Ranker

Anime Underground

Button Mash

Graveyard Shift

Total Nerd

Unspeakable Times

Weird History

Weird Nature

Weirdly Interesting

Sports

Music

Entertainment

Living

Culture

Food

Makeup

Halloween

Thanksgiving

Holidays

Watchworthy

HBO Max

Ranking the very best songs, bands, and musicians of the greatest decade for hit jams.

poll

After checking out the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/top-one-hit-wonders-2010s/jovaughnbrown" target="_blank">most popular one-hit wonders of the 2010s</a>, enjoy this list of the greatest songs by &#39;90s one-hit wonders. Are you looking for your favorite 1990s songs, but don&rsquo;t know who the artist is? Browse through this list of the greatest songs by &#39;90s one-hit wonders to see if your favorite song made the list. Then you can see who the &#39;90s artist is and search for the album to listen to sometime. Ordered from the most popular one-hit song wonders from the &#39;90s to the least popular, you can find some great music by picking from the top of the list. Go ahead and vote for your favorite songs and artists from the &#39;90s as well, and they will get raised higher on the list.

Feel free to copy and paste from the list to make your own list of favorite &#39;90s music. That way, you will never forget the artists to your favorite 1990s songs again! If you don&rsquo;t see your favorite song or artist listed, go ahead and add it to the list. Then others can vote for it and you can see where it ranks on the list of great &#39;90s songs by one-hit wonders. If you need a little inspiration, you can see which <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/biggest-one-hit-wonder-year-born/michelle-nati" target="_blank">one-hit wonder</a> was the biggest from 1975 all the way through 2005!

The &#39;90s brought a change in the style of music. We went from the popular dance music and nostalgic love songs to the more hip-hop and alternative styles of music. Many of the most-loved songs from the 1990s were made by one-hit wonders. Even though these artists only produced one song that made the top 40s, many music enthusiasts will often find other songs from these &#39;90s artists that they enjoy just as much. Look through the list of great &#39;90s music from one-hit wonders to find your favorite songs and artists, and you may even find a new favorite type of music!

Automatic for the People

&nbsp;List of the best albums released in the 1990s, from the years 1990 to 1999. These albums span all music genres – though tend to focus largely on <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-genres-of-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">popular music genres</a> like rock, hip-hop, R&amp;B and pop – and cover both new '90s bands that exploded on the scene along with older acts from previous generations that continued making music at the time. The list order is based both on votes and on individual lists made by users – to have the most influence on the rankings, add your own list of favorite '90s albums.Popular trends in the '90s largely carried over from the previous decade, including a fascination with teen pop and dance pop music, along with the growing popularity of hip-hop and rap albums among a mainstream audience. The early 1990s were dominated by the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/west-coast-hip-hop-bands-and-musicians/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">West Coast gangsta rap</a> sound, particularly following the release of Dr. Dre's &quot;The Chronic&quot; in 1992. The mid '90s were notable for the shocking, violent deaths of two of the era's most popular rappers – Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka Notorious BIG). Wallace's producer and collaborator, Sean &quot;Puffy&quot; Combs, went on to dominate the mainstream hip-hop charts in the ensuing years.Contemporary R&amp;B and soul – sometimes in the '90s grouped under the term &quot;urban music&quot; – also remained extremely popular with acts such as En Vogue, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston, Babyface, and R. Kelly dominating the charts.Rock in the '90s was notable for the explosion of the &quot;grunge&quot; sound in the early part of the decade, with <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/bands-like-nirvana/music-lover?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">bands like Nirvana</a>, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam bringing the grimy, less polished style of the Pacific Northwest to mainstream radio. Later, the grunge trend melded with the popularity of what was termed &quot;alternative rock,&quot; an umbrella term incorporating styles as varied as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Smashing Pumpkins, and Sublime. British acts making up the &quot;Britpop&quot; sub-genre of rock, which remained popular throughout the decade, included Blur, Oasis, Pulp, and Supergrass.What are greatest albums of the 90s? Take a look here and you'll see.

