Back when you actually had to pay for new music, a trip to your local record spot was fraught with danger. Not so much in the sense of getting your new Nikes snatched off of your feet, but something much more serious – wasting you’re dough on a bullshit tape! Before the internets allowed us to download, listen and delete every two-bit rap release, you were flying blind for the most part, with only a handful of record reviews and the production credits on the back to guide you as to what to cop. And as a result, I ended-up with a fair few albums that can only be described as hot garbage. Allow me to open the shame file:
Fu-Schnickens – This seemed like some next shit when it dropped. Pre-Wu Tang kung-fu movie samples, some Tribe Called Quest/Black Sheep beats and guest spots and super-fast rapping? Then Das-EFX dropped and did the cartoon rap style a billion times more effectively, leaving the Fu’s with no other option than to make a song with Shaq-Fu. Fuck you, 1991!
Lords of the Underground – I heard a couple of tracks from Here Come The Lords on the radio with some knockin’ beats from K-Def and Marley Marl, so I was all over this like white on rice. Once i popped into the Sony, I was assaulted by some of the most irritating, high-pitched yelping to ever pass for rapping, as dope track after dope track was ruined by the vocals. Mr. Funkee? Really? The most shameful thing about the whole incident is the fact that I forgot all about it and bought the second album the next year….SMH.
Monie Love – I only paid a dollar for this tape on the strength of some early Beatnuts work but that doesn’t make it right.
Cappadonna – Buzzed off ’97 Mentality’, I got home with an album of RZA weed carrier productions and rambling verses from Cappa, and sold-off The Pillage immediately.
Jungle Brothers – J Beez Wit the Remedy was the beginning of the end. It had a couple of joints, but it was a warning that in a couple of years these one-time rap stalwarts would be making euro-dance crossover music and ‘experimenting’ in a whole bunch of other ways.
Blackstarr – This is a classic to some, but trash to my ears. Talib was trying to fit too many words into one breath, and Shawn J. Period‘s ‘sample-free’ beats weren’t shit compared to his work on Mos Def‘s first single.
Arabian Prince – Brother Arab The fact that NWA kicked him out of the group should have tipped me off, but I got fooled by the classic Hendrix sample he used on ‘Let The Good Times Roll’. My bad.
OK, I have to stop now before I go and punch a hole in the wall. A quick survey around the place also saw these mentioned by other folk in the Hall of Shame:
Da Youngsta’s Illy Funkstaz – I’ll Make U Famous
Das Efx – Generation Efx
OC – Bon Apetit
Ma$e – Welcome Back
Kool Moe Dee – Interlude
Nas – Nastradaumus
Rah Digga – Dirty Harriet
Whats’ the worst album you ever paid for?
Two-thirds of ‘J Beez…’ is great: ‘I’m in Love with Indica’, ‘Good Lookin’ Out’, and, um the other songs not featuring Torture/Sensational I can’t remember. Blame beer…
Brand New Heavies “Heavy Rhyme Experience”
With an all-star line up and a dope funk band, they still managed to fail epically on this one.
Big Daddy Kane – Daddy’s Home. Pure trash. I can’t even name any tracks on it except “In My PJs” which I think was about his choice of sleeping attire.
A Tribe Called Quest “Love Movement” comes to mind
Just Ice- The Desolate One
Nas-I Am (faked me out with Nas Is Like)
Jungle brothers- Raw Deluxe
Professor Griff and the Last Asiatic Disciples
Jay Z- In My Lifetime Vol 2
D-Nice To the Rescue
Quo-Michel Jackson’s kiddie group
Back when we had Strawberries in jersey, I copped a Jazzy Jeff album. Riding home on my bike and my new wax, I couldn’t peddle fast enough to hear the magnificent cuts of DJ Jazzy Jeff… I get to the crib, slide the wax out if the sleeve and drop the needle on some bullsh&t!! It was Jazzy Jeff from the Funky 4+1.. My man from Philly claimed that he used to go to house parties and he said he saw Jeff, so before I purchased the album, I asked him if Jeff had cornrows and he said “yes.” He never saw Jeff…..fail…
Uhh… I think you’re being a little harsh on Mos Def and Talib Kweli. However, it’s not the classic it’s painted to be.
The Jungle Brothers… WTF! One of the worst falls from grace ever.
Monie Love… is the worst thing to come out of England.
The Fu-Schnickens, rappin’ out of chinese food containers can only be out-shamed by rappin’ with Shaq… Two Strikes… don’t wait for the third.
The Lords of The Underground…Ryhmin’ in a diaper? They suck.
My biggest case of “buyers remorse” ever was easily “A Taste of Chocolate” by Big Daddy Kane.
Honorable Mention: “Spiritual Minded” by KRS One. I’m going to throw up now off memory alone.
Lastly, the worst album I ever bought… “Word To The Jaz” – Jaz O’s first album back in ’89 with Hawian Sophie on it… don’t ask.
Post Script: Shouts to whoever said Nastradamus. Nas is dead.
My brother’s here… he says Brand Nubian’s “In God We Trust”. Wasn’t digging most of the album except “Pass The Gat” and “Love Me Or Leave Me Alone”, and then on top of that, it had the generic version of “Punks Jump Up” on it.
