In 1990, albums by “classic” rappers like Run-DMC and EPMD arrived and felt a bit flat as the genre passed the baton to the ’90s. Lots of great albums this year. Note: Remember that “great” means I actually still listen to the album–it’s timeless and not dated. Lots of “important” or influential albums won’t make my annual lists unless I actually still listen to them.
This year, I found 12 albums that I still think are fantastic and deserve to be heard in their entirety…
12. The Geto Boys by The Geto Boys. It’s a bit dated now, but this album was considered to violent to promote by its own label. Later Scarface is better than his work with this band, but there’s also no denying how hard this record hit at the time…And today as well.
11. Take a Look Around by Masta Ace. Far from his best work, yet this album is where Masta Ace first had the confidence to be himself (dropping the “Incorporated” from his name). Masta Ace is in my top 10, so for me hearing these earlier, formative songs is a joy. Production is by the great Marley Marl. Key cuts: Title track, Music Man.
10. One for All by Brand Nubian.
9. Edutainment by BDP. This album has my favorite KRS-One jam: “Beef.” It’s also got Love’s Gonna Getcha (Material Love) and 100 Guns. It’s not as good as Boogie Down’s earlier records–but when you’re comparing it to some of the most brilliant hip hop of all time, that doesn’t mean much.
8. Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em by Eric B and Rakim.
7. New Funky Nation by Boo-Yaa Tribe. The first Samoan-American rap group offers a rap/metal hybrid that still hits hard. Love this record. Key songs: Psyko Funk, Rated R.
6. Sex Packets by Digital Underground. Given its frontman Shock G, it’s tempting to dismiss Digital Underground as a novelty band, but they were highly influential on the West Coast. The collective spawned Tupac, after all. Plus, this is the first concept album about virtual sex–but it also is the first record I can think of to make the forceful argument that drugs and sex are both addicting in the same way…Best songs: Sex Packets, Rhymin’ on the Funk, Packet Man.
5. It’s a Compton Thing by Compton’s Most Wanted. MC Eiht debuts with a creeping, menacing, heavy electronic sound. Key cuts: Duck Sick, Late Night Hype.
4. Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J. Say what you want. I know most of you wouldn’t rank this in a top 10–or if you would, you wouldn’t put it this high on the list. I also know it’s commercial rap. But every song is fantastic, and on the posse cut “Farmer’s Blvd” LL proves he’s still a battle rapper. Of all the albums on this list, this one still gets the most play from me.
Key cuts: Title track, Around the Way Girl, Boomin’ System, Jingaling Baby.
3. AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted by Ice Cube. Cube goes to New York to go solo and work with Public Enemy’s production crew on a career re-defining album. Yeah, the skits can get a little tiresome, but most of the tracks are about 2 minutes–so the album moves at a relentless pace, and nothing overstays its welcome. Bonus: Ice Cube’s “Kill at Will” EP also came out this year and was also great. My favorite cuts: You Can’t Fade Me, Once Upon a Time in the Projects. But as great as this album is, it doesn’t have his best SONG of the year, which was Jackin’ 4 Beats off of his Kill at Will EP. In 1990, Cube was truly at the top of his game.
2. Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy. The single “Fight the Power” debuted a year earlier in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, but the rest of this album took the sound they pioneered in Nation of Millions and perfected it. A wall of sound and rage, with Flavor Flav adding some much needed dark humor (“911 is a Joke”) as well as some unwanted homophobia (“Meet the G that Killed Me”). Ice Cube and Big Daddy Kane add feature appearances. A near-perfect album.
1. People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm by A Tribe Called Quest. If you don’t know, there’s nothing I can tell you about how great and enduring this album is.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Really good albums…but not great:
- Living Like Hustlers by Above the Law and produced by Dr. Dre
- The Devil Made Me Do It by Paris
- Short Dog’s in the House by Too $hort
- To Hell and Back by CPO and produced by MC Ren
- Gangster Chronicle by London Posse
WORST OF THE YEAR…
At this point, rap is big enough that it’s also producing some crap. Believe it or not, Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em is NOT my entry for worst of the year 1990. Hammer’s actually pretty fun if you’re in the right mood. No, for me the sign of the apocalypse in 1990 was the soundtrack to The Return of Superfly. The movie itself was terrible, and the album had unlistenable songs by great rappers like Ice-T, Tone Loc, and Eazy-E. It is a symbol of rap moving to mainstream, “big” studio content.
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