In looking at the past Classic Material entries I was very surprised to see that this album wasn’t included in the listing. An album that did more for Hip-Hop’s reconstruction on the eve of the deaths of 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. in the late 1990’s that most people don’t give it credit for. An album that displayed lyrically there was much more than clichéd themes of violence, guns, and misogyny in providing uplifting messages of empowerment and self-awareness and address critical issues that were being overlooked. The album that I’m speaking of delivered by two of Hip-Hop’s most acclaimed lyricists is entitled Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. The collective duo of New York emcees Mos Def and Talib Kweli known as Black Star stood as one of the better Hip-Hop tandems in 1998 that presented a new sound and an alternative for listeners who were growing tired of the common themes being presented by other Hip-Hop artists. In a year filled with larger than life releases from the likes of Jay-Z (Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life), Lauryn Hill (The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill), Gang Starr (Moment Of Truth), Outkast (Aquemini), DMX (It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot), Big Punisher (Capital Punishment), etc., Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star held it’s own as a relative unknown against the heavyweights.

As previously stated, I had to come without doubt that this album satisfied every true Hip-Hop head’s anticipation as it is filled with true lyricism and backed by wonderfully composed productions from various producers like Da Beatminerz, 88-Keys, J. Rawls, and Hi-Tek (who handled a majority of the album’s production duties). Those that were wary of Black Star, who were relatively newcomers on the scene courtesy of Rawkus Records, and hesitant in giving the album a listen would be immediately convinced. The first five tracks (“Intro” excluded) display the lyrical skills and abilities of Mos Def and Talib Kweli in a light that was fairly unheard of at the given time. “Astronomy (8th Light)” cleverly sees the duo putting the word “black” to use in describing the true meaning of Black Star and its various elements and inspirations. “Definition” gives an accurate definition of the current times of Hip-Hop in 1998 (“1,2,3, it’s kind of dangerous to an emcee/They shot 2Pac and Biggie/Too much violence in Hip-Hop”) and a scene of where it would be headed with emcees like Mos and Kweli on the horizon.

While “Definition” featured some up-tempo production from Hi-Tek, the subsequent “Re: Definition” delivers a slowed, menacing beat that hears them further explaining their definition of Hip-Hop music while putting a slight twist on the subject matter. While Snoop had provided a classic modern spin to Slick Rick’s timeless “La Di Da Di” (The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick) five years earlier on “Lodi Dodi” from his seminal Doggystyle album, Mos went solo on his rendition of Slick’s “Children’s Story”. Doing an excellent job in modernizing the 1988 classic to how the scenario might have played out some 10 years later, Mos portrays himself as a complete emcee in putting his storytelling skills on display. Not many Hip-Hop songs at the time featured the type of laid-back, jazzy production as heard on “Brown Skin Lady”, as well as the lyrics that were presented in being those that showed reverence and respect towards African-American women instead of the degrading and demeaning lyrics that were commonly heard.

The rest of the album follows the same suite in delivering enduring tracks that were ahead of their time for being presented in 1998. From the smooth, uplifting “K.O.S. (Determination)” and “Thieves In The Night” to the spoken word delivered “Yo Yeah” to the lyrical wizardry with Common heard on “Respiration” and Jane Doe (b/k/a Jean Grae), Wordsworth, and Punchline on “Twice Inna Lifetime”. While other albums released in 1998 possessed the star power from recognized names and previous releases, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star contain just as much quality if not more than those held listeners’ attention. During a time when the Hip-Hop scene was on the brink of collapsing after the demise of two of its biggest stars in 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G., artists all over were working hard to keep the genre afloat and moving forward. After the deaths of two premier emcees, many within the Hip-Hop community were searching for answers to the declining state while struggling to move towards a different path for the future, away from the negative and damaging effects and music that surrounded their deaths. Mos Def and Talib Kweli, along with artists like The Fugees, Jurassic 5, Company Flow, Arrested Development, and others provided the soundtrack and foundation to that movement (Alternative Hip-Hop) that would have more impact on Hip-Hop’s future than its immediate present in 1998. This album paved the road for future artists (J-Live, Immortal Technique, Little Brother, Lupe Fiasco, Lyrics Born etc.) and albums to be widely accepted and acknowledged as being an alternative option to the common themes and trends in Hip-Hop music and culture.

