Top 5 Hip Hop Albums of the 1990s

The records that defined a decade and changed music forever

#2: Ready to Die by The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)

Released September 13, 1994 on Bad Boy Records

Biggie's debut album remains a flawless start-to-finish listen

Produced by Easy Mo Bee, DJ Premier, and Puffy Combs

Blended street realism with commercial hooks in a way no one had done before

Certified 4x Platinum and a cornerstone of East Coast rap

Released December 15, 1992 on Death Row Records

Birthed G-funk: slow grooves, synthesizer bass, and laid-back flows

Introduced the world to a then-unknown Snoop Doggy Dogg

Certified 3x Platinum and a commercial and critical landmark

Shaped West Coast rap for the entire following decade

Take the next step

Go and Get it!

Released April 19, 1994 on Columbia Records

Only 10 tracks, 39 minutes of pure lyricism

Produced by DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor and Q-Tip

Widely considered one of the greatest rap albums ever recorded

Cemented the Queensbridge housing project in hip hop mythology

Released November 9, 1993 on Loud Records

Introduced nine distinct voices from Staten Island, New York

RZA's raw, soul-sampled production created an entirely new sound

Kung fu film samples and street philosophy woven throughout

Launched one of hip hop's most enduring collectives and brands

Released February 13, 1996 on Death Row Records

Hip hop's first double album, featuring 27 tracks across two discs

Certified 10x Platinum, one of the best-selling rap albums of all time

Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, and Johnny J delivered a blockbuster production palette

Released just seven months before Tupac's tragic death at age 25

Only God can judge me.