1991 is, overall, rap’s best year yet. Lots of GOATs and classic albums that aren’t just the best of the year but are among the greatest albums ever made. Also, some of rap’s best creators put out their best works as well–like the top 4 artists on this list.
Notably, there were some damn fine soundtracks that really aren’t truly great and aren’t even close enough to warrant honorable mentions, but still had some solid moments. So before we get to the Top 20 Albums of 1991, let’s just call them out:
- Juice. The title track is my absolute favorite Eric B and Rakim song.
- Boyz N Tha Hood. Cube’s, “How to Survive in South Central” is one of his best songs. But we also got Tony! Toni! Tone!’s “Me and You” and a remix of Main Source’s, “Friendly Game of Baseball.” Among other great cuts.
New Jack City. A great soundtrack for a great movie, with great songs like Ice-T’s “New Jack Hustler” (which also appeared on his OG album, listed below) and Color Me Badd’s “I Wanna Sex U Up.”- Cool as Ice. Just kidding, of course.
And now, for the 20 classic rap albums released in the year 1991, and if you read past #1 you’ll find honorable mentions and my pick for the worst of 1991.
20. All Souled Out EP by Pete Rock and CL Smooth. I will only rarely include EPs on the best albums of the year list because EPs are shorter and easier to ensure “no skips,” so they have an unfair advantage–but this is notable because it’s Pete Rock’s debut and the EP that got him signed to Elektra. Plus, it’s got a song called “Mecca and the Soul Brother,” which would end up being the title of his album with CL Smooth. This record is still favorited by fans of underground ’90s rap.
19. Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience by PM Dawn. It’s easy to dismiss this as so much fluff (especially given its reliance on Spandau Ballet), but there was a lot more going on here. PM Dawn took the Daisy Age/hippie rap movement into the ’90s with a smooth, sleek sound–almost like an AM Radio album for hip hop–and adding overt spirituality. A lot of artists do that now. But in 1991? PM Dawn are the only ones on this list. Dream Warriors, whose debut album, And Now the Legacy Begins, also came out in 1991. It had some strong tracks but didn’t hold together as an album the way PM Dawn’s record did. Of the Heart feels like a fully realized vision.
18. Sons of the P by Digital Underground. Coming off the massive success of Sex Packets, Digital Underground took a few steps away from dance-rap. Sure, there’s still some of the same stuff, like the monster-hits, “No Nose Job” and “Kiss You Back,” but George Clinton was more than just dance grooves. He had that hippie, psychedelic, black-consciousness thing going. So, Digital Underground brought him into their studio to produce this album. He encouraged the group to expand beyond Humpty Hump/Shock G, allowing the other members of the collective to step to the mic–including Tupac on DFLO Shuttle. Pac had already spit 8 bars on “Same Song,” found on the Digital Underground EP (listed under honorable mentions), so completists will want to check out that track as well. Also in Clinton fashion, there was a long-form tribute to black activists (“Heartbeat Props”) and a tribute to Clinton himself (“Tales of the Funky”). Sex Packets is the album everyone remembers, but Sons of the P is a richer experience.
17. Quik is the Name by DJ Quik. Quik is the Name was a street mixtape that earned DJ Quik a six-figure deal and studio time to clean it up and make it a proper album. For modern ears, it may sound like this is just copying Dr. Dre, especially because in just a couple years there would be many, many acts trying to capitalize on the G-Funk sound. But Chronic wasn’t out yet and wouldn’t arrive until next year. QitN was one of the genre’s foundational records. Perhaps it doesn’t age as well as many of the better-known G-Funk, gangsta rap classics, but it’s still fantastic.
16. 2Pacalypse Now by 2Pac. Pac’s first album. It’s great all the way through, but it feels dated–especially when played alongside Tupac’s later, more sophisticated material. At the time, few (if any) major male rap artists explored the female perspective like Tupac did on “Brenda’s Got a Baby” and “Part Time Mutha,” and several other cuts were overtly afrocentric and political–and feel a little like schoolwork. As he got older, Tupac would become more of a storyteller and less of a “preacher,” but you could say the same for rap in general.
15. Breaking Atoms by Main Source. Produced by Large Professor, who also has the only speaking role of the “group” that also included K-Cut and Sir Scratch. A classic, even if the sound is slightly dated. Thing is, when you’re making retrospective lists of the greatest records of all time, you have to give credit to an album that is 30 years old and still worth listening to–even if it’s harder to appeal to a modern listener.
14. Straight CheckN’em by Compton’s Most Wanted. With their second album, MC Eiht and Tha Chill hit their groove in a major way–vastly improving over their debut. “Growin’ Up in the Hood” is the CMW’s greatest song, and the rest of the album cooks with a perfect early ’90s West Coast gangsta groove. Note: Tha Chill is barely present on Straight CheckN’em due to a 4-year bid–the first of several incarcerations for the rapper. This means that this is essentially an MC Eiht solo record.