While going through my computer the other day and waiting for Skyzoo’s debut album The Salvation to be released next Tuesday, I came across a Rewind Review that I had started writing three months ago but never finished. The selected album was one of my personal top 5 albums of all-time and from one of my favorite emcee of all-time. Said album and artist was Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous by legendary Harlem emcee Lamont Coleman b/k/a Big L. Released in 1995, this album stood as Big L’s debut album on Columbia Records. Released in the same year that other seminal Hip-Hop classics dropped like Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (Raekwon), Liquid Swords (GZA), Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version (Ol’ Dirty Bastard), The Infamous (Mobb Deep), Me Against The World (2Pac), and E 1999 Eternal (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony), it’s no surprise as to how this album was widely overlooked and suffered sales wise. But numbers aside (L’s album actually did quite well in ’95 without much promotion, radio play and music videos for support) this album turned out to be a classic in its own right and throughout the Hip-Hop collective.

Other than his promotional Horrorcore record “Devil’s Son”, guest verses on fellow D.I.T.C. members Lord Finesse and Showbiz & A.G. albums (“Yes You May (Remix)”, “Represent”), and various radio freestyles (Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show), not many knew about the Harlem rapper named Big L outside of the underground Hip-Hop circuit, but that would soon change with the release of his debut album Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous. Judging from the lyrics heard on his promo single “Devil’s Son” (“The Big L is strictly gun play/I run in church and pistol whip a priest every Sunday…I’m living up to my extortion image/I be stalkin’ Lenox, catching more bodies than abortion clinics“) it could be seen that L wasn’t your typical emcee and didn’t care that he didn’t fit the record labels’ definition of a “rapper”. Known for his aggressive style battle rhymes and mind-blowing metaphors, Big L put it all on display on his debut album for the world to hear. Two of the albums lead singles (“Put It On” and “M.V.P.” are dropped as the first two tracks you hear at the beginning of the album. On “Put It On” Buckwild provides L with rough yet smooth beat that allows him to rip the track with lines like (“Aiyo, you better flee hops or get your head flown three blocks/L keep rappers’ hearts pumpin’ like Reeboks…And when it comes to getting nookie, I’m not a rookie/I got girls that make that chick Toni Braxton look like Whoopi”), serving as a fitting introduction to listeners. The latter “M.V.P.” is a laid-back track featuring production from Lord Finesse sampling DeBarge’s “Stay With Me” in similar style to The Notorious B.I.G.’s “One More Chance (Remix)” (I’ve heard stories of Puffy jackin’ the sample and beat idea from Finesse after hearing the track’s production, thus is why we hear the “M.V.P. (Smooth Summer Mix)” on the video and not the original production). Nonetheless, this track once again displays L’s lyrical prowess coinciding with the track’s chorus (“If rap was a game I’ll be M.V.P./The most valuable poet on the mic”).

Throughout much of the album L displays his abilities and skills on the microphone over various topics from gold digging (“No Endz, No Skinz”) to the ills of the street life (“Street Struck”) to his hometown/hood (“Danger Zone”), but one of the best tracks to be found in terms of message is “I Don’t Understand It”. This fitting track sees L talking about how he doesn’t understand how poorly skilled, untalented emcees sell millions of records while the superior emcees barely reach 500,000 (“Going platinum and don’t have no soul/Some rappers are mad nice and don’t even go gold”). This song displayed among other things how Big L was a true definition of an emcee that was ahead of his time in 1995 as much of what he said 14 years ago still applies in great deal to the music industry/rap game in 2009. On a ’95 Stretch & Bobbito freestyle session with then young emcee Jay-Z when L rhymed, “I’m so far ahead of my time my parents haven’t met yet” he wasn’t lying and it showed on this album why he was one of those rare emcees that don’t come across twice. As an emcee your only priority on a track is to represent yourself in displaying your lyrical skills and abilities and L does that in more ways than one on this album. The only real flaw to be found with this album in looking at it is the production, which at times can sound dull and get repetitive after a while. But other than that this pretty much is a flawless album that stands up to the other classic Hip-Hop albums released in the same year.

