2Pac "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z" (1993)

The late American rapper Tupac Shakur is undoubtedly Rap and Hip Hop's most acclaimed, celebrated and mourned artist. Shot several times and fatally wounded in 96 at the peak of his career the man has a legendary status in music with a body of widely influential work including a plethora of posthumous records created by other musicians who strived to keep his name alive and relevant in the post 2Pac world. In popular culture his "All Eyez On Me" and Death Row era is the most celebrated but for me its his first two, often overlooked, that mean the most. On "2Pacalypse Now" a young teenage Tupac charmed us with his social conscious, intelligent, intrepid flow and weightless articulation. The talent was raw, untouched and full of promise but the events that would follow would set him on a wild journey through the pressures of being a person of national interest.

Following a violent police beating and public criticism on his music from senator Dan Quayle, Tupac arrives at the microphone with the anger and frustration frothing at the mouth and with his unrivaled talent focuses it all into his words with an endless onslaught of rage induced rhymes to strike back. These where times when Rap music was shining a light on the systematic racial impoverishment in American society and being targeted for shining that light Tupac strikes back "And now I'm like a major threat, cause I remind you of the things you were made to forget". The record is loaded with sharp and concise rhymes like this which convey so much weight and meaning when you understand there context. Given the recent attention to racist police brutality and the outcry in response its as relevant as ever. "So we live like caged beasts, waiting for the day to let the rage free".

Head locked with the political system, Tupac's once observational lyricism heats up as he steps inside the minds of the characters he speaks for, taking things to the next level as he tells the struggles of ghetto life. It can easily come across as glorifying violence and is often misunderstood as such. Tupac see's criminals as what they are, people, and gets us inside the mind to understand the social and economic environments that create criminality in his neighborhood. He gives them a voice and does so with the help of legends Ice Cube and Ice T, as well as Treach of Naught By Nature for some brilliant and would be classic collaborations.

Behind an arsenal of eye opening lyricism the production is one to remember for being vibrant, aggressive, noisy and obviously flawed. Through its shortcomings it triumphs in making a memorable and firey backing to Tupac's inspired attitude. The beats are chaotic, layers of samples stacked noisily and at times incoherent. Theres similarities to Public Enemy's Bomb Squad style, and underneath deep sub bass lines groove in an unsettled and restless set of beats. The consistency is varied, some tracks sound like they are from the previous record and others, mainly the records closer have a Naughty By Nature vibe. It rough, raw and ambitious, with more polish it could of easily been a classic but feels rushed and results with an easily aged character to it.

This was the first Tupac record I brought, must of been over fifteen years ago and it was the wild fiery, red and green album cover that sold it for me. At the time I enjoyed it but it was many years later that my appreciation grew as I understood its context more. Interestingly, I can draw some comparisons to the southern Hip Hop style with the cover art, years before it became popular in the south. One other thing I adore about this record is the use of deep pitch shifted vocals like on "Something To Die 4". Its fantastic but hardly ever utilized, although Killer Mike's recent "Rap Music" does it to great effect. On another note, Tupac's most known track "Changes" is actually a leftover from this record. Having collected all the outtakes I can hear why, the beat just isn't on the same level as Tupac. Anyway, there's my thoughts, I adore early Tupac and this record gets me fired up and angry when I need it.

Favorite Tracks: Holler Ya Hear Me, Point The Finger, Something 2 Die 4, Last Wordz, Souljah's Revenge, Strugglin', Guess Who's Back, Keep Ya Head Up, Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z, The Streets R Deathrow, Deadly Venomz

Rating: 9/10

Darkthrone "Under A Funeral Moon" (1993)

Of the back of their transitional record "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" Darkthrone set out to write a purist record that would cast aside the remnants of Death Metal and delve deep into the spirit of the Black Metal scene. The result is a horrifically dark, chilling and blunt record with a strong satanic message. It brought about techniques, musical ideas and a classic low-fi production aesthetic that would have a vast influence on the future of the scenes music. It was also the last record with second guitarist Zephyrous who left the band as a duo that are still writing music together to this day.