13. Mr. Scarface is Back. Houston’s greatest rapper goes solo with this album. It’s rough around the edges, but just because he gets better as he ages shouldn’t take away from the weight of this album. He’s still relying a little too much on shock-and-horror here, but there are several songs that distinguish his solo work from his work with the Geto Boys. In particular, “A Minute to Pray and a Second to Die” is one of his all-time greatest cuts. Scarface as a solo artist has a depth and breadth that he isn’t express in his Geto Boys work. I don’t say that to diminish his group work, though. We Can’t Be Stopped also made this list, making Scarface the first person to release two GOAT albums in a single year. Ice Cube made the 1990 list twice, but one of the entries was an EP not a proper album.
12. A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing by Black Sheep. The Native Tongue movement spawned many amazing albums, and this is one of them. What made Black Sheep different and special was that they blended hard street themes into a genre generally known as hippie rap. The monster hits “The Choice is Yours” and “Strobeline Honey” are fucking anthems.. But deeper cuts like “U Mean I’m Not,” :Butt in the Meantime,” and “Pass the 40” turn this album from one with a couple massive hits to a full-on GOAT.
11. Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black by Public Enemy. Another great PE album. This one feels a little more “pop” or mainstream then the ones before it. Then again, it might just be that by this time they’d influenced so many rappers that the mainstream had moved to them.
10. We Can’t Be Stopped by Geto Boys. We Can’t Be Stopped garnered attention due in part to its cover photograph of Bushwick Bill in the hospital after he was shot in the head in an attempted “suicide by girlfriend.” It is mostly remembered for the Halloween cut, “Mind Playing Tricks On Me,” which is one of the best rap songs of all time. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s a one-cut record, though. The whole thing is a powerful example of Southern hardcore hip hop. We Can’t Be Stopped features Bushwick’s horrorcore production and Willie D took a much more prominent lead role on We Can’t, which would end up being the group’s last great record. Nothing they made together after this was worth your time.
Note that this year also gave us Scarface’s solo debut, featured elsewhere on this list
9. I Wish My Brother George Was Here by Del the Funky Homosapien. This album merges the feel of native tongue with the documentary-style rap made popular by Del’s famous cousin, Ice Cube. It adds samples of Funkadelic to emphasize groove over hard edges. The title quotes Liberace. In other words, I Wish My Brother George is a fascinating composite of the hip hop and American cultural diaspora, told through the eyes of an Oakland teen. It’s genius.
Ranking the albums of 1991 is incredibly difficult. It would be easy to push this higher up the list…But what would you push down if you did?
8. Derelicts of Dialect by 3d Bass. 3d Bass released exactly two records. Both are GOATs. This is the second. Where their debut was notable because few emcees can spit bars as versatile and surprising as MC Serch, Derelicts dramatically steps up their production game (with Prince Paul having come off of success with De La Soul). They’re still attacking “pop” rap, but the cuts are much smarter–there’s a complexity here that most rap groups can’t touch. Even the skits are good.
7. Naughty by Nature by Naughty by Nature. NbN is an example of a major label debut that got full-throated support, created multiple mega-hits, and stayed true to the hip hop ethos. Three monster singles, several other cuts that got lots of airplay, and an excellent feature from Queen Latifah. It’s a timeless New York City masterpiece that often gets forgotten in the crowd of exceptional 1991 albums.
6. De La Soul is Dead by De La Soul. There are some who say this is De La Soul’s best album, but for me it’s not as good as 3 Feet High…
Honestly, for me it’s not even close.
Still a GOAT though.
De La Soul is Dead is very different from their debut. It’s grittier and darker. The album tackles sexual abuse in a Christmas song (“Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa Claus”), humorously explores life as a mega-successful hip hop act (“Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)”), goes back to their lighter roots (“Bitties in the BK Lounge”), and even creates rap’s first roller skating song (“A Roller-Skating Jam Called, ‘Saturday'”). The title of the album signified that the band wasn’t content to have invented Native Tongue–a groundbreaking, much-emulated rap subgenre (even emulated by some albums that made this year’s list!)–they wanted to kill their old sound and create something new. And they succeeded.
5. Step in the Arena by Gang Starr. For their second album, Guru and DJ Premier went from really good to really great, releasing one of the most popular and enduring rap records of all time. What made Arena so much better than any other Gang Starr album? Preemo. Rapper Guru is constantly reliable–he’s one of the smartest, sharpest lyricists in rap. But this album was where DJ Premier cemented his own place in history. Key cuts, for me, are the title song, Execution of a Chump (No More Mr. Nice Guy Pt. 2), and Just to Get a Rep.