While he might not have been widely known at the time of this album’s release, Big L’s buzz and anticipation as an emcee back in 1995 can be compared to that of Drake’s in 2009. Just from his few promo releases and guest features, people were checking for Big L and waiting the release of this album in a major way. L can even be accredited for giving starts and providing opportunities to a lot of the genre’s major stars of today like Jay-Z, Cam’ron, and Mase who are heard on this album in their younger days and early stages of their careers. He provided an open door and platform for these artists to display their respective skill and talent, which might have gone unheard without his support. Big L’s influence on a lot of the top rappers in the business today hasn’t gone unnoticed, from those using his lines (Jay-Z, Ludacris) to direct inspiration (Eminem). The two-syllable rhyming style used by rappers today like Fabolous, Mase, and Loon was crafted and mastered by Big L during his career. Being the only album that he got to release while alive (The Big Picture was a posthumous release), this album serves as a classic and true definition of a lyricist that stayed true to himself and didn’t deter in light of a changing industry. When listeners today claim Lil Wayne to be a punch line king from his clever lines, I don’t think he has come close to the level of lines dropped by L (“Fuckin’ punk, you ain’t a leader, what nobody followed you/You was never shit, your mother should’ve swallowed you…Turn your tux red, I’m far from broke got enough bread/And mad hoes ask Beavis I get nothing but head”). Rappers today like Wayne claiming the “Best Rapper Alive” title better be grateful that Big L isn’t around cause he wouldn’t be having that as I’m sure cats like Jay-Z, DMX, and others who had the opportunity to rhyme with him can attest to. If not taken from life unfortunately at such a young age, I as well as many others believe that Big L would have been one of the most successful emcees in the rap game today especially given that he was about to sign a deal with Roc-A-Fella Records in 1999 a week before he was gunned down. With a Big L documentary set to be released soon and a final posthumous album release executive produced by Lord Finesse and DJ Premier entitled Real Legends Never Die in the works, the legacy of Harlem rapper Big L is something that will never die as well as never be forgotten.

Just as H2O mentioned in his Classic Material write up for De La Soul’s classic De La Soul Is Dead album in that no De La Soul album had been previously selected for the column, the same can be said about Mobb Deep. Searching back from the start of the Classic Material column, no Mobb Deep albums are to be found and a column as prestige wouldn’t be complete without at least one. That’s where Mobb Deep’s second album The Infamous comes into play and fits perfectly among the previously selected albums. 1995 in the Hip-Hop world featured a lot of classic album releases (Liquid Swords, Return Of The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, Livestylez Ov Da Poor And Dangerous, Only Built For Cuban Linx, Doe Or Die…) and this album can be included in that listing.

The public knew little about the duo of Havoc and Prodigy from Queens after their debut album Juvenile Hell was released two years earlier in 1993, but that would all change after the second album release. What was minimally achieved on their debut album would be the strongest point of their second album, and that was Havoc and Prodigy giving the listener a vivid portrayal and description of their dwelling in Queens. A dark and sinister mood is provided with tracks “Shook Ones, Pt. II”, “Survival Of The Fittest”, and “Eye For An Eye (Your Beef Is Mines)” that take you into the depths of the street life and its daily operations filled with drugs, violence, and ultimately survival. Other than Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) released two years prior, no other album was delivered with such a dark theme and presence about it.

