I Miss 90s Hip-Hop Vol. 2 (Late 1990s)
Late 1990 (July-December)
The veterans strike back
Following A Tribe Called Quest's groundbreaking debut in the early 1990s, the latter half of the decade saw artists who had driven the 80s hip-hop scene keenly sensing the changing times and exploring new styles.
Having made a spectacular debut on Def Jam in the mid-80s and quickly becoming a top star with a string of hits, L.L. Cool J, who had been feeling a bit stagnant, found a comeback with his fourth album, ’Mama Said Knock You Out" (released September 14th). Marley Marl produced most of the songs on the album, and the combination of the exhilarating track and L.L. Cool J's power-packed rap on the title track, "Mama Said Knock You Out," is almost too perfect. This album also spawned hit singles like "Around The Way Girl" and "The Boomin' System," successfully presenting a new L.L. with a different attitude than in the 80s.
L.L. Cool J "Mama Said Knock You Out"
L.L. Cool J "Around The Way Girl"
Also featuring L.L. Cool J was EPMD's 3rd album, "Business As Usual," released on December 18th. While there wasn't a drastic change in sound like with L.L. Cool J, they showcased their veteran swagger on this album by steadily scaling up from their 1st and 2nd albums.
EPMD "Rampage feat. L.L. Cool J"
Boogie Down Productions“ (hereafter BDP) fourth album, ”Edutainment,“ released on July 17th, is a work that further solidified the already strong political message of BDP. As the album title, a portmanteau of ”education" and "entertainment," suggests, KRS-One literally becomes a teacher, addressing a wide range of topics from the history of Black people in America to human morality. The album boasts a high level of completeness as a concept album, incorporating speeches by activist Kwame Ture, who was also a member of the Black Panthers, into the skits.
Boogie Down Productions "Love's Gonna Get'cha (Material Love)"
Incidentally, D-Nice, a member of BDP, also made his solo debut during this period with the album "Call Me D-Nice," which illustrates BDP's momentum in the hip-hop scene at the time.
D-Nice "Call Me D-Nice"
While they may not have achieved commercial success, Run-D.M.C.'s fifth album, "Back From Hell" (released October 16th), is also not to be missed, as it shows them exploring their own style in a different way than in the 80s. While there are compelling tracks like "The Ave," their somewhat unfocused approach is also evident, as they experiment with New Jack Swing on the single "Faces."
Run-D.M.C. "The Ave"
Run-D.M.C. "Faces"
Juice Crew's Second Golden Age
During this period, works by members of the Juice Crew, led by producer Marley Marl who was instrumental in L.L. Cool J's resurgence, were also released one after another.
The debut album "Intelligent Hoodlum" by Intelligent Hoodlum, who is still active under the name Tragedy Khadafi, released on July 10th, features Large Professor as a co-producer on two tracks. Regardless, Marley Marl's production is outstanding. In particular, the single "Black And Proud" has an excellent synergy between Intelligent Hoodlum's straightforward message as a Black Muslim and Marley Marl's track, making it truly thrilling, including its musical style.
Intelligent Hoodlum "Black And Proud"
Masta Ace's debut album, "Take A Look Around" (released July 24th), also gained attention for its posse cut "The Symphony," considered a Juice Crew anthem. From this album, "Me And The Biz," where Masta Ace imitates his fellow Juice Crew member Biz Markie, became a hit. This song conveys the rich character and uniquely positive aspects of the Juice Crew.
Masta Ace "Me And The Biz"
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's second album, "Wanted: Dead or Alive," released on August 14th, also features members of "The Symphony." In stark contrast to Masta Ace, this album adopts a serious tone, covering a wide range of themes from crime stories influenced by gangster films to hard-hitting battle tracks and anti-racism messages.
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo "Streets of New York"
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo "Erase Racism feat. Big Daddy Kane & Biz Markie"
On Grand Daddy I.U.'s debut album *Smooth Assassin* (released October 16th), Biz Markie produced all the tracks instead of Marley Marl of the Juice Crew, and it includes smooth songs like "Something New" and "Sugar Free."
Grand Daddy I.U. "Something New"
Grand Daddy I.U. "Sugar Free"
The final act for the Juice Crew will be the 3rd album by Big Daddy Kane, a star alongside Biz Markie, titled "Taste of Chocolate" (to be released October 30th). However, due to the overwhelming success of his first and second albums, this work is unfortunately not as highly regarded. One factor might be Marley Marl's absence as a producer, but listening again, one can find a different charm compared to when it was initially released.
