The Essentials, Volume 2

This edition of Essentials is about the album Hell On Earth by Mobb Deep. This album is gritty, violent New York rap with raw beats and aggressive verses from both Prodigy and Havoc. Although The Infamous album is a more popular Mobb Deep album, this album is just as good if not better. There is not one bad song on this album, so you can just listen to this album straight through. Stand out songs are Hell On Earth (Front Lines), Drop a Gem On 'Em, and Extortion (featuring Method Man). However, I would gladly listen to any other song on the album as well.

by Henry

Method Man--Torture

Here's a sick track from Method Man, one of my favorite emcees from the Wu-Tang Clan. His flow on this one is flawless, coming from "Tical 2000: Judgment Day." This song is probably the best from the album, but I would also recommend Killin' Fields if you like Torture.

by Henry

Notorious Thugs

Heres one from the one and only Biggie Smalls. Despite the longish intro his rapping is on point and very smooth.

OutKast--Ain't No Thang

Here's a track that has a nice, laid back beat with sick verses from both Andre 3000 and Big Boi. Sit back, relax, and blast this through your system for best effect.

by Henry

Give a Quick Hooray

Give a quick Hip Hop Hooray for this classic

The Essentials, Volume 1

Alright so here is the first edition of a randomly released segment called "The Essentials". Here Henry and I will recommend songs, albums, or artists that are absolutely essential to a well rounded classic collection of hip hop.

First up for The Essentials is The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest. Now this is a piece of hip hop history, so if its not already in your library do yourself a favor and check it out.

Standout tracks include "Buggin' Out", "Jazz (We've Got)", and "Check the Rhime". Unusual about this album however is that while the three previously mentioned tracks are my favorite, the album is consistently solid throughout. Consisting of producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad and rappers Q-tip and Phife Dawg, the group lays down clean beats with a unique style of trading off lines between rappers. Here's a sample from the album, my personal favorite off of it:

A quick track to wake up to

Thanks to Henry, the other writer of the Notorious B.L.O.G., I now have this amazing track to wake up to this morning.

Testing embedding with a must have classic