Here we are in 1995...smack dab in the middle of hip-hop's glory years. As 1994 came to a close, the game was at an all-time high...and with the new year, came a bunch of groundbreaking new artists + some old favorites back on that bullshit. For me, the most important trend that was birthed during the year was hip-hop's newfound infatuation with the Italian Mafia. After the 36 Chambers put Wu-Tang on the map, '95 saw the members extending their solo careers with ODB, Method Man, + Raekwon dropping their own albums. Both Dirty & Meth found some mainstream success, but it was The Chef who crafted one of hip-hop's greatest concept albums of all time. "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" aka "The Purple Tape" was a ground-breaking album that expanded on the mystique of the Clan and added a whole new dimension to their sound. By adopting mafia-esque nicknames and crafting street tales about living the life while navigating the NY drug and crime underworld, Raekwon single-handedly birthed a new sub-genre of "Mafioso Rap" that was soon mimicked and adopted by everyone from Nas to Biggie to Jay-Z and his influence is still a major part of hip-hop today. In addition to Rae's joint, AZ dropped his debut "Do Or Die" which was yet another Mafia influenced record that set a new trend in the game. Matter of fact, that grimey New York sound really began to take over in '95 thanks in part to Mobb Deep's classic "The Infamous", Jay-Z's emergence with "The Streets Is Watching" (and the subsequent release of "Reasonable Doubt" in '96), plus Biggie's stronghold on the game became evident with his Junior MAFIA tracks + "Ready To Die's" hits stretching well into the new year.

Also, can't forget about the West Coast neither...'95 saw the release of 2Pac's career defining "Me Against The World" as well as Bone-Thugs' classic "E 1999 Eternal" + hit radio singles from Coolio's "Gangsters Paradise", Skee-Lo's "I Wish", "Dr. Dre's "Keep Their Heads Ringin" + Luniz's "I Got 5 On It". Other left coast artists were in full effect including The Liks, Snoop's new crew: Dogg Pound Gang including a young & hungry Kurupt & Daz, plus Ice Cube's new crew including Mack 10 & WC were carrying the gangsta rap torch. It's pretty safe to say that hip-hop was riding high as both coasts were in full effect, doing their own thing and keeping the peace...for the time being.

Now lets get into the music that defined 1995...

01. 2Pac - Dear Mama (4:40)
02. Alkoholiks - DAAAM (4:33)
03. AZ - Sugar Hill (4:08)
04. Bone Thugs N Harmony - 1st Of Tha Month (5:14)
05. Coolio - Gangsta Paradise (4:01)
06. Crooklyn Dodgers - Return Of The Crooklyn Dodgers (5:04)
07. Da Brat - Give It 2 You(So So Def) (3:12)
08. Das EFX - Real Hip-Hop (4:09)
09. Dogg Pound Gang - New York, New York (4:53)
10. Dr. Dre - Keep Their Heads Ringin'(3:58)
11. E-40 - Sprinkle Me (4:10)
12. Grand Puba - I Like It (4:23)
13. Group Home - Livin' Proof (4:15)
14. GZA - Liquid Swords (4:30)
15. J-Live - Braggin Writes (3:12)
16. Jay-Z - Can't Get With That (4:12)
17. Jay-Z - In My Lifetime (3:37)
18. Notorious BIG - Get Money (4:33)
19. KRS One - MC's Act Like They Don't Know (4:55)
20. Lost Boyz - Jeeps, Lex, Coups, Blimaz (3:55)
21. Luniz - I Got 5 On It (4:17)
22. Mack 10 - West Side Foe Life (2:39)
23. Methodman & Redman - How High (4:39)
24. Method Man - I'll Be There For You (5:08)
25. Method Man ft. Mary J. Blige - Your All That I Need (3:39)
26. Mobb Deep - Shook Ones Pt. II (5:26)
27. Naughty By Nature - Feel Me Flow (3:22)
28. Nine - Whutchu Want (4:34)
29. Notorious BIG - Big Poppa (4:12)
30. Notorious BIG - Who Shot Ya (3:47)
31. Notorious BIG & Junior Mafia - Playas Anthem (3:25)
32. Notorious BIG - One More Chance (Remix) (4:17)
33. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Brooklyn Zoo (3:40)
34. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Shimmy Shimmy Ya (2:41)
35. Onyx - Last Dayz (3:56)
36. Pharacyde - Drop (5:32)
37. Pharacyde - Runnin' (4:46)
38. Raekwon - Criminology (3:47)
39. Raekwon - Glaciers Of Ice (5:20)
40. Raekwon - Ice Cream (4:17)
41. Raekwon - Incarcerated Scarfaces (4:42)
42. Showbiz & AG - Next Level (4:00)
43. Skee Lo - I Wish (6:12)
44. Smif-N-Wessun - Sound Bwoy Bureill (4:19)
45. Smooth Da Hustler - Broken Language (3:52)
46. Three 6 Mafia - Tear Da Club Up (4:35)
47. Ice Cube & Mack 10 & WC - West Up! (4:44)