The Glock Cocker, the Block Locker, the Rock Chopper…

Smoothe Da Hustler – Once Upon A Time In America Year: 1996 Titled after the epic Sergio Leone movie from 1984 starring Robert DeNiro, the debut LP by Smoothe Da Hustler came out 12 years later. If you saw that movie, you would expect a lot from an album named after it and well, what [...]

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BLOODY BODY PARTS IN DA FRUIT PUNCH BOWL

Crustified Dibbs – Night Of The Bloody Apes Year: 1994 There are things you might not know about R.A. The Rugged Man. Yeah, he released an album in 2004, entitled Die, Rugged Man, Die. He was featured on Jedi Mind Trick’s Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story which became The Source’s HipHop Quotable of the Month [...]

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And just when you thought it was over…

Gravediggaz – 6 Feet Deep / Niggamortis Year: 1994 “Super Group, that’s what the media called the Gravediggaz, consisting of Rza, Frukwan of Stetsasonic, producer Prince Paul and Poetic aka Grym Reaper. They were portrayed as the creators of a genre called horrorcore, and although other groups (like the Flatlinerz for instance) claimed they invented [...]

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Who’s got the motherfuckin’ dopest Verse?

Mad Kap – Look Ma Duke, No Hands Year: 1993 “Look Ma Duke, No Hands” was released in 1993 on Loud/RCA Records, the label which roster contained the likes of Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep and M.O.P. And at the first listen, one would probably think this is an eastcoast record soundwise. But it was recorded [...]

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Bushwick Bill is on a goddamn hunt with a 12 gauge pump…

Bushwick Bill – Little Big Man Year: 1992 Back in the 90s, on my journeys through the record stores, I wasn’t only searching for vinyl and CDs, I was looking for info, too. Not the easiest of tasks, with rap music being generally overlooked, and the internet as we know it today wasn’t invented yet. [...]

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It’s probably all the chronic that I’ve smoked…

Bo$$ – Born Gangstaz Year: 1993 Female MCs have been a rare thing to find ever since. Looking at my collection, there’s only a handful of names that fit the category. YoYo, BWP, MC Lyte, Hurricane G, HWA… and then, there’s Bo$$. Today we’ve seen it all. Back then it was different, and there weren’t [...]

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Compton is the city that I’m claimin’

Comptons Most Wanted – Straight CheckN ‘Em Year: 1991 Does anybody else miss the time when Rap tracks contained cuts and scratches? I do. Just one of the many reasons to get a hold of this Album by CMW. There’s cutting and scratching on almost every track courtesy of DJ Mike T. There are a [...]

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Where’s the Sniper?

Volume 10 – Hip-Hopera Year: 1994 “Hip Hopera”, released on RCA Records/Immortal records, is one of the most underrated albums from the west coast, period. I took notice of Volume 10 through his affiliation with Freestyle Fellowship (he was featured on the track “Heavyweights” on “Innercity Griots”), and “Pistol Grip Pump” was kind of a [...]

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It runs in the Family

Mobstyle – Game of Death Year: 1992 This one is about as real as it gets. Mobstyle was formed by Azie (AZ) Faison, a real life drug dealer. As a matter of fact, the New York drug trade in the 80′s was practically run by him and his friends, Alpo Martinez and  Rich Porter. Not [...]

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Nowhere to run to, baby…

N.W.A – 100 Miles and Runnin’ Year: 1990 This 5-Track EP was released in 1990 on Ruthless Records. 5 Tracks? That’s all? Yes, it is, and guess what, the last track isn’t even a song, but a commercial for the groups follow-up album Efil4zaggin. So, just 4 tracks then, does this mean this is a [...]

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