10 Year Class Reunion

10 years ago makes it 1998. To some, just another year. To Hip Hop Heads... it was a great year. 10 years ago the Hip Hop game was flooded with countless albums that are today considered classics. It was around the time that I was winding down my high school years... It was around the time that Def Jam and The Source were major references for Hip Hop Heads. Everything that you wanted to hear or read about was somehow connected to Def Jam or spread out in The Source. It was around the time when we were all still getting over the deaths of Pac and Big. It was around the time that Napster was just about to be up and running strong. It was around the time when today's Hip Hop Forbes members were just starting to really shine. Puff was still going by Puff Daddy, and Bad Boy was in it's prime. Jay-Z was taking over the throne in New York while sending Roc-A-Fella into lift off. And believe it or not that was just before 50 started dropping names on How To Rob in '99. Dru Hill and Sysco... DJ Clue and Funkmaster Flex... So much was going on 10 years ago. Busta Rhymes still had dreads, Snoop Dogg was testing the waters with No Limit, and Eminem was signing the papers with Dre and Aftermath.

In 1998 Hip Hop was alive and well. There was no doubt that Hip Hop would be around forever. Everything was strong and in full effect. But what about the albums that dropped that year alone, and that's not including the album per week quota that No Limit was producing. I'm talking about the real lyrical, real musical, and real Hip Hop. Well... I guess I shouldn't say REAL HIP HIP, because one could argue that No Limit and their down south movement really meant a lot. And now that I think about it... that was some real Hip Hop type stuff for you. I wont go into details... If you can remember back in those days then you know what I'm talking about. But I want to focus on the other albums... the more mainstream events that were taking place.

Here is a list of a few albums that dropped in 1998... Of course there are plenty more, so feel free to add others.

1. Jay-Z - Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life

2. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

3. Black Star - Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star

4. Gang Starr - Moment of Truth

5. Outkast - Aquemini

6. Big Punisher - Capital Punishment

7. Onyx - Shut 'Em Down

8. N.O.R.E.

9. Fat Joe –Don Cartagena

10. The Lox – Money, Power, Respect

11. DMX – It’s Dark and Hell is Hot

12. DMX – Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood

13. Redman – Doc’s Da Name

14. Scarface – My Homies

15. Juvenile – 400 Degreez

16. Method Man – Tical 2000: Judgement Day

17. Jermaine Dupri – Life In 1472

Like I said... feel free to reminisce and add any that I may have forgotten. Hopefully this will make you go run to your old cd booklets and listen to some of these classics. Back before you were downloading every album.

Keep Hip Hop Alive, One Bar at a Time.
Over and Out, DocBoone