The record opens with an ambush, "Natassaja In Eternal Sleep", dropping us immediately into what feels like the middle of a song with a temperate, ugly scaling guitar riff leading the way, the vocals drop in with a similar mid-song setting and we get a taste of the many rebellious, almost "anti-music" ideas this record experiments with. As suddenly as it starts, it ends, with the song simply fading out sharply, mid riff, after the last lyric is howled "And Natassaja, I'll get these god dam angels drunk".

The lyrics are a merit of their own, but the delivery and execution of Nocturno Culto's wretched screams are sublime. Working with both an immediate and delayed reverb, his snarl and throaty howls feedback on themselves before echoing out into the track. The texture is menacing and shrill, combined with the evil and sinister lyricism he comes off like an anti-christian weapon of malice, haunting us from beyond this realm. On the records title track Culto's walks us through the proceedings of satanic ritual with a chilling nocturnal lyricism, "Drinking the poisoned blood, I enter my shadowed coffin, two goats horns in my hands, I raise my arms and close my eyes, to receive the infernal hails from my brother in the land of the damned". Frightening stuff if you choose to take him seriously. I can't help but take it with a pinch of salt however I think the mood and tone of the record makes their beliefs and intentions very clear.

 The records production is a staple mark of the genre as the band pushed extremes and opted for a low fidelity sound to satisfy their rebellious "anti-music" fever. The guitars have a thin gristly fuzz distortion that feels narrow and evasive, the drums rattle and clash through a claustrophobic lack of dimension. The bass is buried in the haze and the performance has a fair few mistakes and inconsistencies that add to the charm. It was an intentional decision to downgrade the fidelity and it served as a feedback loop to bury the music in an unforgiving sound that would reinforce the ideology. Having listened to this one so many times Its become the norm, almost hard to imagine when I first discovered these record and saw a peak of light through the black, tarnsihed front.

Collectively its a flawless, cohesive collection of ideas executed sublimely but Ive always felt a selection of songs out-shined the others, leaving it slightly short of what would be a "perfect" Black Metal record. Exploring many dynamics of mood, tone and general "evilness" the group even throw down a slamming satanic beat down on "Summer Of The Diabolical Holocaust" that makes a masterpiece out the simplest use of rhythm and power-chords possible. It climaxes with a cryptic, wild guitar shredding solo that wails a noisy mess of sound in an almost piss taking tribute to guitar leads. The rebellion is real with this record, its black, bone cold and not for the light hearted. Beneath its ugly menacing exterior lies an exciting musical adventure that pushes all boundaries.

Favorite Songs: Natassaja In Eternal Sleep, Summer Of The Diabolical Holocaust, Unholy Black Metal, Under A Funeral Moon

Rating: 9/10

Digable Planets "Reachin' (A New Refutation Of Time And Space)" (1993)

Reading a top 90s Hip Hop songs list cropped up an unheard of group at number two. Its somewhat of an oddity to find groups from this era that escaped my radar, but lo and behold here was Digable Planets and the super slick track "Cool Like That" with its big groove baseline and the Jazz Hop vibes similar to "A Tribe Called Quest" and the Native Tongues. They are a trio of Rappers from Brooklyn who signed to Pendulum in 92 and this is their debut, which had the hit single from the list.

The record's a smooth, gentle breeze of laid back jazzy vibes blowing in the wind as the trio deliver soft, warm and welcoming raps of expanded consciousness and social political awareness. The trio all have such friendly and polite tones with chilled flows that make for the most inoffensive rapping I may of ever heard. Lyrically its a little inconsistent, in some moments they nail the vibe with memorable lines "We be to rap what keys be to locks", smart and intelligent lines but often it doesn't come of with the same finesse. With a lot of witty lines to burn through it does tire a little as the record draws on.

The beats have a spark of magic, the epitome of the classic 90s sound with a current of cool jazz struck a nerve. Undoubtedly some of my favorite beats Ive heard this year, especially "Jimmi Diggin' Cats" sampling of Kool And The Gang's "Summer Madness", a song that's in two other I love, Ice Cube's "You Know How We Do It" and DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince's "Summertime". There's many terrific uplifting samples and a great selection of beats that aren't to overbearing. Unfortunately I felt the final tracks on the record drifted in mood and didn't have the same spark. My overall impression is that of a flawed classic. There's so much good to praise, but its also inconsistent and patchy too.

