Back in April, Golden Era rap veterans Nas and Wu-Tang Clan teamed up to announce their NY State Of Mind Tour, which is set to close out summer and ride through the beginning of October. Obviously, old-school hip-hop fans were excited to see the two trailblazing acts on the co-headlining tour, but attendees at the first four shows were dismayed to learn that Wu-Tang was missing a key member: Method Man. Apparently, in posting about their disappointment, a few crossed the line, prompting the man himself to offer an explanation for his absence on Instagram Live.
To put it simply: It’s because he’s filming a movie during the same window as the tour and one had to take precedence. Since Wu-Tang’s portion of tour proceeds has to be split eight ways among the band’s surviving members, he probably stands to make more from the film. In August, Deadline announced that Method Man would join the cast of the action-thriller Shadow Force along with Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Kerry Washington, and Omar Sy; this could be the role keeping Meth from joining his band on tour. He’s also cast in One The Come Up, which drops 9/23 on Paramount+ and for which he’ll probably need to do press, as well (incidentally, Randolph also appears in this one).
On Instagram Live, Meth said:
I’ma say this one last time. I’m one of the nicest mothaf*ckers in the world, but I am not a pushover. I have sacrificed so much over the years to satisfy the fans, and I’m pretty sure that’s vice versa, and that’s why I love y’all. That’s why I don’t hesitate to go all-out for y’all. But to be dissatisfied or to even blame me for your experience is unfair. Very f*cking unfair. My brothers are super duper talented, with or without me. And I know a lot of people, or a few people, have paid their money to see me perform, but that bill said Wu-Tang Clan. And you know, these things happen and dudes do have to feed their families. Albums don’t sell the way they used to, I’m pretty sure you guys know that. So in order to preserve my lifestyle and to feed my family, I had to have alternative means of doing that. And I’m glad to say at 50 years old, I have options. Not everybody can say that. Everyone cannot say that they have options.
I f*cking love Wu-Tang, wish I could have been on that tour with them. The booking came at a bad time – I was already booked to do a movie. Only reason why I’m coming back saying this is because of my love for my fans, okay. The real fans. Not the ones that’d jump in your DMs and curse you the f*ck out all call you all kinds of bitches.
You can check out the full video below, and for 5011th time, please stop mistreating entertainers just because you think you have access to them.
Despite The Notorious B.I.G. rapping “you never thought that hip-hop would take it his far” on his 1994 breakout single “Juicy,” even he might have been shocked to see just how far the genre has come since then if we were still around. After all, when he wrote that line, the genre had only been around for around twenty years, going by the widely accepted “birthday” of August 11, 1973. For much of that time, hip-hop was seen as a passing fad, a little like its immediate predecessor disco.
But here we are, coming up on hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. The culture and the music both look way different than they did when they started, even factoring in the 20-year fashion cycle. One thing that can’t be denied, though, is that hip-hop underwent some of its biggest stylistic evolutions and innovations during the ’90s when people finally began to realize that this “fad” might be here to stay. And while things have changed a lot, many of those innovations remain the bedrock upon which almost all future offshoots of hip-hop are based.
While there have been multiple generations born into a world where hip-hop has always been part of pop culture, those generations often find themselves at odds because as new fans are born every day — literally or figuratively — they often come into those discussions missing valuable context about the roots and history of the music both sides love so much. Rather than shooing these newcomers out the proverbial gates, why don’t we welcome them in?
Being a good citizen starts with a good education, and since it’s hard to know where to start with the hip-hop canon, we wanted to give the kids (and new hip-hop fans of all ages) a primer on some of the most groundbreaking and important rap albums of the ’90s. By no means is this list comprehensive or complete — that’d be borderline impossible without turning it into a book instead — but these albums have contributed to a canon that has turned out to be dynamic, inclusive, and at times borderline ridiculous. You might see some familiar favorites or even a few unexpected additions, but they all form part of hip-hop’s beloved and elaborate tapestry.
(P.S. In case it’s not immediately obvious, this list is in alphabetical order. Please don’t mistake this for a ranking and yell at me for putting MC Lyte “above” Tupac or something stupid like that.)
8Ball & MJG — Comin’ Out Hard
You might be surprised to see the 1993 debut album from the Memphis duo here, but one listen to the title track will almost certainly call to mind the groovy style still in use today by the likes of Curren$y, Denzel Curry, Joey Badass, Larry June, Le$, and more.