For me, it’d have to be Jurassic 5’s “Quality Control”… I was on this big “underground = automatically dope” kick in late-2000, but I learned my lesson after I bought that shit.
But it could be worse… I know a dude who bought Craig Mack’s second album. Jeesh!
-D!
Anyone wholesale dissng the third Jungle Brothers album hasn’t actuallly listened to the whole thing.
How many other LPs are only 2/3rds good? Most of ’em.
The WordSound release of the tracks that never made the LP is; however, poo. And that’s word to Liz Lemon Cool J.
I think Period only did 1 or 2 joints on the blackstar record, and I think he was still usin samples at the time
anything after BDK’s second album, basically anything after illmatic by Nas but one of my biggest disappointments would be wu tang albums after 36 chambers. Every time a new one came out I would hope for some semblace to 36 chambers. FAIL!!!!!!!
Oh and I love Ski Beats, but Original Flavor was straight doo doo! I gave them shits to my man Hash and he slipped that shit back in my collection!
Damn back in the day I was on a No Limit- Cash Money kick . I bout every album them fools put out. Guess I’m the fool now! I cant even give those shits away less even sell them to a resale shop!
the second main source album… you cant even touch the shit w/ large pro… nuff said
One that comes to mind is AG’s solo, I think it was called The Dirty Version, that shit was trash with just the OC track being decent.
I remember being young and spending ages deciding what to spend cash on in the record shop because I’d been burnt so many times before. Mid 90s onward had a lot of lps with only 1 or 2 decent tracks.
the pillage? blackstarr? OC?? nah, you just ain’t listenin right, lol…
Ice Cube – Lethal Injection
Nas – It Was Written
Geto Boys – whatever the fuck that 96 album was called
ATCQ – Love Mo…
CMW – whateve the fuck that 94 album was called
ATL – Uncle Sams Curse – WHAT THE FUCK WAS ‘RAIN BE FOR RAIN BO’????
that A.G. and Madlib album was straight trash.
also got caught out there payin for Joe Camel’s ‘Kingdom Come’ lp..why oh why?!
..and damn u Wyclef for fuckin up Canibus debut album!!
The entire Black Starr album is karaoke – even the drum pattern on ‘Definition’ is ‘The Bridge Is Over’? – but think it’s before Sean J’s Jesus movement?
Some great candid shots in the packaging though.
How the fuck is a Ma$e album disappointing? What were you expecting – the 15th coming of Rakim? The second coming of Russ Abbott?
That brand new heavies album is incredible IMO.
too many great albums are on peoples list! wow!!
so let’s keep adding on then!
Mic Geronimo was sold on the street about a month after I picked it up.
Marley Marl in control Volume 2
Quest’s Love Movement AND Beats, Ryhmes and Life
Ice Cube’s War and Love disc. both can kiss my ass
Uncle Sam’s Curse? Are you serious? That is a classic album.
^ and ‘Rain Be For Rain Bo’?
i’m sorry, that shit was worse than Kokane pretending to be an MC…
i bought mase ‘double up’ off the strength of “get ready”… hated it back then, but came to appreciate it years later
Robbie, I agree with you dogz that Black Star joint was WACK…
Remember that fake horror core group K.M.C.? I read a ” Source ” review and decided to cop the tape…Turned out to be WACK…
Chronic 2000 was type WACK as well…
Flatlinerz were WACK too…..I guess it helps to be related to Hustle Simmons…
considering all the hype that preceeded it I’ve gotta say that canibus debut was the biggest disappointment.surprised more don’t agree.cant 4get raekwons 2nd joint either which was medicore@best
BDK-Prince of Darkness
Kirk-Makin Moves
Ant Banks-Do or Die
OGC second album
Heltah Skeltah second album
but the #1 biggest waste of money had to be The Boot Camp Clicks 1st album. That was a big letdown.
anything after BDK’s second album
^^ Fuck that, Looks Like A Job For has some great shit on it like The Beef Is On, Chocolate City, Rest In Peace and Stop Shammin’. That remix of ‘Nuff Respect Due is crap, though.
Lethal Injection was a major disappointment but i didn’t regret spending money on it due to Ghetto Bird, which i ended up playing more than any other song that year.
I did regret spending cash on The Ruler’s Back at the time but now i love the likes of King, Bond, Moses and the 2 singles and even copped that recent 2xLP version of it.
Gotta mention Immobilarity here. Sneakers is good but not worthy of full album retail price good.
Lead Pipe by Grand Daddy I.U was so shit the only way i could quash the feeling of being ripped off with possibly the worst lp in rap history was to smash it up.
^ Excuse the html fuck up.
nastradamus
nastradamus
nastradamus
Lethal Injection is dope to me, well at least the first half.
I think I bought Latyrx blind off the recommendation of a white indie rock kid (I know, what did I expect?). I thought it was some kind of joke. Returned it the same day.
Jay Z Vol. 1. A few great songs, but a big step down, especially musically. And some loser guest spots and horrible hooks to boot. This one put me off Jay Z for a minute.
Tha Doggfather.
De La–1st AOI. Beats were ass.
magnum opus – top quality
The Firm !!!!
Jerus’ third album. I was, still am a fan of his. And the 99.9% song had. The album lost me….
