A victim of the moral panic surrounding gangsta rap, Thug Life Volume 1 was curtailed from its original vision. It originally to be a collective rather than a group…which would have included Biggie. Still, it remains an important transition for 2Pac and boasts some undeniably classic songs with the likes of Bury Me and G, Your Out a Little Liquor, How Long Will They Mourn Me? And my personal favourite, Under Pressure.

Actually one of my favourite rock albums of recent years. The raw energy gives it a kick but it's a set of strong songs to-boot. Hard to believe this is nearly ten years old at the time of writing!

This live album is scuzzy as hell. But obvious the energy levels are high. Worth a spin for punk fans.

Everytime there's a messed up critic score its Allmusic. Pfft! Top tier classic punk album. Wake up Screaming is one of the best songs of all time from any genre.

“a smooth criminal on beat breaks, never put me in your box if your shit eat tapes”

Nas at his hardest. A tight, ten track set. One singular guest verse…on Life's a Bitch. AZ absolutely nailing it.

Just about as perfect as you might wish for. 9 tracks of hard hitting beats, tight rhymes. No compromises here either. It's all street level. One of the greatest albums of all time right here.

Incomplete at the time of E's death, DJ Yella took the helm to make a album out of the recordings. It is inevitably uneven but Eazy's charisma is undeniable and songs like "Tha MF Real" and "Old School Shi!t" are highlights.

It's kind of amusing that the Death Row beef was still alive during the recordings. Eazy-E had a good sense of humour when it came to his disses. "Wut Would You Do" is an underrated diss track, somehow lost in hip hop folklore.

Allmusic is the worst.

This is one of the greatest eps ever. The two album tracks are great but the real gems here are Quiet World, a Slowdive inflicted doomy ballad. And Scarlet Heavens, which is surely one of their most gothic sounding songs.

Classic Kata and the ushering in of a new era.

Worse than ten. The beast just dont do anything and the hooks are tired. Its a shame because L's flow remains strong.

Look at Allmusic messing up the scores again! Ha!

Anyway this is top-tier death-doom.

There's nothing particularly pioneering about Halestorm. But they do what they do and they do it well. A nice, straightforward rock album with some fun instrumentals and a powerful lead female voice.

The final album of the Stefanie Duchêne era sees Flowing Tears move to a less gothic sounding, more mainstream style. The result is a less evocative, less atmospheric album but one that is accessible and still has a lot of memorable songs. Most notably Serpentine, Justine and Merlin. All of which could have been minor hits back in the day with the right marketing. Its not on the level of the bands previous two records, but its still a strong album.

One of the greatest gothic metal albums ever recorded and it seems hardly anyone has heard of it. Which is a shame. Some absolutely wonderful songs here too. My favourites Odium and The Day You Took My Breath.

Run-D.M.C. debut album is one of the most pioneering debuts you're likely to hear. And its good. Sure, the rhymes and beats have aged a bit, but there are still some classic songs on this one.

It's brilliant that Hammer has a 90 critic rating because All Music are off their absolute chain. However, he was very much a singles artist and as a result this is a pretty decent compilation. Let's throw some respect MC Hammer's way.

The wildest album of 2025 so far

The most gangsta album ever made. I remember when this was released. We didn't have streaming and I wasn't going to buy it. So I had to wait about 10 years. It was worth the wait. One of the most perplexing releases of modern times. Terrible beats, Terrible rapping, Terrible artwork.

Sucks that they split although its entirely understandable. This is a sharp blast of hard-core. Good Ep. There's not much variety but thats the point. Its fast and hard!

I am here for Paradise Lost dropping doom albums every few years until the very end of time.

It Alt-Country's and it Grunges. Wednesday albums are a thing of beauty for all tastes.

Favourite songs on first listen are Elderberry Wine, Pick Up That Knife and Bitter Everyday.

I love me some instrumental hip hop and few do it better than Rjd2. And his debut is a great example of the art of the beat.