Jay-Z’s The Black Album Anniversary

Jay-Z’s The Black Album Anniversary


In 2003, Jay-Z shocked the hip-hop world by releasing The Black Album and announcing that it would be his last solo record before retirement.

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Big L's Put It On Song Anniversary

Big L's Put It On Song Anniversary

Big L released the song “Put It On” on November 13, 1994 as the first single from the album "Lifestylz Ov Da Poor & Dangerous."

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Missy Elliott's Under Construction Album Anniversary

Missy Elliott's Under Construction Album Anniversary

Elliott's 2002 album, Under Construction, set sales records for a female-headed rap album, selling 2.1 million copies in the United States.

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Jay-Z's The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse Album Anniversary

Jay-Z's The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse Album Anniversary

Carter turned to rap at a very young age as an escape from the drugs, violence and poverty that surrounded him in the Marcy Projects. In 1989, he joined the rapper Jaz-O—an older performer who served as a kind of mentor—to record a song called "The Originators," which won the pair an appearance on an episode of Yo! MTV Raps. It was at this point that Shawn Carter embraced the nickname Jay-Z, which was simultaneously an homage to Jaz-O, a play on Carter's childhood nickname of "Jazzy," and a reference to the J/Z subway station near his Brooklyn home.

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Eminem's Infinite Album Anniversary

Eminem's Infinite Album Anniversary

It was the birth of Em's first child, Hailie Jade Scott on December 25, 1995 with longtime girlfriend Kim Scott, that encouraged him to work harder for the money his family needed. It was difficult for him who had nothing except the "life sucks" experiences he used as the topic of his rap lyrics. One year later, in 1996, Eminem recorded his first album "Infinite", only to receive few favorable reviews.

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Lil Kim's Hard core Album Anniversary

Lil Kim's Hard core Album Anniversary

Lil' Kim debuted as a solo artist with the release of Hard Core in 1996, continuing the raunchy and lyrical wordplay that the public had already heard on Conspiracy. The album was a success. Critics loved her raw, unapologetic style of rapping, which was much more gritty and vulgar than female MCs of the past like MC Lyte and Queen Latifah. However, around the same time as Kim's debut, the public was introduced to another edgy female rapper by the name of Foxy Brown. She and Kim would continue to feud for years, only adding to their popularity.

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Tim Dog's Penicillin on Wax

Tim Dog's Penicillin on Wax

Some New York hip hop artists resented the exposure and success of their West Coast counterparts, an animosity which Tim Dog would tap into via the release of his groundbreaking first single. Frustrated at the apparent lack of interest in East Coast artists from record companies, Tim recorded "**** Compton", a scathing diss track from his debut album Penicillin on Wax. "Fuck Compton" attacked the city's style of dress and musical output and made threatening gestures to several Compton rappers including Eazy-E, MC Ren, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Michel'le. Tim Dog would later exclude Ice Cube on "Step to Me", another diss track attacking N.W.A.

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2Pac's 2Pacalypse Now Album Anniversary

2Pac's 2Pacalypse Now Album Anniversary

The album generated significant controversy. Dan Quayle criticized it after a Texas youth's defense attorney claimed he was influenced by 2Pacalypse Now and its strong theme of police brutality before shooting a state trooper. Quayle said, "There's no reason for a record like this to be released. It has no place in our society." The record was important in showcasing 2Pac's political conviction and his focus on lyrical prowess. On MTV's Greatest Rappers of All Time List, 2Pacalypse Now was listed as one of 2Pac's "certified classic" albums, along with Me Against the World, All Eyez On Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.

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Fresh Artist Fridays: Nefertitti

Fresh Artist Fridays: Nefertitti

Nefertitti is a star in the making. The artist from Ohio has just dropped the R&B track “Take It Back” featuring Fat Joe, cementing an impressive addition to her discography. Check out the inspiration behind the track and more in this week’s Fresh Artist Friday featuring Nefertitti.

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FRESH ARTIST REWIND ⏪ - OCTOBER 2021 ON YOUTUBE!

Priscilla and Chi Chi “rewind” our September 2021 submissions for our popular #FreshArtistFridays series for three artists that were featured last month. We also shared our favorites!! Check out the video on YouTube.

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Timbaland + Magoo - Welcome to Our World Album Anniversary

Welcome to Our World is the debut studio album released by hip hop duo Timbaland & Magoo, released November 11th, 1997. The album features their regular guest appearances, among them, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, Aaliyah, Ginuwine and Playa. The album sold over 1 million copies and even went platinum. Read more about Timbaland and Magoo here.

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Pete Rock's Soul Survivor Album Anniversary

Pete Rock's Soul Survivor Album Anniversary

Pete Rock was able to forge a relationship with Loud Records, allowing him to release his solo album Soul Survivor in the summer of 1998.

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UGK's Too Hard to Swallow Album Anniversary

UGK's Too Hard to Swallow Album Anniversary

In 1992, UGK was signed to Jive Records under a five-album contract, releasing their major-label debut album Too Hard to Swallow.

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Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) Album Anniversary

Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) Album Anniversary

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful; although its financial success wasn't immediate, it was the result of a slow build. C.R.E.A.M., released in early 1994, was the single that put them over the top and won them a devoted following.

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A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders Album Anniversary

A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders Album Anniversary

Midnight Marauders influenced many future artists and producers such as Common, The Roots, Jill Scott, Kanye West and The Neptunes. These artists are a part of ATCQs legacy and are evidence of ATCQs impact for years to come.

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Legendary Pete Rock x Hip Hop Scriptures Interview

Legendary Pete Rock x Hip Hop Scriptures Interview

Pete Rock, widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, joins Hip Hop Scriptures to talk about his historic career. Pete shares how his roots and upbringing with Heavy D influenced his music, collaborations with Kanye and Jay-Z, and much more! Read an interview recap and check out the full interview on YouTube here.

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Pete Rock & CL Smooth's The Main Ingredient Album Anniversary

Pete Rock & CL Smooth's The Main Ingredient Album Anniversary

Characterized by sultry soul and jazz samples, The Main Ingredient saw a more polished sound than the duo’s debut, building on the praise that they had already garnered. The album is notable for its snappy, crispy drums and extensive use of vocal scratches, usually from songs by Biz Markie.

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The Jungle Brothers' Straight Out the Jungle Album Anniversary

The Jungle Brothers' Straight Out the Jungle Album Anniversary

The album's Afrocentric slant gained the Jungle Brothers entry into the Native Tongue Posse, a loose collective formed by hip-hop legend Afrikaa Bambaataa, including Queen Latifah (and, later, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest).

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Doja Cat's Hot Pink Album Anniversary

Doja Cat's Hot Pink Album Anniversary

The solo version of "Say So" peaked at number five on the Hot 100, becoming her first top-ten single, and was the most streamed song of 2020 by a female artist in the United States.

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GZA's Liquid Swords Album Anniversary

GZA's Liquid Swords Album Anniversary

Building off of that success GZA signed a new deal with Geffen Records and in 1995 released Liquid Swords

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