WU-Syndicate
Probably the worst CD I ever bought was 50 Cent’s The Massacre. It did a number on the record charts and went whatever times platnum but I just hated it. Lyrics were straight garbage and every song was like a club anthem. Some of the tracks are good but most of it sucks. His 1st album was so dope and then he put out this. Way too mainstream Curtis.
mantronix – this should move ya
I also agree – Uncle Sam’s Curse is one of my favorites. Real Cali gangsta shit with a movie soundtrack/theme. Fantastically produced.
Tim Dog – Penecillin on Wax
Tho i appreciate it as a comedy album, haha
BLACKSTARR “DEFENITION” WAS THE P IS FREE (REMIX) DRUMS/BEAT NOT THE BRIDGE IS OVER
Raekwon – Immobilarity
I FIND SOMETHING GOOD IN EVERYTHING(EVEN SPIRITUAL MINDED) AND DON’T HOP ON EVERY BANDWAGON..UNDERGROUND RADIO(JSMOOTH&BOBBITO IN THE 90’S)KINDA HELPED MY EAR, PLUS I SENSE TOTAL GARBAGE..SO MY TRACK RECORD IS GREAT..TO MY TASTE
criticism criticism and all that jazz :
Whats’ the best album you ever paid for?
PSA: Public Secret Announcement
let we heard all these albums’ name, downloaded! Ha!
SNOOP DOGG – DOGGFATHER
GRAND PUBA – 2000
COOL BREEZE – EAST POINT’S GREATEST HIT
ANY MOVIE SOUNDTRACK BESIDES “ABOVE THE RIM” OR “MENACE II SOCIETY”
Your crazy to hate on Blackstarr. That’s a top 20 album for me!
The dumbest album I ever bought, gassed off a enjoyable Country Grammer, was Free City. Don’t ask….
i agree heavy rhyme experience was on the large part a dissapointment but g-rap and the heavies went so damn hard on “death threat” that i still played it out.
sean paul….imperial blaze!!!…..wack!!!!
Biggie – Ready to Die
Lauryn Hill – Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Nas – Stillmatic
Dr Dre – Chronic 2001
2 Pac – All Eyes On Me
Jay Z – Reasonable Doubt
Outkast – Aquemeni and atliens
WORST ALBUMS EVER
RBX – First solo album, I forget what it was called.
ODB – Return to 36 chambers.
Haven’t seen anyone list Ghost’s “Bulletproof Wallets” on here yet. Nor KRS’ “I Got Next”. Any of the Digital Underground releases post “This Is An E.P. Release” are pretty wackety-wack as well.
Dude you actually bought Mase’s Welcome Back???
easily Best Of Both Worlds.
October 1993 – Held Fat Joe’s ‘Represent’ in one hand and Shaq’s ‘Shaq Diesel’ in the other. Ummed and aahed, but those import CDs weren’t cheap. Walked out with Shaq’s opus. Fail.
Edan – Primitive Plus
AG-The Dirty version
Queen Latifah-Nature of a sista
Souls of Mischief-No man’s Land
KRS-ONE-(self Titled)
YO YO-You Better ask somebody
Antoinette-Burnin at 40 below
Lench Mob-Guerillas in the Mist
Casual-Fear It’s Self
Greyson & Jason-Sweatin me wet
Man I got too many to add…
Hey, Nastradamus is not wack. Thats a dope LP to me. But Mase’s 2nd LP was garbage. He had so much hype, everybody thought he was gonna pick up where he left off but he didnt. its very sad cause he’s still to me one of the illest ever to do it.
Blackstar’s 1st LP is dope, there aint nothin trashy on that whole LP. its borderline classic to me.
I cant believe u left off Canibus’ 1st LP, everybody thought he was the next one up, but that LP was hot bullshit!
Snoops Doggfather….. awful I didnt even like the first single i was just so hyped by doggystaye i thought it had to be great….. big mistake. The canibus album was a fucking mess, one of the biggest disappointments ever. I felt like my ears had been raped by evil perverts
Great calls on both BON APETIT by OC and GENERATION EFX by Das.
my worst record ever bought:
the disposable heroes of hiphoprisy
but i stopped buying in 92, so luckily i missed a lot of garbage ;)
Lifers Group.
Still don’t know how I ended up with that one…
Actually that Illy Funkstaz tape was cool. But I would say Return to the 36 chambers. Ahhhhhhhh. Yeah i said it. Talk about over rated. RIP though Ol D.B.
^ I liked Belly of the Beast hahaha
Tha Doggfather, The Game is to be Sold Not Told – Snoop Dogg
The Lex Diamond Story – Raekwon
In My Lifetime Vols 1 & 2 – Jay Z
Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars – Killarmy
The Swarm – Wu Tang
The W – Wu Tang
Tical 0 (The Prequel) – Method Man
Streets Disciple – Nas
All We Got Iz Us – Onyx
Back In Business – EPMD
Can-I-Bus – Canibus
Enigma – Keith Murray
Phantom of the Raprah – Bushwick Bill
Kuruption! – Kurupt
Mr. Smith – LL Cool J
Whatever the Lady of Rage CD was called
Dr Dre Presents: The Aftermath
Chronic 2000 – Death Row
Melvyn Flint the Huslter – NORE
The Kush – Havoc
Ruff Ryders Vols 2, 3
I Am is one of my favorite Nas CD’s for what it’s worth
Mase – Double Up
Eminem – Encore
Cam’ron – Confessions Of Fire
Tony Yayo – Thoughts Of A Predicate Felon
LLoyd Banks – Rotten Apple
Someone else said the Ma$e…and I figured out that Can-I-Bus was trash as soon as it dropped so I no never bought it.
