Official Blog of Hip Hop Scriptures - Virtual Hip Hop Museum
The Pretty Toney Album is the fourth studio album by Ghostface Killah. The album was released on April 20, 2004. It is the only album from the artist to be released solely under the title of "Ghostface." The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Read more about Ghostface Killah and his career here.
Released on April 20, 2018, KOD (Kids on Drugs, King Overdosed and Kill Our Demons) is J. Cole’s fifth studio album. The majority of the album's production was handled by Cole himself, along with others. KOD received positive reviews from critics and debuted atop the US Billboard 200, selling 397,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, earning Cole his fifth consecutive number-one album in the country. It also broke several streaming records. The album has since been certified Platinum. Read more about J. Cole and his career here.
In 2004 after the release of his breakout single "Still Tippin'", which was receiving much radio play, Jones signed a major deal to Jive Records and Warner Bros. He quickly released his second single, "Back Then", which eventually went Platinum, making it Jones's first Platinum single. On April 19, 2005, Jones released his debut album, Who Is Mike Jones? After two months the album also achieved Platinum status, eventually reaching double Platinum. It is Jones's highest selling album to date.
Read more about Mike Jones here.
Columbia Records meanwhile signed Nas to a major-label contract, and many of New York's finest producers offered their support. DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Pete Rock entered the studio with the young rapper and began work on Illmatic. When Columbia finally released the album in April 1994, it faced high expectations; Illmatic regardless proved just as astounding as it had been billed. It sold very well, spawned multiple hits, and earned unanimous acclaim, followed soon after by classic status.
Read more about Nas here.
It seems like it was just yesterday when we first sat down for an interview with JOSH X. The rising star, who was originally featured in our Fresh Artist series back in February of 2021, has been busy working since then. Today, we are here to catch up on his latest release "Kenbe Sa".
Released on April 13, 1993, Juvenile Hell is the debut studio album by hip hop duo Mobb Deep. At the time this album was being recorded the duo was still in their late teens. The album produced the two singles Peer Pressure & Hit It from the Back, with Hit It from the Back reaching number 18 on the Billboard Rap chart. Upon its release the album failed to chart and shortly after the duo was dropped from their label. Read more about Mobb Deep and their career here.
Toronto native Eva Shaw began writing music and DJing as a teenager, which eventually grew into a full-time job when she made the move to New York City for school. She is back with an alluring new single “Midnight Strangers” with Thouxanbanfauni and DB Bantino. Check it out in this week’s Fresh Artist Friday.
Am... is Nas’s third studio album, released on April 6, 1999. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, selling over 470,000 copies in its first week of sales. I Am… would later be certified double platinum in the United States, making it Nas' second best-selling release behind It Was Written. This album was originally to have been a double album titled I Am...The Autobiography, however most of the original sessions were bootlegged forcing Nas to discard many songs and adjust the release to one disc. I Am...became one of the first major label releases to be widely leaked using MP3 technology. Read more about Nas and his career here.
Invasion of Privacy is the debut studio album by American rapper Cardi B. It was released on April 6, 2018. Primarily a hip hop record, Invasion of Privacy also includes trap, Latin trap and R&B. The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200, earning 255,000 units in its first week and is certified triple platinum. The album features guest appearances by Migos, Chance the Rapper, Kehlani, SZA, 21 Savage, J Balvin, Bad Bunny, and YG. Read more about Cardi B and her career here.
The Roots' first major-label album, Do You Want More?!!!??!, which features four songs from From The Ground Up, was released in January 1995; forsaking usual hip-hop protocol, the album was produced without any samples or previously recorded material. It peaked just outside the Top 100, but was mostly ignored by fans of hip-hop. Instead, Do You Want More?!!!??! made more tracks in alternative circles, partly due to the Roots playing the second stage at Lollapalooza that summer.
After contributing to the 1992 compilation The Hill That's Real, M.O.P. debuted in 1993 with the single "How About Some Hardcore?", which appeared on the soundtrack for the film House Party 3. The underground success of the single, promoted by a low-budget video from then-unknown director Hype Williams, led to their debut album To the Death. It was released in 1994 on the small label Select Records, almost fully produced by DR Period.
Read more about M.O.P. here.