A Tribe Called Quest — Midnight Marauders
As the debate between which Tribe album, 1991’s Low End Theory or 1993’s Midnight Marauders, holds more weight in the Queens crew’s canon, there’s simply no denying that the latter saw them at the height of their powers, standing toe-to-toe with gigantic contemporaries as the standard-bearers for so-called “alternative hip-hop” on the radio and at MTV.
Black Star — Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are…
When you think of modern “conscious rap” today, nearly every practitioner of the form comes from the lineage of this culture defining album.
Da Brat — Funkdafied
She may have been a gender-flipped Snoop Dogg clone on her 1994 debut, but she was the first female solo rap act to receive a platinum certification, opening the door for the sisterhood to follow. She proved women could be commercially viable — and inadvertently opened the door for queer representation in hip-hop, even if it took 25 years for her to openly admit her sexuality.
De La Soul — Stakes Is High
De La Soul’s discography is one of the heartiest in hip-hop history — and the hardest to hear — but their 1996 album remains a high watermark as an exemplar of the then-burgeoning underground movement against hip-hop’s growing commercialism.
E-40 — In A Major Way
Aside from being one of hip-hop’s longest-tenured pioneers to retain a foothold on contemporary tastes, E-40 is also one of its foremost businessmen. He showed rappers how to grind independently without label backing; in addition, the stripped-down production of his early Bay Area projects has come to define the sound of many modern rising rappers, from Southern California to Detroit.
Freestyle Fellowship — Innercity Griots
The criminally overlooked Los Angeles collective might not be a household name, but their jazz-influenced, freeform take on the genre had a lasting impact on alternative rap, from their contemporaries like Pharcyde to modern-day descendants such as Kendrick Lamar. Their 1993 sophomore album took a quantum leap in innovation from their 1991 debut To Whom It May Concern…
Lauryn Hill — The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
20 years later, the argument about whether Ms. Hill’s 1998 solo debut belongs in the rap category or the R&B one continues. But one thing is for certain: it’s the blueprint on which dozens of future stars’ albums are built.
Lil Kim — Hardcore
Let’s put it this way: If you like pretty much any female rapper in 2022, there’s a 99 percent chance there’s some Lil Kim in her stylistic DNA. From Nicki Minaj to Cardi B and all their flourishing progeny, Lil Kim is the godmother of them all, bringing unabashed sex appeal, unfiltered raunchiness, and high fashion sensibilities to gritty, mafioso-style rap. It all started here in 1997.
MC Lyte — Bad As I Wanna Be
Without MC Lyte, there wouldn’t be a Lauryn Hill — or a Rapsody, Blimes & Gab, or dozens of other flow-forward women in rap who earned the respect of the fellas while holding it down for the ladies.
Missy Elliott — Supa Dupa Fly
Futuristic, funky, and fun; Missy Elliott’s debut album brought a completely unique perspective to the rap world in 1997. It’s been discussed before but it can never be overstated: Hip-hop has never seen an artist like Missy and it might never do so again. Supa Dupa Fly reintroduced the world to the Virginia native’s golden pen and her industry-defining partnership with Timbaland.
Mobb Deep — The Infamous
Let’s say you really love the menacing, blunt street rap from acts like Griselda rappers Benny The Butcher and Mach-Hommy. You owe a debt to Mobb Deep’s 1995 sophomore release. Leaps and bounds beyond their ’93 debut Juvenile Hell, The Infamous practically created a subgenre in itself — one that remains darkly alluring to all kinds of hip-hop fans from the rugged ghettos depicted here to the desk jockeys bumping Freddie Gibbs in their Priuses before clocking in for a hard day of accounting.
Nas — Illmatic
Look, man. This album could never be considered overrated for the fact that Nas still has a career after I Am… and Nastradamus sheerly because hip-hop fans felt in their bones that he had the potential to match this. He hasn’t yet, but he’s gotten closer than he has in years thanks to Hit-Boy. Still, a gold standard debut that I’ve taken to using for anyone who overachieves their first time at anything (see also: Jordan Peele).
The Notorious B.I.G. — Ready To Die
Another pick so obvious, you almost want to skip it, but know you couldn’t, because there are some sacred cows you just leave alone. Origin of the above-mentioned awed line, Ready To Die is so meaningful perhaps mostly because it kicked off the so-called “jiggy era.” It had glitzy production, flashier presentation, and oh yeah, it pretty much gave Puff Daddy free license for the next 25+ years of shenanigans.