Company Flow’s ‘Funcrusher Plus’.
What the f was that all about?
im not the biggest fat joe fan…but a choice btwn. a joe and a shaq-fu cd and u pick shaq??
..them record shop folk probably still laughin ’till this day
funcrusher plus is classic btw
feelin most your regrets but my two pieces of advice for you would be:
1. Drop acid and then listen to JB’s with the Remedy, without lsd you’ll never get it, but with it your wall will turn into spawning fish and then into the innerworkings of a clock, worked for me, I love that record
2. Time travel to 1990 and play It’s Time to Bone by Arabian Prince around some fat ass suburban broads, and when you’re balls deep an hour later your buyer’s remorse will just fade away, worked for me, I love that record
oh and Cappa’s first joint is down right lovable three forties deep hitting your roommate in the head with an oversized Whiffle bat (aka Fat Bat) at 4 am while he sleeps and your singing along, “Milk THis COW! The Best way we know how, Park Hill Pro-JECTS nigga POW!”
on the other hand Cappa’s second album “Yin/ Yang” bullshit sucks elephant dicks no matter how drunk you are
Penicillin on Wax is a masterpiece – stop hating.
Listening to the Dog and Kool Keith talk about jerking off and their sexual fantasies – PRICELESS
wait I just re-read your shit, did you mean cappa’s second one? If you did, my bad.
I could never appreciate Schooly D. I bought all his tapes (Saturday night the album, Smoke some Kill, Am i black enough for You) and even named our Cali crew PSK back in the days. I could never listen to them more than once.
^ You don’t like Saturday Night? Madness!
You bought the second Mase album?
Monie Love’s was definitely the first worst for me.
The Questionmark Asylum
Yagfu Front
Antex
Groove B Chill
Zhigee
The Future Sound
J Beez wit the Remedy
Black Sheep Non Fiction
Nice & Smooth IV
Big Daddy Kane-Veterans Day
Jazzmataz (anyone after the first)
hummm….
good callon the Monie Love…Simple E anyone lol
my bad for a 3rd post in a row but that Crazy Sam album fuckin sucked too bad not to mention it
I tripped off anything Cold Chillin/Marley Marl. Then I brought an import by 2 Deep. Don’t think I’ve ever played the B-side. Marley, Marley, Marley please tell me you ghosted on that production!!
Also loved anything First Priority/Audio 2/MC Lyte. Saw an album on First Priority by Alliance. One guy on the cover is seeping Moet and wearing a dope pair of Nike Bo Jackson’s in a green colourway (Hell that’s all we had to go on back in the day..The album cover). This album was gonna be phat…….HELL NO!!
Speaking of album cover perhaps the next discussion should be albums we slept on just because the album cover was garbage, for starters:
Stezo- Crazy Noise (that outfit looked like he was a member of BROS (wack British boy band))
Real Live- Tha Turnaround; cover just looked boring and one rapper was too chubby the other too dorky!!!
Kurious Jorge- Constipated Monkey; Funny looking fella calling an album about a primate desparate for a dump. That’s got too be wack…
Oh how I’ve slept on some great albums!!!
Whoever said Marley Marl in control Vol 2. Spot on! Terrible
Black Moon – War Zone (bought into the ‘Beatminerz are back’ hype)
Memphis Bleek – Coming of Age (Memph Bleek is…TRASH Memph Bleek is…WACK)
Nas – Nastradamus (this was the moment I gave up on Nas forever)
Ghostface Killah – Bulletproof Wallets (the album was an absolute mess for various reasons)
GZA – Beneath The Surface (what the FUCK was this shit!?)
good concept, but seems like most of the selections here are just disappointing albums.
i think that this problem was especially rampant during the flood of indie hip-hop in the mid-90’s, where you’d buy shit knowing it might be your only chance to cop it, with small labels and limited pressings and all. there were strategies to avoid buying the type of mediocre albums mostly listed here, but knowing when to pass on an unknown indie record was a tough call.
in that vein, i’ve bought a LOT of bullshit indies but “Saukrates Season” has to be towards the top of the list — that shit was so bad it almost overshadowed Saukrates’ entire catalog
I also threw Rampage The Last Boyscout out my car window after one day
I was Nastradamus but i see its well represented. Number 2 is between TASTE OF CHOCOLATE by BDK or that fucking shitty ass arrested development debut album. STRAIGHT FUCKING TRASH.
Casual-Fear It’s Self???????????
R.Jones are you fuckin’ kidding me??!!!?? Casual’s debut album was straight CLASSIC!!!
I purchased the Misfits single for a Buckwild beat at Skippy Whites in Providence over a decade ago. Garbage. I gave ten bucks for the 1st Pudgee the Phat Bastard brick and am still looking for the reciept. Wasted some cash on Chuck D’s Punk Barbarians also. Sonny Cheeba (if i remember the name) could rhyme.
What’s up w Red Hot Lover Tone and the Trackmasters. His two albums were alright. Used to sing lil boy blue to braods in high school.
