Daryl McIntosh

[As an Amazon affiliate partner, Albumism earns commissions from qualifying purchases.] Happy 30th Anniversary to Nas’ second studio album It Was Written, originally released July 2, 1996. From the outset, I must be clear. I am not a member of the movement that hails It Was Written as an album that surpasses Illmatic (1994). Nas’ debut LP happens to be my all-time favorite album, of any genre.

[As an Amazon affiliate partner, Albumism earns commissions from qualifying purchases.] Happy 30th Anniversary to Lost Boyz’ debut album Legal Drug Money, originally released June 4, 1996. We all know the story of hip-hop, and how it originated as a youthful subculture, primarily around the New York City housing projects of the South Bronx during the early ‘70s.

[As an Amazon affiliate partner, Albumism earns commissions from qualifying purchases.] Happy 20th Anniversary to Gnarls Barkley’s debut album St. Elsewhere, originally released April 24, 2006. When I look back at the not-too-distant decade of the 2000s, one of my favorite musical journeys was the collaboration between CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse that formally manifested in the form of their debut album as Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere.