Top 90 Albums of the 90's: 60-51

#60 The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory - 2Pac (1996)

Released just a couple months after his death, Killuminati is considered 2Pac's last studio album.  The story behind the title is that 2Pac occasionally went by the alias "Makaveli", after Italian political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli.  Machiavelli supposedly at some point in his life faked his own death for seven days in some sort of convoluted revenge plot.  The implication of Pac's label giving the album such a title, and having the cover image be an illustration of 2Pac on a cross (another resurrection reference) was that 2Pac wasn't actually dead, and would be returning at some point.  To this day, there are those out there who believe that 2Pac will come back some day and save hip-hop, or something.

So the cover art and title are really stupid and unabashedly exploitative, what about the music?  It's some of Pac's best.  He goes back to his roots somewhate here, defaulting back to the type of content that made him famous. G-Funk style beats and aggressive delivery of strongly worded lyrics.

#59 Doe or Die - AZ (1995)

AZ had been the only guest Illmatic, an album that has gone on to be considered by most to be the best hip-hop album ever recorded.  His outstanding verse on "Life's a Bitch" put the spotlight squarely on him to release an album of his own.  Expectations were too high, unfortunately, and Doe or Die was considered somewhat of a disappointment by those expecting a second Illmatic.  It's an outstanding album in it's own right, though.  AZ isn't quite the MC that Nas is, but he's got the chops to hold his own against anybody in the world.  AZ wasn't the main problem with Doe or Die, lackluster production keeps it from making the leap to all-time classic.

#58 We Can't Be Stopped - Geto Boys (1991)

This album is probably known for it's cover art than it's actual musical content.  It notably features band member Bushwick Bill sitting on a hospital gurney after suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the face, which cost him his right eye.

As far as subject matter goes, it sticks pretty tight to the standard Geto Boys fare; gangsta shit, and hood life.  It's what Geto Boys do best though, and they arguably did it it better than anybody in the early 90's.

#57 Death Certificate - Ice Cube (1991)

Often times when an artist debuts with a classic album, they find themselves saddled with unrealistic expectations for the followup to that album.  Listeners expect an artist to be able to create something even better once they've established themselves and have more resources at their disposal.  Most wind up being considered disappointments.  Nas, Snoop Dogg, and Raekwon all wound up being victims of their debut's success.

Ice Cube was in a similar boat in 1991.  AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted had been considered a smashing success, and listeners were eager for a followup.  Cube absolutely delivered.  Death Certificate features better rhymes, a more impactful delivery, and funkier beats.  You'll notice AmeriKKKa's most wanted landed a few spots higher on the list, though.  The content of Death Certificate really weighs it down.  The vitriol becomes exhausting to listen to. Whether it's directed at NWA, or Koreans, or just the condition of the urban poor, this album is just anger end to end.

Also, it's pretty weak that he waited until after his first release had been successful to make a real beef track towards NWA.
 
#56 Moment of Truth - Gang Starr (1998)

It's an unfortunate rarity it hip-hop for artists to maintain a high level for as long as Gang Starr did.  Moment of Truth was their fifth album in just under ten years, and it still manages to sound fresh and new.  Preemo seemingly expanded his sample source pool drastically in the years between Hard to Earn and Moment of Truth. Guru is also on top of his game here, having updated his delivery a bit.

#55 A Prince Among Thieves - Prince Paul (1999)

Concept albums have been a thing in hip-hop for a long time, but few albums before, or since A Prince Among Thieves have dedicated themselves to telling a clear, coherent narrative.  It's more like musical theater than it is a concept album.   The plot largely happens via a series of skits, with the actual songs serving more as interludes to introduce new characters or set the stage for the next part of the story.

Prince Paul's production does an excellent job establishing the atmosphere of every scene, and a myriad of guest MCs are cast to play individual roles in the story.  Kool Keith, in particular, plays a very convincing crazy arms dealer in "Crazy Lou's Hideout" and "Weapon World".  The main weakness of this album is that the two lead characters, Tariq and True, are played by two relative unknowns, and they often times are shown up by the guest appearances.

#54 Innercity Griots - Freestyle Fellowship (1993)

Aceyalone, we meet again.  Freestyle Fellowship, was a group consisting of Acey, fellow Haiku D'Etat member, Myka 9 and two gentleman who, unfortunately, have largely been lost to history in Self Jupiter and P.E.A.C.E.  Production wise, it's undoubtedly the best album Acey has ever been on. It's got an energy about it that later releases just lacked.  The energetic, even frantic verses that Freestyle Fellowship drop here really showcase the versatility that they had even this early in their careers.  The fact that this release came so early on in their careers is what ultimately holds this album back somewhat, though.  Acey and Myka 9 are both rappers who trended upwards in their abilities over time. So while the beats are actually pretty decent for a change, the rapping itself isn't quite on the level of All Balls Don't Bounce or Haiku D'Etat.