Puba 2000 and that second Black Sheep album definitely belong on the list
WORST ALBUM I EVER PAYED FOR:
El-P Fantastic Damage. Should’ve been called Fantastic Garbage. Mumbling lyrics and beats that sound like they put a chimp in front of an MPC and let him beat on the pads for an hour. Holy shit how can anybody call that good let alone classic? If you love that album you have no sense of funk whatsoever. Like homeboy up there, I was on some underground=dope kick. Thankfully it took a turd like FanDam to knock me into reality.
PE – Muse Sick N Hour Mess Age
horrible use of live drums throughout the album, what were the Bomb Squad thinking?
Don’t even act like Owe me Back don’t completely pound on the dancefloor!!Haters hate…and thats basically what happens with Nas and alot of these ablums being mentioned. Y’all hate cuz its cool. It you give an honest listen, Nastradamus ain’t that bad. i swear. Though i like him, i can understand the talib hatred…dudes voice def aint for everybody.
I bought Funcrusher Plus and got halfway through the second track before having to turn it off. I still have some residual respect for Def Jux — Aesop Rock is a brilliant lyricist, no matter how unlistenable the music is — but that album was torture.
I liked the Brand New Heavies album.
Black Star was a lousy record for the most part, but Mos Def lays down some incredible verses on that album. Black On Both Sides too. Anyone who says otherwise is tripping in my opinion.
I can’t ride for their LPs, but Chip Fu and Monie Love have always been much better rappers than anyone gave them credit for. They both murdered their appearances on that Nas “Where Are They Now?” remix. Chip Fu was always a beast, cartoony subject matter or no.
I’ve bought some horrible albums in my time — Haiku D’Etat, Zion I, Iomos Marad, I don’t really wanna look through my ‘collection’ and go through the agony of remembering but some days it feels like half my record collection is a trash heap.
Whoever hated the second and third OutKast albums… fuck, man, do you enjoy great rap music?
I also fucks with the Rah Digga album.
Jay-z Kingdome Come.
Sticy Fingaz 2nd album, I bought it on the strength of the Kirk Jones cd he made which is a classic BTW.
The BEst worst cd I ever bought was that Memphis Bleek understanding. That shits not that bad nowadays….
Mobb Deep-Americaz Nightmare+Infamy,Raekwon-Immobilarity,Nore-Melvin Flint,The Firm Album, DMX-The great depression,Big Pun-Yeahhh Baby, Ghostface Killah-Supreme Clientele,CNN-The Reunion,Hell Rell-All his albums,Styles P-Super Gangster Extraordinary Gentleman,
Sticy Fingaz 2nd album, I bought it on the strength of the Kirk Jones cd he made which is a classic BTW.
^
Cosign on all this – made the same mistake based off his first (I actually stole his 2nd but shit what a waste of time)
The Fuckin Firm album!!!!!!!! I’m Nas for Life but this almost did me in..
Canibus — 2000 B.C. There’s one track where he blames Wyclef for the first album sucking so hard. But the whole joint is so wack it makes you wish Clef was still around.
Also, Aceyalone — All Balls Don’t Bounce. People talk about that shit like it’s a classic so when I saw the original issue at the store I scooped it up. I have never been able to listen to the whole thing. YAWN.
As for that Rah Digga joint, shit is dope! No joke. I would’ve bought her second album if I could.
I forgot the all-time champion, The Bricks by the Outsidaz. The first ep was dope as fuck, but somehow they managed to make a follow-up with not one listenable track. Seriously, no joke, there is not one track you can actually listen to all the way through.
Man I got suckered by Puff Daddy “Forever”, Lil Kim “The Naked Truth” that first Havoc Solo “Kush” or whatever that bullshit was and the epic fail that was Method Man’s “Tical 0″…………that shit was just garbage.
There are a lot of really good albums being thrown out there. Blackstar was great Above the Laws Uncle Sam’s Curse was great shit. Also Fus brekdown was had some great tracks. The worst i ever boughts gotta be scarface the world is yours and every canibus cd except jack the ripper
Jay-Z – Kingdom Come & The Dynasty Album
Nas – Streets Disciple
Black Eyed Peas – 1st LP(Joints & Jams was lead single
Mos Def – The New Danger
Big Pun – Yeahhh Baby
50 Cent – Curtis
Mobb Deep – Amerikaz Nightmare
Blackstarr – Self Titled
Ghostface – More Fish
Cam’ron – Confessions Of Fire
there is definitely some more, those are the 1’s that come to mind the quickest
Capone – Pain, Time, Glory
Co-Sign on the Confessions of Fire. Talk about a big let down after all of the Source Ads and Hype.
Can’t Forget About:
Heltah Skeltah – Magnum Force
Biggie Duets
Twista and the Speedknot Mobstaz (got it on the strength of Adrenaline Rush)
Nas – Hip Hop Is Dead (you’d think with that title he’d have some heat right?….wrong)
sorry to hate so much on Uncle Sams Curse, but with the wakest of all wak tracks contained on it, it fails, and as an album, you can’t sit through that shit…
so people either dug that ‘Rain Be For Rain Bo singing shit’, or they just forget about it and remember the good joints, and claim a dope album can have extremely wak songs on it?
