Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Mary J. Blige released her second album “My Life” in 1994.
This past weekend, real hip-hop fans got a blast from the past as Drake and Kendrick Lamar engaged in an epic back and forth rap battle.
For years, hip-hop heads have complained about the lack of lyricism in hip-hop, as well as the lack of originality.
But for one weekend, it was like the 1990s had returned.
Additionally, R&B fans have complained for years about the lack of true love songs in R&B.
True, the modern-day ladies like Muni Long and Coco Jones are holding it down.
But back in the 1990s, it seemed like there was plethora of R&B stars to match the star power in hip-hop.
Since “Drizzy” and “K-Dot” gave fans hope for the future of urban music, RegalMag.com decided to go back 30 years to the golden era of hip-hop and R&B, ranking the top 10 albums of 1994.
- “Super Tight” by UGK—Those Gulfway Boulevard ninjas must have never heard of a sophomore jinx because “Super Tight” was not a letdown after their epic debut, “Too Hard to Swallow.” While the Underground Kingz still had not achieved mainstream crossover success by 1994, seemingly everyone down South jammed songs like “Front, Back & Side to Side,” “Pocket Full of Stones, Pt.2” and the diss track “Return” aimed at the CEO of their original record company, Bigtyme Recordz.
- “My Life” by Mary J. Blige—Another artist who must have never heard of the sophomore jinx was the queen of hip-hop soul, Mary J. Blige. On “My Life,” the Yonkers, N.Y. native dropped gems like “Mary Jane (All Night Long),” the title track, “Be Happy” and the Rose Royce cover, “I’m Goin’ Down.”
- “Southernplayalisticadillacmusik” by Outkast—While UGK held it down for Port Arthur, Texas, the boys out of the dungeon held it down for ATL in 1994. And they were determined to show that the South had something to say with classic bangers like the title track, “Player’s Ball,” “Git Up, Git Out” with fellow Dungeon Family members Goodie Mob, “Crumblin’ Erb” and “Hootie Hoo.”
- “Above the Rim (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” by Various Artists—By 1994, Death Row Records was already a well-oiled hit-making machine after dropping classic debuts by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. With the “Above the Rim” soundtrack, the entire roster, and then some, were on full display. Via the soundtrack, SWV dropped “Anything.” The Lady of Rage dropped “Afro Puffs.” Warren G and Nate Dogg released the timeless hit, “Regulate.” And future Death Row artist, and star of the film 2Pac, dropped “Pain” featuring Stretch.
- “The Diary” by Scarface—In 1994, Scarface of the Geto Boys dropped, arguably, his greatest album of his solo career. The album featured his most poignant song, “I Seen a Man Die.” With help from friends like Ice Cube and Devin the Dude, he answered gangsta rap’s many critics on the song “Hand of the Dead Body.” Furthermore, the album featured songs like “No Tears” and “Jesse James,” which was also featured on the soundtrack to the Houston-based movie, “Jason’s Lyric.” By the time he reunited with the Geto Boys two years later, the group had become a supergroup.
- “Brandy” by Brandy—Although it is not included on her self-titled debut, can people give Brandy credit for dropping one of the best remixes of all-time with the remix of “I Wanna Be Down,” which featured Queen Latifah, M.C. Lyte and Yo-Yo? The teenager from McComb, Miss. had already appeared on television shows thanks to the sitcom, “Thea.” But she immediately put the R&B world on notice with the title cut, “Baby,” “Best Friend, and “Brokenhearted.”
- “CrazySexyCool”—Forget what Regal said about UGK and Mary J. Blige ignoring the sophomore jinx because TLC totally obliterated the notion that artists struggle on their second album. While TLC achieved R&B superstardom with their 1992 debut, they started their ascension to girl group royalty with their second effort. “CrazySexyCool” featured instant classics like “Creep,” “Diggin’ on You,” “Red Light Special” and the Prince cover, “If I Was Your Girlfriend.” But with the Organized Noise produced “Waterfalls,” the trio had the type of hit that could never be duplicated.
- “II” by Boyz II Men—Without sounding like a broken record, Boyz II Men clearly surpassed their debut with their aptly-titled second album. Pop music fans could not turn on the radio without hearing ballads like “I’ll Make Love to You,” “On Bended Knee,” and “Water Runs Dry.” The boys from Philly also proved they could still drop an up-tempo hit with the album’s opening cut, “Thank You.” Furthermore, they did justice to a classic by the Fab Four, releasing a cover version of “Yesterday” by The Beatles.
- “Ready to Die” by The Notorious B.I.G.—A year really produced some great albums when Biggie Smalls comes in second place on a list. But the debut album by the Brooklyn, N.Y. would probably be number one in any year other than the year that another New York emcee dropped his debut album. Nevertheless, B.I.G. was able to marry the commercial with the street on “Ready to Die,” releasing radio-friendly songs like “Big Poppa” and “Juicy,” while also released street bangers like “Warning,” “Machine Gun Funk” and “The What,” which featured Method Man.
- “Illmatic” by Nas—When an album is still getting its flowers 30 years after its release, then it is a certified classic. When an album is rushed out, although it is not completed yet, because bootleggers had already gotten their hands on it, that shows the hype around the album. And Nas definitely lived up to the hype with his first album, “Illmatic.” The Queens, N.Y. native dropped street classics like “New York State of Mind and “Life’s a B” with AZ and his father Olu Dara. As a matter of fact, the entire album was filled with street bangers. Therefore, why just highlight the few when all deserve their shine? Three decades later, those songs stay on many people’s playlists because when one drops timeless music that tells a story, those stories are relatable forever. Therefore, music lovers will jam the album forever.
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