I cant really think of an album with a better intro track. the beat on a million and one questions is verifiably dope, but when the transition to rhyme no more comes... it gets me every time bro. rhyme no more might be my favorite premier beat of all time. need it injected into my veins

its fine I guess. pretty big fall off even from murda muzik which was already disappointing. the original mobb deep sound is pretty much gone at this point. the learning and get at me prevent this from dropping below a 60.

LORD FINESSE'S RHYMING AND THE FUNKY TECHNICIAN'S BEATS,
IF WHAT YOU SAY IS TRUE, LORD FINESSE AND THE FUNKY TECHNICIAN COULD BE DANGEROUS
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the ORIGINAL king of punchlines, nuff said. one of the goats on the boards as well. any time he gets on either side, its instant gold.
/
also WHY DIDNT MORE PEOPLE MAKE MELODIC INTERLUDES??? the interludes on the awakening are actually highlights, unlike many other albums that are broken up with full of lame ass phone calls or other random ... read more

(CD, 1996) 29 years as of today. the more I listen to this album, the less it grows on me (tbf, this says more about how my taste has changed than the album itself). it was written is objectively great, but FOR ME, the sound is too clean. as was the trend with hip-hop production at the time, this album shifted towards a much more polished sound overall, losing most of the rawness that came with illmatic. the fact that there is a fucking DOCTOR DRE track says a lot about the direction nas went. ... read more

(vinyl LP, 1971) sweet. that is my word for this album. this was actually the first release on creed taylor's kudu label, who housed many many great names alongside hammond's. as one would expect from a legend like hammond, the musicianship from him and his group is on point. great solos, fills, things like that. the production is great too, clear sound and every instrument can be heard (it was more of a problem in the mid 50s than in the early 70s, but still, its worth mentioning). ... read more

if moment of truth was boom bap's last hurrah, then 1999 is boom bap coming out of retirement for one game, killing it, then retiring again. maybe it's my fault for not digging enough, but I haven't heard any album since this one capture the sound of the 90s new york scene better. getting some old lord finesse, doom and dilla beats definitely helps, but the other producers featured all did fantastic jobs. joey's rapping (both delivery and flow) doesn't remind me all too ... read more

best liquid jungle comp ever in my humble opinion. still manages to fit in a couple bangers. moving shadow is a legendary label because of shit like this...

some of the best production of '93. if only someone would reissue it...

moment of truth is boom bap's last hurrah. its the final stand of "real hip-hop." for me, moment of truth marked the functional death of 90s hip-hop, at least in the mainstream. nearly everything after and quite a lot before was adapting the much cleaner sound of the bling era. i cant think of an album id rather have cap off this golden age. it encapsulates so much of what made 90s hip-hop great- punchy kicks, scratched hooks, raw samples, and killer raps.

(CD, 1999) time has not been kind to those that followed the sonic trends of the late 90s and early 00s. a lot of these beats have just not aged well (in my opinion). the transition away from things like sampled drum breaks and towards a much cleaner sound meant that so much of the trademark mobb deep sound was lost on murda muzik. it can still be found on tracks like whats ya poison, adrenaline, and the realest (produced by the alchemist, funnily), but thats only a fraction.

the rapping is not as bad as people make it out to be. lil dap is good, and he does the heavy lifting here. his partner, melachi the nutcracker (boom boom, explode), is the weak link. melachi is probably the source of most people's gripes with livin proof, but even he has a few good verses.

even better than pt. 1, in my opinion. IDEK what to say its just filled to the brim with classic shit. extra points for the visible from space remix.

just epic. a collection of essential works from one of the most prolific artists in the liquid DnB sphere. cosmic glue, dezires, opaque, images... endless fire

blood sweat and tears features the trademark dark, atmospheric new york sound. good stuff. the rapping is good too- rough and in your face delivery (they refrain on a couple tracks, which keeps it fresh). not sure what the other two who rated this were listening to.

pete's magnum opus- one of the best produced hip-hop albums of all time. unlike some others, I find the rapping to be of benefit to this album. the smooth flows and deliveries of rob o, grap luva, marco polo, and ras g all compliment the instrumentals perfectly. I cant imagine anyone getting on these beats other than the InI guys.

sounds more like something from '93 or early '94, but in a vacuum, that doesn't really matter. double X posse's delivery is quite similar to onyx, who they actually came before! the beats are dope, with tons of horns. the drums go particularly hard. ruff rugged and raw might not an album with a ton of substance, but its certainly a fun listen.

THE most overhated hip-hop album of all time. please understand, this album came out BEFORE the infamous. looking at it through the same lens as the infamous is totally unfair. not only is this a debut album from a couple 17-year-olds, but the overall sound of hip-hop in early 1993 was much different than in 1995. juvenile hell is very much a product of its era. it may not be some revolutionary benchmark like an enta da stage or 36 chambers, but not every album needs to be that. its perfectly ... read more

where are the scratches and cuts and sample loops

more proof that you can make great hip-hop with just a drum break and a bassline. throw in a few horn stabs and vocal cuts for good measure. fun, sharp, and witty rapping helps too. its peak simplicity.

insanely high highs and crushingly low lows. the more pop-oriented beats have not aged well at all.