WTF?
put it this way, i sold ‘It Was Written’ as soon as i heard ‘Nas Is Coming’… = wak!
you talking about mobstability? that album was dope….not as good as adrenaline rush but dope
raekwon immobilarity – i couldnt believe my ears…the worst follow up ever.
No!!!!!!! “First Priority by Alliance” Its actually called ‘WE COULD GET USED TO THIS’ The Alliance only LP was my sh@t back in college …. give it another listen !! King Of Chill did a lot of the producing for FPM back day … i still have the Cass and LP!! …….. and adding on to the discussion i used to work at a record store while in school(one that had vinyl as the staple)in Harm City back in 90-91 … we listened to promos all day… never a surprise when it came to buying!! Never bought a single CD Cass or LP after ‘THE LOVE MOVEMENT’ though ….
Puba’s ‘2000’ is a dope album, what you talkin’ about? His third album on the other is straight doo doo
nastradamus, bloodclot!!!
nastradamus is really horrible. I can feel the pain as i type the words.
Kwest the mad lad (however it was spelled)- think it was called “This is my first album”
Professor Griff’s solo album
that Eazy-E album (EP) with “Merry Muthfuckin’ Christmas” on it
Fat Joe’s first album
Skee-lo’s album
(SMH @ myself, for that one)
Kwame’s album in ’92 or ’93, where he tried to be a thug….
I’ve bought a gang of bad albums. But one really stands out….
LIL FLIP – THE LEPRECHAUN.
I still have it, simply for the comedy value of the cd case cover.
Dude is dressed as in a green LEPRECHAUN suit, in the inside cover he is squatting over a pot of gold.
Pure Comedy genius!
The album and lyrics are terrible tho. Dude actually boasts in the intro, that he was going to freestyle the ENTIRE album….
So many to mention so I’ll just say the one that disappointed me the most, which was:
BIG PUN – YEAAH BABY
I was so hooked on Capital Punishment and on Pun’s verse off “Off The Books” that I bought that shit immediately. Played it twice and then sold it off. But I still play Capital Punishment today. R.I.P. Pun!
DIRTY HARRIET WAS DOPE!! i agree with everything else on your list.
yes,pun’s second album was the only one i ever gave away.and craig mack’s get down was hella weak.
the first Red Hot Lover Tone lp was trash but MVP was dope!
First off Shawn J did use samples on Blackstar, secondly, he only produced two songs on it, Hi-Tek did a little over half of it. Do your fucking homework before you make ignorant statements. Anyways, its a pretty damn good album, maybe not a “classic” (which is a term that is abused anyways). Cappadonna’s Pillage is also pretty damn good, I don’t see how True Master is getting called “RZA’s weed carrier”. Then again that also shows how informed you are.
I agree with “Beats, Rhymes, & Life”, not Love Movement though. Not sure who said “Aquemini” and “Atliens”, they should get their ears checked.
Some albums for me in recent times:
Murs for President
Universal Mind Control
8 Diagrams
Lord Jamar’s The 5% Album Quite easily the worst purchase I ever made, and I’ve bought some C. Rayz Walz albums too.. Damn. I’ll be coming back to this discussion some more.
At Arkitek… in fairness, there’s some all-out classic albums that have at least ONE dud on it.
Most glaring example is NWA ‘Straight Outta Compton’… nobody’d deny that album’s classic status, right? Well, how bout the last song on the album, ‘Somethin 2 Dance 2’- doesn’t make the rest of the album any less dope, but that shit sucks.
So being stuck on ‘Rain Be For Rain Bo’ and flushing the whole ATL album for that one joint, is a lil’ far-fetched.
-D!
I was just listening to Top Quality “Magnum Opus” yesterday, coincidently. The dude had ridiculous flows and styles, each song he raps a little diff. Very creative shit.
And Grand Puba “2000”? Not one bad song on that record.
I dunno, I still dig LOTUG’s first LP. Yeah, it’s very of its time, but Marley and K-Def murder those beats. Even if MC’s are gimmicky, those beats stand on their own.
The first FU-Schnickens album has its charms. Again, very of its time, but hardly unlistenable.
Rah Digga’s Dirty Harriet has more winners than garbage.
J. Beez Wit The Remedy was uneven, but mostly because the original LP Crazy Wisdom Masters got scrapped by the label. Was really bugged out from the demo’s that leaked; definitely an acquired taste, but very forward-thinking.
As far as disappointing:
Lyricist Lounge 2 (the first one has its filler, but this one is pretty god-awful. ugh.)
O.C. – Bon Appetit (luckily, sampled before buying and was so incredibly disappointed with what I heard that I think I was in denial for a month)
De La Soul – AOI: Bionix (the first one was decent, but this one was just miserable)
Bahamadia – BB Queen EP (miserable production…forgive the cliche, but it sounds like being in the dentist’s office)
KRS-ONE – The Sneak Attack (seriously, Premo and Pete Rock need to give this guy some beats free of charge or something)
Large Professor – 1st Class (some bangers, but some blah ish…my order came with a copy of The LP though, so it kinda evened out)
fair enough D, but in 88-89, nearly every hip hop record had a house track on the b-side, and they were all mostly wak… or should i say ‘they don’t age well’…
i do enjoy most of the rest of the album though, and ATL’s first album is one of my all time favourites, maybe that is why i am so critical of it, i even rate Black Mafia Life ahead of the Chronic due to coming out first with the pure G-Funk, but that track destroyed the vibe no doubt, and it ruined the album for me…
Original Concept
Three Times Dope – Live From Acknickulous Land
C.E.B. – Countin Endless Bank
…..man, this has got me thinking!