Throughout the album Mobb Deep deliver lyrics spanning a range of topics such as prison (“Up North Trip”), setup (“Trife Life”), fake gangsters/crooks (“Shook Ones, Pt. II”), drinking (“Drink The Pain Away”), and survival (“Survival Of The Fittest”). The songs on this album flow smoothly from one to the next because of the unified production provided by producers Havoc and Q-Tip. As mention previously pertaining to Common’s Resurrection album, it’s this type of unity in both the production and lyrics that allows the album to fit together so precise. This is one major aspect that is missing from a lot of Hip-Hop/Rap albums released nowadays and is really only achieved by working with only one or two producers throughout the entire project. This album can be acknowledged for producing one of the greatest songs in Hip-Hop history in terms of “Shook Ones, Pt. II”. From the subtle instrumental build up at the start of this song it is instantly recognized and Mobb Deep’s lyrics make it complete (it’s no wonder Eminem selected this track for the final freestyle battle scene in 8 Mile). You can be the most humble person in the world, but there’s no denying that the menacing piano keys and pounding drums will stir up feelings of aggression and anger while listening.

For the most part that is what makes this album such a classic 14 years later and why it hasn’t been duplicated by Mobb Deep five album releases later. With this album Mobb Deep brought you into their world and introduced you to their way of living. If you never lived and/or grew up in the hood you got a taste and feeling of the life just from listening to this album, and if you did you were just able to relate with this album and its content even more. Ultimately The Infamous expounded upon Nas’ lyrical storytelling and vivid depictions on Illmatic and presented you with the 41st Side version (read: dark/gritty) of Queens that wasn’t seen with its pioneers Marley Marl, MC Shan, and others.

I noticed that none of De La Soul’s records have made in our Classic Material page, and I immediately decided to change that. A lot of you fans are gonna say: “What! De La Soul is Dead?!? Why didn’t 3 Feet High and Rising get any love?” We’ll get to 3 Feet High and Rising in time, but the reason I chose De La Soul Is Dead first is because that was the first album by them that I actually listened to. I thought the whole concept was cool: it was their second album, and already is was “De La Soul is dead…”. The cool thing about the whole album is it plays out like a storybook!

It’s starts out with a kid named Jeff talking to a couple of girls about how he found a De La Soul tape in the garbage. The girls beg to hear, but Jeff’s like: “NO!”, and the girls start buggin’! Then a bully comes by, beats up the little kid, and takes the De La Soul tape from him. After stealing the tape, the bully and his two friends sit down to listen to the tape. Hearing the bullies is actually funny as hell, it’s one of the things that makes the album great. The leader of the bullies is constantly talking about how wack the album is throughout skits on the album, and one of the bullies who actually likes the tape (voiced by Maseo himself) gets his ass kicked everytime he talks. The skits help to bring diversity the album, and, like I said, it’s funny stuff.

Now let’s get to music. Production, Prince Paul, you already know what it is. Prince Paul did his thing, as usual. It’s sad that as time went on, you began to see him gradually fade from the music that the group was making, but he definitely put it down here. All of the groups members were on point: Posdnous is, to me, the sharpest member of the whole group, but beyond even that he’s a really talented rapper who never seems to come up when people talk about best rapper. Don’t get me wrong though, Dave and Maseo definitely showed up on this album, with solid wordplay throughout the whole album.

The album had a bunch of memorable songs on it, too. One of my favorites is “Bitties In The BK Lounge”. Who could forget this song!? Posdnuos goes into a Burger King with one of his friends when the girl behind the desk pays them no mind, until she realizes he’s from De La Soul. Then, there’s the infamous second verse, where a manager of Burger King, gets confronted by an obnoxious woman and her friend. The two trade insults in rhyme, and it’s definitely one of the highlights of the album. “Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa” has got to be the most memorable song off the CD: you can’t talk about De La Soul Is Dead without bringing this song up. It’s about a young girl who is sexually abused by her father, and ends up bringing a pistol to where he works as a department store Santa to shoot him. That’s classic storytelling right there. Also there is the unforgettable “A Roller-Skating Jam Named Saturdays”, featuring Q-Tip. That was just one of those nice, feel good vibes that made you want to get up and dance.

