"Nia" and "Tragic Epilogue"
Hip-Hop, review by Joseph Patel
The positive hip-hop of Blackalicious and Anti-Pop Consortium celebrates hip-hop past, present and future. (03/17/00)

It's Very Stimulating - Paul Barman
Hip-Hop, review by Joseph Patel
Infused with pop culture and heady literary theory, Paul Barman's Ivy League rhymes crackle with clever jokes and silly wit. (02/14/00)

Lost in Space/Black Elvis - Kool Keith
Hip-hop/R & B, review by Alex Pappademas Kool Keith is an alien. Kool Keith is Elvis. But why isn't the rapper weird anymore?
(08/20/99)

On How Life Is - Macy Gray
Hip-hop/R & B, review by Kandia Crazy Horse
I'm the lamest craze: Macy Gray is nothing but a new soul pretender.
(08/10/99)

Philadelphonic - G. Love and Special Sauce
Hip-hop/R & B, review by Joe Heim
Wigga wit attitude: Why white hip-hopper G. Love needs to ditch his "Amos 'n' Andy" routine. (08/03/99)

Fill Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr - Gang Starr
Hip-hop/R & B, review by D. Strauss
Gang Starr introduced the hip-hop nation to jazz, but a new retrospective proves that you don't have to blame them for letting vital music devolve into bourgeois R&B. (07/01/99)

Supreme Clientele - Ghostface Killah
Hip-Hop, review by Jon Caramanica
Wu-Tang Clan's grandest gastronome, Ghostface Killah, slips between chaotic crime and silly non sequiturs. (03/03/00)

Electric Honey - Luscious Jackson
Hip-hop/R & B, review by Andrew Strickman
On Luscious Jackson's new record, "Electric Honey," the all-female hip-hop trio turns 30. And evolves. (06/30/99)

This or That - Sway and King Tech
Hip-hop/R & B, review by Michelle Goldberg
DJs Sway and King Tech spin like true old-schoolers. Too bad "This or That" props snotty gangsta bullshit like NWA instead of Afrika Bambaattaa. (06/21/99)

Beg, Scream and Shout - Various Artists
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Douglas Wolk
Almost every track on the wonderful "Beg, Scream & Shout!," a 6-CD set in a very cute "45 box" package, is somebody's long-unheard favorite song. It includes 144 '60s soul singles (by 144 different artists), almost all chart hits in their day -- but almost all unknown now. (08/19/97)

Quite contrary - Mary J. Blige
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Jon Dolan
Mary J. Blige transforms herself into the first diva with both feet on the ground.
(09/02/99)

Share My World - Mary J. Blige
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Laura Jamison
Mary J. Blige, the mean queen of hip-hop soul, reigns on the smooth "Share my World," but she seems to have lost heart along with her rough edges. (05/02/97)

Live from Chicago's House of Blues - Blues Brothers and Friends
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Pete Golkin
With the lesser Belushi standing in for John, the old minstrel show is back -- just in time for the Clinton era, where the man himself brings home the Reagan Democrats and is known to strike the smirk-and -shades pose at his favorite House of Blues. (06/20/97)

Shelter - Brand New Heavies
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Ezra Gale
Instead of pursuing the "brand new funk" they so obviously yearn to patent, Brand New Heavies have opted to take a step back in time and grab for the brass pop-star ring on "Shelter." (05/16/97)

The Coming - Busta Rhymes
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Milo Miles
The Fugees, Busta Rhymes and Positive Black Soul take black music back from the gangstas. (5/13/96)

Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan - Chaka Khan
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Michael E. Ross
Sizzling tribute to a funk goddess. (11/21/96)

My Soul - Coolio
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Natasha Stovall Coolio has an ear for using just the right musical spark on his knockout new album, "My Soul," jamming with samples as if they were other instruments, but never letting himself be carried by them. (09/05/97)

Stakes Is High - De La Soul
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Zev Borow
De La Soul's new "Stakes Is High" returns to the high cross-over ground of the rap group's breakthrough first album, "Three Feet High and Rising." (7/8/96)

Both Sides of the Brain - Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
Hip-Hop, review by Bill Werde
At 18, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien had hits, connections and a major record deal. Nine years later, Del the Funky Homosapien has got domino rhymes and severely sore thumbs. (04/27/00)

The Jelly Roll Kings - Frank Frost and Sam Carr
Hip-Hop/R&B
If this album doesn't leave you feeling laid-back and buoyant, you need a good stiff drink
(02/02/99)

Soundshock Vol. 1 - Funky Breaks Edition - DJ Harware
Hip-hop/R&B
DJs play more than records.
(07/22/98)

Soundshock Vol.2 - Trance Edition - DJ Harware
Hip-hop/R&B
DJs play more than records.
(07/22/98)

" ... And Then There Was X" - DMX
Hip Hop, review by Britt Robson
Suspended between murder and redemption, DMX captures the conflicted soul of a hardcore thug. (01/11/00)

The Slim Shady LP - Eminem
Hip-hop/R&B
Eminem is a phenomenon, "a ghost wrapped in a beat." (04/27/99)

EV3 EASTWEST - En Vogue
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Laura Jameson
It's a good thing the women of En Vogue can sing as well as they do -- even with their hackneyed proselytizing, EV3 is still a joy to listen to. (07/21/97)

III - Guy
R&B, review by Jon Caramanica
New Jack Swingers Guy killed old-school R&B. On "III," the trio gets what's coming. (02/09/00)

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
Hip-hop/R&B
Hotter than July and hardcore enough to put a tear in your eye.
(08/26/98)

The Ultimate Collection - Rick James
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Althea Hughes
Rick James' "Ultimate Collection" captures the King of Funk at his best: brash, bold, outrageous and openly horny. (04/15/97)

