ZZ Top had reached the top of the charts before, but that didn't make their sudden popularity in 1983 any more predictable. It wasn't that they were just popular -- they were hip, for God's sake, since they were one of the only AOR favorites to figure out to harness the stylish, synthesized grooves of new wave, and then figure out how to sell it on MTV. Of course, it helped that they had songs that deserved to be hits. With "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man," and "Legs," they had their greatest set of singles since the heady days of Tres Hombres, and the songs that surrounded them weren't bad either -- they would have been singles on El Loco, as a matter of fact. The songs alone would have made Eliminator one of ZZ Top's three greatest albums, but their embrace of synths and sequencers made it a blockbuster hit, since it was the sound of the times. Years later, the sound of the times winds up sounding a bit stiff. It's still an excellent ZZ Top album, one of their best, yet it sounds like a mechanized ZZ Top thanks to the unflaggingly accurate grooves. Then again, that's part of the album's charm -- this is new wave blues-rock, glossed up for the video, looking as good as the omnipresent convertible on the cover and sounding as irresistible as Reaganomics. Not the sort the old-school fans or blues-rock purists will love, but ZZ Top never sounded as much like a band of its time as they did here.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

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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. All Eyez on Me is 2Pac the thug icon in all his brazen excess, throwing off all self-control and letting it all hang out -- even if some of it would have been better kept to himself. In that sense, it's an accurate depiction of what made him such a volatile and compelling personality, despite some undeniable filler. On the plus side, this is easily the best production he's ever had on record, handled mostly by Johnny J (notably on the smash "How Do U Want It") and Dat Nigga Daz; Dr. Dre also contributes another surefire single in "California Love" (which, unfortunately, is present only as a remix, not the original hit version). Both hits are on the front-loaded first disc, which would be a gangsta classic in itself; other highlights include the anthemic Snoop Dogg duet "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted," "All About U" (with the required Nate Dogg-sung hook), and "I Ain't Mad at Cha," a tribute to old friends who've gotten off the streets. Despite some good moments, the second disc is slowed by filler and countless guest appearances, plus a few too many thug-lovin' divas crooning their loyalty. Erratic though it may be, All Eyez on Me is nonetheless carried off with the assurance of a legend in his own time, and it stands as 2Pac's magnum opus.© Steve Huey /TiVo

BUSINESS IS BUSINESS was released while Young Thug was imprisoned and awaiting trial on racketeering charges. It's consequently stitched together with old, seemingly unfinished material dusted off and sometimes freshened up in some fashion, varying wildly in subject matter, and therefore doesn't come across as a true follow-up to 2021's Punk. "Oh U Went," a combative track featuring Drake, received the greatest amount of attention, and there are some gems beneath that, such as the Future-assisted "Cars Bring Me Out," and some of Thug's performances go a little farther out than usual. Mere days after the album first hit streaming services, an expanded edition dubbed "Metro's Version" was issued with two additional tracks and a superior sequence arranged by executive producer Metro Boomin.© TiVo Staff /TiVo

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If The Black Album is Jay-Z's last, as he publicly stated it will be, it illustrates an artist going out in top form. For years Shawn Carter has been the best rapper and the most popular, a man who can strut the player lifestyle with one track and become the eloquent hip-hop everyman with the next, an artist for whom modesty is often a sin, and yet, one who still sounds sincere when he's discussing his humble origins or his recurring doubts. After the immediate classic The Blueprint found him at the peak of his powers, and The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse came as the most deflating sequel since Star Wars: Episode I, his follow-up (and possible siren song) impresses on the same level as the best of his career. As he has in the past, Jay-Z balances the boasting with extensive meditations on his life and his career. The back history begins with the first song, "December 4" (his birthday), on which Carter traces his life from birth day to present day, riding a mock fanfare and the heart-tugging strings of producer Just Blaze, along with frequent remembrances from his mother in This Is Your Life fashion. The other top track, "What More Can I Say," opens with Russell Crowe's defiant "Are you not entertained!?" speech from Gladiator, then finds Jay-Z capping his career with another proof that he's one of the best of all time, and a look into what made him that way: "God forgive me for my brash delivery, but I remember vividly what these streets did to me." He also goes out with a few words for underground fans who think he's sold too many records for his own good. On "Moment of Clarity," he lays it out with an excellent rhyme: "If skills sold, truth be told, I'd probably be lyrically Talib Kweli/Truthfully I want to rhyme like Common Sense/But I did five mil, I ain't been rhyming like Common since." The first single, "Change Clothes," is much more interesting than the lightweight club hit it sounds like, a keyboard-heavy pop sequel to the Neptunes' "Frontin'" (the anthem that rocked the summer of 2003, and his last collaboration with professional beat-maker and amateurish falsetto Pharrell Williams). And he can rock with the best as well, working with Rick Rubin on a cowbell-heavy stormer named "99 Problems" that samples Billy Squier and outrocks Kid Rock. The only issue that's puzzling about The Black Album is why one of the best rappers needs to say goodbye -- unless, of course, he's simply afraid of being taken for granted and wants listeners to imagine a rap world without him.© John Bush /TiVo

