Albums Turning 30 (1996/2026)

[Sccit]

Crazy how many classics were released in '96! Makes me think: Maybe the strongest year in Hip-Hop history. Wasn't easy to pick only 5...

95 was better

[BigFrank]

1.All Eyes On Me
2. Bow Down
3.Can You Feel Me
4. Gettin It
5. Steel On A Misson

 Just to add on that Jay Z convo I have well over 500 CD's n lots of bought music on Itunes but i have zero Jay Z Haha

[BigFrank]

 Oof I take that back I actually do have Jay Z in my library after searching it.
 Ha remix on 400 Dergeez
 Change the Game remix with Tha Dogg Pound on Dj Clue haha

[The Predator]

95 was better

For me 93 was best, west was on top and most of the east was hardcore.
N.W.A members all dropped classic sounds that year, whilst fighting each other...great times and great entertainment.
Deathrow and Ruthless were in full effect, Cube was still the man, Snoop was the freshest rapper in the world and G-Funk was the hottest sound in the world, Wu Tang Clan came swinging lyrical swords and RZA's shaolin sound entered and changed the game and much more going on.
We even got 'Menace II Society' the ultimate hip-hop hood gangsta flick and the music of hip-hop was just as visual, violent and cinematic that year.

[The Predator]

Change the Game remix with Tha Dogg Pound on Dj Clue haha

Everyone was puzzled how DPG managed to get Jay on that song, must of been down to Clue.

[dnjp4life]

Dr. Octagon is utter madness, but a really trippy, fun listen.

Quite a few of these I've never listened to.

All Eyez on Me takes the title for best album of 96, and of all time personally.

You could make an argument that rap peaked during this specific year.

[HighEyeCue]

Everyone was puzzled how DPG managed to get Jay on that song, must of been down to Clue.

yeah I'm pretty sure that's the way it went down

I remember them performing it on the Soul Train Awards

[The Predator]

Dr. Octagon is utter madness, but a really trippy, fun listen.

It's like watching a porno film set out in space whilst trippin on acid.

Just listen to the intro, KK on another dimension -



I need to find a list of all the porno scenes/movies that KK has sampled on his albums 

 

Dr. Octagonecologyst is the debut solo studio album by American rapper and Ultramagnetic MCs member Kool Keith, released under the alias Dr. Octagon. Originally titled Dr. Octagon, it was released on May 7, 1996, on Bulk Recordings in the United States and Mo' Wax in the United Kingdom. The album was later reissued with a different track listing by DreamWorks Records in 1997 under the title Dr. Octagonecologyst. The album was produced by Dan "The Automator" Nakamura and featured the work of turntablist DJ Qbert. KutMasta Kurt provided additional production work. The artwork for Dr. Octagonecologyst was drawn by Brian "Pushead" Schroeder.

Dr. Octagonecologyst introduces the character of Dr. Octagon, a homicidal, extraterrestrial, time-traveling gynecologist and surgeon. The album's distinctive sound fuses genres such as psychedelic music, trip hop and electronic music. Thornton's lyrics are often abstract, absurd, and avant-garde, using surrealism, non-sequiturs, hallucinatory psychedelia, and horror and science-fiction imagery, as well as sexual humor, absurdist/surrealistic humor, and juvenile humor. The unique sound and lyrics of Dr. Octagonecologyst inspired a wave of alternative music by underground hip hop artists such as Company Flow, Black Star and Jurassic 5.Kool Keith's lyrics and Nakamura's production were highly praised, as was DJ Qbert's innovative scratching. Dr. Octagonecologyst has since been ranked as one of the best hip hop albums of the 1990s. The character of Dr. Octagon has also appeared in Kool Keith projects like First Come, First Served (1999) and Dr. Dooom 2 (2008), both of which contain tracks in which Octagon is murdered by Dr. Dooom, The Return of Dr. Octagon, Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation and Space Goretex. Kool Keith later stated that the album sold around 200,000 copies without any major promotion or marketing budget.