90s Music

No Doubt

&nbsp;

Take a big whiff- &quot;mmmbop&quot;, it smells like the &#39;90s in here! An incredibly eclectic decade for music, the 1990s saw the rise in popularity of new genres and sounds never heard before (and rarely heard better). Bands of the &#39;90s created a unique sound and catchy lyrics in a way that captured the enthusiasm and disillusionment of the era. The &#39;90s bands and solo artists that populate this list cover all musical categories. If you&#39;re still feeling nostalgic, check out the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/fictional-songs-from-the-90s/ranker-music">best fictional &#39;90s songs</a> and the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-songs-by-90s-one-hit-wonders/ranker-music">greatest&nbsp;one hit wonders of the &#39;90s</a>.&nbsp;

From the East Coast/West Coast rap wars, to the grunge era, to low-fi garage rock, to &#39;90s rock bands, the Lilith Fair sound, and the teen pop takeover - 1990s music was rich with experimentation and style. Where else but in the MTV in your head can you find top artists like Nirvana, Wu-Tang Clan, No Doubt, A Tribe Called Quest, Oasis, Bikini Kill and Britney Spears in one place? Whether you were a fan of 90s alternative bands like Blind Melon, you were more dark and brooding and loved grunge music, or you couldn&#39;t get enough of popular, mainstream pop names like the Backstreet Boys, take a moment now and give some of your favorite &#39;90s music artists some love! Who are the most famous &#39;90s bands? Which &#39;90s singers led their groups to become the among best of the decade?

Vote-Up your favorite &#39;90s artists and make sure to add any of your favorites that we left out! &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Romance

Here are the greatest &#39;90s love songs, ranked by fans everywhere. Ever since people began to fall in love, there have been songs to express those emotions. The &#39;90s certainly had no shortage of songs you would want to turn up smoothly while things were getting hot and heavy. From first dates to first dances, these songs have created memories and allowed couples to show how much they care. The most popular &#39;90s love songs haven&#39;t gotten out-of-date either. You could start playing&nbsp;any song on this list to your beloved and wait for them to swoon.&nbsp;

From pop stars to <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-heavy-metal-bands-that-i-know?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">heavy metal bands</a> showing off their sensitive sides, you will find an eclectic assortment of artists on this list. Each song has its own unique influences, but the one thing they all share is that they were all written from the heart.&nbsp;

This list of classic &#39;90s love songs should provide some inspiration for when you need to turn on some tunes during your next date night. Who needs to Netflix and chill when you can turn on one of these smooth jams? Lovers from all over the world are encouraged to vote for the love songs they like best. What do you play after you light some candles to set the mood?

Here are the greatest&nbsp;&#39;90s alternative songs, ranked by fans everywhere. Alternative music first got its start in the 1970s. It emerged from the independent music scene and embodies multiple rock traditions, such as the DIY nature of punk rock. The genre really began to hit its stride in the 1990s when a host of new artists adopted the label and played to sold-out crowds around the United States. Put on your favorite flannel shirt and get ready to throw up the devil horns because these are the most popular &#39;90s alternative songs.&nbsp;

Alternative rock often goes hand-in-hand with other genres. In the &#39;90s, grunge was all the rage. A lot of alternative artists at the time from Nirvana to Soundgarden incorporated grunge into their music style, but they were alternative all the same. One of the most prominent alternative bands of the era was The Smashing Pumpkins, who released&nbsp;Mellon Collie &amp; the Infinite Sadness&nbsp;in 1995. The double album would go on to sell over 10 million copies.&nbsp;

Which of the songs on this list do you remember jamming out to? Proud Gen-Xers will remember a lot of these songs on their high school dance playlists. This list of good &#39;90s alternative songs has some of the defining tracks of the era, so vote for the ones that speak to you.

&nbsp;

