The 90's

Hip-hop in the 1990s is for many the peak of the genre: the golden age of boom-bap, the birth of G-funk, the rise of the South and some of the greatest albums ever made. Looking for the essentials? Read our list of the best 90s rappers.

The story. A Tribe Called Quest and the Native Tongues made jazz rap, Dr. Dre's The Chronic (1992) launched G-funk, and the Wu-Tang Clan and Nas redefined New York in 1993 and 1994. The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac became the biggest stars in rap, and the rivalry between Bad Boy and Death Row, East and West, ended in tragedy with their deaths in 1996 and 1997. Meanwhile OutKast put the South on the map, the Fugees and Lauryn Hill brought hip-hop and soul together, and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill became the first hip-hop album to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.

The sound. Sample-based production at its peak, from dusty New York boom-bap to West Coast funk, and lyricism that set the standard for decades.

Key albums

• The Low End Theory, A Tribe Called Quest (1991)
• The Chronic, Dr. Dre (1992)
• Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Wu-Tang Clan (1993)
• Illmatic, Nas (1994)
• Ready to Die, The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)
• Aquemini, OutKast (1998)
• The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill (1998)