V.I.P. - Jungle Brothers
Hip-Hop, review by Jon Caramanica
Socially conscious hip-hop pioneers the Jungle Brothers find the dance floor. Pointlessness ensues. (03/08/00)

Raw Deluxe - Jungle Brothers
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Terri Sutton
As usual, the New York rappers The Jungle Brothers -- who introduced Tribe Called Quest and inspired De La Soul -- can't help but come up with catchy refrains and slamming beats on "Raw Deluxe." (06/04/97)

"Tha G Code" - Juvenile
Hip-Hop, review by Andy Battaglia
Juvenile's rhymes are near idiotic, but the production -- that's another story. (01/19/00)

Easy Listening For Armageddon - Mike Ladd
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Roni Sarig
While "Easy Listening" is full of trip-hop's musical signposts, the tracks are always spare and elastic enough to accommodate what's really trippy: Ladd's free-form, stream-of-conscious, over-the-top and deep-down-inside verse. (07/24/97)

Seven and Seven - MC Lyte
Hip-Hop/R&B
A forced attempt at party-friendly jiggy-ness lets Lyte's bad-ass power go to waste.
(08/19/98)

New World Order - Curtis Mayfield
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Michael Ross
After a tragic accident, Curtis Mayfield returns with a triumphant new R&B album.
Text-only version. (10/14/96)

"Nastradamus" - Nas
Pop/Rock, review by Joe Gross
Nas' career has a Wellesian scale. The rapper's gone from "Kane" to Gallo in five records. (01/07/00)

I Am - Nas
Hip-hop/R&B
On "Hate Me Now," Nas detonates the first summer bomb, but the rest of "I Am is a dud. (05/11/99)

Bitter - Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Hip-hop/R&B, reviewed by Alex Pappademas
Unable to translate critical success into mainstream sales, Me'Shell Ndegeocello ends up "Bitter." (09/10/99)

Peace Beyond Passion - Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Hip-hop/R&B, review by Michael Ross
Me'Shell Ndegeocello's "Peace Beyond Passion" gives society's hot buttons a polished push. (7/22/96)

Life After Death - Notorious B.I.G.
Rap, review by Laura Jamison
Listening to Notorius B.I.G.'s posthumously released "Life After Death" is a predictably eerie experience, but one that suggests his final album would have been just as compelling without his passing. (04/08/97)

Nasty business new albums from Ol' Dirty Bastard, Akinyele and Blowfly
Hip-Hop/R&B , review by Jon Caramanica
Ol' Dirty Bastard, Akinyele and Blowfly deliver sextastic anthems, freaknasty odes to oral sex and chocolate dildos for Christmas.(01/14/00)

Forever's A Long, Long Time - Orquestra Was
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Milo Miles
Producer, multi-instrumentalist and former Was (Not Was) ringleader Don Was rejoins some of the old crew to transform Hank Williams and play some post-mod workouts. (04/25/97)

Arkology - Lee Scratch Perry
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Roni Sarig
As both a producer and all-around demented genius, the Jamaican-born Lee "Scratch" Perry is without peer. Though "Arkology" captures only a fragment of his career that spans five decades, it includes some of his best work. (08/07/97)

Feng Shui - Q-Burns Abstract Message
Hip-Hop/R&B
Chill-room ambience that works just as well in cars and living rooms as it does in those trip-hop power centers the artist ignores.
(10/07/98)

"Amplified" - Q-Tip
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Michelle Goldberg
On his debut solo album, A Tribe Called Quest rapper Q-Tip shores up his street cred. (12/10/99)

Brand New Second Hand - Roots Manuva
Hip-hop/R&B
The South London artist also known as Rodney Smith exploits the link between hip-hop and reggae. (05/11/99)

Things Fall Apart - The Roots
Hip-Hop/R&B
Every track boasts considerable sonic depth and sophistication, but four breakthrough songs ignite a powerful groove (03/02/99)

The Truth - Beanie Sigel
Hip-Hop, review by Jon Caramanica
Hyped hip-hop star Beanie Sigel tells "The Truth," the whole truth and everything but the truth. (03/15/00)

Chocolate Supa Highway - Spearhead
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Donnell Alexander
Former Disposable Hero Michael Franti brings his adventurous spirit to Spearhead's head-nodding hip-hop on "Chocolate Supa Highway." (04/24/97)

"Geology: A Subjective History of Planet E, Volume 1" - Various Artists
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Amanda Nowinski
Carl Craig and a new Detroit techno compilation examine past futures and futures past. (10/20/99)

Contents Under Pressure - Various Artists
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by D. Strauss
Who dropped the Bomb? The "Contents Under Pressure" compilation oddly normalizes hip-hop's avant-garde (08/26/99)

The Sugar Hill Records Story - Various Artists
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Mark Athitakis
Grandmaster Flash, the Sugarhill Gang and other classic rap (3/14/97)

Lyricist Lounge Vol. 1 - Various Artists
Hiphop
An innovative compilation that proves hip-hop is back in decent shape (05/27/98)

House of Music - Tony Toni Toné
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Jennie Yabroff
Tony Toni Toné's latest is all talk, no action. (11/12/96)

Nearly God - Tricky
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Charles Taylor
An ominous beat and vague fantasies of utopia from trip-hop artist Tricky. (8/5/96)

Wu-Tang Forever - Wu-Tang Clan
Hip-Hop/R&B, review by Zev Borow
It was starting to look like hip-hop, for all its vigor, emotion, and sheer dope style, was on the verge of buckling under it's own weight -- but now, finally, from off in the distance comes the Wu-Tang Clan with their latest "Wu-Tang Forever." (06/17/97)