The makers -

Dr. Octagon Interview
 


In 1996, the hip-hop landscape experienced a monumental shift in sound when 
Dr. Octagon released its seminal album, Dr. Octagonecologyst. Crafted by Kool Keith, Dan The Automator and DJ Qbert, the project strayed from the formulaic sound at the time and delirvered otherworldly production. Coupled with Keith's futuristic lyrics and Qbert's impeccable scratching, it quickly became a classic. In celebration of the album's 20-year anniversary, the Get On Down record label has reissued it on vinyl, and 
Dr. Octagon officially reunited for two of their first live shows ever in San Francisco and 
Los Angeles. At a recent Denver show, Dan The Automator confirmed an entirely new 
Dr. Octagon album was, in fact, ready to go. Keith, Automator and Qbert took some time to chop it up about the reunion shows, what made Dr. Octagonecologyst a breakout record and why Keith sometimes feels like Wolverine. —Kyle Eustice

Would you consider Dr. Octagonacologyst your breakout record?

Dan The Automator: Oh yeah. I mean, ultimately 100 percent. I had done Endtroducing with 
DJ Shadow, but that was all at the same time.

Why do you think it worked that way? 
Just because it was so off the wall?

Automator: I think yeah, but I don't think that's exactly the reason. In retrospect, it was good, but it was also artistically free. What I mean by that is it didn't really cop to what was going on at the time. We weren't rhyming over a bunch of jazz beats or something. When it came out, it was kind of like a breath of fresh air for listeners. People enjoyed the record, but even more so, other musicians really enjoyed that record and it really opened up a lot of opportunities.

DJ Qbert: Everything was on a jazz tip back then but this was a more psychedelic tip. It was right up my alley because I used to take a lot of acid.

That explains a lot.

Qbert: Mix Master Mike came to the LA show, and he's, like, "Q, I used to take a lot of 
acid and 'shrooms to this album." He's my partner and I didn't even know he was 
into Dr. Octagon.

How did your first ever live shows go?

Automator: They were better than I thought they'd be. Basically, me and Keith have talked about it for the past couple of years, but I was busy and he was busy. We were talking about getting together, and then we did it and it was a nice hybrid of band and hip-hop stuff. When I was working on getting the show ready, it was interesting to me because I realized the whole Dr. Octagon record was a very heavy synth record. I didn't realize how much synth was in there. It brought a whole different dimension to a rap record, just with the sheer amount of synth. Not that synths had never been used before, but it was used in a certain way. Doing the shows, it was exciting to deconstruct the record and get together. We are doing more in June. They turned out really well.

Qbert: Yeah, they got sold out! I was like, really? All these fucking 40-year-old fans? That was cool. Kids came too. It was a mix of all kinds of ages. 
I didn't know it would sell out. I could not believe that. I thought we definitely had something there.

Did that make you confident in doing a second record because obviously the demand is so high?

Qbert: I didn't care if one person showed up; 
I would do 20 Dr. Octagon records. I love the music and the whole concept.

Do you find you're shy in front of a bigger 
or smaller crowd?

Keith: Smaller crowd is more critical. They're a more studying crowd. Like they came there to intimately study you, you know what I'm saying?

I read you once said you don't even feel like a human being anymore. What makes you feel not of this Earth?

Keith: I think people think you're not normal; like you don't go to the store and shop at the supermarket. People don't think you pick up your cookies, milk and cereal. I think people start thinking you don't gotta go to the doctor or something. They think you're just living through aliases and albums, and your life is like some superhero living on top of buildings; like you're Wolverine or an X-Men with all these powers. Some people think you're some guy somewhere with green hair, green eyes and eating green food. After all the trips, shows and tours, people see you in the airport and want to take a picture with 
you. But when you get off those planes, they're not going back to your reality with you. They're not going with you to Dunkin' Donuts to get a coffee. They just see you as an artist who has 
no problems.

What's this new album going to sound like?

Qbert: I scratched on eight out of the dozen songs on the record. There's even a cut where Kid Koala and I battle each other. We just go back and forth. Del the Funky Homosapien is on there, too, and that's all the same song. All four of us are on it: me, Koala, Del and Keith. We take turns battling. Dan was telling Del to battle Keith in the lyrics, so they're really going at it. I'm trying to kill it too.

