I still haven't found Jane Doe, so in the meantime I've been bumping "Twice In A Lifetime" off Black Star's debut album.

They were spitting back then. It's hard to believe it's already been ten years since Black Star's only LP. Some of you may remember that it dropped on September 29th, one of the illest release dates in hip-hop history. Jay-Z's Hard Knock Life, Outkast's Aquemini, A Tribe Called Quest's final CD, The Love Movement and Bran Nubian's Foundation, all hit stores that day. That's five solid albums dropping on the same day. I haven't heard five solid albums all year.

Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill had just dropped a month earlier (August 25), and you dunn know I was still bumping Def Squad and DMX and those Best Of Canibus Freestyle CDs. That was a hot summer, Cam. I remember us bumping that Capital Punishment on the way to Coney Island, or trying to break my aunt's windows blasting that N.O.R.E. when everybody left the crib. For my money, 1998 is one of my favorite years in hip-hop. Not only for the music, but the memories I associate with the albums. I think 94 or 96 may be my other favorite calendars. Shoot, listening to Hot 97 wasn't even half bad back then.

I'm pretty sure my older brother feels the same way about 1988, the year of monster releases by Big Daddy Kane (Long Live The Kane), Boogie Down Productions(By All Means Necessary), Slick Rick (The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick), Public Enemy (It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back), N.W.A.(Straight Outta Compton) and Eric B. & Rakim(Follow The Leader). He's looking over my shoulder right now telling me my year can't hang. You see I love those albums, but I have a different type of appreciation for them. I could wikipedia the dates, but I'd be lying if I told you I remembered the day they dropped. I was a super youngin' at the time. I was probably more worried about how many homeruns Darryl Strawberry hit in the Mets game anyway.

But anyway, 98 may be one of my favorites, but I couldn't possibly say it was better than 88 album-wise. I may not have understood everything the R. said back then, but I sure revisited his CD years later. Dude was a beast. The same goes for Kane and them. Basically, 88 wins because of the ratio. There were less albums out, but almost everything out (minus Hammer of course) was fire. What do you guys think? What was the better year 1998, or 1988? I couldn't possibly remember every release, so if I forgot somebody, my bad. Speak on it.

 

1988

-Big Daddy Kane-Long Live The Kane
-Biz Markie-Goin' Off
-Boogie Down Productions-By All Means Necessary
-Eazy-
E-Eazy-Duz-It
-EPMD-Strictly Business
-Eric B. & Rakim-Follow The Leader
-The Fat Boys-Come Back Hard Again
-Ice-T-Power
-Jungle Brothers-Straight out the Jungle
-
-MC Hammer-
Let's Get It Started
-N.W.A-Straight Outta Compton
-Public Enemy-It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
-Rob Base And DJ E-Z Rock-
It Takes Two
-Run-D.M.C.-Thougher Than Leather
-Salt-n-Pepa-A Salt with a Deadly Pepa
-Slick Rick-The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick
-Ultramagnetic MCs-Critical Beatdown

1998

-Beastie Boys-Hello Nasty
-Big Pun-Capital Punishment
-Bizzie Bone-Heaven'z Movie-Black Star-Mos Def & Talib Keli Are...Black Star
-Brand Nubian-Foundation
-Busta Rhymes-Extinction Level Event
-Cam'Ron-Confessions Of Fire
-Canibus-Can-I-Bus
-Cappadonna-The Pillage
-Cypress Hill-IV-Daz Dillinger-Retaliation, Revenge & Get Back
-Def Squad-El Nino
-DJ Quik-Rhythm-Al-Ism-DMX-It's Dark & Hell Is Hot
-DMX-Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood
-Fat Joe-Don Cartegena
-Gangstarr-The Moment Of Truth
-Goodie Mob-
Still Standing
-Jay-Z-In My Lifetime Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life
-Jermaine Dupri-
Life In 1472
-Jurassic 5-Jurassic 5 LP
-Killah Priest-Heavy Mental-Kurupt-Kuruption
-Lauryn Hill-The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
-Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz-Make It Reign
-The Lox-
Money, Power, Respect
-Master P-The Last Don
-M.O.P.-First Family 4 Life
-Noreaga-N.O.R.E
-Onyx-
Shut 'Em Down
-Outkast-Aquemini
-Pete Rock-Soul Survivor
-Redman -Doc's Da Name 2000
-Snoop Dogg-
Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told
-Timbaland-Tim's Bio:Life From Da Bassmet Timbaland
-A Tribe Called Quest The Love Movement
-Various Artists-Lyricist Lounge Vol.1
-Xzibit-40 Days & 40 Nightz

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