Maybe it was his time in prison, or maybe it was simply his signing with Suge Knight's Death Row label. Whatever the case, 2Pac re-emerged hardened and hungry with All Eyez on Me, the first double-disc album of original material in hip-hop history. With all the controversy surrounding him, 2Pac seemingly wanted to throw down a monumental epic whose sheer scope would make it an achievement of itself. But more than that, it's also an unabashed embrace of the gangsta lifestyle, backing off the sober self-recognition of Me Against the World. Sure, there are a few reflective numbers and dead-homiez tributes, but they're much more romanticized this time around.

Juvenile’s idea of entering beast mode has little to do with ninja-styled lyrics. When Juvy enters beast mode he’s a Dirty South version of Flo Rida offering plentiful hooks and club bangers, but without radio-endorsed folks like Kesha. No glitz, just gutter is the message of the opening Go Hard or Go Home, and with the nasty booty worship of track two being followed by the aggressive machismo/misogyny of track three, Juvy proves he’s proud to frontload his morally reprehensible material. La La La La La shows he’s not without charm, as clever lines (I’m so far ahead it feel like I already been ya) get dropped between the weed boasts (I’m smokin’ that good, I’m smokin’ that kush/You smokin’ that brown, you on that wretched bush), and from here it’s a wild ride through the night, past strip clubs (the Whisper Song-like Pussy Kat), bars (the instant party starter Drinks on Me), and Juvy’s own pad (I’m Da Man), which sounds like a Diddy-meets-Too Short-styled crib.

Previewed heavily on the producer's 2008 EP, The Cookbook, Alchemist's often-delayed album, Chemical Warfare, matches his 2004 release, 1st Infantry, when it comes to both quality control and riveting beats, but fans expecting nothing but that hardcore punch may be alienated by a handful of surprisingly mainstream numbers. With guest singer Maxwell in full neo-soul mode, Smile is the sunshine bright high point of the crossover tracks, with the club-aimed Three 6 Mafia and Juvenile feature That'll Work running a close second. On the flipside there's the underground sound of Gangrene -- Alchemist's project with Oh No -- along with the hypnotic backpacker cut Therapy, which returns from The Cookbook EP, but improved with an added verse from Talib Kweli.

If Snoop Dogg's debut, Doggystyle, doesn't seem like a debut, it's because in many ways it's not. Snoop had already debuted as a featured rapper on Dr. Dre's 1992 album, The Chronic, rapping on half of the 16 tracks, including all the hit singles, so it wasn't like he was an unknown force when Doggystyle was released in late 1993. If anything, he was the biggest star in hip-hop, with legions of fans anxiously awaiting new material, and they were the ones who snapped up the album, making it the first debut album to enter the Billboard charts at number one. It wasn't like they were buying an unknown quantity. They knew that the album would essentially be the de facto sequel to The Chronic, providing another round of P-Funk-inspired grooves and languid gangsta and ganja tales, just like Dre's album. Which is exactly what Doggystyle is -- a continuation of The Chronic, with the same production, same aesthetic and themes, and same reliance on guest rappers. The miracle is, it's as good as that record.

The Chronic has been widely regarded as one of the most important and influential albums of the 1990s and regarded by many fans and peers to be the most well-produced hip hop album of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 137 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.