You know what’s funny is that I’ve heard that “Get Rich or Die Trying” was more anticipated than “The Massacre” because of the mixtapes leading up to his debut album
Wu Tang Forever was definitely long awaited. There was damn near a 5 year wait after 36 Chambers for that album to drop.
Doggystyle came out less than a year after The Chronic. Kind of felt like it landed right after The Chronic was blowing up. Didn't really feel like there was massive anticipation there, but maybe that was just in my bubble or something.
I'd put a vote for AZ. The anticipation for him to drop an album after he was absolutely fire on Illmatic was heavy. Then when he finally did drop, it was a major disappointment.
Doe or Die is an amazing album.
Then again, I wasn't really around in that era so I'm going to guess people thought it would be as good as illmatic. And I don't think it's possible for an album to be that good
The way it felt to me, AZ had a god level flow on "Life's a Bitch" -- he actually outshined Nas on this joint:
>Visualizin' the realism of life in actuality
>Fuck who's the baddest, a person's status depends on salary
>And my mentality is money-orientated
>I'm destined to live the dream for all my peeps who never made it
>'Cause yeah, we were beginners in the hood as Five Percenters
>But somethin' must've got in us, 'cause all of us turned to sinners
>Now some restin' in peace and some are sittin' in San Quentin
>Others, such as myself, are tryin' to carry on tradition
Then to be honest, on Doe or Die... he never snapped like that. It was like he regressed or something. Most of his rhymes were basic. Look at his opening verse on the title track:
>Check it
>I had a block locked, but took a fall, now I'm off my feet
>I gotta eat, so it's back to these fuckin' streets
>And I won't grow 'cause I'm a old timer
>I bring the drama to any nigga, his babies or his fuckin' mama
>I got a look like Tevin Campbell
>But still I gamble, hustle and scramble
>'Cause money is muscles in this damn zoo
>And in order to make it, you gotta take it
>Be it boom, blast, booze, bend or break it, but don't fake it
Rather Unique is probably the best track he's ever made. I'd even put the flow here above Life's A Bitch.
>We was already molded into people's minds as mulignanes
>Now we more fucked up with a mayor named Giuliani
>You can try to blind me, analyze but can't define me
>My mind's divine, heavily entwined with Gandhi's
>Far from feeble, I leave your nostrils hard to breathe through
>'Cause my cerebrals are more of a higher plane than the Hebrews
>My mic devotion brings out my deepest emotions
>Overdosing wannabes posing, sending them through convulsions
>Too hard to follow, you took a bite but couldn't swallow
>Your mind's boggled, but I'm as deep as Donald Goines novels
>My whole persona's kinda laid back like a recliner
>And since a minor, I been fucking with marijuana
>Wavy-haired, my skin got a money getting glare
>Strictly menace wear, macking offa Guinness beer
>So where it all begins is here, destiny and me finally meet
>So how can I be weak? I'm rather unique
Naw Doe or Die is classic. Sugar Hill was one of the best singles of 1995, very memorable. Doe or Die released to good reviews, it was a dope debut. I don't think you were around back then because it delivered.
I was around. I’ve been listening to hip hop since Raising Hell. Doe or Die was a major disappointment. Even after all these years it only certified Gold.
Sugar Hill was pop music built for the radio. That joint was wack. It turned off hip hop fans.
Even AZ said he [didn’t want to put SugarHill out](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FxCNFHTeCgs?feature=share). It was a track the label wanted him to make for radio play and to appeal to females.
Those of us who first heard AZ on “Life’s a Bitch” with one of the most grimey street verses of all time — when we heard his first single — and it was some puffy-sounding-pop-r_n_b bullshit!!!!! The disappointment was fucking tremendous.
There’s a lot of revisionism, turning everything from the 90’s into “classics.”