Rappers

Method Man and Redman

The best '90s rappers and rap groups brought us some of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-rap-songs-of-all-time/ranker-hip-hop?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best rap songs of all time</a> with artists like Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, and the Notorious B.I.G. dominating the decade. Often described as the &quot;golden age&quot; of hip hop and rap, the 1990s introduced many rappers and rap groups that would go on to become <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-greatest-rappers-of-all-time/first-l" target="_blank">the best rappers of all time</a>.During the beginning of the decade, prominent acts and rappers like Ice Cube, LL Cool J, and Public Enemy led the charts as their fame, first established in the 1980s, continued. Each brought something new and interesting to the rap world, such as Ice Cube's 1991 release of &quot;Death Certificate,&quot; which dealt with real-world issues like racism, Los Angeles gangs, and drugs. As the decade continued, one of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-hip-hop-albums?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best rap albums of all time</a> came along in 1992. Dr. Dre's &quot;The Chronic&quot; made the now-legendary producer and rapper's name, along with the name of another up-and-coming rapper, Snoop Dogg, known around the world. Snoop and Dre represented the West Coast of the United States and alongside the late Tupac Shakur and the rest of the Death Row family, these rappers dominated the genre for the next several years. But there was another coast ready to battle for that top spot on the charts.Enter the Bad Boy family from the East Coast with top names like Sean &quot;Puff Daddy&quot; Combs and Christopher &quot;The Notorious B.I.G.&quot; Wallace. These two sides were crucial in the East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry that not only produced some of the top rap music of the decade but also ultimately ended the lives of 2Pac and Biggie, as both were tragically murdered.All of these rappers and their music influenced and ushered in a new generation of rappers, the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-_00s-rappers/whatevayoulike " target="_blank">best rappers of the 2000s</a>, and put up a good fight for the best decade for rap music ever. Which 90s rapper is your favorite? Vote for the ones you like the best below or add your favorite to the list!

If you're making a throwback playlist, then you will definitely need the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-pop-songs-2020/music-lover?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best pop songs</a> of the '90s. Including nostalgic hits&nbsp;and old school classics, the list of '90s pop songs features popular artists, like Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Sugar Ray, and Mariah Carey. Take a trip down memory lane with the top pop songs of the 1990s.&nbsp;Vote up the best '90s pop songs, and add your favorites if they're missing from the list.

Are you ready to party like it&#39;s 1999? When it was time to ring in the new millennium, there were plenty of songs to burn onto CDs for the celebration. Once everyone knew they were safe from the Y2K bug, they could dance their butts off while listening to some of the greatest hits of the last decade. The best &#39;90s party songs are still great to throw on a playlist today when you want to throw things back. Which songs from the decade do you still find yourself getting jiggy with?&nbsp;

When you have a &#39;90s themed party on the horizon, what will you play? Will you keep it mostly hip hop oriented with a lot of songs from Puff Daddy and The Fresh Prince? Or are you more of a pop fan? Your party guests will always be down to listen to some Christina Aguilera, Spice Girls, and Backstreet Boys. The songs from your youth are still popular, so bust out those parachute pants to show everyone you are a true &#39;90s kid at heart.&nbsp;

You could make one epic throwback playlist with this list of &#39;90s party songs, which has been voted on by partiers of all ages.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

If you're making a throwback playlist, here are <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-r-rated-action-movies-films/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the best R</a>&amp;B songs of the '90s. Including classic slow jams&nbsp;and old school hits, the list of '90s R&amp;B songs features popular artists, like Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey, TLC, and K-CI &amp; JoJo. Take a trip down memory lane with the top R&amp;B songs of the '90s.&nbsp;Vote up the best '90s R&amp;B songs, and add your favorites if they're missing from the list.

If you're making a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-throwback-songs-v1/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">throwback playlist</a>, here are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-rap-songs-2020/music-lover?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best rap songs</a> of the '90s. Including hip hop classics&nbsp;and old school hits, the list of '90s rap songs features popular artists, like Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, and Lauryn&nbsp;Hill. Take a break from mumble rappers&nbsp;and listen to the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-hip-hop-songs-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">top hip hop songs</a> of the '90s.&nbsp;Vote up the best '90s rap songs, and add your favorites if they're missing from the list.

<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-songs-by-90s-one-hit-wonders/ranker-music" target="_blank">One-hit wonders</a>&nbsp;on albums can be a blessing and a curse for an artist. On one hand, having a hit is a great and life-changing thing. On the other hand, if the album fails, oftentimes the artist immediately fades into obscurity. For fans, it can be disappointing when you love a song, but the album it&#39;s on doesn&#39;t deliver as a whole. The &#39;90s and 2000s were full of such albums.