Some of yall puttin down LP’s that were dope or classics! yall need to get ur ears checked or somethin!
that lil flip leprechaun comment made me laugh so hard cause i tried to buy it on ebay just to show my mates the cover shit was hillarious
snoop dogg – da game is to be sold not to be told
that album is disgustingly bad a track on there called d.o.g.s get lonely 2 enough said
method mans – tical 2000 the beats make no sense its like they just let sum special needs kid loose in the studio for the day
The worst rap record I ever spent money on was Kid Frost East Side Story. Oh my god, I couldn’t believe it was possible to release an album that bad ! Why his A&R let that slip is a mystery to this day.
LL COOL J – 14 SHOTS TO THE DOME
ICE CUBE – WAR & PEACE
KRS ONE – SPIRITUAL MINDED
JUNGLE BROTHERS – RAW DELUXE
SNOOP – THA DOGGFATHER
Continued…
Ice-T – Home Invasion
Common – Universal Mind Control
EPMD – Out Of Business
Canibus – C True Hollywood Stories
Mos Def – The New Danger
I hear you on Prof Griff’s first LP, but it disappointed so badly because the preceding 12 was solid; Pawns outdoing the Bomb Squad at their own game, and the L-A-D flipside was mint. But the rushed LP only really added that twitchy “Rap Terrorist” joint.
Biggest disappointment for me was MC Shan’s Play it again, Shan. After two classic LPs of the rawest beats, endless rhyme styles weaved around oval Marley scratches… And then this? It’s an old school, hip house Matrix Revolutions; almost tainting the earlier stuff.
Nice And Smooth – Jewel Of The Nile
Top Quality – Magnum Opus
Lords Of The Underground – Keepers Of The Funk
NASHAWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Agree with some, disagree with others. But, here’s a question – a fair amount of these albums listed were definitely in the download era, or at least the bootleg era. If you paid retail for “The New Danger,” that’s on you.
The Melvin Flynts, and the Shynes (unmentioned, I think) certainly qualify, but the damage is minimized b/c I copped joints like that 5 for 20 down by Canal. And, for every disappointing piece of shit that I wound up with, there were plenty of joints that I bought just because they were on the cheap that turned out to be great records I would have never checked for at $15 a pop. Sporty Thievz, “Street Cinema” FTW.
So, anything pre, say,’98, is definitely worse, because you likely got got for 11-14 bucks for a tape or 15-18 for a CD.
Oh, and to the guy who said the first Killa Army album, the album as a whole is pretty wack, but the Killa Sin verses are enough to keep that album of my buyers remorse list.
One thing that’s weird is that some albums that you were disappointed with when you bought them are much better listening back years later. I was totally disappointed with the Mic Geronimo album when it came out, but I listen today and it’s a solid album.
^Whats funny is that a lot of these tapes I bought back when you could get bootlegs in Times Sq and on Canal…
Just-Ice “Masterpiece” was a turd in a dust jacket and more recently Brand Nubian “Fire in the Hole” was wackness in jewel case.
I dug out FU Dont Take It Personal again recently and I still enjoy it. Chip Fu stops it gettin stale and his new stuff is crazy
LOTUG – I loved all the singles to death but the album was filler
J Beez Wit Da Remedy I can now enjoy by editing out the wackness…what were they smokin when they kicked back in the studio listened to Heads at Company Z and thought “yeeeeeeeeeah”
Worst purchases:
Ron C (from Nemesis) – solo album
Anotha Level – Anotha Level – Ice Cubes crack at the Pharcyde/Hiero market, mostly weak
South Central Cartel – N Gatz We Trust – great posse cut but these dudes just cant rap
Daz – Revenge, Retribution, Get Back
the cyclops 4000 album was ass..
40 glocc-the jackal-got it for a dollar, only two songs worth ripping
goretex-the art of dying -i was gassed off ‘most hated’
Alchemist-1st infantry
mad lion-real ting
continued….
canibus-rip the jacker
any jedi mind tricks after visions of ghandi
the jus allah album-except for ‘supreme’
agallah-ya’ll already know(some cuts)
strong arm steady-deep hearted
bas one,blackalicious, or any of that shit.
crooked I-block obama 2
gangsta blac-southern fried crunk (?)
It Was Written Was dope if judge on it own merit, But Nastradamus and the I Am retail were horrible. I AM (Bootleg) was a classic that joint with Nature and then you had Blaze a 50.
Cannibus album was garbage sonically but he had some lyrics on there and back then that all I was checking for.
Dipset volume one was classicm but the follow up were horrible.
Immobilarity and The Pretty Toney album were a let down.
Big Daddy Kane album 3, RedHot lover Tone solo album both of them with there ode(s) to pussy.
Fabolous first album, because he totally switch his style up before that nigga in the street were expecting other wise.
Oh yeah forgot to make the list …Based on the reaction (not mines)
Wu Tang Forever -double disc
Nas=It was Written
Cannibus -Can-I-Bus
Jay-Z- In My Lifetime Vol.1,Kingdom Come
Raekwon -Immobilarity
There was alot of buzz and expectation surrounding these album and when they drop had everybody mad.
