Very rarely do the events of a single month change everything for a genre of music, but thanks to six landmark releases, November of ’93 changed hip-hop forever.
There were legendary debut albums, incredible sonic shifts, sampling the likes of which we hadn’t heard before and lyricism that was completely on another level.
The following six albums, all of which were released in November of 1993, elevated multiple aspects of hip-hop, and continue to inspire artists to this day.
Wu-Tang Clan – 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'
At a time when hip-hop was feeling a heavy funk influence from the West Coast, and pop rap had just had its first of many days in the sun, Wu-Tang Clan brought rugged East Coast hip-hop back to the forefront with Enter the Wu-Tang.
With gritty beats that featured samples from old kung fu films, and raw lyrical content from all nine emcees, every track on Enter the Wu-Tang hit harder than a wrecking ball and re-announced the East Coast’s presence in hip-hop.
While “C.R.E.A.M.” ended up the biggest hit off of the album, the legend of Wu-Tang’s self-funded video for the album’s lead single, “Protect Ya Neck,” with each member reportedly chipping in $100 for the project, might be the best story from it.
A Tribe Called Quest – 'Midnight Marauders'
Back when a city didn’t have to have one distinct sound, on the same day Wu-Tang released Enter the Wu-Tang (November 9, 1993), A Tribe Called Quest released Midnight Marauders.
While Wu-Tang was gritty, ATCQ was jazz influenced, and while Wu-Tang were fresh faces on the scene, ATCQ were veterans with two albums already under their belts, including the widely lauded The Low End Theory.
When Midnight Marauders’ lead single, “Award Tour,” hit radio, it showed jazz influenced hip-hop that was big on lyricism was still going to be an important part of the genre and could co-exist alongside both its gritty, and its funky, brothers.
Snoop Dogg – 'Doggystyle'
While the East Coast was embracing everything from raw rhymes to jazz, in 1993 much of the West Coast was all about the funk. Warren G and Nate Dogg would rap about the G-Funk era a year later, but the genre was actually in full swing in November of ’93 when Snoop Dogg released his debut album, Doggystyle.
The funk sample laced, Dr. Dre produced, beats, combined with Snoop’s smooth flow and lyrical dexterity, proved to be a combination pretty much everybody loved.
It’s funny to think about how the man who once told us, “It ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none,” now has a show with Martha Stewart, but it just goes to show that NO ONE is immune to Snoop’s funky charm.
Del the Funky Homosapien – 'No Need for Alarm'
Considered one of the essential Hiero albums, in a throwback review of Del the Funky Homosapien's No Need for Alarm, RapReviews.com wrote, “... in true school circles, No Need for Alarm was a seminal recording which pre-dated, and eventually spawned, an entire generation of underground rappers with off-beat flows ...”
A split from the G-Funk a large percentage of the West Coast was embracing, song likes “Catch A Bad One” showed there were some true lyricists out west.
No Need for Alarm became a blueprint for underground hip-hop artists for years to come, and it could be argued that 23 years later it’s STILL the blueprint for many underground hip-hop artists.
E-40 – 'Federal'
Before Biggie, and Jay Z were telling their stories of street life in their rhymes, Kool G Rap and E-40 were bridging the gap between the so-called gangster rap of N.W.A., and the street life storytelling that has made so many artists famous.
With an unconventional rhyme style, E-40 not only managed to fit more words into a single bar than most emcees, he also oftentimes created his own language.
His storytelling was nothing short of vivid, and songs like “Extra Manish” are a perfect example of how he helped to shape many of our current favorite emcees.
Us3 – 'Hand on the Torch'
Perhaps the ultimate combination of jazz and hip-hop, Us3 was born when Geoff Wilkinson was given access to the Blue Note Records archives, and told he could work his magic with the music.
Armed with that access, along with a host of collaborators, he created Hand on the Torch, an album that featured Blue Note samples, live jazz musicians and top notch emceeing.
The album’s lead single, “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia),” was inescapable for the better part of a year, and for good reason, it still stands up as a fantastic example of how joyous, funky, and fun, jazz and hip-hop can be when married by the right musical minister.
Want more blasts from the past? Check out our #ThrowbackThursday page.
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