The Best Hip-Hop Songs & Albums: 1993

Time for a look at 1993. This year brought my favorite album of all time and one of my absolute favorite songs ever made. It had a good mix of East Coast and West Coat hip-hop, as well as commercial and underground masterpieces. Same rules apply as ’91 & ’92. 20 songs, 10 albums. Let’s get it.

Best of 1993

Best Songs

20. “Reign of the Tec” – The Beatnuts
My introduction to the Beatnuts, who have gone on to be one of the most consistent, most criminally slept on and one of my favorite hip-hop acts to ever do it. The ‘Nuts have produced some of the best beats ever and this is one of them. Super hard hitting and the Sadat X sample for the hook is perfect.

19. “Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down” – Brand Nubian
And where did the Sadat X sample for “Reign of the Tec” come from? The remix to this Brand Nubian classic. Song starts with some Rocky-sounding horns and then leads to a neck snapping beat. This is some hardcore shit from the Nubian and Sadat X & Lord Jamar bring the fire as per usual.

18. “Make Room” – The Alkaholiks
This song smacks you in the face. And it’s tremendous. ’93 will see a lot of hip-hop groups as opposed to solo acts and it was also a year for a lot of new acts to surface. The ‘Liks made their way onto the scene in ’93 and have since brought us Xzibit, Defari and a rejuvenated King Tee (who first put the ‘Liks on with 1992’s “Got It Bad Y’all.”)

17. “Cock The Hammer” – Cypress Hill
Cypress hit another home run with ‘93’s Black Sunday. And while “Insane In The Brain” is their most famous song, “Cock The Hammer” is what made me a Cypress fan. There’s just something about the way the song starts out. The thunderstorm, then the bass, the horns and the drums setting in all leading up to Sen Dog’s verse. It’s chilling music and I love it as much now as I did when I heard it in ’93.

16. “93 ‘Til Infinity” – Souls of Mischief
Some more West Coast hip-hop, but with a sound all to its own. Souls of Mischief, and the Heiroglyphics crew, made some really dope music. This is one of the most recognizable beats of the ‘90’s and has been used many times over by other artist’s for freestyles, but none better than the original.

15. “Sound of the Police” – KRS-One
This beat goes hard. Just a tremendous backdrop and as ‘90’s as they come. The Teacher breaks down racial profiling and police brutality with thought-provoking lyrics. KRS is hype on this track and delivers a strong message. Really dope hip-hop.

14. “Ego Trippin’” – De La Soul
Where are these songs in today’s hip-hop? Seriously. I feel like all the tracks so far grab you right away and never let go. I’m pretty sure the lyrics in this song have been used 100 times over by other artists. LL Cool J even made Posdnuos’ opening line into a song (“I’m something like a phenomenon”) This was also the beat used for the opening of the late night rap video show, Urban Xpressions, which I used to watch on Saturday nights.

13. “Down With The King” – Run DMC feat. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth
This was Run DMC making music according to the sounds of the time. While the album wasn’t a success, this song hit it right on the head. This sounds right at home alongside the other great songs released in ’93 and teaming with Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth was the right decision.

12. “Streiht Up Menace” – MC Eiht
Off the Menace II Society soundtrack, this is the best song Eiht made. The piano on this track is terrific and Eiht paints a perfect picture of growing up in the ‘hood. Lyrically, this is as strong as any track that came out. It actually played out much like the movie itself. Kind of like “Lose Yourself” 11 years before “Lose Yourself” was ever recorded. “Wake yo punkass up for the ’93 shot.”

11. “Born To Roll” – Masta Ace
This song makes me want to put a system in my car. I have blasted this in every car I’ve owned and cranked it up on every pair of speakers I’ve had. The beat is just ridiculous. And Ace’s lyrics are tremendous. The third verse is my favorite as Ace discusses police harassing him for blasting his music. “But you know my name, so you’ll never hear no Elvis.”

10. “Hip-Hop Hooray” – Naughty By Nature
Naughty was great at making hip-hop anthems. “O.P.P” was a huge part of pop culture in the ‘90’s and “Hip-Hop Hooray” was the perfect follow up as the lead single for Naughty’s second album. If you listen to hip-hop music, hell even if you don’t, I guarantee that at one point in your life (most likely to be dozens of times) you have waved your hands back and forth, while singing the chorus along with Treach. This remains one of my favorite beats ever as well.