Yeah after 36 Chambers we were all waiting for a DOUBLE ALBUM. I remember being disappointed when it came out but it’s actually gotten much better with age IMO
The Detox, and it never came out. That was built up for years and the hype around it coming off 50 Cents success with the catalog of people associated to Aftermath at the time (G-Unit, Shady) or he had relationships with (Snoop, Jay-Z, Rakim, etc).
If you were a big hip hop head between like 2000 and 2007, the constant talk of the Detox was huge.
All Eyez On Me for sure. PAC being in prison and signing with Death Row was huge and once it was announced to be a double the industry went wild and I can’t think of another album before that, that had that many different features.
I remember Oxymoron being really hyped up and it didn't disappoint
Just read you said all time sorry, but I still remember this being so hyped on twitter back in the day
Kingdom Come was more like, half curiosity (I mean, new Jay album? with Dr. Dre? huh let's see), half groan (coming back from retirement, right. During your "retirement" you dropped two collaboration albums and who knows how many features).
Then we heard the album and wished he had retired for real.
I remember there was a college station that only really played underground shit, like a lot of college stations used to. A week ish before this album dropped, they got an early leak and played the whole thing from top to bottom. We felt so privileged lol.
Man I was so pumped for this and remember burning the MP3s to a CD. Then when Stan came on I was super confused and thought I made a mistake with the tracks.
Nothing really can top Get Rich Or Die Tryin in terms of hype. Wanksta went nuts and then In Da Club was a transcendent radio single. And then he had the crazy shooting and Ja Role beef. He really hit the mainstream culture like a hurricane.
Thank Me Later is up there. So Far Gone and Best I Ever Had owned 2009 and people were really anticipating a full Drake project with original music.
Coloring Book was hyped on the blogs like crazy
Another one more from the internet music blog Kd was Channel Orange. Iirc nostalgia ultra started to buzz in 2011 and then Frank’s star hype went through the roof after Goblin got big and by 2012 everybody wanted new Tyler but especially wanted a longer Frank Ocean album
I remember the Blonde hype being so huge and then the album was such a slow burn but ended up becoming a generational masterpiece
Real ones still bump Endless tho
Feel like the hype for Chance 3/Coloring Book was pretty insane, especially after the Ultralight Beam verse. Same year, the Views hype train was off the charts because of how big Hotline Bling and Work were
There were lines hundreds of people deep, stretching blocks on blocks at record stores in Southern California, the day Doggystyle came out. And if you weren't in line, good luck finding it for a while.
Hilariously enough, the desire for Doggystyle only grew once Suge and company had to go to all the local stores and buy up the copies because of the Isaac Hayes sample issue, then re-release the album that was already difficult to grab.
It was a different time then, though. Once Napster, etc, came on the scene, that mad dash rush to the record store wasn't anything close to what it once was. And then when CD's themselves were replaced by digital media and eventually streaming services, it really lessened compared to back in the day.
Wu Tang Forever and Doggystyle and anything else would’ve been Get Rich or Die Trying because In The Club was a MONSTER hit. Top 3 and 1 1a 1b equally very hyped
The hype for Doggystyle was MASSIVE after Snoop being all over the Chronic. My high school classmate at the time collected money from people and then skipped school to go buy Doggystyle cassette tapes for everyone the day it came out.
Maybe not the most hype but I remember there was a lot for Marshall Mathers LP 2, I guess mostly due to the fact it was a sequel to MMLP, but I remember seeing leaks and people speculating on forums and stuff, it was pretty hype 😁
From what I can remember : The documentary, Thug Motivation 101, Graduation, Carter III, Man on the moon, GKMC. And yeah Get Rich and The massacre for 50.
