Couldn’t find the original mag although I’m sure I have it somewhere so enjoy the world’s smallest JPEG.
November 1993 to October 1994:
01) The Beatnuts – Street Level
02) Nas – Illmatic
03) A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders
04) Organized Konfusion – Stress: The Extinction Agenda
05) Notorious B.I.G. – Ready to Die
06) Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang
07) Gangstarr – Hard to Earn
08) Jeru the Damaja – The Sun Rises in the East
09) O.C. – Word…Life
10) Del the Funky Homosapien – No Need for Alarm
11) Snoop Doggy Dogg – Doggystyle
12) Common – Resurrection
13) Coolio – It Takes A Thief
14) Big Mike – Somethin’ Serious
15) Gravediggaz – 6 Feet Deep
If you thought I’d put Outkast in there then you must be new ’round these parts.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place is one of the best albums of ’94. It’s way better than anything between 10 and 15 on your list.
@Slappy: It’s definitely better than Coolio…guess I need to redo these charts minus the Oct-Nov rule and actually research it properly so I don’t forget half of the best stuff…
I’m having problems posting comments on here so I hope this works. here’s my list for (calendar) 1994:
1: Nas – Illmatic
2: Jeru the Damaja – The sun rises in the East
3: The gravediggaz – 6 feet deep
4: Gang Starr – hard to earn
5: Da Odd Squad – Fadanuf fa Erybody
6: Common Sense – Resurrection
7: Organised Konfusion – stress the extinction agenda
8: Scarface – The diary
9: paris – Guerilla funk
10: Dredd Scott – Breakin combs
11: Slick Rick – Behind bars
12: Spearhead – Home
13: The Beastie boys – Ill communication
14: The Coup – Genocide & Juice
15: The artifacts – Between a rock and a hard place
16: Redman – Dare iz a dark side
17: Beatnuts – street level
18:Pete Rock & CL Smooth – The main ingredient
19: Public Enemy – Muse sick in hour mess age
20: Kurious – A constipated monkey.
Dang! I forgot about The Streetfighter OST. obviously it was a shit movie but it was a genuinely brilliant rap compilation. Easily top 15 (would swap it in for either Ill communication or Between a rock and a hard place.
Hahahahaha. Coolio. Hahahaha. I know you hate Outkast but come on.
Coolio but no Artifacts ‘Rock & A Hard Place? Nah b, revise that list
Isn’t M.O.P.’s “To the Death” from ’94, too?
Also cool: Digable Planets “Blowout Comb”, although this might get me in trouble….
Honourable mentions:
Arrested Development – Zingalamaduni
Keith Murray – The most beautifullest thing in this world
Method Man – Tical
Boogiemonsters – Riders of the storm
Mc Solaar – Prose Combat
Above the Law – Uncle Sam’s curse
saafir’s “boxcar sessions”, scarface’s “diary”, artifacts “between…” and redman’s “darkside” is missing on your list since these albums are much more entertaining than coolio, big mike, gravediggaz, snoop doggs and del’s 94 output … no love for new jersey rap, robbie?
@Robbie: As long as Goodfellas is in your top 5 of ’95, all will be forgiven. (#1 will be Cuban Linx. I hope I didn’t spoil that for anybody.)
‘Strictly Turntabalzed’ by DJ Krush is worldwide genius. ‘The Main Ingredient’ is being overlooked too? Possibly better than Mecca… Reggie Noble was the illest rapper this year, his album was bonkers. Good to see Da Odd Squad get a mention. It’s hard to flaw their album in any way. Hindsight and shelved album status would also surprisingly elevate Twista with that ferocious NBN diss album for me. Crazy rhyming over dark jazzy beats. Even Dres gets down. Don’t sleep on the Chi…
Outkast are DOPE but not as dope as you know who?
Mykah 9,Volume 10,Aceyalone,Motion Man,Lateef,Self Jupiter,The Nonce,Del,Souls Of Mischief, Rifleman Elllay Khule,P.E.A.C.E.,Ganjah K.
And of course Organised Konfusion. 93-94 went off over there too in a fucking super skilled way.
Q Bert.
Know what Im saying?
and Saafir.
can’t front on Casual
Pretty much every album that came out in ’94 is great.