&#39;90s&nbsp;one-hit wonders are a real nostalgic phenomenon nowadays, and it seems like there were too&nbsp;many of them to count - from <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/forgotten-90s-boy-band-hits/carly-silver" target="_blank">boy bands</a> to hip-hop artists to rock groups. Do you remember the feeling you got when you put on Deep Blue Something&#39;s&nbsp;11th Song&nbsp;and realized that &quot;Breakfast At Tiffany&#39;s&quot; was pretty much a catchy anomaly on an album of duds? And let&#39;s be honest, everyone was a little disappointed when they listened to that <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/lou-bega-albums-discography/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Lou Bega album</a> in full after car jamming to &quot;Mambo No. 5.&quot;

Get ready to relive some truly bland moments in music history and vote on the most disappointing albums of the &#39;90s and 2000s.&nbsp;

Nostalgia

Tool

These 100 bands and artists' music helped define the &quot;alternative&quot; rock era of the '90s and influenced the next generation of indie rock this century.

Everybody loves a good throwback, so here are the best &#39;90s karaoke songs, ranked by fans everywhere. From soft rock and boy bands to smooth R&amp;B and <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/old-school-hip-hop-bands-and-artists/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">old school hip hop</a>, this list of &#39;90s <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-country-karaoke-songs/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">songs to sing</a> at karaoke includes classic hits as well as songs you might&#39;ve forgotten about. What are your favorite &#39;90s songs for karaoke?

Vote up the best &#39;90s songs to sing at your next karaoke party, and add other great recommendations if they&#39;re missing from the list.

Singers

Krist Novoselic

We all remember riding around on hot summer days, rocking out to bands like Sugar Ray and Creed. But now we&#39;re older, and whenever someone plays one of those songs, it&#39;s strictly with a grin just to see how long it takes for somebody to complain.

Some of the fellas on this list have carved out a nice career for themselves, like Eddie Vedder or even <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/gallagher-brothers-oasis/melissa-sartore?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the Gallagher brothers</a> of Oasis to a certain extent. Some of these dudes have been treading water for the past decade or so. Everyone loved guys like Adam Duritz, but the years haven&#39;t kind to either one of these rockers.

But where does that leave the famous names behind those songs? Well, they&#39;re kind of screwed.

1990s

No Diggity

Let's set the mood for this list of '90s slow jam high school dance songs: It’s your first dance. The lights go down, and everyone is stuck against the gymnasium wall. No matter what the book says, there are no perks to being a wallflower. Something needs to happen to get everybody grooving. You can’t do it with the chicken dance, and everyone hates the limbo. Every DJ worth his salt knows the one sure thing to get any party started is a slow jam from the '90s. You can’t fight it, so you might as well give in. No matter what you do, these songs make are going to make you a slave to the rhythm, and you’ll be out on the dance floor until ten minutes past curfew. Try and not get freaky while you check out this list of the ultimate '90s slow dance songs.Admit it, you can’t resist dancing and singing along to songs like “Pony,” “No Diggity,” and “Are You That Somebody.” When those beats hit the speakers, it’s humanly impossible to not bust even the smallest of grooves. If the tracks on this list don’t at least make you bob your head then you may need to get your pulse checked - no anti-R&amp;B zombies up in here. Why are you still reading this when there’s a list of '90s top dance hits percolating for you after the jump?Which slow jam makes you bump 'n' grind the hardest?

Beck Hansen

A list of 90s greats making the best music today. While many of their contemporaries have either fallen to the wayside or split up, these 90s musical artists are managing to go strong nearly 20 years after they first broke onto the musical landscape. These musicians have defied logic and have released music within the past few years, some continuing strong, and others trying to make a last-grasp comeback, while drumming up interest in their music as a nostalgia tactic. This includes many of the musicians are considered to be the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-artists-of-the-_90s">greatest artists of the 90s</a>. This doesn't include 90s greats who currently tour because while they may be prominent on that front, touring without a new album doesn't mean they are making new music today.&nbsp;At or near the top are some of the biggest artists of the decade. Recognizable bands like Pearl Jam, Radiohead and Foo Fighters are among the most reliable groups in music today. They consistently release new material that manage to remain at or near the band's standard of excellence. Also, these bands manage to sell out arenas and stadiums across the globe, which is a testament to their staying power and ability to churn out great new songs. There are rappers on here, like Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg, along with electronic acts like The Chemical Brothers. In case you were wondering, even boy bands are on here, since after all, they were considered greats at one point to a certain generation of pre-teens and teens during the 1990s.&nbsp;Take a look at this list of 90s greats making the best music today. Remember, only include bands who have made new music this decade. If they've been dormant, there's no need to add them to list. The same goes for greatest hits collections, they don't count. But if you notice someone who is missing, feel free to him, her or them. Vote or rerank the list according to who you think is still making great music among the 90s greats out there.&nbsp;