BUSINESS IS BUSINESS was released while Young Thug was imprisoned and awaiting trial on racketeering charges. It's consequently stitched together with old, seemingly unfinished material dusted off and sometimes freshened up in some fashion, varying wildly in subject matter, and therefore doesn't come across as a true follow-up to 2021's Punk. "Oh U Went," a combative track featuring Drake, received the greatest amount of attention, and there are some gems beneath that, such as the Future-assisted "Cars Bring Me Out," and some of Thug's performances go a little farther out than usual. Mere days after the album first hit streaming services, an expanded edition dubbed "Metro's Version" was issued with two additional tracks and a superior sequence arranged by executive producer Metro Boomin.© TiVo Staff /TiVo

Socially conscious rappers Thug Life rap about inner-city happenings, but also address the problems which cause the hopeless feeling of many residents. Musically, they borrow aspects of G-funk and New York hip-hop. Though it's led by the rap hit "Cradle to the Grave," Volume 1 has more to offer, like the ghetto lament "Pour out a Little Liquor" and the intriguingly reflective "How Long Will They Mourn Me?" featuring Nate Dogg.© John Bush /TiVo

"What could be more fascinating than the play of light and shadow? To descend into sensual melancholy, to dare to be fragile and to reveal oneself in its depths and inner nuances. I find that one way of illustrating this complexity of the senses is to compare two musical and pictorial schools: French Impressionism and German Expressionism. The colours and timbres employed by these two schools have long fascinated me just as much as the extreme refinement and detail of the paintings and compositions themselves. Each painter and composer explored the depths of the human soul in his or her own manner. This programme of works composed between 1899-1914 that laid the foundations for modern music is intended as a bridge between Expressionism and Impressionism. This parallel does not claim to illustrate their differences but rather to highlight their common points, to reveal the voluptuous and almost decadent sensuality of these two currents as well as their geographical and stylistic contrasts" (Coline Dutilleul) © Fuga Libera

The fourth album released in the wake of 2Pac's 1996 death, Until the End of Time certainly offers plenty of music, two discs' worth to be precise, yet doesn't offer too many highlights besides the chilling title track. As with many of 2Pac's posthumous recordings, the songs here seem overdone, too often dressed up with layers upon layers of production, choruses of background vocals, and a seemingly endless parade of guests. All of this over-production obscures 2Pac's performances, which somehow remain remarkable no matter how deep into the vault Afeni Shakur and Suge Knight have dug. Songs like "Letter 2 My Unborn," "When Thugz Cry," and the title track are just as heartfelt as "Keep Ya Head Up," "Dear Mama," and "I Ain't Mad at Cha" had been, but unfortunately they're marred by radio-oriented production that's too glossy for such stark, literate lyrics. The title track is somewhat of an exception, though. It's one of 2Pac's most desperate, spirited performances ever -- the voice of a man face to face with his own fate -- and it's accompanied by an anxious yet lulling interpolation of Mr. Mister's 1985 pop hit "Broken Wings" that is far more affective than you'd imagine. Note, however, that there are two versions here of the title track (the best one being the original one, which features RL on the hook), as there are also two versions of a few other songs. These nearly interchangeable remixes function as little more than filler, particularly since the production throughout Until the End of Time is rarely noteworthy. What at first seems like an epic recording, offering 19 tracks in total, consequently seems as overdone as the production. Had this album been pared down to the length of a single disc, it could be an exhilarating listen; as it stands, though, Until the End of Time is a mishmash -- too short on standouts like the title track and too loaded with dressed-up, guest-laden over-production -- that you'll find yourself fast-forwarding through far more often than you'd prefer.© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo

