Maybe it was the unloading of Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers in 1993, the refinement of new recording technology, or just a great vibe roaming around east coast hip hop circles. Whatever it was... we have yet to see such a motherlode of creative outpouring as witnessed in 1994. Nas, Biggie Smalls, The Beatnuts, Artifacts, Jeru, Organized Konfusion, and O.C. all released classic albums that ironically have me wondering "can it be that it was all so simple".

NAS Illmatic

Queensbridge is the place, and Nas is your host for this journey through life, in and around The Projects. After an extremely disappointing follow-up album in 1996, it's clear that Nas' superb eloquence and amazing lyrical instinct were largely a product of an incredible vibe he lost touch with following this album. Certifying Illmatic as an all-around classic are the production skills of DJ Premier, L.E.S., Pete Rock, Large Professor, and Q-Tip -- the greatest assemblage of production talent ever witnessed on a single album. This is as good as it gets. If you don't have it already -- STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING -- listen to these tracks... run immediately to your nearest record store and BUY THIS ALBUM!

JERU THE DAMAJA The Sun Rises In The East

When you compare this album to Gang Starr's Hard To Earn of the same year... it's pretty clear who was callin' the shots: DJ Premier. Hard To Earn got all the wack beats and lackluster delivery from Guru, while this album went on to become a certified classic -- Premier's best album until Gang Starr's 1998 release, Moment Of Truth. Here are a few tracks: "Come Clean", "D. Original", and "You Can't Stop The Prophet".

THE BEATNUTS Street Level

"I wanna fuck, drink beer, and smoke some shit," sums up the shameless irreverence of this Queens-based group's debut album. In spite of often shallow lyrics, the vocal delivery is quite intoxicating. And the supreme production styles elevate this album beyond mere inebriation.

ORGANIZED KONFUSION STRESS (The Extinction Agenda)

Hard thinkin' and hard rhymin', O.K. showed just how serious they were with this very focused LP. No laid back flow here, Pharoah Monch and Prince Poetry are verbal gymnastics in full effect. This album has become a standard for just about every serious hip hop fan out there. Though the follow-up LP, Equinox, was a severe disappointment... Monch managed to resurrect himself in 1999 with a few decent singles on Rawkus.

ARTIFACTS Between A Rock And A Hard Place

Brilliant title. Brilliant production. And verbal delivery that "shines much brighter than the suckers". With tracks produced by Buckwild, Redman, and the phenomenal T-Ray... Tame One and El Da Sensei ice this fat cake with tales of grafitti, smokin' weed, busting caps, hittin' skinz, and being fearsome MCs. No messages or politics... Artifacts keep it strictly on the street level with cuts like "Wrong Side Of Da Tracks", "Flexi Wit The Tech" and the ferocious "Whassup Now Muthafucka?".

O.C. Word... Life

Take another look at the title of this album. While the rest of hip hop indulged in topics "crime related or sexual", O.C. delivered his words with no bullshit attached. "Word...Life", "O-Zone", "Let It Slide", and "Ma Dukes" -- all produced by Buckwild -- are the anchors of this very under-recognized album. Note the incredible samples: female vocals on "Ma Dukes", and Mobb Deep sample ("The first time will be your last earth memory") on "O-Zone".

NOTORIOUS B.I.G. Ready To Die

Strip away all commercialism and sensationalism surrounding Biggie Smalls and what you will find is one of the most complete MCs of all time. Both delivery and content reflect such a total command on the mic that it's not hard to understand Biggies' non-answer to an interviewers questions of "What MCs influenced you?" in the intro to "Big Poppa". What a remarkable feet to have a string of gold singles leading up to your debut. Indeed, this album was overseen by Puff Daddy. And you can even hear Puffy's annoying "yeah yeah" ghost track in there. But joints like "Respect" and "Machine Gun Funk" show both the musical prowess and lyrical depth of this album. But the finale of the album, "Suicidal Thoughts", is a chilling reminder of Biggie's obsession with his own death.

SCIENTIFIK Criminal

What a testament to the truth that the music business is totally ineffective at getting dope hip hop out to the masses -- or even hardcore heads for that matter. After the release of the would-be-anthemic "Jungles of Da East", Scientifik's label went broke, leaving only a handful of promo copies to spread word of his talent. In retrospect, a production roster including Ed O.G., Diamond D, RZA, and Buckwild certifies its place amongst a handful of classic albums including Illmatic and Word Life. But as you should know by now, if there is a correlation between skills and sales in hip hop, it's probably coincidental. Rest in peace to one of Boston's finest MCs.

METHOD MAN Tical

Method man himself has conceded that this debut album was a flawed effort -- and it is. But this flawed album also contains a few songs that are as inspired as any in hip hop. Namely "Bring The Pain", "All I Need", and "Biscuits". Method Man is always on point, but the RZA really came up short on this effort. Nonetheless, I rank these three songs among the best of all time.