Crash Test Dummies

Want to listen to all these songs as a playlist? Switch to &quot;Info View&quot; to get all the videos on one page for easily playability!Ranked in order of preference for their one big hit song. Clearly, there are going to be a lot of artists who had big singles in the '90s and didn't make my list. Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments, but I'm not putting &quot;How Bizarre&quot; on the list...so don't bother asking...NOTE: I'm considering an artist a &quot;one-hit wonder&quot; if they had a big breakout single, and then basically faded from mainstream public view. Many of the artists listed below went on to release other singles (even if only from the album that also featured their big breakthrough hit) and other albums, particularly if you include their respective native countries. Some of them have even built up a devoted or cult following over the years. Many of them are still together. But for the purposes of this list, these are all artists who popped up on pop culture's radar between 1990 and 2000 and haven't really been heard from since.Who is the greatest one-hit wonder of the 1990s? It's up to you to decide.

Relationships

It&#39;s hard to get over an ex, but the best &#39;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-80s-breakup-songs/ranker-music?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">90s breakup songs</a> can get you through like few other eras of music. What better place could there be to look for angry breakup songs than the&nbsp;age of grunge? Who better to reinvent yourself (or wallow) with than &#39;90s it-girls like Britney Spears?&nbsp;

Whether you favor R&amp;B, alternative rock, or country, this list of good&nbsp;&#39;90s breakup songs has something to help heal your ailing heart.&nbsp;

If you were alive during the mid to late 1990s, congratulate yourself on surviving one of the strangest trends ever to afflict pop culture: the swing music revival. The swing revival &#39;90s craze was everywhere, including movies, music, and even pants commercials. Although it began innocently enough as an embrace of the classic trend, the revival grew to epic heights before imploding within two years. While some people may now laugh at the songs and bands that came out of the trend, the fact that swing music infiltrated the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and even a presidential inauguration meant it held a legitimate place in &#39;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/90s-pop-culture-tattoos/ashley-reign?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">90s pop culture</a> history.

Swing music originally grew out of blues, Dixieland, and jazz, and was wildly popular in the 1930s and 1940s. Swing bands usually featured many members and a lot of brass and horns to create energetic and danceable tunes. Swing dancing became a genuine&nbsp;phenomenon, as well, and dances like the Lindy hop encouraged participants to complete elaborate and athletic steps. Although swing&#39;s predecessors were music styles that were greatly important&nbsp;to&nbsp;African American history, swing musicians of all cultural backgrounds shared the sounds and often borrowed from one another. Many young people embraced the music as a form of rebellion and wore wild and loose-fitting outfits known as zoot suits to show this. As WWII began, the swing movement waned, partially because the conflict forced people to focus on international relations, but also due to audiences growing to love singers over the sound of big bands.

Swing music never truly ended though, and it experienced several small revivals before the &#39;90s brought the music back into focus. Oddly enough, it came back with more strength than anyone expected.

This list of fictional songs from the 1990s compiles your favorite songs from '90s TV shows and '90s movies. Fictional songs like “Just You” from Twin Peaks and “Beserker” from Clerks. are so memorable and engrained in fans' recollections of these films and television series that they're undisputed classics. Your nineties nostalgia will peak as you peruse these rankings of 1990s fake songs from fake bands in great shows and films.Remember “Baby on Board” by The Be Sharps from The Simpsons? Or how about faux-band The Lone Rangers’s smash hit “Degenerated” from the 1994 movie Airheads? Speaking of fictional bands in films, the movie That Thing You Do! became such a hit as a result of the make-believe Wonders’s catchy tune. You can thank Phoebe from&nbsp;Friends for delivering such hits as “Smelly Cat,” which Kudrow even performed decades later with Taylor Swift. Millennials like T-Swift will recall these '90s childhood classics like Doug and <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/how-nickelodeon-ruined-ren-and-stimpy/zack-howe?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Ren and Stimpy</a> with fondness and glee. Nickelodeon’s Doug is a great example of a '90s show with an epic fictional song in “Killer Tofu.” Speaking of nineties sitcoms, Jesse and the Rippers were one of the most popular fictional bands from the 1990s, as their Full House hit “Forever” made for a poignant wedding episode.Which of these songs from '90s shows and movies do you think are the best? Vote them up below and add any other awesome 1990s songs &quot;written&quot; by fictional bands and musicians that you love, if they aren't already on the list.

