In the ears and minds of many Rap fans, Snoop Dogg's 1993 debut may always be his album to beat. A keystone in the G-Funk movement, Dr. Dre and Doggy Dogg made a masterpiece while with Death Row Records. Doggystyle showed Snoop's Rap peers some new moves on how to... Read more

In early 1994 the world was introduced to Anotha Level, a five-person Rap group from Los Angeles had something alluring. Veteran N.W.A. affiliate/producer Laylaw and Gangsta Rap icon Ice Cube discovered this quintet, and they recognized that the young squad strafed the line between that classic West Coast sound and... Read more

Although G-Funk was ruling the West Coast in the mid-1990s, there was still a small but strong contingent of Heads that were practice more traditional Rap. These artists tended to show love to all four elements of Hip-Hop culture, rather than just MCing. Collectives like Hieroglyphics and The Likwit Crew,... Read more

By all accounts, Ras Kass is one of the most gifted lyricists of all-time. For more than 20 years, Ras Kass has been seizing every opportunity to approach rapping with thoughtfulness, complexity, and message-driven content. Of course, he wasn't the first to do so, and he credits KRS-One and Rakim... Read more