Favorite Tracks: Pacifics, Where I'm From, Rebirth Of Slick, Jimmi Diggin' Cats

Rating: 7/10

Snoop Doggy Dogg "Doggystyle" (1993)

Known around the world as an icon of Hip Hop culture, Snoop Dogg's story both starts and ends with his debut record "Doggystyle", a Hip Hop classic that broke sales records and helped solidify the west coast's popularity with mainstream audiences. The records success is truly justified by its artistic content as Snoop drilled his persona, slick flow and boisterous G-Funk style home after creating a memorable debut on Dre's "The Chronic". Since the release of this record back in 93 Snoop has never artistically come close to the heights soared with his debut, but has remained ever present with a continual string of mediocre records, guest features and putting himself in the limelight through movies, advertisements and appearances on a frequent basis. He has kept his brand and image going all these years, and its off the back of a classic timeless record that never gets old.

When Snoop first gained exposure through his collaborations with Dre he instantly established his name through a unique style he would be strongly identified for. A slick, steady flow oozing with style and attitude, Snoop's laid back raps were delivered with memorable multisyllabic rhymes, often for the izzle and izzites as Snoop manipulated words with a brand of his own. It wasn't just the flow that was easy going, the straight forward use of language and to the point phrasing had listeners of a broader audience understanding. Snoop also had the light toned "sing raps" in the arsenal alongside a dynamic flow in which he could shift the pace effortless mid verse. The exaggerated gangster persona further solidified his appeal with violent, raunchy lifestyle tales of another culture, glorifying the extremes depicted in his lyrics. On paper it sounds unexpected, but thats what makes it work, glorified gangster lifestyle stories told through charming, slick and softly delivered raps with a mass appeal for counter culture.

As classic as Snoops flow is, the instrumentals on this record are an undeniable staple mark of its success, produced by Dre, Doggystyle represents a finely crafted set of G-Funk numbers that push the style and groove into a universally appealing territory as these layered tracks ease the listener into there charm, a subtler approach from the bombastic, upfront numbers on "The Chronic". Working with tight drum loops, the charm emanates from three instruments, firstly the grooving bass, rocking and swooning under the drums with power and substance. Secondly the anthemic ghetto whistles, blazing swirling melodies and lingering in the mix provide an array of memorable hooks and infectious tunes. Thirdly the pianos, used like a glue to hold the various elements together they rarely take the forefront but reside between the instruments, breathing warm melodics into the grooving sound. Beyond these three theres some fantastic use of electronics and a constant detailed layering of subtitles that can be heard, filling the spaces perfectly.

Its a Hip Hop classic, and a terrific record in general, but on a personal level I've always found this record to have an unusual uplifting vibe even when in the darker, gangster tracks the ghetto whistles, tight bass grooves and Snoops chilled out persona is a warming one. Tracks like "Gin And Juice", "Whats My Name" and "Doggy Dogg World" are all round fun tracks with a party vibe that still feels relevant today. Snoop put his mark on the world with this record, and it will be celebrated for a long time.

Favorite Songs: G Funk Intro, Gin And Juice, Murder Was The Case, Who Am I, Doggy Dogg World, Pump Pump
Rating: 10/10

Melvins "Houdini" (1993)

American Metalers "Melvins" are an interesting group. When it comes to Metal I am fairly well versed, except in the Sludge / Doom sub genres, which would explain why this band has alluded me all these years. They are acclaimed as a group with strong influences on the emerging Seattle Grunge scene in the early 90s, Cobain is even credited for his involvement in the production of this record. Drawing influences from Black Sabbath and Black Flag, Melvins forge slow, sludging music with that obscurer Ginn approach to guitars that can be felt in moments throughout this album. This is their fifth release and one I chose to listen to simply because it was the first full length to appear in a search result, no surprise it is their most commercially successful release too.

