20 Underrated Albums From 1993

October 17, 2013 - 7:59 pm by Max Weinstein

Enter The 36 Chambers. Midnight Marauders. Enta Da Stage. ’93 ‘Til Infinity. Doggystyle. So many classic albums dropped in 1993 that it proved to be a turning point in hip-hop. N.W.A had disbanded and Dre had taken over the land with The Chronic a year before. The world was introduced to Wu-Tang, forever entwining weird rappers with mainstream acceptance.

The national rap scene was splintering at breakneck speed as the technology spread and more styles gave way to more experimentation. Crazy rappers got crazier; jazzy rappers got jazzier. Any chance of a dominant sound had fractured across regions by the time 1993 rolled around. We decided to dig into the archives and talk about 20 of the Best Underrated Rap Albums from 1993. Take a trip down memory lane with us.

Da King & I – Contemporary Jeep Music (Rowdy) Highlights: “Let’s Take a Trip,” “Flip da Scrip” Take the weird, blunted vibes of Digable Planets, add the drum breaks of D.I.T.C., a touch of Black Sheep, and…oh, a flawless remix from Primo, and what do you have? Only the most underrated, underappreciated album from 1993, Da King & I’s Contemporary Jeep Music. They’ve got a “Tears” to rival Wu-Tang’s “Tearz” before the Contemporary side ends and the Jeep side gets to jumping with “Ghetto Instinct." Izzy Ice and Majesty complement each other too well on every single track. Once more, Da King & I would stick around for one monster album, and then they vanished. Majesty would go on to produce some later Cella Dwellas material (when they became just The Dwellas), but nothing came out after this LP. It’s cool, though, because CJM doesn’t get old, no matter how many times you play it. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: blogspot

Kilo – Bluntly Speaking (WRAP) Highlights: “Tick Tock (Outta Time Mix)," “Fly Love Song,” “Buffalo Rapper” Not much is available about this album online, but everything you need to know is in the music. Atlanta Bass rapper Kilo Ali (real name Andrell D. Rogers) grouped up with DJ Red Money on the beats to become Kilo for Bluntly Speaking. Rogers floats pleasantly between rapping and singing on Bluntly Speaking, as ear-boxing snares hit you in the face on “Fly Love Song.” Four years later, Rogers stepped out on his own with Organized Bass for Interscope, but it was Bluntly Speaking that emphasized the high-pitched, drawling, one-of-a-kind voice. A year after Bluntly Speaking dropped, Outkast would debut their first project, and you can’t help but wonder if Andre was a little influenced by the many talents of Kilo Ali. “Tick Tock” itself is such a fascinating rumination on time and our relation to it that it warrants multiple rewinds every single time. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: 7static

Funkdoobiest – Which Doobie U B? (Immortal) Highlights: “The Porno King,” “Bow Wow Wow,” “I’m Shittin’ On ‘Em” Cypress Hill is responsible for turning a lot of heads onto rap in the early '90s, but those same heads might not know about Funkdoobiest. Son Doobie, DJ Ralph M and Tomahawk Funk were Latinos from L.A. looking to break into hip-hop, and DJ Muggs was their in. He was the architect behind the group, although DJ Ralph M, DJ Lethal, and T-Ray all produce tracks on the album. Which Doobie U B? is a mix of everything, like an East meets West sound. It was a slick sound similar to Cypress Hill’s, but without the mainstream spins that made Cypress such a turning point. All the better for newcomers to discover 20 years later. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: wikimedia

Da Youngsta’s – The Aftermath (EastWest) Highlights: Every song Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Marley Marl, Beatnuts. Are you kidding me? With an array of producers that stands up to Illmatic's lineup, The Aftermath is too dope to ignore. Brothers Taj and Qu’ran Goodman and their cousin Tarik Dawson were one of the first kid rap groups, and after proving themselves on their debut, they saw of influx of curiosity pointed in their direction. Saxes, bass lines, and crispy drums mingle as each rapper darts around the instruments. It’s the ultimate cool out album, perfect for the stereo or your headphones, a party or a by yourself meeting. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: rockfreshradio