Outkast — Aquemini
Give Outkast credit for elevating (heh) so much three albums into their careers. In 1998, they could have rested on their laurels. ATLiens had reversed hip-hop’s view of Southern rap, set them apart from almost everything else out, and justified Andre 3000’s Source Awards declaration that “the Souf got sum to say.” Then, they went to another dimension, crafting a trippy, P-funk-inspired excursion beyond the boundaries of contemporary hip-hop sound. This is when Outkast really started to become Outkast.
The Roots — Things Fall Apart
I will admit some bias here; “You Got Me” was my favorite song when it came out in 1999, and completely changed my perspective of what hip-hop could be. Apparently, it did so for plenty of others, as well; “You Got Me” won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2000, legitimizing alternative hip-hop in the eyes of the wider musical establishment once and for all. This one is 90 percent of the reason Questlove’s opinions hold so much weight.
Snoop Dogg — Doggystyle
In 1993, all eyes were on Snoop after his breakout appearance on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic two years before. He knocked it out of the park, becoming a nigh-ubiquitous figure in American pop culture seemingly overnight. What’s impressive is that his current persona is almost night and day with the rambunctious young adult who detailed his life of pimping, gangbanging, and being the biggest dog on the block.
Three 6 Mafia — Mystic Styles
You can’t listen to the Memphis group’s 1993 debut without instantly hearing so many of the musical elements that define modern rap: the trunk thump, the skittering snares, and the pitter-pat rap cadence that can be heard in the flows of artists from ASAP Rocky to Megan Thee Stallion — to say nothing of a swarm of the Mafia’s successors in the Memphis scene like Yo Gotti, Moneybagg Yo, Duke Deuce, and more.
Tupac — All Eyez On Me
“He runnin’ around like he ‘Pac.” When Kanye said that, he was referring to this 1996 version of Tupac Shakur (there are so many, after all): The swaggering, thugged-out, and increasingly paranoid superstar Tupac became between his release from prison and his fatal shooting seven months after the album’s release. Was its impact inflated a bit by that latter fact? The world may never know, but for a time, Tupac seemed invincible and this album is a huge part of the reason why — and why so many rappers still mimic ’96 Pac’s persona to this day.
UGK — Ridin’ Dirty
You just can’t talk about Southern hip-hop without talking about Houston. This 1996 album is a large part of the reason why. While the city had a flourishing hip-hop scene of its own before this, Ridin’ Dirty demonstrated just how influential that scene could be. Its impact reverberated through 2005’s Houston breakout, which in turn informed a last genre-wide infatuation with chopped and screwed beats. Arguably it all started here, with the duo’s best-selling album — a status it acquired with no official singles and minimal label promotion.
Wu-Tang Clan — Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
If you ever “Shimmy Shimmy Ya’d” or if your favorite rapper rhymes incessantly about anime, thank these guys for breaking down the door. They also set the precedent for massive super crews like Raider Klan, Beast Coast, Odd Future, and Brockhampton, created the blueprint for Kanye’s chipmunk-soul production style, and spawned a veritable family tree of acolytes, associates, imitators, and literal offspring that continues to expand throughout the world of hip-hop.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
What comes to mind when you think of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? The Statue of Liberty, pizza, maybe the Manhattan skyline? All of these are defining traits of New York City, which doubles as the home to our favorite fictional group of reptiles. The Turtles have always embodied New York in a way that few other fictional characters in pop culture do.
With Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge coming out, the publishers over at Dotemu knew early on they wanted one of the game’s many themes to be the Turtles’ love for the city. They also wanted tie something in that paid tribute to the era when the Ninja Turtles were at their peak. So, they looked around and quickly realized who they wanted to partner with the Wu-Tang Clan — specifically Ghostface Killah and Raekwon.
“We knew that, for the soundtrack of the Turtles, we wanted to have guests,” Dotemu’s Adrien Marie tells UPROXX. “We wanted to have big guest stars because it makes sense for the project and we wanted to raise the bar. Adding to what we have already been doing, we have a lot of different artists and guest stars, but we wanted to go further into mainstream music … we also were thinking about the fact that TMNT and hip-hop makes sense. A deep part of our perception is that it’s very anchored in there, it’s in the TMNT DNA, to have something hip-hop, and so we were thinking about hip-hop artists. And it’s New York, so we didn’t want to have any West Coast artists. So, our thought process was that we need to have East Coast hip-hop artists from the ’90s and the Wu-Tang Clan was at the top of the list.”