Music for Your '90s Playlists

pageType

LowGeneralInterest

safe_grapeshot

longtail_search

sonos_test_list

scale_cleanup

cb_music-of-the-1990s

srch

Hip-Hop / Rap

Believe it or not, the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album wasn't presented until 1996. That's the year that trio Naughty by Nature took home the first-ever trophy in the category, winning the prize for their chart-topping album Poverty's Paradise. The Recording Academy had been slow to recognize the quickly growing genre, but voters seemed eager to make up for lost time. The rest of that decade saw the Grammys recognizing nominees and winners including Puff Daddy, Missy Elliott, and Wu-Tang Clan.What LPs will you find on this list of the best rap albums of the 1990s? The decade was seemingly all about Biggie and Tupac. Shockingly, neither iconic artist ever took home the trophy although they were both nominated on several occasions. Later in the decade, Jay-Z emerged as a favorite among fans and Grammy voters.A Tribe Called Quest was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Album twice in the 1990s, for The Love Movement and Beats, Rhymes and Life. Other great recordings featured on this list of Grammy-nominated&nbsp;1990s albums include Missy Elliott's Supa Dupa Fly and Mr. Smith by LL Cool J.Which Grammy nominee do you think should top this 1990s rap albums list? Give your favorite records a thumbs up to move them towards the number-one spot.

1990s Grammy Best Rap Album Nominees List

The Best Grammy-Nominated Rap Albums of the 1990s

Top Albums Lists: Top 10/Top 100 Album Rankings and Articles

Musical Album

Top Music List: Top 10 Music Lists and Entertaining Rankings

music

Ranker Music

Gender

Women

Region

American

West Coast US

Us States

Gen Zs

Millenials

Gen Xers

Baby Boomers

Mountain US

Midwest US

Southern US

Northeastern US

International

Wu-Tang Forever

Wu-Tang Forever is the second studio album of American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released June 3, 1997, on Loud/RCA Records in the United States. Pressed as a double album, it was released after a long run of successful solo projects from various members of the group, and serves as the follow-up to their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang. Forever features several guest appearances from Wu-Tang affiliates Cappadonna, Streetlife, 4th Disciple, True Master, and Tekitha.
Despite limited radio/TV airplay, and a lead single that famously clocked at nearly six minutes with no chorus, Wu-Tang Forever debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 612,000 copies sold in its first week. The album was certified 4× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on October 15, 1997, and has sold over 2 million copies in the United States. It is the group's highest selling album to date. Upon its release, Wu-Tang Forever received favorable reviews from most music critics, while it also earned the group a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album at the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998.

Life After Death

Life After Death is the second and final studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released March 25, 1997 on Bad Boy Records. A double album, it was released posthumously following his death on March 9, 1997. It features collaborations with guest artists such as 112, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Mase, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort, Angela Winbush, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C., R. Kelly, The LOX, and Puff Daddy. Life After Death exhibits The Notorious B.I.G. further delving into the mafioso rap subgenre. The album acts as a sequel to his debut Ready to Die and picks up where the last song "Suicidal Thoughts" ends.
The album was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 1998, including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance for its first single "Hypnotize", and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for its second single "Mo Money Mo Problems". Along with Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, AZ's Doe Or Die, Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, and Nas' It Was Written Life After Death has been considered by music writers as one of the seminal mafioso rap albums, as well as a landmark in hip hop music.

Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version

Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version is the solo debut album of American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard, released March 28, 1995 on Elektra Records in the United States. It was the second solo album to be released from the nine-member Wu-Tang camp, following the release of their debut album. Return to the 36 Chambers was primarily produced by RZA, with additional production from Ol' Dirty Bastard, and affiliates True Master and 4th Disciple. The album features guest appearances from Wu-Tang members GZA, RZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and Masta Killa, as well as several Wu-Tang affiliates and Brooklyn Zu.
Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album sold 81,000 copies in its first week, and was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America on June 21, 1995. Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from most music critics, with many complimenting Ol' Dirty Bastard's bizarre lyrical delivery, and RZA's eerie production. The album was nominated for a Grammy award at the 1996 Grammy's for Best Rap Album.