Geto Boys – ‘Til Death Do Us Part (Rap-A-Lot) Highlights: “G.E.T.O.,” “Street Life,” “Six Feet Deep,” “Cereal Killer” I know, I know. Geto Boys? Underrated!? Bullshit! They were pioneers of Texas hip-hop, let alone rap music as a whole. Grip It! On That Other Level is a cult classic, if not a widely accepted standard of hip-hop excellence, and We Can’t Be Stopped catapulted the group to their peak with a controversial album cover and a hit single. But by ’93, Willie D had parted ways with the group, Scarface was gearing up for his second solo album, and the Geto Boys seemed prime for disintegration. The intro to ‘Til Death Do Us Part proves otherwise. Later immortalized by UGK’s “Wood Wheel,” the opening beat features a monologue by Lil’ J that sets the mood for the group’s first ever No. 1 album on the hip-hop/R&B charts. “Six Feet Deep,” flipping the perennial piano from “Easy,” was the second Geto Boys single to crack the top 40 in the Billboard Hot 100. Within two months, the album was certified gold by the RIAA. The truth is that young'ns these days only know the Geto Boys because of 1) “Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta” appearing in the movie Office Space (not an altogether bad source of discovery, but still) and 2) “My Mind Playin’ Tricks On Me”, if you’re lucky. Their earlier stuff gets all the praise, but ‘Til Death Do Us Part was one of their crowning achievements. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: Amazon

K-Rino – Stories From The Black Book (Electric City) Highlights: “Step Into The Mind,” “Creator of Life,” “Stories From The Black Book,” “Cartoon Orgie” Before Immortal Technique, there was K-Rino, one of the most underrated, cold-blooded lyricists to ever pick up a pen. He was respected in his time as a slept-on giant not to be messed with, and the opening song on his debut album Stories From The Black Book illustrates why: “K-Rino the mercenary melodical wiz / You got 1 second 2 pass a 3 hour quiz” / A) is guns, B) is gas, C) is knife drilling / pick your death ‘cause it’s a multiple choice killing.” It’s a gift to hear his music 20 years later and still catch things that he was folding into his rhymes. That cover art is ahead of it’s time, too. Looks like it was made with Windows 95. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: rapgenius

Trends of Culture – Trendz… (Mad Sounds Recordings) Highlights: “Fuck What Ya Heard,” “Who Got My Back?” “Off & On” Moody but playful, Trends of Culture are another one-stop rap group, blessing us with Trendz… and then scooting back into obscurity forever, besides a couple singles in proceeding years. Lord Finesse fucked with Grapevine and M.O.L. enough to hit them off with two beats for their sole LP, but the duo handles the rest of the production themselves. It’s another puzzling, even frustrating situation, of a talented group dropping an incredible album with almost no push from their label and then receding into darkness for good. The album is part noir, part sunshine, but always light-hearted, and just as deserving of praise than the rest of the acclaimed ’93 releases. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: funkysouls

4 Deep – Another Day In The Jungle (Ichiban) Highlights: “Rollin 4 Deep (Remix),” “I Don’t Luv Ya,” “Ain’t No Luv” Screwzoo knew how to choose an opening track for his mixtapes. When the drums sputter at the beginning of Dancing Candy and that waning, melancholic guitar drops, it’s a pure high. When I heard “Rollin’ 4 Deep” for the first time, I knew I had to peep 4 Deep, and luckily Big Boss, Koo-Rod and Klas-1 have most of their discography on Spotify. Like much of the rap during the period, 4 Deep are grim, living block to block, constantly looking over their shoulders. Shit, it’s only three dudes in the group – they consider a gat to round out the 4 Deep theme. Their best song is actually a remix of the original “Rollin’ 4 Deep,” which can be found on their second album, What’s Really Goin’ On. Big Boss’ beats are the biggest pull, dropping samples in the middle of beats and rigging up some easy rider music. The group has been lost to memory in the shadows of UGK and the Geto Boys, but 4 Deep is an integral part of Houston’s rap history. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: purpledrank

5th Ward Boyz – Ghetto Dope (Rap-A-Lot) Highlights: "Bringing Hats," "Studio Gangster," "5th of Ghetto" If you can’t tell by now, Rap-A-Lot was on a fucking roll in 1993. J. Prince had cultivated a rock solid stable of artists, and the 5th Ward Boyz were at the top of the list. 007, E-Rock and Lo Life were animated, and with N.O. Joe’s masterful production, their debut Ghetto Dope was as potent as smack. You’ve got to really try to stink up beats like these to fail, but the 5th Ward Boyz hit each track with their own style, as bitches and studio gangsters are equal fodder for dismissal. The album is essentially fun, despite its disheartening content, and it’s that intangible quality that makes the LP so ripe for repeat listens. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: lastfm

Rumpletilskinz – What Is A Rumpletilskin? (RCA) Highlights: The whole thing This group’s attitude was fucked up and real shitty before Houdini P said so. Maybe one of the weirdest groups to ever surface in hip-hop for one album, Rumpletilskinz are an anomaly on rap’s timeline. They were angry yet eccentric, knowledgeable yet fun. They had a special gift of balancing jewels with grooves, but with little promotion, the label basically relegated the group to no-name status, besides a feature on “Sound of the Zeekers” from LONS’ A Future Without A Past. Little known producer R.P.M. serviced all but three beats on the album, making for a cohesive boom bap aesthetic that was recorded and mixed in the legendary Chung King Studios in New York City. And then they disappeared. We can whine about how much dope music Jeranimo, LS, Sha-now and R.P.M. could have made with better label treatment, or we can just kick back and appreciate this thorough work of art. Play it front to back. You won’t be disappointed. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: blogspot