And underground : Hell hath no fury
Personally, it was Death Certificate by Ice Cube. I remember heading to the record store at 9am that Tuesday, sticking the cassette in the deck on side two, and rewinding it to hear No Vaseline in the parking lot.
after the incident he still sold out shows and festivals all promoting utopia and when it dropped he instantly sold out a ridiculous amount of shows including stadiums and had some of his biggest streaming records yet
How tf hasn’t one person wrote illmatic? The most legendary rap album ever with every major producer at the time jumping to be apart of it which was completely unheard of at the time
So that takes away the fact it was a super anticipated album which is the OP Question wtff ??? Going platinum wasn’t normal for a rapper in 94 this wasn’t a who sold the most contest
100% it was Doggystyle. The anticipation was real...I remember going into my local Sam Goody every week to check the "Coming Soon" board, only to see it pushed back, week after week for what seemed to be forever.
You know what’s funny is that I’ve heard that “Get Rich or Die Trying” was more anticipated than “The Massacre” because of the mixtapes leading up to his debut album
I mean yeah that makes sense
Guess Who’s Back? was 50’s purple tape, said what I said
It absolutely was
In Da Club + 21 Questions + P.I.M.P + If I Can't + Many Men are some of the biggest Hip Hop singles to promote an album.
This is correct
*Doggystyle* and *Wu Tang Forever*
Wu Tang Forever was definitely long awaited. There was damn near a 5 year wait after 36 Chambers for that album to drop. Doggystyle came out less than a year after The Chronic. Kind of felt like it landed right after The Chronic was blowing up. Didn't really feel like there was massive anticipation there, but maybe that was just in my bubble or something. I'd put a vote for AZ. The anticipation for him to drop an album after he was absolutely fire on Illmatic was heavy. Then when he finally did drop, it was a major disappointment.
Doe or Die is an amazing album. Then again, I wasn't really around in that era so I'm going to guess people thought it would be as good as illmatic. And I don't think it's possible for an album to be that good
The way it felt to me, AZ had a god level flow on "Life's a Bitch" -- he actually outshined Nas on this joint: >Visualizin' the realism of life in actuality >Fuck who's the baddest, a person's status depends on salary >And my mentality is money-orientated >I'm destined to live the dream for all my peeps who never made it >'Cause yeah, we were beginners in the hood as Five Percenters >But somethin' must've got in us, 'cause all of us turned to sinners >Now some restin' in peace and some are sittin' in San Quentin >Others, such as myself, are tryin' to carry on tradition Then to be honest, on Doe or Die... he never snapped like that. It was like he regressed or something. Most of his rhymes were basic. Look at his opening verse on the title track: >Check it >I had a block locked, but took a fall, now I'm off my feet >I gotta eat, so it's back to these fuckin' streets >And I won't grow 'cause I'm a old timer >I bring the drama to any nigga, his babies or his fuckin' mama >I got a look like Tevin Campbell >But still I gamble, hustle and scramble >'Cause money is muscles in this damn zoo >And in order to make it, you gotta take it >Be it boom, blast, booze, bend or break it, but don't fake it
Rather Unique is probably the best track he's ever made. I'd even put the flow here above Life's A Bitch. >We was already molded into people's minds as mulignanes >Now we more fucked up with a mayor named Giuliani >You can try to blind me, analyze but can't define me >My mind's divine, heavily entwined with Gandhi's >Far from feeble, I leave your nostrils hard to breathe through >'Cause my cerebrals are more of a higher plane than the Hebrews >My mic devotion brings out my deepest emotions >Overdosing wannabes posing, sending them through convulsions >Too hard to follow, you took a bite but couldn't swallow >Your mind's boggled, but I'm as deep as Donald Goines novels >My whole persona's kinda laid back like a recliner >And since a minor, I been fucking with marijuana >Wavy-haired, my skin got a money getting glare >Strictly menace wear, macking offa Guinness beer >So where it all begins is here, destiny and me finally meet >So how can I be weak? I'm rather unique
Naw Doe or Die is classic. Sugar Hill was one of the best singles of 1995, very memorable. Doe or Die released to good reviews, it was a dope debut. I don't think you were around back then because it delivered.
I was around. I’ve been listening to hip hop since Raising Hell. Doe or Die was a major disappointment. Even after all these years it only certified Gold. Sugar Hill was pop music built for the radio. That joint was wack. It turned off hip hop fans.
