This album not only solidifies Rakim's status as a legend but also reflects the overall state of American rap during that period. A lot was happening then. It was the golden era (in my opinion and that of millions of others) in the fifty-year history of hip-hop culture. Since the early 90s, many legendary albums were released, recognized as milestones in the genre...

So I dove in and got lost. This is so atmospheric. One of my favorite albums from the mid-'90s. I'm loving what Mr. Cheeks, the author of the majority of the rhymes, is doing. He could be considered the frontman of the group. I read some reviews of this album. In many cases, Mr. Cheeks was praised, but with a note that he's not a top-tier rapper, as if the reviewers...

Those were the times of Rodney King and burning LA (the prophecies from "Black Korea" came true). The work of Ice Cube, accused of racism and inciting violence, was full of aggression, outrage, and criticism towards a system that maintained the status quo of inequality. It was representative of the anger and frustration of the Black community towards...