Scientifik was ill. The Roots were good this year too. Every major city had a NY sounding classic by the end of ’94…
@Caesar: “Pretty much every album that came out in ’94 is great.” Word?
Da Lench Mob – Planet of da apes
Insane Clown Posse – The Ringmaster
Hammer – The Funky Headhunter
Honky “The go has landed”
@awkward, yes!!! Thank you!!! “Respect due, to the old school crew, to the new school crew aaand the true school crew!”
Project Blowed is so criminally overlooked. Its fucking shameful. Myka 9 is the goddamn GOAT. Can conquer any style and introduced a few. All praise the Good Life emcees!!!
RIP Ganjah K
@Dino
I’m sorry you took the time to purchase and listen to verify this.
Coolio?????? And Snoop dog????? REALLY?????
Yo is this POP RADIO BULLSHIT and didnt represent true West Coast Hip-Hop! I was part of REAL WEST COAST HIP-HOP NOT FAGGOTS LIKE SNOOP AND COOLIO WHO WHITE KIDS JOCKED!
DINO PLEASE DONT COMMENT ON THESE THREADS, YOUR PICKS ARE EMBARASSINGLY WACK! INSANE CLOW POSSE?????? WTF???? Youre the reason Hip Hop died!
@Caesar: YouTube and Wikipedia are free. The Da Lench mob was the only one of those albums I came close to buying in 94.
@AC The Program Director: Can you not read? I clearly offered ICP as an example of why 1994 wasn’t wall-to-wall classics.
Pretty much every HIPHOP album in ’94 was great.
Coolio first album was a real life classic. Y’all don’t know. U r fuckin euro peons. And ac the program director, u r only yelling to yourself. Are you, like, a parody of the real acpd? If so, it’s not very funny, most of all cuz that dude is even more embarrassing than u.
Did this motherfucker say “ Coolio”??
Yo Paw you’re a fucking Herb ass Bama!
Who the Fuck listened to Coolio besides Herbs?
Don’t insult real Heads talking about Coolio first album.
I know you ain’t from the city.
Anyone who appreciated the genius of the first WC and the MADD Circle album was fucking with that ‘County Line’/’Sticky Fingers’ single.
@Robbie: Coolio was a great teamplayer but not a breakout star. His work with WC, Ras Kass et al has its moments but dude never dropped a decent record in his own name.
That OutKast album is a certified classic though… top 5 of 94 … top 10 if you include the late 93 joints
alright rob, I’ll listen to the coolio album…
Agree on Coolio being ok. It had WC, J-Ro features, and the beats were dusty and solid. That album was mega in Australia, for whatever reason…
Yeah, the first Coolio album really is not all that bad for the reasons mentioned above. Diminishing returns thereafter, but even Gangsta’s Paradise had some solid shit like “Exercise Yo Game” with E-40 and that posse cut with Ras Kass. “Fantastic Voyage” really wasn’t representative of It Takes A Thief as a whole, and even the original album version of that song (not the Timber Mix that was added to later pressings and was the version in the video/radio) was pretty dusty and dank.
And Robbie, I know how you feel about OutKast, but I feel like Southernplayalistic would be one even you’d find something to like on.
Hi I’m oldheadbeater69 and i like to beat my little dick to conservative rap
This fool say ONLY Europeans hated Coolio??????????
FUCK COOLIO! FUCK POPCAST!!!!
Yo Nobody listened to fucking COOLIO!!!!!! FUCK POP MUSIC!
That’s how I know yall muhfukas didn’t really hear “It Takes A Thief.” Coolio’s radio singles were pop. But, “County Line” and “Sticky Fingers” represented majority of the album tho. Coolio earned his props, period!
Looking at this list…1994 had WAAAAAYYYYY…too many classics to narrow down to 15. I’d add Extra Prolific’s “Like It Should Be” in there also just cuz Hieroglyphics crew had the glow during that time.
Most disappointing album? Black Sheep
That Coolio album had some gems:
County Line
It Takes a Thief
Momma I’m In Love With A Gangsta
I remember
Bejai – Yeah, I just listened to It Takes A Thief again last Friday, and other than Fantastic Voyage, it’s really not a “pop” record. The joint with WC knocks.
Folks. I fear you’re trying a little too hard to convince yourselves that Coolio’s “It takes a thief” was any better than a 2/5 star album.