Ed O.G. (With Da Bulldogs) - Roxbury 02119 (Chemistry) Highlights: "Streets of the Ghetto," "Love Comes and Goes," "Skinny Dip (Got It Goin' On)," "Go Up And Up" Ed O.G and Da Bulldogs. have been around for a minute. Younger fans might remember an album he did with Pete Rock around the early 2000's. He's a born and bred Bostonian, growing up in the town and zip code that this album is named after. He was rapping at the tender age of 15 as Edo Rock, and later met the Awesome 2 duo of Teddy Ted and Special K to form Da Bulldogs, Roxbury's most formidable rap crew. Their first album, Life of a Kid in the Ghetto, dropped in 1991 and had the single "Be a Father to Your Kid" get spins on the radio. Their second album, however, was met with a much colder reception, and Mercury ended up dropping the group after Roxbury 02119. Diamond D and Joe Mansfield roughly split production credits, with Diamond's cuts getting the slight advantage. The album is far too overlooked in the retinue of East Coast hip-hop, which might match Boston's understated M.O. but isn't justified by Ed O.G.'s dope early work. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: blogspot

Ganksta NIP – Psychic Thoughts (Rap-A-Lot) Ganksta NIP was always a little off in the head, and Psychic Thoughts offered a cross-section of his psychic, “revelational” thoughts. He’s pretty calm for a psycho, as babies die and sacred savagery ravages the land. Ganksta NIP was instrumental to Rap-A-Lot’s diversity, and Mike Dean’s production continues his unparalleled run of genius for the label. Can someone explain to me what’s happening on the album cover, though? Is that a bunny transformed into a white man? Why does the album’s subtitle sound like…Ron Burgundy? Is NIP about to shoot that guy right next to the highway? [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: lastfm

Coup – Kill My Landlord (Wild Pitch) Highlights: “Dig It,” “Not Yet Free,” “Funk,” "Kill My Landlord" Only The Coup could open their album with rhymes about reading the Communist Manifesto. The political overtones in their music remained consistent throughout the years, but the quality didn’t, and thus they were swept under the rug of hip-hop history, remembered more by rap nerds than CD purchasers. Boots Riley produced all of Kill My Landlord and provided the vocals, while DJ Pam the Funkstress laid the scratches and E-Roc did backup vocals. The album comments on everything from gangster posturing, to the ills of capitalism, to the threats of organized religion. Boots was about that political life even after The Coup disbanded, continuing to support community activists in Oakland, especially the Young Comrades. With the swing of Brand Nubian and the production quality of Tribe, Kill My Landlord reminds us that rap used to address bigger problems while staying funky as ever. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: Amazon

E-40 – Federal (Sick Wid It) Highlights: The whole damn thang E-40’s introductory album was a barrage of rhymes that was unlike anything hip-hop had ever seen before. He introduced an entire book of slang to the game, and following his work with The Click, came to define the West Coast’s Hyphy sound. He’s even defining certain slang words in the very first song. He went on to have one of the strongest '90s catalogues of all time and is now considered one of the illest Cali rappers to ever touch the mic. All of this is lost on most of today’s young generation, who know Dr. Dre because of his headphones and Ice-T because of Law And Order. When I was little my pops took me to an And 1 mixtape tour at Madison Square Garden. E-40 performed at halftime (turning it into a block party) while a woman to our right rolled up a blunt and smoked it, right where I once sat watching Reggie Miller destroy the Knicks! I haven’t been the same since; neither has pops. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: blogspot

Pudgee the Phat Bastard – Give ‘Em The Finger (Giant Records) Highlights: “Lady In My Life,” “This Is How We…,” “Bring The Noiz Niggas,” “Doin’ MC’s Sum’n Terrible,” “Mommie Dearest” The rapper who used to trade rhymes with Nas and Akinyele on the phone might best be known for working with Biggie Smalls, but his debut LP Give ‘Em The Finger is a forgotten gem from an era filled with high-profile East Coast albums. Punchlines, story raps, boatloads of flows and vintage Trackmasters beats – Pudgee was the complete package. He had Kool G Rap, MC Lyte and Snagglepuss as guests. He was friends with Tupac, Tragedy Khadafi and Left Eye. Pudgee was basically set to blow, but the deaths of friends and ill-prepared record labels made him bow out early and resort to ghostwriting. Check out the full story in an interview over at the OG Robbie Ettelson’s Unkut. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: blogspot

