Doggystyle is the debut studio album by American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. It was released on November 23, 1993, by Death Row and Interscope Records. The album was recorded and produced following Snoop Doggy Dogg's appearances on Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic (1992), to which Snoop contributed significantly. The West Coast style in hip-hop that he developed from Dre's first album continued on Doggystyle. Critics have praised Snoop Dogg for the lyrical "realism" that he delivers on the album and for his distinctive vocal flow.
Country Grammar is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Nelly. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Universal Records. The production on the album was handled by Jason "Jay E" Epperson, with additional production by C-Love, Kevin Law, City Spud, Steve "Blast" Wills and Basement Beats. Nelly contributed to all lyrics on the album, with Epperson and City Spud also contributing. With the album's release, Nelly and his “St. Lunatics” crew cemented the St. Louis sound firmly and permanently throughout the hip hop world forever. Country Grammar also introduced the world to Nelly's unique musical style of pop-rap and radio “singalongs” with a Missouri twang. It was supported by four successful singles: "Country Grammar ", "E.I.", "Ride wit Me" and "Batter Up". Its lead single, "Country Grammar ", peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Its second single "E.I." peaked at number 16 on the Hot 100, number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart. "Ride wit Me" peaked within the top five on the Hot 100, ARIA Singles Chart, Irish Singles Chart and UK Singles Chart. The album's fourth and final single, "Batter Up" featuring St. Lunatics members Murphy Lee and Ali, achieved moderate chart success.
The Score is the second studio album by the hip hop trio Fugees, released worldwide on February 13, 1996, on Columbia Records. The album features a wide range of samples and instrumentation, with many aspects of alternative hip hop that would come to dominate the hip-hop music scene in the mid- to late-1990s. Primarily, The Score's production was handled by the Fugees themselves, Jerry Duplessis and Warren Riker, with additional production from Salaam Remi, John Forté, Diamond D, and Shawn King. The album's guest verses are from Outsidaz members Rah Digga, Young Zee, and Pacewon, as well as John Forté, and Diamond D. Most versions of the album feature four bonus tracks, including three remixes of "Fu-Gee-La", and a short acoustic Wyclef Jean solo track entitled "Mista Mista".
The Art of War is the third studio album by hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony which was released on July 29, 1997. The album sold 394,000 units in its first week of release. The album was certified quadruple Platinum by the RIAA in June 1998. It was the first double-album from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. The album included the platinum-single "Look into My Eyes", and the gold-single "If I Could Teach the World". The whole album is produced by DJ U-Neek.
It's Dark and Hell Is Hot is the debut studio album by American rapper DMX. It was released on May 19, 1998, by Def Jam Recordings and Ruff Ryders Entertainment. It was supported by four singles—"Get at Me Dog", "Stop Being Greedy", "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" and "How's It Goin' Down", in order of release—and their accompanying music videos.
"Dreams" is a song by American rapper the Game, from his debut album, The Documentary. It was released as the fifth official single from the album in all territories except France, which saw "Higher" released there first. The song was produced by Kanye West and features a sample of "No Money Down" by soul music singer Jerry Butler. The song is dedicated to Yetunde Price, who was shot dead on September 14, 2003; the Williams' also came from the Game's hometown of Compton, California. The lyrics cite the Dr. Dre album 2001 being released "in 2001", when it was actually released in 1999. The song was placed 5th on About.com's Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2005.
"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album, The Chronic (1992). As the album's first single it reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 20, 1993, behind "Informer" by Snow, outperforming The Chronic's other singles, "Fuck wit Dre Day ", which peaked at number 8, and "Let Me Ride", which peaked at number 34. The single also reached number 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and was a number 31 hit in the UK. Its music video was directed by Dr. Dre himself.
Trap Muzik is the second studio album by the American rapper T.I., released on August 19, 2003, by Atlantic and his newly founded record label Grand Hustle. Due to the poor sales on T.I.'s first album, I'm Serious (2001), T.I. asked for a joint venture deal with Arista Records or to be released from his contract; he was subsequently dropped from the label. In 2002, T.I. launched Grand Hustle with his longtime business partner Jason Geter and signed a new deal with Atlantic Records.
Sons of the P is the second studio album by American hip hop group Digital Underground. It was released on October 15, 1991, via Tommy Boy Records. Main recording sessions took place at Starlight Sound in Richmond, with additional recordings done at Unique Recording Studios in New York, Axiom Recorders in Tampa and The Disc Ltd. in Detroit. Production was handled by D.U. in-house production team credited as The Underground Production Squad, with Atron Gregory and member Shock G serving as executive producers. It features contributions from George Clinton, Stretch and Treach.
