By Nicholas James | TheRoot.com
Aug. 4, 2008--Twenty years ago, hip-hop music was in its Golden Age. Recently Rolling Stone listed the "15 Albums that Made Rap Explode." All were works released in '88, and all laid the seeds for hip-hop's dominance of popular music years later. From the political and sonic boom of Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back to the sweet savvy of MC Lyte's Lyte as a Rock, the '88 albums pioneered fresh stylistic forms, rapped in unique regional flavors and delivered across the globe.
In his '88 Village Voice article "Nationwide: America Raps Back," Nelson George explained: "Rap spread out from New York to attract a loyal national audience. New York rapped and America listened and…is rhyming back." That's exactly what happened when West Coast pioneer Ice T released Power, legendary Oakland rapper Too Short dropped Life is…Too Short and Born to Mack, Philadelphia's DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince earned hip-hop's first Grammy with, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, and of course, the Compton-based crew, N.W.A., also released two albums in '88: Straight Outta Compton and Eazy-E's solo debut, Eazy-Duz-It.
Not only did the rap music industry swell in '88, but the collective culture forced its way into the social, political, economic and popular ethos across American soil. In the spirit of '88, I offer my Top 10 list, in freestyle form, of the moments, people, the politics and catalysts that made that year magical.
Hip-Hop's Magical Year....
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