I could keep talking about this classic, but you probably get the idea. Pick this up if you can; De La Soul is different, but if you give them time, they’ll grow on you. At the end of the tape, the bullies comment: “That was it!?? What about the pimps? What about the guns?? That’s what Hip-Hop is all about right??” De La Soul was one of the few groups out there that didn’t have to change their image to be one of the fore-front groups in Hip-Hop, and this album is one of those reasons why they are so good.

I was listening to this album as I was preparing for my final exams coming up this week, and in many ways, Ol’ Dirty Bastard was the Lil’ Wayne of today. That comparison definitely doesn’t do ODB any justice at all; he was one of the originators of what we call Hip-Hop today. But at the same, looking at both of them, they are very similar, except for the fact that ODB was crazier than Weezy could ever dream to be.. Yeah, you heard right.

Even before you pop in Return To The 36 Chambers, and you start listening to one of the strangest, yet at the same time, undeniably classic albums of all time, your eyes get wrapped around the cover. When I first saw it, I was like: “Oh shit! He did not just put his Welfare Card as the cover!” The cover alone should let you know this is something different. Ol’ Dirty Bastard got notoriety after the Wu-Tang Clan’s first album because when people heard his shit, they thought he was out of his mind. His flow was slurred like he was drunk, his lyrics were crazy (“Do you want to get your teeth knocked the fuck out?!?! I’ll fuck yo’ ass up!!”), and he had a weird style when he rapped, singing and rapping at the same time. At this point, he was the second most popular member of the group, next to Method Man, who had just released Tical. ODB was all about delivering the rawest songs he could possibly put out.

Take “Brooklyn Zoo” for example. First off, the beat was produced by ODB himself with help from True Master, and it’s banging! This is the original Hip-Hop sound right here! Then ODB comes on the track and just kills it: “I’m the one-man army, Ason/I’ve never been tooken out, I keep MC’s lookin out/I drop science like girls be droppin babies/Enough to make a nigga go cra-a-azy”. The production by the RZA was simply flawless on this entire record. The RZA was, and arguably still is, one of Hip-Hop’s greatest producers of all time, and on here he proved it, keeping with the raw focus of the album by stripping the beats down. Take “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”; the beat is only a piano key and bass in the background. Mixed with ODB’s signature flow, the result could only be classic.

Ol’ Dirty Bastard came with a variety of topics on this one too: “Don’t U Know” is a warped account of his first sexual experiences, “Damage” is basically just lyrical onslaught, and in “Harlem World”, ODB raps about life when he was a kid; at the end of the song, you even hear his mom beating him!

I could go on and on about how great this album is; Ason definitely came hard on this one. He reinvented the wheel and changed people’s opinions on what you can and can’t do in Hip-Hop. That’s why this album is nothing less than Classic Material.

Back in the day, I would do all I could to not co-sign any music by 2Pac. Let me explain. I was, and still am, a huge Notorious B.I.G. fan; especially in 1996. It’s seems stupid now, but in the battle between Biggie and Tupac, I clearly went with the King of NY. Why did I have to choose? That meant I didn’t even think about listening to All Eyez On Me until months later after it’s release. I even fronted on “Hit ‘Em Up”. As I’ve gotten older (And gotten past choosing sides of beefs I have no stock in), I listened to All Eyez On Me (of course), I rate “Hit ‘Em Up” as one of the best diss songs ever, and I give Tupa Shakur the props he deserved.

While I spoke about All Eyes On Me, that’s not my pick for my favorite Tupac album. The Pac Makaveli album I rock with by far is The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. That’s the album while I put aside the whole, “Pac’s not lyrical” argument and welcomed the thought of how poetic the man was.

The album rightly starts of with “Bomb First (My Second Reply)”. Needlessly to say, Pac goes in. The song is like one you play before going to war: “It’s not about East or West. It’s about niggaz and bitches, power and money, riders and punks. Which side are you on?”. Raise your hand if you rewinded this song to catch Pac saying, “Suge shot me” in the beginning? Yea, it turned out to be fake, but so what.