Del has probably done a lot of acid too.

Qbert: I hear that. He's probably on it right now.

Dr. Octagon is on some other other sh*t. Legendary lyricist Kool Keith, super producer Dan the Automator and turntable terrorist DJ QBert stopped by the MASS APPEAL Studio to talk about their otherworldly creative vision just as 'Moosebumps'—their first album is 21 years—was about to drop. Taking it all the way back to the Bronx, Keith explained how his love for science fiction TV shows helped transform his hard knock life in public housing and crack era drama into groundbreaking audio art as part of the Ultramagnetic MCs. Meanwhile Dan the Automator spoke on the method behind the madness of Keith's stream-of-consciousness rhymes, and QBert explained how microdosing on psychedelics helped take his turntable wizardry to the next level.

[F-cisco]

Dr. Octagon is utter madness, but a really trippy, fun listen.

Quite a few of these I've never listened to.

All Eyez on Me takes the title for best album of 96, and of all time personally.

You could make an argument that rap peaked during this specific year.

I concur, 1996 was the apex for music of all genres. Everyone brought out their best material.

[Young Old Head]

95 was better

Can only think of Me Against The World, Dogg Food, Coast 2 Coast, The Infamous, Liquid Swords and Return To The 36 Chambers right now. Great albums without a doubt (Dogg Food and the Infamous two of my favorite albums ever), but not fuckin with the back to back classics from 96 imo.

[HighEyeCue]

Can only think of Me Against The World, Dogg Food, Coast 2 Coast, The Infamous, Liquid Swords and Return To The 36 Chambers right now. Great albums without a doubt (Dogg Food and the Infamous two of my favorite albums ever), but not fuckin with the back to back classics from 96 imo.

Purple Tape, E. 1999 Eternal, Safe+Sound, Labcabincaliforinia, Doe or Die, Soul Food were all classics

[Mat]

it's in the post along with 2 of my picks

Shit didn't even see that thanks man

[Sccit]

Can only think of Me Against The World, Dogg Food, Coast 2 Coast, The Infamous, Liquid Swords and Return To The 36 Chambers right now. Great albums without a doubt (Dogg Food and the Infamous two of my favorite albums ever), but not fuckin with the back to back classics from 96 imo.

safe+sound
mack 10
season of da siccness
e 1999 eternal
dubee aka sugawolf
1990-sick
conversation
real brothas
iv life
forever hustlin
the infamous
i hate you with a passion
mystic stylez
do you want more?!!!
cocktails
coast ii coast
in a major way
made in america
lifestylez of da poor and dangerous 
tales from the crypt
operation stackola
jazzmatazz vol 2
rbx files
456
conspiracy
krs-one
curb servin
south central los skanless
mind of mystikal
take a ride
smile now, die later
gangstas paradise
cypress hill iii
labcabincalifornia
soul food
setripin bloccstyle
eternal e


to name a few

1995>>>>>>>

[Sccit]

just noticed you said to pick 5

AEOM
MAKAVELI
BOW DOWN
CAN U FEEL ME
KILLA KALI

have to change my vote .. forgot about mac mall untouchable which is one of my all time favorite albums

my new list

AEOM
MAKAVELI
BOW DOWN
UNTOUCHABLE
KILLA KALI

[Young Old Head]

safe+sound
mack 10
season of da siccness
e 1999 eternal
dubee aka sugawolf
1990-sick
conversation
real brothas
iv life
forever hustlin
the infamous
i hate you with a passion
mystic stylez
do you want more?!!!
cocktails
coast ii coast
in a major way
made in america
lifestylez of da poor and dangerous 
tales from the crypt
operation stackola
jazzmatazz vol 2
rbx files
456
conspiracy
krs-one
curb servin
south central los skanless
mind of mystikal
take a ride
smile now, die later
gangstas paradise
cypress hill iii
labcabincalifornia
soul food
setripin bloccstyle
eternal e


to name a few

1995>>>>>>>

Definitely a lot of classics too, but I'd still give it to 96