The Score

The Complete Score

The Score is the second and final studio album by the hip hop trio Fugees, released worldwide February 13, 1996 on Columbia Records. The album features a wide range of samples and instrumentation, with many aspects of alternative hip hop that would come to dominate the hip hop music scene in the mid-late 1990s. The Score's production was handled mostly by the Fugees themselves and Jerry Duplessis, with additional production from Salaam Remi, John Forté, Diamond D, and Shawn King. The album's guest raps are from Outsidaz' members Rah Digga, Young Zee and Pacewon, as well as Omega, John Forté, and Diamond D. Most versions of the album feature four bonus tracks, including three remixes of "Fu-Gee-La", and a short acoustic Wyclef Jean solo track entitled "Mista Mista."
Upon its release, The Score was a commercial success, peaking at the number one spot on both the Billboard 200, and the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. The singles "Killing Me Softly," "Fu-Gee-La," and "Ready or Not" also achieved notable chart success, and helped the group achieve worldwide recognition.

E. 1999 Eternal

E. 1999 Eternal is the second studio album by American hip hop group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, released July 25, 1995, on Ruthless Records. The album was released four months after the death of rapper Eazy-E, the group's mentor and the executive producer of the album. Both the album and single "Tha Crossroads" are dedicated to him. Following up on the surprise success of their breakthrough single "Thuggish Ruggish Bone", it became a popular album and received positive reviews from music critics, earning praise for the group's melodic rapping style. The album title is a portmanteau of the then-future year 1999 and Cleveland's eastside neighborhood centering around East 99th Street and St. Clair Avenue where the group is based from.
E. 1999 Eternal became the group's best-selling album, with over five million copies sold in the United States and ten million worldwide. It topped the US Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks. The album was nominated for the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, ultimately losing to Naughty by Nature's Poverty's Paradise at the 1996 Grammy Awards.

All Eyez on Me

All Eyez on Me is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac, released February 13, 1996 under Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records.
The album is frequently recognized as one of the crowning achievements of 1990s rap music. The album featured the Billboard Hot 100 number one singles "How Do U Want It" and "California Love". It featured five singles in all, the most of any of Shakur's albums. Moreover, All Eyez on Me made history as the first double-full-length hip-hop solo studio album released for mass consumption. It was issued on two compact discs and four LPs.
Chart-wise, All Eyez on Me was the second album from 2Pac to hit number-one on both the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. The album won the 1997 Soul Train R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year Award. Shakur also won the Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist at the 24th Annual American Music Awards and is also commonly referred to as one of the greatest hip hop/rap albums of all time. The album was certified Diamond by the RIAA in July 23, 2014.

Beats, Rhymes and Life

Beats, Rhymes and Life is the fourth album of the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Released in 1996, it followed three years after the highly regarded and successful Midnight Marauders. This album is a departure from the joyful, positive vibe of the earlier albums and is regarded as the group's darkest album in content. It reached number-one on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B Albums charts.

Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment is the solo debut album by rapper Big Pun, released on April 28, 1998. The album received critical acclaim, peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200 charts and #1 on the Top R&B Albums chart for two weeks. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 1999 Grammy Awards, but lost to Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. Capital Punishment would be the only album released in Pun's lifetime. Capital Punishment is regarded as a classic because of Pun's technical efficiency and wordplay. It was also the first Latin hip hop record to go Platinum.

Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life

Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life is the third studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 29, 1998, on Roc-A-Fella Records in the United States.
In the liner notes of the album, Jay-Z gives his thoughts on various tracks. The lyrics to the fast paced "Nigga What, Nigga Who" are also included.

Me Against the World

Me Against the World is the third studio album by American hip hop artist Tupac Shakur. It was released March 14, 1995 on the Interscope Records label. It was his impending prison sentence, troubles with the police and Shakur being poor, which many believe might have contributed to Shakur's artistic reemergence on record, as his material is believed by Steve Huey of AllMusic to have become markedly more "confessional", "reflective", and "soul-baring".
Me Against the World, released while Shakur was imprisoned, made an immediate impact on the charts, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. This made Shakur the first artist to have an album debut at number one on Billboard 200 while serving time in prison. The album served as one of Shakur's most positively reviewed albums, with many calling it the magnum opus of his career, and is considered one of the greatest and most influential hip hop albums of all-time. Me Against the World won best rap album at the 1996 Soul Train Music Awards.