Who can’t forget “Hail Mary”? Dudes had that song on constant rotation when it first came out. And don’t forget, 7 years later, the format of this song was by 50 Cent, Eminem, & Busta Rhymes to put the nail in the coffin of Ja Rule’s career.

“My & My Girlfriend” finds Pac at his most creative, taking a cue from Nas’ “I Gave You Power”, and building on it. Tupac wasn’t the best with metaphors, but here he comes with it. Years later Jay-Z would take inspiration from this song in beat and lyrics and make “‘03 Bonnie & Clyde”. For real songs for the ladies, Pac gave them “Toss It Up” and to an extent, the laid back “To Live & Die in LA”. The latter, “To Live & Die in LA”, is an heartfelt tribute to Los Angeles while “Toss It Up” (featuring Danny Boy, Aaron Hall, K-Ci ,& JoJo) was diss song aimed at Blackstreet and Dr. Dre disguised as a sex song for the women.

My favorite track off the album is by far “Against All Odds”. Yea, he’s still dissing the usual suspects (Nas, Mobb Deep, Puffy, Biggie, etc.), but over the Tyrone “Hurt M Badd” Wrice production, this may be on of the realest things he ever wrote. Matter of fact, that term “The realest things I ever wrote” is forever in the Hip-Hop lexicon (How many times have you heard a rapper say those lines).

So yea, I may not be the biggest Tupac Shakur fan. I may have been on the late bus to some of his music. But I can’t help but gives props to the greatness that is and was 2Pac and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. Happy B-Day.

The other day I realized something. After all the hype over Eminem’s latest album Relapse, I’m still not sure if I like it. Not to say it’s bad album; Slim Shady still has arguably the best flow on the planet. There’s just something that doesn’t grab me. The beats are there. The lyrics are there. Still no song off the album is my new favorite song. But this isn’t about my indecisiveness on Relapse, it’s about showing love to Eminem’s 2nd album The Marshall Mathers LP. And maybe that’s the problem. Maybe I shouldn’t compare Eminem’s latest to his greatest. I’ve always said that The Slim Shady LP showed Eminem is talented, but his second album showed he could control it.

Sometimes with albums you just know immediately when you got something special (Ex. After first listen of “The Ruler’s Back” off The Blueprint, I was immediately yelling “5 Mics!”…when 5 mics mattered). The first song off the The Marshall Mathers LP is “Kill You”. After the initial chorus, Em goes in: “They said I can’t rap about being broke no more/They ain’t say I can’t rap about coke no more/(AH!) Slut, you think I won’t choke no whore/’til the vocal cords don’t work in her throat no more?!” In hindsight, I think I knew then this album was special then. Yea, he was still crazy and still talented, but he was also growing. Of course the media darling off the album was “Stan”. Rightfully so. Even though at one point they played this song “ad nauseam”, it’s still as brilliant as ever and should be look as one of the best Hip-Hop songs of all times. “Kim” had Eminem taken aim at a usual target but awarded fans by being a prequel to a previous song (The Slim Shady LP’s “97′ Bonnie & Clyde”). On “Marshall Mathers”, Eminem has more targets, well, almost everybody (Ex. Insane Clown Posse, Britney Spears, New Kids On The Block, Vanilla Ice, XXL, etc.). He sounds frustrated, pissed off, and  inspired. And awesome. “The Way I Am“, my personal favorite Eminem song of all time, has Em destroying the track and proves what I said earlier about his flow. Not all rappers can do what he did on this song (The beat is STILL sick by the way). The delivery is crazy: “I sit back with this pack of Zig Zags and this bag/Of this weed it gives me the shit needed to be/The most meanest MC on this — on this Earth”

Not to say this album doesn’t have it slip ups. It does but all are excusable. You know he’s gonna do a song like “The Real Slim Shady” for the radio. “Bitch Please II” may not exactly fit on the album but Em still puts his spin on it (“Awww naww, big Slim Dogg/Eighty pound balls, dick six inch long”). Even “Remember Me?” featuring RBX & Sticky Fingaz could have used better guests spots but it’s still serviceable.

