Today In Hip Hop History: Rawkus Records Released The ‘Lyricist Lounge Volume One’ Album 26 Years Ago

lyricist lounge

On May 5th, 1998 Rawkus Records released the first installment of the Lyricist Lounge albums titled Lyricist Lounge, Volume One, which showcased New York. It was a double-disc compilation that featured De La Soul, Mos Def, Q-Tip, Tash of Tha Alkaholiks, Punch & Words, O.C, Ras Kass, Black Thought, Common, Pharoahe Monch, Saul Williams, Kool Keith, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek, Bahamadia, Rah Digga, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Jurassic 5, KRS-One, Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, Last Emperor, and Company Flow.

This CD is one of those that you don’t get often. It had incredible and intensely clever wordplay, and was great for the culture because of the positive support it showed for hip hop. Back then everyone thought hip-hop was rap music and rap music was gangsta. It made people think twice before making an assumption like that. Any hip-hop purist who enjoys freestyles and great rhymes that make you think then this is the album for you.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Rawkus Records Released The ‘Lyricist Lounge Volume One’ Album 26 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Rawkus Records Released The ‘Lyricist Lounge Volume One’ Album 26 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Today in Hip Hop History: Tha Alkaholiks’ Debut Album ’21 & Over’ Turns 30 Years Old!

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On this date in 1993, J-Ro, Tash, and E-Swift, the West Coast collective known as Tha Alkaholiks, released their premiere album 21 & Over on Steve Rifkind’s Loud/RCA imprint.

Founded by West Coast legend King Tee, Tha Alkaholiks and their music are recognized as the epitome of Cali party music, with the clinking bottles and drunken burps as the backdrop. The 21 & Over project served as one of the few examples of West Coast Hip Hop that wasn’t oversaturated with California gang life. Instead, Tha Liks were a part of the Cali movement of MCs who had to prove their lyrical skills were competitive compared to their East Coast counterparts.

The ten-track classic is less than 40 minutes in length. Still, the drunken style theme is maintained throughout the entire project, with sure shot singles like “Last Call,” “Make Room,” and “Likwit” that solidified Tha Liks as a force from the West that continues to be recognized for their contribution to the game.

Salute to King Tee and the crew for churning out this timeless Hip Hop classic!

The post Today in Hip Hop History: Tha Alkaholiks’ Debut Album ’21 & Over’ Turns 30 Years Old! first appeared on The Source.

The post Today in Hip Hop History: Tha Alkaholiks’ Debut Album ’21 & Over’ Turns 30 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.

Today in Hip Hop History: Tha Alkaholiks Dropped Their Debut Album ’21 & Over’ 29 Years Ago

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On this date in 1993, J-Ro, Tash, and E-Swift, the West Coast collective known as Tha Alkaholiks, released their premiere album 21 & Over on Steve Rifkind’s Loud/RCA imprint.

Founded by West Coast legend King Tee, Tha Alkaholiks and their music are recognized as the epitome of Cali party music, with the clinking bottles and drunken burps as the backdrop. The 21 & Over project served as one of the few examples of the West Coast Hip Hop that wasn’t oversaturated with California gang life. Instead, Tha Liks were a part of the Cali movement of MCs who had to prove their lyrical skills were competitive when compared to their East Coast counterparts.

The ten-track classic is less than 40 minutes in length, but the drunken style theme is maintained throughout the entire project, with sure shot singles like “Last Call”, “Make Room” and “Likwit” that solidified Tha Liks as a force from the West that continues to be recognized for their contribution to the game.

Salute to King Tee and the crew for churning out this timeless Hip Hop classic!

The post Today in Hip Hop History: Tha Alkaholiks Dropped Their Debut Album ’21 & Over’ 29 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.