Singles: “Distortion to Static”, “Proceed”, “Silent Treatment”įeatures: ELO The Cosmic Eye, Cassandra Wilson, Dice Raw, Ursula Rucker 22. Singles: “Bucktown”, “Wontime”/”Stand Strong”, “Wrekonize”/”Sound Bwoy Bureill”įeatures: Rockness Monsta, Top Dog, Starang Wonda, Buckshot, Heltah Skeltah, and O.G.C. Various Artists – Friday (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)įeatures: N/A 24. 1995 also saw the rise of important rap groups like The Roots, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia.įrom GZA’s Liquid Swords to Soul Food and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, here are the top 25 best hip hop albums of 1995. On the West Coast, Death Row were still going strong with Tha Dogg Pound dropping their debut, 2Pac releasing his best album to date, and The Pharcyde making a splash with Labcabincalifornia, which featured production work from an unknown Detroit producer by the name of J Dilla.
With rap acts like Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang, Smif-N-Wessun AZ and Big L all dropping their magnum opuses this year, it’s hard to top 1995 for that gritty New York hip hop. While 1995 was an incredible year for hip hop, and one all-round, it was arguably the pinnacle of East Coast boom-bap music.
From Illmatic to Madvillainy, To Pimp a Butterfly to Aquemini, Tha Carter II to De La Soul Is Dead, we look at the best hip hop albums of all time, year by year.