Considering how much the Atlanta rapper has been dominating the scene for the past few years, it might seem crazy that So Much Fun, released in the summer of 2019 to great fanfare, is Young Thug’s first official studio album. A spiritual son of Lil Wayne, who has himself inspired a big number of disciples and been one of the pioneers of so-called ‘mumble rap’, made J. Cole the executive producer of the album and invited all the elites to the party (Travis Scott, Future, 21 Savage, Juice Wrld…). No surprise then that upon release, the album shot to the top of the charts and the press was lyrical in its praise: Thug had not yet shown such expertise and firepower. The balance between certified hits (Hot, The London, Bad Bad Bad) and Thug oddities is impeccable. This deluxe version features five new tracks and does more than just satisfy our greed for new music. Travis Scott appears on a fiery remix of Hot (it’s easy to become obsessed with that flute sample) and the triumphant Hop Off a Jet. The frenzied Millions and Die Today, a tribute to Juice Wrld who died eight days before the release of the album make way for Diamonds featuring apprentice Gunna and the brilliant Pi’erre Bourne on production who perfectly rounds off the ante with his catchy ad libs. © Damien Besançon/Qobuz

Odd as ever but on top of the charts, Young Thug put his Slime Season series of mixtapes to rest with this short 2016 release. Running at just under half an hour, Slime Season 3 features Yak Gotti, Lil Duke, and PeeWee Roscoe as its only guests, but the production comes from A-listers like Mike WiLL Made It, Allen Ritter, and London on Da Track. Start with the hit, "Drippin'," which is everything great about the Thug (slurred speech, strange delivery, infectious hooks) in one knockout cut.© David Jeffries /TiVo

After a three-year hiatus and numerous release date pushbacks, Mobb Deep got on their job once again with the punishing release of Murda Muzik. The duo, well-known for their lethal realism both in their infinitely dark yet moving beats and their stark and ruthless crime-rhyme lyrics, continued their grim odyssey with this, their fourth effort. Released amid so much watered-down product, Murda Muzik is an arguable masterpiece in the Puffy and Master P era. Mobb Deep once described their music as the sound of hypnotic thug life. An accurate description, for their music is more than just guns and herb smoking, it taps into the collective sense of fear and horror, the evil in men's hearts, and the struggle for good in the gardens of waste. Mobb music can make you cry, can make you scared, can amplify your inner rage; its depth allows for the gamut of emotional reactions. On this album, primary producer Havoc reached a high level of mastery in his production efforts, a truly signature style of deep bass grooves, piercing organs, ice-cold snare pops, melodic samples, and haunting orchestral snippets. Each song creates its own mood, whether it be a call to stop the violence on "Spread Love" or a call for full-throttle livin' on "I'm Goin' Out." Guest appearances by Raekwon, Lil' Kim, Lil' Cease, Cormega, Kool G. Rap, Eightball, and Infamous Mobb add texture to already bangin' tracks. The album overall can best be described as pure ear- and mind-twisting pleasure and pain. The album will affect you, get under your skin, make you rash up, and then salve you. Murda Muzik is a complete album and a renewal of the truly hardcore movement.© M.F. DiBella /TiVo

Always intending to surprise, clash and never to stagnate, Jeffrey Lamar Williams a.k.a. Young Thug throws us off balance once again with Beautiful Thugger Girls. During the summer of 2016, the charismatic rapper from Atlanta had once again stepped on the gas in terms of eclecticism with Jeffery (on the cover, he wore a dress designed by Italian fashion designer Alessandro Trincone!). Following I’m Up and Slime Season 3, he released a mixtape packed with guests, such as Gucci Mane, Young Scooter, Travis Scott, Quavo or even Fugees’ Wyclef Jean, to whom he paid tribute from the very first song. The out-of-this-world rapper also played around imitating Future (Future Swag) and laid down an extremely heterogeneous programme… This time, Young Thug releases a kind of R&B album, sometimes flirting with pop: an album of melancholic rhythms in which he’s rather a singer than a rapper. Produced by Drake, Beautiful Thugger Girls among others features Future, Snoop Dogg, Lil Durk, Millie Go Lightly, Jacquees, Travis Scott and Gunna, and shows that Young Thug is aiming high (he doesn’t stand 1m91 for nothing…) and is very very hungry, as can be seen from the hit song potential of some of his songs, which will reach a public usually sealed off from his die-hard rap. At 25 years old, the Southern MC is just getting started… © MD/Qobuz