Everyone knows Eminem‘s chart-toppers, but his talent goes way beyond mainstream hits. His albums are peppered with verses about the beefs and controversies he’s been through, while songs like “My Band” allowed him to put on for his D12 home team. He rode classic Dr. Dre bounce on “Bitch Please 2,” and “Just Don’t Give A F*ck” was an anthem for a new generation of angsty teenagers.
When Lil Jon burst out of Atlanta in the mid-‘90s, it was on the back of some of the most in-your-face crunk sounds in hip-hop, epitomized on explosive cuts like the slow-riding “Put Yo Hood Up” and the dance-floor-crushing “Drink.” But he can just as easily turn the lights down to pull off a smooth, narcotic flow, as he does on low-key chill-out tracks like “Play No Games” and sultry R&B-rap cuts like “Ooh Na Na Naa Naa.”
2Pac was prolific during his brief life, as if he knew his time was limited. His interests were almost as unpredictable as the man himself—life, death, sex, politics, old-school hip-hop. Whether he was rapping over a steel drum or harmonica puffs, Pac’s passion was infinite. The gems embedded deep within his albums include “I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto” and “Old School.”
50 Cent blew up on the mixtape circuit before spreading worldwide. His love of a sharp hook, paired with a street-savvy mentality, was fully operational early and often. You’ve been in da club, now dig deeper into his past.
