Episode #12: Hip Hop's Golden Era (1991-1994)

Believe it or not, this mix was extremely hard to compile. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of great material to sift through. I grew up in this era and still have the tape collection to prove it. When referencing hip hop, the term Golden Era is open to debate. Some feel that moniker belongs solely to 1980s, while other believe it be comprised of the late 80s through the early 1990s. So, it’s a rather subjective decision. Either way, it refers to hip hop before it was co-opted by the mainstream and turned into a multi-billion dollar industry giant.

For simplicity’s sake, the 1980s will always be my beloved Old School (although as I get older, the 1990s are falling under that umbrella, too). So, for me, the early to mid-90s is the Golden Era. This mix in particular concentrates on 1991-1994, with a great majority of tracks from 1992. This was hip hop’s heyday in creativity and sheer originality. There were so many quality groups making great music at the same time it’s hard to believe, given the awful state of affairs hip hop finds itself in today.

The mix is in chronological order, starting with the pseudo-New Jack Swing of Chubb Rock and ending with the crackling b-boy funk of Artifacts’, “Wrong Side of The Tracks.” I was careful not to overlook The West Coast: Del, Pharcyde, and Dr.Dre & Snoop (Doggy) Dogg prove the Left Coast could hold its own despite always residing in the shadow of its bigger, older brother: The East Coast. The Geto Boys classic “My Mind’s Playing Tricks on Me” even put Houston, Texas on the hip hop map. The Native Tongues, who still have considerable clout in the hip hop world and obvious staples of this era, are represented here by legends A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. And of course who can forget Wu-Tang, those kooky kids from Staten Island, who started way back in 1993 with their gritty, piano-laced beats and never-ending cast of MCs.

Obviously, a volume 2 and 3 are already in the works (I haven’t even touched early Biggie or Nas work). But let’s start here. Give it a listen and enjoy.

Track listing:
1) Treat Em Right (4:43) – Chubb Rock
2) Lookin’ At The Front Door (4:13) – Main Source
3) Scenario (Remix) (5:18) – A Tribe Called Quest
4) Know The Ledge (3:59) – Eric B. & Rakim
5) My Mind’s Playing Tricks On Me (5:11) – Geto Boys
6) Mistadobalina (4:18) – Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
7) Deep Cover (4:16) – Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg
8) La Schmoove (4:57) – Fu-Schnickens
9) Sally Got a One Track Mind (3:44) – Diamond D
10) Soul Clap (4:02) – Showbiz & AG
11) Passing Me By (5:03) – Pharcyde
12) Crossover (3:49) – EPMD
13) They Want EFX (3:41) – Das EFX
14) They Reminisce Over You (4:47) – Pete Rock & CL Smooth
15) Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey) (5:06) – De La Soul
16) How Many Emcees (3:40) – Black Moon
17) Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down (Remix) (4:31) – Brand Nubian
18) C.R.E.A.M. (4:12) – Wu-Tang Clan
19) Come Clean (4:57) – Jeru Da Damaja
20) Wrong Side of The Tracks (4:19) - Artifacts