The 50 Greatest Hip-hop Albums Ever - #34...

[Twentytwofifty]

Brand Nubian - One For All (1990)


    This was one of the first albums to receive the coveted 5 Mics in THE SOURCE, One For All received rave reviews but also caught heat as some of their lyrics were viewed as racist.  Even some white Elektra employees were reluctant to promote this album due to the content and songs like "Drop The Bomb". 

The welfare system can create a black horror
Now some people need the money but others, they can manage
By doin this they take away the cats who're disadvantaged
And the long list grows, more dependancy bodes
This creates a cycle but a cipher unequal
This is the wrong circle that contains the black people
Now the way devil got us is the way the devil want it
He try to hold us back and he overly floss it
This ain't even his land the Indians was here first
The savagery displayed made the red man disperse
I'm out to squash the whitewashed brainwashed line of thought
I got a million books and a school in the fort
in the Rule, with three great teachers
Thoughts to seal made it clear is also a great feature
So beware devil man the days of ? is almost over
The army's on the range, you think it's kind of strange
Nubians is in the picture, Armageddon's gonna hit ya

    Brand Nubian never sold as many albums as the many West Coast rappers burning up the charts in the early '90s, but the New York group commanded great respect in East Coast rap circles. In black neighborhoods of New York and Philadelphia, Nubian's debut album, One for All, was actually a bigger seller than many of the platinum gangsta rap releases outselling it on a national level. Influenced by the Native Tougues, Nubian favored an abstract rapping style, and hip-hop heads were drawn to the complexity of jams like "Dance To My Ministry," "Ragtime," and "All For One." This album showcased lyrics that stressed respect, self-reliance, and 5% ideology, while introducing listeners to the three emcees' unique rhyme styles.  "Slow Down" is probably the best known jam from this album and showcases how well produced this album is.  On the whole, Nubian's Nation of Islam rhetoric isn't as overbearing as some of the recordings that other Five Percenters were delivering at the time.


50. Dr. Dre - 2001 (1999)
49. Outkast - Southernplayalisticaddicmuzik (1994)
48. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt (1996)
47. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Wanted: Dead Or Alive (1990)
46. Redman - Whut? Thee Album (1992)
45. De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead (1991)
44. Fugees - The Score (1996)
43. The D.O.C. - No One Can Do It Better (1989)
42. Common Sense - Resurrection (1994)
41. Makaveli - The Don Kiluminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996)
40. Public Enemy - Fear Of A Black Planet (1990)
39. Ice Cube - Death Certificate (1992)
38. Gza/Genius - Liquid Swords (1995)
37. N.W.A - Efil4zaggin (1991)
36. Main Source - Breaking Atoms (1991)
35. Geto Boys - Grip It! On That Other Level (1989)
34. Brand Nubian - One For All (1990)

[Mac 10 †]

no actually heard this, props for the hookup

[eS El Duque]

no actually heard this, props for the hookup

you see, this list does serve a bigger purpose....

[Elevz]

Doesn't even ring a bell, really. Gonna have to download it 

[Westside Soldier]

no actually heard this, props for the hookup

[Leggy Hendrix]

classic album, people are sleeping for real

[Kill]

never got into Brand Nubian, so this is the first album i haven´t really heard at all...i´ma check out the hook-up

[Don Seer]

guess what i would say here if i could be bothered.. lol..

[Semir]

classic album, people are sleeping for real

[We Fly High]

yup shit is classic material from back in the days. slow down and all for one were pretty big singles back then.