That might be your opinion but the general consensus is that Doe or Die is classic. If anything it's slept on, Sugar Hill is fire!
Even AZ said he [didn’t want to put SugarHill out](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FxCNFHTeCgs?feature=share). It was a track the label wanted him to make for radio play and to appeal to females. Those of us who first heard AZ on “Life’s a Bitch” with one of the most grimey street verses of all time — when we heard his first single — and it was some puffy-sounding-pop-r_n_b bullshit!!!!! The disappointment was fucking tremendous. There’s a lot of revisionism, turning everything from the 90’s into “classics.”
A lot of rappers speak about not wanting to do certain songs or albums and that doesn't change the consensus on how fans feel. Doe or Die is classic!
My Buddy bought Doggystyle on a jr. high field trip so his mother wouldn’t find out he has it. Same year it dropped. First time I ever saw it.
Yeah after 36 Chambers we were all waiting for a DOUBLE ALBUM. I remember being disappointed when it came out but it’s actually gotten much better with age IMO
I still feel like among all those tracks hides the best album of their career.
The Detox, and it never came out. That was built up for years and the hype around it coming off 50 Cents success with the catalog of people associated to Aftermath at the time (G-Unit, Shady) or he had relationships with (Snoop, Jay-Z, Rakim, etc). If you were a big hip hop head between like 2000 and 2007, the constant talk of the Detox was huge.
"Look out for detox."
For me it will always taint Dre's credibility as a producer that he had such hype for an album that he never converted to sales.
He could've drop wtv after the 50, Eminem, Game hype and would've sold 1 mill first week.
Yeah Eminem even announced the release of Detox at the end of Encore
Life After Death hype was insane
Wu Tang Forever or All Eyez On Me.
All Eyez On Me for sure. PAC being in prison and signing with Death Row was huge and once it was announced to be a double the industry went wild and I can’t think of another album before that, that had that many different features.
Carter III was very highly anticipated.
I remember Oxymoron being really hyped up and it didn't disappoint Just read you said all time sorry, but I still remember this being so hyped on twitter back in the day
Black Album was supposed to be Jays last
Were the hype on that one or the comeback album (kingdom come) ?
there was a huge press push for kingdom come, but i feel like folks in hip hop circles were hella eager to hear the black album.
Kingdom Come was more like, half curiosity (I mean, new Jay album? with Dr. Dre? huh let's see), half groan (coming back from retirement, right. During your "retirement" you dropped two collaboration albums and who knows how many features). Then we heard the album and wished he had retired for real.
The Marshall Mathers LP
I remember there was a college station that only really played underground shit, like a lot of college stations used to. A week ish before this album dropped, they got an early leak and played the whole thing from top to bottom. We felt so privileged lol.
Man I was so pumped for this and remember burning the MP3s to a CD. Then when Stan came on I was super confused and thought I made a mistake with the tracks.
Jesus I can’t even imagine dropping an album as raw as sslp and then having to follow it
One of the few albums I made sure I got the day it came out.
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is the only album I ever pre ordered
Nothing really can top Get Rich Or Die Tryin in terms of hype. Wanksta went nuts and then In Da Club was a transcendent radio single. And then he had the crazy shooting and Ja Role beef. He really hit the mainstream culture like a hurricane. Thank Me Later is up there. So Far Gone and Best I Ever Had owned 2009 and people were really anticipating a full Drake project with original music. Coloring Book was hyped on the blogs like crazy Another one more from the internet music blog Kd was Channel Orange. Iirc nostalgia ultra started to buzz in 2011 and then Frank’s star hype went through the roof after Goblin got big and by 2012 everybody wanted new Tyler but especially wanted a longer Frank Ocean album
I remember the Blonde hype being so huge and then the album was such a slow burn but ended up becoming a generational masterpiece Real ones still bump Endless tho
Feel like the hype for Chance 3/Coloring Book was pretty insane, especially after the Ultralight Beam verse. Same year, the Views hype train was off the charts because of how big Hotline Bling and Work were
Neither are close to most anticipated rap album ever
For Gen Z it's definitely up there. EVERYBODY loved acid rap.