I really don’t have to go over every track off this album. Most likely if your on this site you have at least given it a listen (To date, the album has sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen Soundscan). On “Careful What You Wish For” (Off Relapse), Eminem has this line about the critical views of his albums: “Every CD, critics gave it a 3, then 3/Years later, they’d go back and re-rate it/And call the Slim Shady LP the greatest/The Marshall Mathers was a classic/The Eminem Show was fantastic/But Encore just didn’t have the caliber to match it/I guess enough time just ain’t passed, yet/A couple more years, that shit’ll be Ill-matic” Naw Marshall, I knew immediatley The Marshall Mathers LP was the shit. And while I’m not to wild about your new one, I’ll give it some more listens.

In the 90’s, when the West Coast was dominant in rap music, I think the majority people only remember Death Row. While Suge & company did run Hip-Hop at the time, I think people forget about a Warren G’s Regulate…G Funk Era. I personally consider this album Classic Material. I’m sure most recall the monster that was “Regulate” featuring Nate Dogg; it was everywhere in 1994 (Originally appearing Above the Rim soundtrack). But the album had more gems besides that. “Do You See” was the second track on the album and the first time I heard it I must have played it a least 8 times (This was the first time listening to Regulate…G Funk Era). “This D.J.” is also another standout; I remember giving my factory speakers a workout with that one. My personal favorite song on the album isn’t even Warren G song; it’s Jah Skills (Shout out to Da 5 Footaz!). “Super Soul Sis” is my pick for best track of Regulate…G Funk Era. It’s one of those beat that so chill but still have you nodding your head (Courtesy of samples from “Don’t Stop (Ever Loving Me)” by One Way & “Why Have I Lost You” by Cameo). I still regular bump “Super Soul Sis” and still hate the fact that Jah Skills never got the light she was suppose to; she had talent and lyrics still give these female rappers of today a run for their money. There is some other notable tracks like “Recognize” featuring The Twinz (Who where actual twins), “This Is the Shack” featuring The Dove Shack, & “What’s Next” featuring Mr. Malik (Another rapper who should have got on; listen to “Pump Pump” off Doggystyle). Check out the whole album to get a full effect of what was the G Funk Era. Now, as for Warren’s second album 3 years later? I never got into that “I Shot the Sheriff” bullshit.

Nia. It’s been you the whole time. Nia is the girl in high school who was the complete package, but got overlooked by the head cheerleader. Nia is the advice you didn’t take; later appreciated when it’s too late to apply it.

In the year that gave us The Slim Shady LP, The Chronic 2001, and Vol. 3: The Life and Times of S. Carter; rap looked to be as mean-spirited and excessive as ever….

Nia cried out for more, begged for more, and not enough people listened. What a message you missed.

Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel combine their lyrical and production powers, respectively; to form quite possibly one of the most overlooked duos’ in the rap game. Compared by some as a California Outkast, due to their raw yet thought provoking style, they’ve been at it since 1992. The sheer creativity and style they bring to each track they craft is obvious. It sounds like Hip-Hop from true lovers of the art. From the album cover to the final track of their debut album, Nia is a hand-written love letter to what Hip-Hop is and has the potential to be.

Blackalicious brings it on every end of the spectrum across 19 tracks. You’ve got lyrical whirlwinds like ”Smithzonian Institute of Rhyme” and the creative “A To G”, where Gift of Gab drops verses where most, if not all, of the words start with a specified letter of the alphabet like so….

