Album Anniversaries

We take a look back on Shaggy's 1995 album 'Boombastic' and picked five songs that feature the brilliance of the dancehall legend.

‘Return of the Boom Bap,'  released on Sept. 28, 1993, was KRS-One's first solo album after being the central figure of Boogie Down Productions. This was also his first time leading the show as a straight up rapper, as he was known for handling the production side of things ...

On Sept., 23, 2003, OutKast released their classic hip-hop double album, 'Speakerboxx/The Love Below.' This effort was a landmark achievement for the Atlanta duo and cemented them as one of the best rap duos of all-time.

On Aug. 31, 1993, the yet-to-be emancipated Mariah Carey would release, ‘Music Box,’ her most successful album at that stage of her career. Earlier that summer, she began the unveiling with the lead single, ‘Dreamlover.’ The video showed her frolicking on a prairie, donning an oversized plaid shirt and proper-length shorts. It’s not the same girl we know today. She was 23 at the time, and just two

Has there ever been a rap album created that sounds of its time while remaining timeless 25 years later? There are very few and EPMD's 'Strictly Business,' released on Aug. 30, 1988, is a prime example of one.

Fifteen years ago today, Lauryn Hill released 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,' a landmark hip-hop album that hasn't lost its musical luster. 'Miseducation' arrived on August 25, 1998, at a time when Hill was entering the next phase in her life beyond music -- motherhood.

By the time Babyface released ‘For the Cool in You’ on Aug. 24, 1993, he’d already racked up accolades as a behind-the-scenes songwriter and producer (most notably Paula Abdul, Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men and TLC). His sophomore album four years prior, ‘Tender Love,’ was a hit and four No. 1 R&B singles solidified his recording career as an artist.

Hip-hop was at a very hectic place in the late '90s. The genre lost both Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. because of violence; there was a schism growing. Hip-hop was quickly moving away from the street narratives, urban tales and social activism to favor its rise to mainstream. People didn't want struggle; they wanted the high life brought to them through catchy songs -- lyricism or not. Bad Boy

On Aug. 4, 1998 Snoop Dogg’s first official album after leaving Death Row Records was released through Master P’s label No Limit Records. Stylistically, Snoop’s name also went from Snoop Doggy Dog to the abridged Snoop Dogg. By the point ‘Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told’ arrived, the emcee began to strip himself of the G-Funk West Coast sound by signing with a label headed by a St. Louis rap

By the time, Salt-N-Pepa's second album, 'A Salt With a Deadly Pepa' was released on Aug. 2, 1988, it had only been eight months since 'Push It' made its way to Top 40 radio. It was clear that the album was a rushed release to ride the success of the hit single, and it was successful in that regard.