{"id":7041960,"date":"2026-08-19T18:12:35","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/the-top-10-rap-albums-of-every-year-since-the-dawn-of-hip-hop-1995\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T18:12:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:12:35","slug":"the-top-10-rap-albums-of-every-year-since-the-dawn-of-hip-hop-1995","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7041960","title":{"rendered":"THE TOP 10 RAP ALBUMS OF EVERY YEAR SINCE THE DAWN OF HIP HOP: 1995"},"content":{"rendered":"


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1995 is the year that Wu Tang took over pretty much the entire rap genre\u2013or at least the East Coast side of it.\u00a0 Several solo albums from Clan members came out, and they\u2019re all very good.\u00a0 The group\u2019s gritty sound spawned copycats and influenced up-and-comers like Mobb Deep.\u00a0 Everywhere you turned, there were traces of Wu Tang.\u00a0 At the same time, guys like Masta Ace emergeD as alternatives to the Wu Tang sound.\u00a0 In short, a good year for the East Coast, especially if it can claim Tupac Shakur as its own\u2013given that he got the top slot for the year.<\/p>\n

Overall, though, 1995 was not a great year for rap music.\u00a0 It was hard to find ten bona fide classics.\u00a0 At least a few of the albums on the bottom quarter this list are just very good\u2013they still have a couple songs I\u2019d skip over.<\/p>\n

10. In a Major Way by E-40.\u00a0 <\/strong>The man who Tupac hailed as the voice of the West Coast brings his big, breakout single, \u201cSprinkle Me.\u201d\u00a0 Lots of creativity here, but on modern re-listens there are several songs that feel more like novelty items.<\/p>\n

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9. Labcabincalifornia by The Pharcyde.<\/strong>\u00a0 A tour-de-force of artistic, left-field rap.\u00a0 Production by J Dilla.<\/p>\n

8. The Infamous by Mobb Deep.\u00a0 <\/strong>I do like this album quite a bit but<\/strong><\/em> (and I know<\/strong><\/em> this is blasphemy), I doubt it would make my list without Shook Ones.\u00a0 I get why it\u2019s legendary, but I can\u2019t remember the last time I listened to all or most of it (again, other than Shook Ones).\u00a0 It\u2019s here to fill out my list.<\/p>\n

7. Sittin\u2019 On Chrome by Masta Ace Inc.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Masta Ace\u2019s early work is strong, especially given the lack of other great albums at the time, but it\u2019s also dated.\u00a0 I\u2019ve put this on my list because of how much I dig Ace.\u00a0 If you\u2019re not a dieheard fan, this album definitely won\u2019t turn you into one.<\/p>\n

6. Only Built for Cuban Links by Raekwon.\u00a0 <\/strong>I\u2019m going to confess that I appreciate the brilliance of this album but I really don\u2019t listen to any of it very much.\u00a0 That\u2019s why it doesn\u2019t rate higher on my list: This list is supposed to reflect not what I \u201cthink\u201d should be on my list and not the albums that \u201cmattered,\u201d but rather covers what I personally continue to love hearing today.\u00a0 That said: It\u2019s a great album and every time I do put it on, I\u2019m all in beginning to end.\u00a0 Best cuts: Incarcerated Scarfaces, Ice Cream.<\/p>\n

5. Return to the 36 Chambers by Old Dirty Bastard.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

From here down, this list is all great records.\u00a0 The ones above this are very good, but I can\u2019t honestly say they\u2019re timeless or even great overall.\u00a0 With Return, ODB has a bunch of his fellow Wu Tangers jump aboard with guest shots to get some money out of Elektra and make an album that feels like an end-to-end party.\u00a0 Best cuts: Shimmy Shimmy Ya, Brooklyn Zoo, Cuttin\u2019 Headz feat RZA.<\/p>\n

4. Soul Food Goodie Mob.\u00a0<\/strong> Funk trap.\u00a0 For some reason, this album\u00a0also<\/em> makes me think of Wu Tang Clan\u2019s sound.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s just the video for the title track, though. It\u2019s so freakin\u2019 awesome.\u00a0 Goodie Mob doesn\u2019t seem to be remembered as well as other \u201990s bands, and I kinda get it.\u00a0 The rest of their albums aren\u2019t close to this one.\u00a0 But Soul Food?\u00a0 A total GOAT.