4. Cypress Hill by Cypress Hill. Perhaps the theme of 1991 is reimagining and expanding. The debut of hip hop’s best known Latin group, consisting of B-Real, DJ Muggs, Sen Dog, and Eric Bobo, did as much for hardcore rap as Dr. Dre’s The Chronic. I know that’s a bold statement, but the dark grit of Muggs’ production, B-Real’s nasal snarl, the pot-laced content, the album cover (which looks like police surveillance footage), and the way the album finds humor in the frightening menace of gangland violence influenced both West- and East-Coast rap, the creation of nu-metal, grunge … With so many albums subsequently sounding like Cypress Hill, it’s easy to forget that this is where it started. And their own source material was equally varied, including sampling Suicidal Tendencies (“All I wanted was a Pepsi!”); Gene Chandler’s oldies classic, “Duke of Earl;” Parlaiment, James Brown, the Bar-Kays, Hendrix … If it’s been a while since you gave this album a spin, it’s time to listen again and remember how rich it was.
3. Death Certificate by Ice Cube. Perhaps the artist’s greatest work. Side A, the “death” side, represents his more familiar topic–with songs about life in the hood like Givin’ Up the Nappy Dugout, Look Who’s Burning (about free STD clinics), and Man’s Best Friend (about a gun, not a dog). Side B, the “life” side, represents his serious side, including his conversion to Islam, with songs like “I Wanna Kill Sam” and “Black Korea.” He even attacks his old NWA bandmates in the (more than slightly homophobic) diss cut, No Vaseline.
2. The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest.
Anyone who says this is NOT the best TCQ album is … Probably right. Nearly all are great. But this one is my personal favorite. TCQ had already made their mark as co-founders of the Native Tongue sound, but here they broke free of that subgenre and added strong reliance on jazz-based music and Phife Dog’s verses (whereas previously Q-Tip had been the obvious frontman). Part of this was because Q-Tip was sick during initial recording. It’s also the one with the song “Scenario,” which made Busta Rhymes the most sought-after feature artist of the ’90s. With their second album, TCQ went from the guys who made that great pioneering album to one of the most important groups in hip hop.
1. O.G.: Original Gangster by Ice-T.
Earlier drafts of this article picked Low End Theory as #1 but at the end of the day I had to be honest: This is my site and my tastes and it’s pretty rare to find me in a mood to put on Low End over OG. Tribe Called Quest have the edge in terms of overall skill, innovation, etc., but Ice-T’s charisma and powerful storytelling gave him the #1 spot. Your own tastes may vary and I wouldn’t argue with you.
OG is Ice-T’s greatest album, a double-album magnum opus of old school West Coast hip hop. Ice released this at the same time his career-making role in the film New Jack City was in theaters, revealing to the world that he was a double threat. Ice-T put everything into this record. It’s the got the theme song to that film (“New Jack Hustler,” which is one of the best cuts on the album), hard crime stories, tales of his homeboys in prison, battle/braggadocio rap, a sex rap, and even the skits and snippet raps are excellent. Another highlight is that Ice-T didn’t hire a bunch of all-star producers for what was obviously going to be his biggest record with the biggest budget, he kept working with Afrika Islam (a pioneer in hip hop who started rap at the age of ten(!)) and has very few features, all from people in his Rhyme Syndicate collective (Evil E, Donald D, DJ Alladin, etc.).
Sadly, this was also Ice-T’s last good record until 2026(!)
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
1991 was amazing. If you think any of these honorable mentions should have been considered GOATs in the main list, I can’t argue with you very much.
- In Control II by Marley Marl. One of hip hop’s best DJs provides a sequel to one of hip hop’s best DJ albums. The posse cut, “The Symphony, Pt II” is one of the best rap songs of all time. Sadly, the rest of the cuts on this album range from really good to okay–not great.
- Life of a Kid in the Ghetto by Ed OG and Da Bulldogs. This album is definitely a classic but content-wise it feels a little one-note and dated for my modern ears, so I didn’t put it on the main list.
- Organized Konfusion by Organized Konfusion. Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po’s album is widely considered a classic, and I totally get it. For whatever reason, it has never moved me, so I’m just giving this an honorable mention and keeping my list honest. Just albums that I consider timeless classics.
This is an EP Release by Digital Underground.- Horns of Jericho by Hijack
- Friendly Fascism by Consolidated. A great and very different kind of album, but more industrial than hip hop so it doesn’t make my list.
- Live Hardcore Worldwide by Boogie Down Productions. Live rap usually sucks. This most assuredly does not, and sets the standard for live rap albums.
- Make Way for the Motherlode by Yo-Yo. Largely forgotten, but I had this album on replay for months when it came out and still really dig it.
WORST RAP ALBUM OF 1991
I’m going to go with Efil4zaggin by NWA. Not because it’s an unlistenable album (it kinda is though) but because it’s just pretty vile. Even though there are a few decent songs, overall it’s just full of hate and really, really gross and violent misogyny. Containing none of the innovation and freshness of Straight Outta Compton, this album instead felt like an imitation of itself–like a group trying to recapture what it lost when Ice Cube went East. Sure, the production is tight–but you wrap a three-day-old dead fish in gold leaf, and you’ve still got stinking meat that will make you sick.
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