" & "Illegal Life".

The Reunion came out 3 years later and another stint in jail for Capone and the commercializing of NORE I didn't expect them to come back with this much fire. I was wrong. This album is as good as "The War Report" both are classics and great CD's. Guests are all fellow Queens rappers (Mobb Deep, Nas, Thugged Out Clique). There is a lot more Capone on this one then their debut which is good, and on all the songs both rappers are on them (except Pone's solo) unlike the first album. This one has more classics than the first but a few more songs that are just average, but the other songs are very well put together and are good or great songs. Production is handled by many people but they all do agood job, especially DJ Premier (as always). A must have classic album for the true hip hop headz.


Capone N Noreaga - The War Report(1997)


Capone-N-Noreaga - The Reunion(2000)

Naughty by Nature

They've created infectious, chart-topping party anthems and unleashed gritty, grimy manifestos. They've toured the world and reigned as international superstars but still live in the city they grew up in. They've dominated the pop and R&B charts, all the while staying true to real hip-hop and themselves. Treach is one of my top 10 MC's off all time. Naughty released som really bad albums in the late 90's & early 2000. But these three joints are pure hip hop classics. Naughty By Nature are arguably hip-hop's finest group and unquestionably one of its most beloved.


Naughty by Nature (1991)


19 Naughty III (1993)


Poverty's Paradise (1995)

HOT NEW BLOG....Timz N Hood Chek!!

HOT NEW BLOG!!!!

YO! Dis is a new blog by your boy Crooklyn. This is strictly new joints str8 from the underground. No bullshit talk or videos...just str8 downloads & tracklists of the new bangers. So check in every other day for the brand new shit to keep your head noddin!
(CLICK HERE) ..TIMZ N HOOD CHECK

Black Sheep - A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Black Sheep - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Download)
Original Release Date: October 22, 1991

Back in 1991, The Native Tounges were known for making heavy laid back musical vibes (ATCQ: Low End Theory; De La Soul: De La Soul Is Dead), so when a group called Black Sheep were added into the group, it had a much different edge to the name. Consisting of Dres who mostly did the vocals and Mista Lawnge who mostly did the production, Black Sheep would bring a humorous taste to the hip hop era in '91. "La Menage" featuring Q-Tip is a good song pertaining to sex as Dres and partner Mista Lawnge or alter ego Sugar Dick Daddy show you can't have a show without the DJ. A song with a down play of guitar chords looped with a subtle flute makes "Hoes We Knows" a standout. "Black With N.V. (No Vision)" is a different atmosphere for this album that was necessary as social issues are being confronted. This LP also contains both versions of the hit "The Choice Is Yours". Thoughtful, clever and quite funny interludes help to push this LP among such as "Are You Mad?", "L.A.S.M.", "Go To Hail" and "For Doz That Slept". Overall A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing is a classic album you must have in your collection.

Lyricist Lounge

In the tradition of great hip hop indie labels like Cold Chillin' and Wild Pitch Records, emerged Rawkus Records in the late 90's in reaction of the gangsterism and the cheesy pop rap that infested the genre in the same period. Though the label didn't achieve a large level of sucess, it played by its own rules and let it artists flourish on their own merits. Natrually this comlilation is heavy on Blackstar, Mos Def and Talib Kweli tracks, so newebies get this and go get the label's essentals, namely "Mos Def and Talib Kweli as Blackstar", Mos Def's "Black On Both Sides", Reflection Eternal's "Train Of Thought", Talib Kweli's "Quality" and the Soundbombing compilations. Here are the true gems of the Rawkus collection...The Lyricist's Lounge CD's. Lyricist Lounge Vol. 1 (2CD) (Tracklist)Rawkus did a great job making this cd.... they bring in a mix of underground and mainstream musicians. With the classic Rawkus crew Mos Def and Talib Kweli and DJ Hi Tek as Reflection Eternal, Skillz and Pharoahe Monch. They also throw in a off the chain freestyle features thirstin howl and j-treds, and is wow, then you got wordsworth, punchline, and a lot of underground burners. the second disc is hosted by keith and menelik which is cool, but fewer strong tracks. cia is a stone cold classic.
Lyricist Lounge Vol 2 (Tracklist) After hearing Vol. 1 I had to cop this album and I must say I was far from dissapointed. I know we all buy albums with a few good songs but all of these tracks won't dissapoint. From Mos Def, Gangstarr, MOP w/ Kool G Rap, Redman, Dilated peoples (beat is intense) et cetera, et cetera, I think they dished out the best. Granted, not all tracks will top your radio charts, but Hip Hop Fans and freestyle lyricists like myself will not be dissapointed with the amazing beats and great lyrical flow, possibly some of the best these guys have dished out. I think the bar has been raised in terms of lyrics here reppin the lyricist lounge cause I haven't heard rhymes like this from these guys for a minute. Some of you may not recognize the talent here and you'll definitely be surprised. Rawkus Records presents Best Of Decade I 1995-2005 (Tracklist)Ok, first off Rawkus Records was one one of the top independent hip hop record labels of the late 90's. It got some mc's careers started like conscious rappers, Mos Def and Talib Kweli. The label also offered a lot of underground hip hop that went against the mainstream. This album is basically a showcase of the artists who made what Rawkus is today. But there are some songs missing that this greatest hits could have benefited from. Company Flow's 8 Steps to Perfection or perhaps The Fire in which you burn, Umi Says, Simon Says, I Try, Kool G Rap's My Life, Any Man, etc. But nonetheless, this is a good summary of what Rawkus did in 10 years and hopefully they will put some more underground hip hop after being shut down for awhile.

Lyricist Lounge Vol. 1 (2CD)(Download)
Lyricist Lounge Vol. 2 (Download)
Best of Decade I - 1995-2005 (Download)