"Pullin' Me Back" is a song by American rapper Chingy, released as the first single from his third album Hoodstar. The song features actor/R&B singer Tyrese singing the chorus with production by Jermaine Dupri. The track employs a synthesized sample of SWV's 1998 single " Rain" The video was retired on 106 & Park after being on the countdown for 65 days. "Pullin' Me Back" peaked at number one on both the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, giving Chingy his first and third number-one hits respectively. The song also peaked at number nine on the Hot 100, making it his fourth and final top ten single.
"Time 4 Sum Aksion" is a song written, co-produced and performed by American rapper Redman. It was released on January 12, 1993, through Rush Associated Labels as the second single from his debut studio album Whut? Thee Album. The recording sessions took place at North Shore Soundworks in Commack and Ian London Studios in East Islip. Erick Sermon produced the song utilising samples from Cypress Hill's "How I Could Just Kill a Man" and Zapp's "Playin' Kinda Ruff".
"4, 3, 2, 1" is a song by Queens rapper LL Cool J featuring Method Man & Redman, Canibus and DMX from LL Cool J's seventh album Phenomenon as the second single. It was released on December 9, 1997, for Def Jam Recordings and was produced by Erick Sermon. The single featured an extended version not featured on the album featuring an additional verse from Southern hip hop rapper Master P. Both the original song and the extended cut had accompanying music videos. The song peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 10 on the Hot Rap Singles and number 24 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
"I'll Be Around" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners. It was co-written by Thom Bell and Phil Hurtt and produced by Bell.
"I'm Good at Being Bad" is a song recorded by American girl group TLC for their third album FanMail. It was released as a promotional single when "No Scrubs" was distributed to radio. Despite not being commercially released, the track peaked within the top 40 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song is characterized by its contrasting alternation of soft romantic melody and hard rap with explicit lyrics, as performed by Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and others of the group.
"Feel So Good" is the debut single by American hip-hop artist Mase. It was released in October 1997 through Bad Boy Records and Arista Records as the lead single from his debut album, Harlem World, and it appeared on the Money Talks soundtrack. The song was produced by D-Dot and Sean "Puffy" Combs and featured vocals by R&B singer Kelly Price on the chorus. The single was the most successful of the three singles released from the album, having peaked at number 5 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number-one on the Hot Rap Singles chart. "Feel So Good" was certified gold just about a month after its release on November 12, 1997; it was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Chris Tucker, Mase and Sean appears in the music video, which was directed by Hype Williams. They drive around the city in a Mercedes-Benz and a group of female dancers are also shown dancing with them.
"I Miss My Homies" is a song written and performed by American rappers Master P, Silkk the Shocker and Pimp C. It was released on August 19, 1997 via No Limit/Priority Records as the lead single from Master P's sixth solo studio album Ghetto D, a month prior to the album's unveiling. Produced by Beats By The Pound members Mo B. Dick, KLC and Odell, it also features vocals from Mo B. Dick, Odell, Sons of Funk and Mercedes.
"Mercy" is a song by American rapper Kanye West featuring fellow American rappers Big Sean, Pusha T, and 2 Chainz. The song was released April 10, 2012 through GOOD Music and Def Jam as the lead single from the compilation album Cruel Summer (2012). The song's production was handled by Lifted, with additional production from West, Mike Dean, and Mike Will Made It, and additional instrumentation from Hudson Mohawke. The song heavily samples the dancehall song "Dust a Sound Boy" by Super Beagle. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics who praised the bombastic production, the varying quality of the verses, and the wordplay of the individual rappers. The song was featured on the soundtrack for NBA 2K13.
Dijon Isaiah McFarlane, known professionally as Mustard, is an American record producer and DJ. A frequent collaborator of fellow California-based artists YG and Ty Dolla Sign, he began his career producing singles and albums for both rappers, and has since done so for other prominent acts in hip hop and R&B. He first saw recognition for his work on Tyga's 2011 single "Rack City".
Luv Is Rage 2 is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Lil Uzi Vert. It was released through Generation Now and Atlantic Records on August 25, 2017. The album features guest appearances from The Weeknd, Oh Wonder, and Pharrell Williams. Production was handled by a variety of record producers, including Lil Uzi Vert themself, Cubeatz, Don Cannon, Honorable C.N.O.T.E., Illmind, Maaly Raw, Metro Boomin, Pharrell Williams, The Weeknd, Pi'erre Bourne, TM88, WondaGurl, and among others. The album serves as a successor to their third extended play, Luv Is Rage 1.5 (2017), and their debut commercial mixtape, Luv Is Rage (2015). Luv Is Rage 2 was supported by three singles: "XO Tour Llif3", "The Way Life Goes" and "Sauce It Up".
"Good Form" is a song by Trinidadian-born rapper and singer Nicki Minaj. The original mix debuted on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart at number nine following the release of her fourth studio album, Queen, on August 10, 2018. A remix to the song featuring American rapper Lil Wayne was released on November 29, 2018, as the fourth single from the album, where it peaked at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was written by Minaj and was produced by Mike Will Made It and Pluss.
