Bigger and Deffer is the second studio album by American rapper LL Cool J, released on May 29, 1987, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. With over two million copies sold in the United States, it stands as one of LL Cool J's biggest career records. Bigger and Deffer dominated the summer of 1987, spending 11 weeks at number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart while also reaching number 3 on the Billboard 200. The album also became the fourth rap album to become a platinum album.
The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse is the seventh studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 12, 2002, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Island Def Jam Music Group. The album serves as a sequel to his sixth album The Blueprint (2001). Parts of the album were later reissued for his album, titled Blueprint 2.1 (2003). The album debuted at number one, shipping with first-week sales of 545,000 units. The album is certified 3x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. In 2013, Jay-Z cited this album as his second-worst due to an overabundance of songs on the album.
Restless is the third studio album by rapper Xzibit. It was released December 12, 2000. It debuted at #14 on the Billboard 200 with approximately 205,000 copies sold in its 1st week released. The album then fell 17 spots to #31 in the 2nd week, but then rose back up 19 spots to peak at #12 the following week. Also since being released the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA with an excess of a million copies sold in America making it Xzibit's most successful album of his career.
4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up is the first solo studio album by American rapper The Gift of Gab. It was released on Quannum Projects and Epitaph Records on May 11, 2004.
Beware of Dog is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil' Bow Wow. It was released on September 26, 2000, through So So Def Recordings and Columbia Records. Recording sessions took place from 1999 to 2000, with Lil' Bow Wow's mentor Jermaine Dupri primarily producing the album, and Xscape, Jagged Edge, Da Brat and Snoop Dogg, among others, appearing as guests.
My Ghetto Report Card is the ninth studio album by American rapper E-40. It was released on March 14, 2006, by BME Recordings, Sick Wid It Records and Warner Bros. Records. My Ghetto Report Card was supported by two singles: "Tell Me When to Go" featuring Keak Da Sneak, and "U and Dat" featuring T-Pain and Kandi Girl.
Get Rich or Die Tryin' is the official debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Eminem's Shady Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing with Eminem, 50 Cent also worked heavily with Dr. Dre acting as the album's executive producers, who worked to combine the gangsta rap and R&B combo prevalent in New York hip hop. Additional production is provided by Mike Elizondo, Sha Money XL, Mr. Porter, Rockwilder, Dirty Swift, Megahertz, and more.
Scorpion is the second studio album by American rapper Eve. It was released by Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Interscope Records on March 6, 2001, in the United States. The album's title is a reference to Eve's zodiac sign, Scorpio. It features the hit single "Let Me Blow Ya Mind", a duet with Gwen Stefani, which won the first Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, a new category at the time.
Release Therapy is the sixth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Ludacris. It was released on September 26, 2006, under Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South. Production for the album was done by The Neptunes, The Trak Starz, Dre & Vidal, DJ Toomp, The Runners and Polow da Don, and features guest contributions from rappers Young Jeezy, Field Mob, Beanie Sigel, Pimp C and C-Murder and R&B singers Pharrell, Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly and Bobby Valentino.
Broken Silence is the third studio album by American rapper Foxy Brown, released on July 17, 2001, by Violator and Ill Na Na Entertainment; distributed under Def Jam Recordings. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 131,000 copies. It has been certified gold by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States. This is Foxy's only album to be released in the 2000s, and remains her most recent release.
The Truth is the debut album by rapper Beanie Sigel. It was released on February 29, 2000, to critical and commercial success. The album sold 155,000 copies in its first week released. It reached number 5 on the US Billboard 200 and had one charting single, "Anything" by Jay-Z. Beanie Sigel and his debut album were intensely hyped up after "a few dazzling collaborations" according to Matt Conaway of AllMusic and Conaway says that it "is the culmination of that promise".
Steal This Album is the third studio album by American hip hop duo The Coup. It was released on Dogday Records on November 10, 1998. It peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, as well as number 51 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album's title is a nod to Steal This Book (1971) by social activist Abbie Hoffman.
Unpredictable is the second solo studio album by American rapper Mystikal. It was released on November 11, 1997, by No Limit Records and Jive Records, making it his first album for the label. Production was handled by Beats By The Pound, DJ Daryl, Rick Rock, Studio Ton and The Legendary Traxster, with Master P serving as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Master P, Silkk the Shocker, O'Dell, B-Legit, E-40, Fiend, Mac, Mia X, and Snoop Doggy Dogg, who made his first appearance on a No Limit Records album, however he had not yet signed with the label and is credited as still being signed to Death Row Records in the album's liner notes.
It's Whateva is the second studio album American hip hop group The Federation. It was released on September 4, 2007 via Warner Bros. Records and Reprise Records, and was entirely produced by Rick Rock. It also features guest appearances from Ca$his, E-40, Marty James, and Snoop Dogg among others. The album peaked at number 60 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 23 on the Top Rap Albums chart.
Welcome to the Zoo is the debut studio album by American rapper Gorilla Zoe. It was released on September 25, 2007, by Bad Boy South, which was distributed by Block Entertainment. The album debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200, selling 35,000 copies in its first week in the United States. The album was supported by two singles: "Hood Figga" and "Juice Box" featuring Yung Joc.
Clipse Presents: Re-Up Gang is the only studio album by the American rap group Re-Up Gang. It was released through Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at Hovercraft Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Production was handled by The Sleepwalkers, Karl Maceo, Illfonics, J. Storm, Johnny Fuego, and Scott Storch, with the Clipse serving as executive producers. The group had previously appeared on the We Got It 4 Cheap mixtapes. The first single, "Fast Life" featured half of the Re-Up Gang, the Clipse. The album features Clipse and the other two members of the Re-Up Gang, Ab-Liva and Sandman. The album peaked at number 55 on the Billboard 200, number eight on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, number five on the Top Rap Albums, and number seven on the Independent Albums.
Droppin' Science Fiction is the first studio album by The Mighty Underdogs, an American hip hop group consisting of producer Headnodic and rappers Lateef the Truthspeaker and Gift of Gab. It was released by Definitive Jux on October 14, 2008. It peaked at number 50 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.
Blackalicious was an American hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel. They are noted for Gift of Gab's often tongue-twisting, multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's soulful production. The duo released four full-length albums: Nia in 1999, Blazing Arrow in 2002, The Craft in 2005, and Imani Vol. 1 in 2015. Gift of Gab died in June 2021.
Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) is the cast album to the 2015 musical Hamilton. The musical is based on the 2004 biography of Alexander Hamilton written by Ron Chernow, with music, lyrics, and book by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The recording stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Christopher Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Anthony Ramos, Okieriete Onaodowan, Jasmine Cephas Jones, and Jonathan Groff. The ensemble features Jon Rua, Thayne Jasperson, Sydney James Harcourt, Ephraim Sykes, Ariana DeBose, and Sasha Hutchings. The musicians on the album are Alex Lacamoire, Kurt Crowley, Andres Forero, Robin Macatangay, Richard Hammond, Benny Reiner, Jonathan Dinklage, Erin Benim Mayland, Anja Wood, Mario Gotoh, and Laura Sherman. It achieved the largest first week sales for a digital cast album and is the highest-charting cast album since 1963. It was the highest-selling Broadway cast album of 2015 and peaked at number one on the Rap Albums chart, the first cast album to ever do so. After being certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2023, Hamilton became the best-selling cast album of all time.
Practice Makes Paper is the twenty-sixth studio album by American rapper E-40 and the second installment from the Definitions trilogy. It was released on July 26, 2019 by Heavy on the Grind.