PxMxWx – Legalize “Pass Tha Weed” (Cash Money Records) Highlights: “Still Smokin’,” “Splift Out 2 (Dipped N Honey),” “Roshambeau” A friend with weed is a friend, indeed. Mannie Fresh makes his production debut on the classic first PxMxWx (Project’s Most Wanted, not Pussy, Money, Weed) album Legalize “Pass Tha Weed”, which was also one of the initial albums that dropped on a fledgling Cash Money Records. Fans of Lil’ Wayne’s Dedication mixtapes might want to listen closely – New Orleans Bounce is born in Big Man’s sing-song delivery and Mannie Fresh’s groundbreaking beats. Fellow Cash Money rappers Lil’ Slim and U.N.L.V. join PxMxWx along with a Texan rapper by the name of Bun B. Rap music would never be the same after. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: livedoor

C-Bo – Gas Chamber (AWOL Records) DJ Screw’s favorite rapper never got much acclaim. The Sacramento rapper released dope albums throughout the '90s, but his debut was called Gas Chamber, and I can think of more than a couple powerful Jews who probably didn’t like that allusion too much. Five years later, C-Bo’s lyrics were so vivid that they constituted a violation of his parole and landed him in court. The whole situation came to a head when C-Bo actually rapped his court statement to the judge, who approved on the condition that the gangster rapper spit bars for an anti-crime PSA next. That’s how you talk your way out of trouble. Gas Chamber was produced by Bay Area producers Mike Mosley and Sam Bostic, who pioneered the Mobb music sound that evolved into Hyphy through E-40 and The Click. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: rapmusicguide

Rodney-O & Joe Cooley – Fuck New York (Psychotic) Highlights: “U Don’t Hear Me Tho,” “What Really Goes On?” “Sit Back (Listen To The Rhyme),” “Humps For The Boulevard" Rodney-O was a member of the Caution Crew in the '80s before linking with producer and DJ Joe Cooley in 1983 for two singles, “Rhythm Rock” and “Westside Storie." A decade later, they would depart from electronic hip-hop for a harder Compton sound. Soul chops, slapping snares and infamous scratches would define their Fuck New York LP, which was a response to the lack of West Coast records being played on New York radio as well as a retort to Tim Dog’s “Fuck Compton” diss. Legend goes that Joe Cooley was still smarting from a loss to Philly DJ Cash Money by a single point at the 1988 New Music Seminar on the East Coast. Twenty years later, and the sentiments about the “raggedy motherfucker” in the intro eerily echo in the shadows of New York’s current radio situation. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: Amazon

Seagram – Dark Roads (Rap-A-Lot) I am way too tempted to write about this album in the -izzle style, but I’ll control myself. If you thought Snoop Dogg started all that fashizzle my nizzle stuff, you’re wrong. That was Seagram and Gangsta P, two West Coast rappers signed to Rap-A-Lot who freaked the slang on the opener to Dark Roads, “Straight Mobbin'.” This album wouldn’t be on this list if the whole album was rapped like that, though (the “izzle” link on Wikipedia will rightly redirect you to a page called “Gibberish”). Oakland rapper Seagram didn’t live to see 27 after being tragically shot down, but at least he got to do two albums, Dark Roads and Reality Check (a third album, Souls On Ice, was released posthumously). The second track on his debut, "2 For 1,” sneaks in three beats over the span of five minutes and gets the album jumping, but by track four he’s praying to Satan, “the ruler of the earth,” and things get dark real quick. Label partners Scarface, Ganksta N-I-P and Willie D show up for a couple choice verses, but Seagram dominates the record with tales of drug dealing and gun violence. I doubt that J. Cole would visit “The Vill” mentioned on this album. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: a1yola

Top Authority – Somethin’ To Blaze To (TRAK Records) Highlights: “Voices,” “93 (Things Ain’t How They Should Be),” “Money” Flint, Michigan brought the world a gang of talented rappers (The Dayton Family, MC Breed, Me Phi Me), and Top Authority didn’t alter the sound of the area as much as build on the usual subject matter with a G-funk flavor. Shotgun and Flex shoot a lot of guns, rob a lot of people, and chase a lot of cash on their debut album, Somethin’ To Blaze To before the silky smooth “93 (Things Ain’t How They Should Be)” calms their nerves with a catchy Bernard Wright flip. Shotgun is dangerously on-point throughout as Dalo keeps it sparse on the production with squealing synthesizers and cavernous drums that should soundtrack smoke sessions, not shoot-outs. [videoembed size="full_width" alignment="center"][/videoembed] Photo Credit: rapgenius

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