Of course, the Wu-Tang Clan was formed in Staten Island. There are few people in music that better represent New York than them, so having Ghostface Killah and Raekown involved in the game was an obvious decision. So much of Shredder’s Revenge is about capturing the original spirit of the Turtles that many people grew up with in the ’80s and ’90s. From having a new rendition of the original theme song playing in the opening cinematic, to the entire game’s style, it’s a trip down memory lane for everyone involved.
So how exactly did Dotemu and the developers over at Tribute Games involve them? The spoiler-free answer is that it does play in the game and it’s one of the best moments of the entire game, but there are some secrets to the song that we don’t want to reveal without a spoiler warning.
A disclaimer: If you plan on playing Shredder’s Revenge then be warned that the following few paragraphs will have spoilers for both the game and music.
The track that Ghostface Killah and Raekwon made plays during the boss fight with Shredder towards the end of the game. It’s a really cool moment, because Shredder joins in a little earlier than expected. It’s a fun fight and the best thing to do is blast the music and enjoy the moment to its fullest, but there’s a fun little secret that Marie told us about what the song is supposed to represent.
“So, the idea was to have a rap battle,” Marie says. “Cyrille [Lambert] wanted the first part to be Shredder’s, which is why the first part of the song is from the point of view of Shredder, and then the other side of the track is the reverse. It’s when, after all of the menacing lyrics from Shredder, you have the Turtles fighting back. This is why the second part of the track is the Turtles saying, ‘No, this is this is our fight and we’re going to win.’ Based on that, Cyrille worked with Kid Katana records, and Tee Lopes, the composer of the soundtrack of the game, Tee created a beat, then Raekown and Ghostface recorded their parts.”
The song is a delight, it’s reminiscent of the infamous “Go Ninja” scene from the second movie. If they ever decide to make another Ninja Turtles movie, please let them do a battle rap scene and bring back the Wu-Tang Clan to make a cameo.
Batten down the hatches, Gen X — the kids are coming for your pop culture. While millennials are finding out firsthand what had our parents ruffled when Diddy and Will Smith sampled ’80s R&B classics for their late-90s hip-hop hits thanks to Latto’s “Big Energy” and Jack Harlow’s “First Class,” another rap newcomer is reaching even further back to get her hands on one of the genre’s sacred cows for sample sacrifice. DreamDoll’s “Ice Cream Dream” featuring French Montana borrows the oh-so-familiar guitar loop from Earl Klugh’s “A Time for Love” that made Raekwon’s “Ice Cream” so recognizable.
In addition to flipping the New York boom-bap staple into a drill rap block bruiser, the video for the new song also borrows the concept from Rae’s original video for “Ice Cream,” casting DreamDoll as an ice cream truck driver who serves her delicious wares while describing all the flavors of men she enjoys. Meanwhile, French Montana appears in the latter half of the video, becoming the latest rapper to reference The Will Smith Oscars Slap as the ice cream truck burns behind the two rappers.
DreamDoll, a relative newcomer to the hip-hop scene, has begun to make a name for herself, appearing alongside hitmakers like Fivio Foreign, CJ, Erica Banks, and Rick Ross as she expands her growing discography.
Grant Williams, a former studio worker for Wu-Tang Clan, will be awarded $7 million from New York City. Williams served a 23-year prison sentence beginning in 1996 for the murder of Shdell Lewis — a murder he did not commit.
After being granted parole in 2019, Williams was cleared two years after. He then filed a notice of claim to sue the city and overturn the wrongful conviction. According to Associated Press, the comptroller’s office settled Willams’ claim, using their authority to do so without court action, and will pay Williams $7 million.
“This will assist him in going forward and trying to get back on his feet,” said Williams’ layer Irving Cohen.
“I missed him,” Ghostface said. “When he left, part of me left.”
Ghostface was by Williams’ side when he shared the news that he will be receiving $7 million from New York City, according to Associated Press. Cohen also noted that while Williams was incarcerated, he received an associate’s degree and plans to help other wrongfully convicted people in the future.
Wu-Tang Clan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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