The Melvins sound on this record is a mixed bag of approaches to their slow and sludging style which is mostly achieved through song writing, more so than aesthetics. Boasting a light, rock drum kit, clean, slightly gruff vocals and modest overdriven guitars with pale lead tones, Melvins do not need pummeling kits, bludgeoning guitar tones or screams and growls to achieve brooding sludgy sound. Carefully crafted riffs and composed drumming unite to create some decent grooves and head bangers, as well as crushing, slow movers, of which their is a fair variety on this record.

There were many interesting, and captivating moments on this record, but for the good there was equally some drawn out, duller moments too. The flow of this record is a bit sporadic, with the tempos and vibes changing a fair bit from track to track. "Honey Bucket" kicks up the tempo with the albums thrashiest track, to be flowed up with "Hag Me", a lethargic sludger. Both equally good tracks, but the constant changes made it hard to stay with this record. Melvins have every right to experiment and put out varied music, the result is enjoyable but as an album for me it feel short of creating a consistently captivating listen.

Favorite Tracks: Night Goat, Going Blind, Honey Bucket, Copache

Rating: 6/10

The Smashing Pumpkins "Siamese Dream" (1993)

"Who wants, honey? As long as theres some money!" The Smashing Pumpkins sophomore album starts of with a bang! Cherub Rock is possibly their greatest song, it really encapsulates some of the groups best qualities. Siamese Dream starts where their debut "Gish" left off, this album saw the group break into the mainstream with the album penetrating several top 10s around the globe, it has since gone 4 times platinum in the USA, and deservingly so, this record is an experience. Building on Gish, the group fine tune their sound and deliver a gorgeous record rich with moving instrumentals, emotional lyrics and a resounding consistency that engages me as these 13 songs travel through many passages of their unique sound. 

The sound of this record is absorbing, the guitar tone is dense and inviting, with a warm buzz about it thats engaging and exciting as the pair bang out countless alluring riffs and fiery leads. The clean tones are somber, calm, with a lot of colour and personality about them. The drumming on this record is solid but isn't as adventurous as on the previous record, theres not many moments where they make a big impact on the song. The bass is steady, warm and colorful, giving their sound depth and consistency. The cohesion of the instruments is great, this is a sturdy sounding record that brings out the best of them. On the track "Disarm" the inclusion of strings works effortlessly to narrate another classic song 

The guitars and Corgan's voice give this album its character, the bass and drums guide them along their course, as broad, inventive riffs spark emotions that Corgan explores with his voice and words. Utilizing their unique guitar tone, this album cruises through many riffing styles and moments inter spliced with some grabbing emotional calmer moments where clean guitars gleam. Corgan's introspective presences is moving and deep, bringing his honesty and bearing all with an emotional performance delivered with some memorable creativity on occasions. This is a fine album, one with much mood and character and a depth of songs that come with just a hint of nostalgia. Classic!

Favorite Songs: All?

Rating: 9/10

Guru "Jazzmatazz I" (1993)

In my exploration of Hip Hop music I'm somewhat bemused that I missed this record. Guru being one half of legendary Gang Starr, the fusion of Hip Hop and Jazz being a favorite of mine, this record somehow managed to elude me until recently. On this record Guru lays out an interesting approach to the fusion, brining in other established and respected musicians in the Jazz scene such as Donald Byrd to accompany him on the record. Initially I anticipated the Jazz aspect to take a bigger role in the direction of this record because of these collaborative artists, however it turned out not to be so.

The Hip Hop formula is prevalent here with drum loops, samples and verses carving each song into 4 minute tracks with the commonplace verse chorus formula. Many of the Jazz instrumentals feel sampled or looped, with only a few spare moments for the guest musicians to take the lead, not quite what i initially expected, but certainly not a problem, this is an enjoyable record, but one that utilizes the vibes and styling of Jazz into the Hip Hop mold.

Guru is average by his standard this record, theres many enjoyable verses and moments throughout, but nothing that quite sparks and sticks in the mind like some of his raps with Gang Starr. Theres also a great guest appearance from French Rapper MC Solaar. Despite not understanding a word he says, his voice and flow are indulging. The shine on this record comes from the beats and relation to the Jazz element, with the memorable tracks made by the instrumentals. Overall a very enjoyable fusion of to style I'm fond of, but far from being anything exceptional.

Favorite Tracks: Down The Backstreets, Le Bien, Le Mal

Rating: 6/10