Me for one think the Forever,It Was Written,In My Lifetime Vol.1 and Kingdomcome were dope on there own merit if view unbias with no expectation or prejudice or preconveive notion just on the music itself. But I digress….
I saw return to the 36 chambers in here, that was one of the best wu releases…how bout the EPMD solo albums those were 85% garbage
I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of days. I couldn’t think of one for a while for a number of reasons: I’d tape shit off friends or off the radio (big up to Fresh FM and Radio 1’s National Fresh show), you could order what you like from the music library (more power to Leicester City Council for hooking me up with all the 90s hip hop for 70p each) and due to being young having limited funds you couldn’t buy everything so if you got something sub par you’d still listen to it to try and make yourself like it.
Anyway, after some thought my suggestions are Craig Mack’s Bad Boy LP – someone was playing it in the shop and I thought the intro with the Bohannon Save Our Souls loop sounded decent and I liked the two singles that were out. Unfortunately, the rest of that was poo poo. Another disappointment was Show and AG’s Good Fellas. Sub par. The post above this reminds me that I bought Erick Sermon’s No Pressure and Thug Life Vol 1 on the same day. Double yuck.
My $0.02
I’m a lil older than ya’ll. I was born in 1973 so I was 14 in 1988 when rap albums started coming out more frequently. Here’s a few from that era
Run DMC – Tougher than Leather (a terrible follow up to the classic Raising Hell)
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5 – On the Strength (There’s 2 good songs on here Gold and Fly Girl, the rest of the album was straight garbage)
Monie Love’s LP with Monie in the Middle.
Terminator X and the Valley of the Jeep Beats (Buck Whilin was cool, the rest of the album sucked)
Slick Rick’s 2nd LP (he said he recorded it in 2 weeks while he was out on bail. It sounds like it)
J Beez with the Remedy (I was on a Native Tounges kick at the time. I gave it a few listens but honestly, there wasn’t 1 decent song on there)
NWA & the Posse (This was before Strait Outta Compton. It was basically a West Coast compilation LP, strait wiggity wack)
Tribe Called Quest Beats Rhymes and Life was a letdown compared to the first 3 albums, but there’s actually 3 or 4 good songs.
Everybody is hatin on Nastradamus, but I still maintain that its actually above average considering all of the No Limit CDs that came out during the same era. I mean seriously, you could put Nastradamus up against any No Limit CD from the same year and Nastradamus would win.
^^^yeah, but that’s kinda like grading on a curve, haha. It’s like saying Nas gets a D but he’s better than the D-minus or F students, so it’s not bad.
Well here’s my story. Takes a nation of millions just dropped. Moms just gave my 14 dollars to get it. On my way to the wherehouse records and tapes to cop it. Mind you Epmd was releasing their new album and signing there as well. Hopped on the bus on slauson and went to the back. Old head was playing three card molly. I got greedy thinkin if i win i can cop p.e and epmd’s joint if i double up on this cat. Put 10 on it. Hopped off the bus with 4 dollars and my buspass. Few hours later saw a bootlegger on crenshaw and copped the colors soundtrack with that 4 bucks. That’s all he had left in rap tapes. Garbage. Thee end. Lol true story.
Well here’s my story. Takes a nation of millions just dropped. Moms just gave my ass 14 dollars to get it. On my way to the wherehouse records and tapes to cop it. Mind you Epmd was releasing their new album and signing there as well. Hopped on the bus on slauson and went to the back. Old head was playing three card molly. I got greedy thinkin if i win i can cop p.e and epmd’s joint if i double up on this cat. Put 10 on it. Hopped off the bus with 4 dollars and my buspass. Few hours later saw a bootlegger on crenshaw and copped the colors soundtrack with that 4 bucks. That’s all he had left in rap tapes. Garbage. Thee end. Lol true story.
Krs-One /The Blueprint (im a huge krs fan, but damm homie)
The Bums/B.U.M.S.
Brand Nubian/Everything is Everything
Aceyalone/ Love & Hate (2 good songs)
Guilty Simpson/ Ode to the Ghetto (i downloaded it)
Kardinal Official/ Not 4 Sale (download)
Common/ Finding Forever (like 3 joints)
Freeze Factor-Chill. Went back into the store after the second joint and tried to get my money back. The worst ever was two dudes called Da Pimp and Da Playa a group from Chicago (google the shit.) Threw that shit out of the window. Anybody want to hear some truly wack laughable shit find that album. Guaranteed to have you rollin.
Tame one’s:Spazmatic (what was he thinking??)
Mission Control presents: prehistoric sounds (trash)
Chief Kamachi & JuJu Mobb: Black candles
Onyx: Triggernometry, Cold case files
Das Efx: generation Efx,,How we do
Gortex: The art of dying (I like Gortex, but the beats sounded to repetitive to me.
Outerspace:Blood & ashes
The hip hop geek squad at it’s finest lol..gotta fuckin love this site even though some of my favorites get trashed from time to time.
All good..the love for Nice & Smooth makes up for everything else
The second Slick Rick is wack? No way, man. That album is fast rap at its best. Such a unique album–no one’s made anything that sounds like it since. Slept on. Classic IMO.