Big Daddy Kane "Taste Of Chocolate"
N.W.A. vs. Ice Cube
As mentioned in Vol. 1, Ice Cube's departure from N.W.A. and his solo debut with the album *AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted* ignited a new beef approximately three months later with the release of N.W.A.’s EP *100 Miles And Runnin'* (released August 14th). On the title track, Dr. Dre referenced Ice Cube's departure in his lyrics, and in the song "Real Niggaz," MC Ren and Dr. Dre dissed Ice Cube. In response, Ice Cube retaliated on the track "I Gotta Say What Up!!!" from his EP *Kill At Will* (released December 18th), and the battle between the two continued into the following year.
N.W.A '100 Miles And Runnin'"
Ice Cube - Jackin' For Beats
On the West Coast scene, King Tee from Compton released his second album, "At Your Own Risk," on October 2nd. His collaboration with veteran producer DJ Pooh impressed many hip-hop fans. Also featuring DJ Pooh and Ice Cube was Too $hort's sixth album, "Short Dog’s In The House," released on September 11th. The track "The Ghetto," which depicts ghetto life as the title suggests, is known as one of Too $hort's early signature songs.
King Tee "Ruff Rhyme (Back Again)"
Too $short "The Ghetto"
The emergence of Brand Nubian
Up to this point, we've focused on veteran artists except for those from the Juice Crew, but I'd also like to introduce albums from newcomers who represent the latter half of the 1990s. First up is Brand Nubian's debut album, "One For All" (released December 4th), which is highly regarded as one of the defining albums of 1990. While rooted in a conscious perspective inspired by the Five-Percent Nation, their original and upbeat raps, infused with humor from Grand Puba and Sadat X, are expertly woven over tracks featuring excellent sampling, resulting in classic tunes like "Slow Down," "Wake Up," and "All For One."
Brand Nubian "Slow Down"
Brand Nubian - Wake Up
Brand Nubian - All For One
Another was Monie Love's debut album, *Down To Earth* (released October 30th). Though from London, she was already known for her involvement with Native Tongues, including her participation in De La Soul's "Buddy." Her positive and direct message is evident in the album's representative track, "It's A Shame (My Sister)," which became a hit in the US, her native UK, and various European countries.
Monie Love – "It's A Shame"
It was also released on the label JMJ, headed by Run-D.M.C.'s Jam Master Jay (and DJ Hurricane of the Beastie Boys was also a member).We'd also like to mention The Afros’ debut album "Kickin' Afrolistics" (released August 14th) and Paris' debut album "The Devil Made Me Do It" (released October 9th), a radical conscious rapper strongly influenced by the Black Panthers. Both were released in the late 1990s.
The Afros "Feel It"
PARIS "The Devil Made Me Do It"
The commercialization of hip-hop
While not entirely unrelated to MC Hammer's massive hit featured in Vol. 1, the pop-ification of hip-hop became an even larger wave in the late 1990s. Works like Candyman's *Ain't No Shame In My Game* (released October 2nd), which featured the hit ’Knockin' Boots," and Father MC's *Father's Day* (released October 15th), which also credits a young Puff Daddy, were mass-produced to varying degrees and tended to be dismissed by core hip-hop fans. However, the decisive blow came with white rapper Vanilla Ice's major-label debut album, *Ice To The Extreme* (released September 4th). The single "Ice Ice Baby" from this album reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and the album sold over 10 million copies. However, the rejection from the hip-hop scene towards his style, which merely exploited superficial aspects of Black culture, was severe. The group 3rd Bass, also white rappers, released the song "Pop Goes the Weasel," which strongly criticized pop hip-hop, with Vanilla Ice at the forefront. Incidentally, Vanilla Ice's popularity later plummeted when it was revealed that his background in his record company's profile was falsified. Nonetheless, the pop-ification of hip-hop did not stop afterward.
Candyman 'Knockin' Boots"
Father MC - "I'll Do 4 U"
Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby
3rd Bass "Pop Goes The Weasel"
＜本文終わり＞
Music writer. Began writing in 1996, contributing to publications such as the hip-hop magazine "blast." Moved to Los Angeles in 2003, where they covered the underground hip-hop scene, including artists like Stones Throw, while also writing about fashion, art, and other fields. Returned to Japan in 2015 and continues to work as a writer for various magazines and web media, focusing primarily on hip-hop.
