In Rotation

Powerule: Volume 1
A 1991 sleeper that sounds like a Latino version of Rough House Survivers (sorry it's so obscure, but it's true). Particular attention paid to the Large Professor-assisted "Gots ta Get This!"

SWV: The Remix EP
The only SWV album you'll ever need. Only the good isht, none of the ballad filler that made their albums so unbearable. Two particular highlights: the "Anything" remix featuring young and hungry Method Man and ODB, and "Right Here" remix that samples the Human Nature strings a la "It Ain't Hard to Tell."

Jeru the Damaja: The Sun Rises in the East
Like whoa...DJ Premier pulls out all the stops for the first member of the Gangstarr Foundation to come out the gate on this 1994 summer classic. From the syncopated Chinese water torture rhythm of "Come Clean," to the frenetic key slapps of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," this is one of the albums that made 94 that last truly great year in hip-hop. "In the land of crooks, yes, Brooklyn's tha borough."

Ghostface: The Pretty Toney Album
It ain't all nostalgia up in this piece! New Ghostface, what?! Honestly though, this is album to me is like a clone of Supreme Clientele. Not a bad thing, considering that Ghost's prior masterwork is one of the all time greatest albums in the hip-hop canon. It's still the strongest Wu release in years, with impressive production turns by No I.D. ("Metal Lungies"), Nottz ("Be This Way"), and the shining star on the album, RZA's "Run" featuring Jadakiss on support verses. What's the story with dropping "Killah" from the name?

Prince: One Night Alone...Live
Yeah well what can I say. I'm honest with these lists, so it's all out in the open. Prince delivers his odd mixture of Jehovah Witness-inspired jazz combined with cleaned up versions of his classics. His performance of "Alphabet Street" is tighter and funkier than the original, and collabos with George Clinton, Musiq, and Larry Graham (Sly Stone's bassist) prove that Prince is the only man staying true to the funk code in '04. Andre Benjamin, keep taking notes.

The UMC's: Unleashed
From the Staten Island duo that brought us "spin 360 degrees for blue cheese" comes the sophomore release in 93. Darker and closer in style to their Shaolin bretheren's steez, they highlighted their Ill Demonique Clique (lol) members throughout. M Ceezy interviewed these cats prior to the release, and they really didn't have much to say--same goes for the album, though the beats are nice. Not a classic like their debut "Fruits of Nature" (what a horrible album title), which is highly recommended.

Black Moon: Enta Da Stage
This album is like an anchor in any collection--it will always sound hard and dope regardless of the weather,. even ten years later. "Oh lord...get on my skateboard and do a muthafuckin' drive-by!" boasts Buckshot Shorty on the opening shot "Powaful Impak!". The Beatminerz laced this and Smif n Wessun's debut with their finest work, and haven't matched this pinnacle of production since.

Poor Righteous Teachers: Holy Intellect
Playing catch-up on this gem that M Ceezy copped for a mere $9 in the used bin...now selling on Amazon for $36.00 and up. Now on the lookout for Pure Poverty to complete the collection.