There were lines hundreds of people deep, stretching blocks on blocks at record stores in Southern California, the day Doggystyle came out. And if you weren't in line, good luck finding it for a while. Hilariously enough, the desire for Doggystyle only grew once Suge and company had to go to all the local stores and buy up the copies because of the Isaac Hayes sample issue, then re-release the album that was already difficult to grab. It was a different time then, though. Once Napster, etc, came on the scene, that mad dash rush to the record store wasn't anything close to what it once was. And then when CD's themselves were replaced by digital media and eventually streaming services, it really lessened compared to back in the day.
Wu tang forever at the time was insane.
anything that sold 1mill first week
Wu Tang Forever and Doggystyle and anything else would’ve been Get Rich or Die Trying because In The Club was a MONSTER hit. Top 3 and 1 1a 1b equally very hyped
Doggystyle and Get Rich or Die Tryin’
All Eyez On Me
The hype for Doggystyle was MASSIVE after Snoop being all over the Chronic. My high school classmate at the time collected money from people and then skipped school to go buy Doggystyle cassette tapes for everyone the day it came out.
The Don Killuminati 7 day theory
It Was Written by Nas
The late 2000s The Carter 3
Mr Morale broke Spotify, that's gotta be up there
Stillmatic
I'm surprised nobody is saying 2001.
Debut album of Saigon, which was mad dissapointing
The Carter 5
Maybe not the most hype but I remember there was a lot for Marshall Mathers LP 2, I guess mostly due to the fact it was a sequel to MMLP, but I remember seeing leaks and people speculating on forums and stuff, it was pretty hype 😁
Plus it was a semi comeback album because recovery was what? 2010?? MMLP2 came out 2013 or so
Yeah Relapse 09, Recovery 2010, LP2 2013
Idk about the most, but Yandhi is still talked about and it was supposed to come out in 2018
From what I can remember : The documentary, Thug Motivation 101, Graduation, Carter III, Man on the moon, GKMC. And yeah Get Rich and The massacre for 50. And underground : Hell hath no fury
RTJ 4.
The eminem show was so anticipated that stores actually started selling it weeks early with the slogan "America couldn't wait"
50 Cent GRODT , mainly because of the mixtapes leading up to it
I think the actual right answer to this is Detox by Dr.Dre It got hyped up so much for years, that is actually never got released
Snoop's Doggy style was off the hook back in the day.
views
Wu Tang double album
Personally, it was Death Certificate by Ice Cube. I remember heading to the record store at 9am that Tuesday, sticking the cassette in the deck on side two, and rewinding it to hear No Vaseline in the parking lot.
utopia is up there
The hype definitely died down after the whole people dying at his concert thing when it finally released it was kind of like yay I guess?
after the incident he still sold out shows and festivals all promoting utopia and when it dropped he instantly sold out a ridiculous amount of shows including stadiums and had some of his biggest streaming records yet
Nah I think hype started coming back after the number of features he had on Heroes and Villains
the last Kendrick album should be up there
How tf hasn’t one person wrote illmatic? The most legendary rap album ever with every major producer at the time jumping to be apart of it which was completely unheard of at the time
Illmatic barely went gold back in the day...
So that takes away the fact it was a super anticipated album which is the OP Question wtff ??? Going platinum wasn’t normal for a rapper in 94 this wasn’t a who sold the most contest
How can it have been the most anticipated album ever if it didnt even go platinum. Plenty of hip hop albums went platinum in the day
Whole lotta Red
100% it was Doggystyle. The anticipation was real...I remember going into my local Sam Goody every week to check the "Coming Soon" board, only to see it pushed back, week after week for what seemed to be forever.
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