#53 AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted - Ice Cube (1990)

After a messy breakup with NWA, the pressure was on for Ice Cube to deliver a quality solo album.  AmeriKKKa's most wanted shows that his grievances (namely, that he wasn't being paid enough considering how much of the work load he was bearing) with NWA were completely warranted.  While NWA floundered and eventually broke up without their lead vocalist, Cube's career would blossom into one of the West Coast's best.  One of my favorite aspects of AmeriKKKa's Most is the contrast in production style from Cube's NWA work.  The Bomb Swuad's beats really do a great job showcasing Cube's lyrical talents, which were a step or two above anybody else on the West Coast at the time.

#52 Capital Punishment - Big Pun (1998)

Big Pun really stands out from the crowd of late 90's MCs because of his rapid fire, high rhyme density flow.  The fact that he weighed in at almost 700 pounds made his already insane breath control all the more impressive.  Putting very lyrically dense bars over beats that were essentially club bangers ended up being a winning formula for Pun, and Capital Punishment got him a reputation of one of hip-hop's great young artists.  Unfortunately he was dead of a heart attack within a year of it's release, and a really great followup album never happened.  Despite his exceptionally short career, at least Pun can put on his resume that he's one of the few people who have straight up outperformed Black Thought on a track. ("Super Lyrical")

#51 One Day It'll All Make Sense - Common (1997)

If Common didn't have such a strong discography, this album would get more credit nowadays than it it does.  As it is, it often get's overlooked in favor of his other classic releases.  More so than any of Common's other albums, One Day It'll All Make Sense will have a lasting impact on the listener.  Com's fears and concerns about the responsibilities of becoming a father are palpable.  The production is a bit lacking compared to most of Com's other releases, though.

Common - The Dreamer/The Believer (2011)

Common is a rapper that could have retired ten years ago and still be considered one of the all time greats.  He’s got arguably more classic albums to his name than any other MC to ever do it, and he’s near universally respected because of it.  He’s one of my personal favorites, as well.  That being said, The Dreamer/The Believer is not Com’s best work, not by a long shot.  It is, however, quite possibly his best release since his 2005 classic, “Be.”

Those of you out there who know Common, know that him and producer, No I.D. have worked  together multiple times in the past, most notably on 1994′s, “Resurrection” (another one of Com’s classics).  So, these two Chicago veterans have chemistry; they understand each other, and this shows throughout the album.  The production has a very 90′s-esque feel to it, which I can only assume was the idea, since both Com and I.D. are in the twilight of their careers at this point and neither have found the success that they had together in the mid 90′s since.

Of note is the lack of guest features on the album, aside from the obligatory spot from “Pops” on the final track, all there is is Nas (who Common is releasing a collab with next year), soul artist, John Legend and poet, Maya Angelou.  The guests may be few, but they are all very well done.  Maya Angelou is a legend, and she brought out an original poem for the first track, “The Dreamer”.  Nas delivers a poignant verse on the album’s first single “Ghetto Dreams” and John Legend handles the chorus in spectacular fashion on “The Believer.”

Every part of The Dreamer/The Believer screams “positive hip-hop.”  Common has always been known for having a positive message to his music, but TD/TB takes it to a whole ‘nother level.  From the title of the album, to the music videos, to the production, to the lyrics, Common all but slaps you in the face with his positive message.  Quite frankly, it’s too much.  I’m all for positive hip-hop, but at least try to be subtle about it.  I don’t know whether the whole White House controversy got to him, or what, but Common leaves little to the imagination on this album.  He often comes across as more preachy and pretentious than positive.  The one outlyer in all this is “Sweet,” which takes an inexplicably harder tone, features Common doing braggadocio and for some reason takes shots at singer/rappers. *cough* Drake *cough*  While “Sweet” doesn't exactly fit in with the tone of the album, it does a fantastic job breaking up what could have potentially been an album that all just ran together into one unmemorable blob.

All and all, The Dreamer/The Believer isn't Common’s best, but it is still a good effort from a great MC and great producer.  It’s obvious that Common had a message that he wanted to get across with this album, but it’s unfortunate that he sacrificed wordplay to do so.  If nothing else, he at least makes FOX News look stupid for calling him a gangster rapper.

Best Tracks: The Dreamer, Ghetto Dreams, Blue Sky, Sweet, Celebrate, The Believer

Overall: 83/100