“We’re going to learn to hear words with vowel “A” sound….Listen with care

(Gift of Gab)
I be the analog arsonist, aimin at your arteries/
All-seeing abstract, analyze everything/
Adding on, absolutely abolishing/
Average amateur’s arsenal just astonishing/”

And it only gets better as he dissects the alphabet’s starting lineup. I can’t recall how many times I’ve cruised aimlessly to mellow tracks like “If I May”, “Deception”, and “Shallow Days”; the beats an easy going meld of drums and real instruments, but assaulting you with questions that may make you rethink your responsibility to Hip-Hop as a fan or otherwise such as these bars from “Shallow Days”…

“Time and time, a brother asks why
The rhyme is not laced with a gangsta touch
I said “Simply because I don’t live that way
Still kickin’ them rhymes rugged and rough”

“But that won’t sell,
cause you gotta keep it real
so that we can feel
where you’re coming from
Because these streets is ill so if you ain’t
killing niggas in rhymes
your whole sound’s just bubble gum”

Even the drum and synth heavy, Golden Child-inspired fantasy romp “Hanger, Cliff” is a symbol of beautiful production, haunting storytelling, and crossing the “safe” zone of rap into Love Below territories of strange. As cold of a wordsmith as Gift of Gab is, Chief Xcel takes the sounds that back him to levels I’m still wanting to see out of modern producers. Fresh samples, REAL instruments that add to drum patterns, and keeping the flow steady for the adventure that is Nia.

How often can you listen to an album and be left in shock over what you just heard, just to be turned on your ear once again? Blackalicious achieves diversity through this CD without the need for features or a laundry list of producers; they just know how to keep you guessing and waiting to see what they do next. 99’ seemed so deadest on reinventing the sex, drugs, and violence wheel that the West Coast left behind; which left the rap world missing out on two cats advancing the game by just putting out exceptionally crafted Hip-Hop.

Wow, what a concept. Seems like the only Nia people were checking for though was Long, and I couldn’t blame ‘em for that. What you get with Nia is 74 minutes of what rap was, is, and could be if we saw more artists taking the risks this duo started with this album and continue to do this day. Isn’t Hip-Hop supposed to be about progression anyway? Or did we just get comfortable in the formula?

Whatever the answer may be, 10 years removed from being overlooked, this album still remains ahead of its time. Any album with that kind of staying power, which can STILL be learned from, deserves a nod as classic material.

Have you ever listened to an album that was so good that every time you listened to the album your favorite song from the album would change? Okay, let me explain better: One day it’s this song and then the next day it’s another? That’s how I felt and still feel about Outkast’s greatest album ATLiens. Matter of fact, not only is it Outkast best album and one of my Top 5 albums of all time, I honestly feel it’s the BEST Hip-Hop album to ever come out of the South. That’s how strong I feel about the significance of this album.

This is the album that changed everything for Andre 3000 & Big Boi. Yes their first album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was great. But it was ATLiens that set them apart as a group that set it’s own path. Here they went to more unconventional subject matter than what was covered in Southern Hip-Hop and threw away the tag they got from their first album (Southern Pimps). Do you really think that we’d be talking about Outkast the same way if they would have stay on that path?

I can honestly say that every song on ATLiens is straight fire. Okay, maybe “Ksdubfsliu” was kinda lame. What? You never heard that song? You’re right. The only way for a bad track to be on this album is to make up one and say it was on there. But then just because it’s on the album and surrounded by greatest, it to would probably be a great song then. So even then you fail.

On this album, Outkast also stepped behind the boards and produced 5 of the 15 tracks on the album. Their involvement on production side would gradually increase in future Outkast’s albums, but it was here where they started. Not to slight Organzied Noize; the tracks they produced shaped the whole album and fit perfectly with Outkast.

So yeah, as you can see, I REALLY like this album. That also means I could write on and on about it. There’s so many things I could talk about. How the title ATLiens help make Atlanta the hotbed of talent it is today. The whole aliens theme used throughout the album (How dope is that album cover?). The little things thrown in each track (“Wheelz Of Steel” – When Big Boi says; “Don’t want no AIDS, no claps, or no rabies”, I still clap at the right time). You could literally write a short book on the importance of ATLiens.

This album is the epitome of Classic Material.