Dinninit - De La Soul - 1996
MC's Act Like They Don't Know - KRS-One - 1995
Or did it? Even though some might say it was all about the money, commercially successful rap was seemingly on the run in '96. Snoop Dogg's disappointing Doggfather was released while he stood trial for murder. 2pac was killed. Even MC Hammer, by then a faded symbol of commercial hip hop, symbolically declared bankruptcy in '96. No surprise then that alternative stalwarts De La Soul and KRS-One (late '95) seized the opportunity to release some generally underappreciated albums, sparing no feelings in their critiques of mainstream hip hop. It was akin to writing a noble dissenting opinion for the hypothetical Supreme Court of Rap in a vote that ultimately went the other way. 1996 saw Nas, the once-heralded savior of the Native Tongues movement, release his most commercially successful album (along with the release of some album called All Eyez on Me). For better or worse, they marked a strong shift away from alternative rap towards the hardcore rap that would define the rest of the decade. It seems clear that Hip Hop didn't suck, though.
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