9. “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” – Digable Planets
Speaking of my favorite beats ever made, this is as good as they come. The finger snappin’ intro, the bass, the horns, it’s hip-hop over jazz. And it’s as smooth as any hip-hop record ever released. Digable was one of the dopest groups of the ‘90’s and never got their due. They brought a jazz, funk twist to hip-hop. If they were around in the ‘70’s I would imagine they’d bring a similar sound.

8. “I Got Cha Opin (Remix)” – Black Moon
Black Moon burst on the scene in a major way in ’93 with the classic Enta Da Stage. There were a handful of songs I could’ve picked for this list. Ironically, it was a remix that didn’t appear on the album that gets the nod here. This was, is and always will be one of my favorite hip-hop songs. The horns to open the track grabbed me the first time I ever heard it and I’ve loved it ever since.

7. “Party & Bullshit” – Biggie Smalls
Before he was the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie made a splash on the Who’s The Man? soundtrack with this party starter. This is as raw as you’ll ever hear from Biggie. He is ferocious on this track and absolutely rips the beat to shreds. My favorite Biggie song was yet to come, but this is definitely in my top 10 of his career.

6. “Throw Ya Gunz” – Onyx
“Slam” ushered in the Mad Face Invasion, but this is a truer representation of the type of music Onyx was about to bring. While “Slam” had that rah-rah feel, “Throw Ya Gunz” was just flat out mean. Sticky Fingaz sums it up best, “I hate your f-ckin’ guts and I hope that ya die.” That about says it all. Sticky is great.

5. “I Get Around” – 2Pac feat. Digital Underground
I’m not sure I can pick my favorite ‘Pac song, but this would definitely be in the conversation. “Same Song,” “Brenda’s Got A Baby” and “If My Homie Calls” brought 2Pac some exposure, but “I Get Around” and “Keep Ya Head Up” brought him to the mainstream. Those two tracks summed up Pac’s career perfectly as one is an ode to being a player, while the other encourages women to respect themselves and not let men keep them down.

4. “Gin & Juice” – Snoop Doggy Dogg
Pick any song off Doggystyle and you can’t go wrong. The album had no weak spot. And Snoop’s star had already risen, but I don’t know of any Snoop Dogg solo track that can top this one. It’s a terrific party song and has one of the best videos you’ll find. “With so much drama in the LBC/It’s kinda hard being Snoop D-O-double G.” Classic.

3. “Award Tour” – A Tribe Called Quest
Serving as the first single off Midnight Marauders, this was also the single that would follow in the giant footsteps of 1991’s “Scenario.” I don’t put it up at the next level along with “Scenario” but it’s still a classic. Love Tip’s verse to open the song.

2. “Protect Ya Neck” – Wu-Tang Clan
Nothing sounded like this. NOTHING. As raw as they come. It’s a song with 8 super MC’s trying to outdo one another. My favorite verses in order are Inspectah Deck, Method Man, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Genius, Rza, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and then U-God. And that may’ve been one of the hardest lists I had to put together. How can that many great MCs all be in the same group? Ridiculous.

1. “Chief Rocka” – Lords of the Underground
Probably in my top 5 favorite songs of all time. At least in my top 10. Had a website over 10 years ago about hip-hop and the quote I used at the top of that site was taken from this song. It is everything a hip-hop song is supposed to be. Great beat, scratches for the hook, tremendous lyrics, it has it all. DoItAll’s verse is perfect: “I got too much soul, rhythm and blues/R&B, ya see all that’s cool/But hip-hop and rap/Yeah that’s where my heart’s at/Even back when I used to break on a box.”

Best Albums

10. Return of the Boom-Bap – KRS-One
This was KRS’ first solo album. No more Boogie Down Productions, which had brought us so many classics. But the Teacher holds his ground and delivers with this one. “Sound of the Police,” “Black Cop” and “Outta Here” are the highlights of this superb album.

9. Buhloone Mindstate – De La Soul
De La always marched to the beat of their own drum and this album was no exception. At a time when hip-hop was mostly hardcore, the Plugs brought an alternative sound. And while it wasn’t commercially accepted, Buhloone Mindstate won over critics much like 3 Feet High & Rising and De La Soul Is Dead before it.

8. Black Sunday – Cypress Hill
Tough to pick between their debut and Black Sunday. Should probably ask my brother since he loved both (if I had to guess, I’d say he picks their debut). This was a little darker, but had so many great songs. “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That,” “Insane In The Brain,” “When The Shit Goes Down,” “Cock The Hammer,” and “Lick A Shot” are all standouts. And of course there’s the stoner anthems “I Wanna Get High” and “Hits From The Bong” for all you grass aficionados.

7. Here Come The Lords – Lords of the Underground
“Chief Rocka” scores this album major points with me, but it’s still a really solid album. “Funky Child” would’ve made the top 20 if not for “Chief Rocka” and “Sleep For Dinner” was one of my favorites as a kid. There was just something about having to go to bed without dinner that any kid could relate to.

6. Bacdafucup – Onyx
This was just mean. The hook to “Shifftee” describes this whole album. Sticky Fingaz remains one of the most underrated MCs ever. He is responsible for so many classic verses and was the true star of Onyx. Along with M.O.P., Onyx brought more energy and intensity to hip-hop than anyone else.

5. Enta Da Stage – Black Moon
My favorite Black Moon song was a remix that didn’t appear on this classic, so that hurts this just slightly. That’s the only negative to be said about the album. Buckshot was one of the finest MCs of the early ‘90’s and the Beatminerz produced two classics with Enta Da Stage and Smif-N-Wessun’s Dah Shinin’. “Who Got Da Props,” “Buck Em Down” and “How Many MC’s” were all hip-hop anthems back in ’93. Add the Smif-n-Wessun assisted “Black Smif-n-Wessun” and “U Da Man” which also featured a very young Havoc of Mobb Deep and you have the recipe for greatness.

4. Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. – 2Pac
Much like 1991’s 2Pacalypse Now, there are better Pac albums out there, but I felt like 2Pac really came into his own on this one. “I Get Around” and “Keep Ya Head Up” both had commercial success to go along with some other great tracks like “Papaz Song” and “Last Wordz” which featured both Ice Cube and Ice-T. 2Pac touched on a lot of topics on this album and did so with the type of passion he would become famous for.

3. Midnight Marauders – A Tribe Called Quest
People’s Instinctive Travels and The Low End Theory are regarded as hip-hop classics, but this is my favorite Tribe album. The others are great. There’s no question. But from start to finish I prefer Midnight Marauders. “Steve Biko,” “Award Tour,” “Sucka Nigga,” “We Can Get Down,” “Electric Relaxation,” “Oh My God” are my favorites off the album and would all be worthy of top 20 status on the Best of ’93 list. I immediately want to listen to this album again.

2. Doggystyle – Snoop Doggy Dogg
This album is in my top 10 of all time. It isn’t The Chronic, but it’s the closest Snoop or Dre have come since The Chronic. I don’t miss any artist more than I miss the Snoop of ’93. He has gone on to be much more than just a hip-hop artist. He is an icon now. Snoop’s bigger than music and it shows in his music. It’s just not the same. This album was flawless. Starting with “Gin & Juice” and ending with “Pump Pump” there are no songs that fall short. My favorites are “Gin & Juice,” “Tha Shiznit,” “Lodi Dodi” and “Gz And Hustlas.”

1. Enter The 36 Chambers – Wu-Tang Clan
My favorite album ever made. I had never heard anything like it and doubt I ever will. This album was raw, stripped down, unique in every way and had some of the greatest and hungriest MCs to ever do it rhyming over some of the best production in hip-hop history. No one else could’ve made better beats for this album than the sound RZA brought. Think about this, had the Wu, or Loud Records for that matter, reached out to DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Buckwild or Da Beatminerz to make beats for this album it would’ve HURT the album. Those are some of the greatest beat makers that ever lived. But none of their sounds would’ve paired as well with Meth, Deck, Rae, Ghost, Ol’ Dirty, GZA or U-God. And think of all the classic Wu songs and albums that spawned from 36 Chambers. This album changed the sound of hip-hop forever. Pick any song off the album as your favorite and you’re right. They are all as good as the next. I was gonna go listen to Midnight Marauders. Now I’ve changed my mind. I need to hear this album right now.

So there it is, the Best of ’93. Some major debuts to come in ’94 and another one of my Top 5 albums of all time will be on the list, as well as my favorite song of all time. Should have that up in a few days.