Poverty's Paradise

Poverty's Paradise is the fourth album from Naughty by Nature, released on May 2, 1995 as their final album under Tommy Boy Records. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. A single released from the album, "Feel Me Flow", achieved major success, peaking at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, two other singles "Craziest" and "Clap Yo Hands, achieved minor success, the former peaking at #51 on the Billboard Hot 100.
At the Grammy Awards of 1996 it won the award for Best Rap Album, which was a new category that year. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA.

The Love Movement

The Love Movement is a 1998 album by hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. It was the group's fifth and final album of original material. Musically, it followed in the same vein as Beats, Rhymes and Life, featuring the smooth, and jazz-oriented beats of The Ummah. Critical reaction was mostly positive, for the album was a return to the original positive sound of their first three albums. The lead single, "Find a Way" secured major airplay on mainstream radio stations, even in the UK and was a particularly good example of the relaxed vibe which defined this farewell album. Although "Like It like That" was issued on 12" as the second single, the album had no proper second video. However, many songs like "Steppin' It Up" were played on various radio stations. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the album gold on November 1, 1998.
Ben Ratliff of The New York Times wrote that the album's music was one "a fan could grow up with a bit rather than discarding after adolescence; it was sexual, wry and funny, coming with a range of expression that could include anger, satire, constructive preaching, and sentimentality; it was conscious of black entertainment's past."

SPOTIFY

FREEFORM

Mr. Smith

Mr. Smith is the sixth studio album by the rapper LL Cool J, released on November 21, 1995. After the commercially disappointing 14 Shots to the Dome, it was a success, being certified 2x Platinum. Three top 10 hits were released from the album, "Hey Lover", "Doin' It", and "Loungin". Unlike his previous release, which focused on hardcore rap, this album concentrates on the ballads for which he is now famous.

No Way Out

No Way Out is the debut studio album by American hip-hop artist Puff Daddy, released on July 1, 1997 through record label Bad Boy Records. The label also receives official crediting on the album as "The Family", and the album's guest appearances are largely made up of the label's artists. Production is largely handled by Puff Daddy and various members of production group The Hitmen. The album, executively produced by Combs himself, The Notorious B.I.G. and Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie of The Hitmen, is predominantly rap-based, although it features generally introspective content, largely focused on close friend The Notorious B.I.G.'s killing on March 9, 1997: however, the album features several more aggressive and positive songs recorded before the shooting. Originally titled Hell Up in Harlem, the album underwent several changes after the death of his close friend emotionally affected Combs, who postponed the album in order to record several of the album's more emotional songs.

Supa Dupa Fly

Supa Dupa Fly is the debut studio album by American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. In high school, Elliott and three friends formed a group called Fayze, later renamed Sista. The group caught the attention of record producer DeVante Swing, who was part of the R&B group Jodeci, who signed them to his record label, Swing Mob. The group recorded an album in New York, which was never released. This led to the termination of the group's recording contract. After returning to Portsmouth, Virginia, Elliott and record producer Timbaland began writing songs, contributing several to singer Aaliyah's album, One in a Million.
In 1996, Elliott was signed to Elektra Records and was given her own record label, Goldmind. Chairmen and chief executive officer of Elektra at the time, Sylvia Rhone encouraged Elliott to embark in a solo career. Supa Dupa Fly was recorded and produced solely by Timbaland, and was released in July 1997 through The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records. The album features the singles, "The Rain", "Sock It 2 Me", "Hit Em wit da Hee" and "Beep Me 911". Guest appearances on the album include Busta Rhymes, Ginuwine, Nicole and Aaliyah.

Gangsta's Paradise

Gangsta's Paradise is the second studio album by rapper Coolio, released on November 21, 1995. It is Coolio's best-selling album, with over three million copies sold in the United States. The album produced three singles, which became hits: "Gangsta's Paradise", "1, 2, 3, 4", and "Too Hot".

The Carnival

"The Carnival" is the debut album released by American hip hop musician Wyclef Jean. Released on June 24, 1997, Jean also served as the album's executive producer. The album was a critical and commercial success, reaching at number sixteen on the US Billboard 200 chart, and reaching the top five on the Top R&B Albums chart, peaking at number four and garnered Jean two Grammy Award nominations for the 40th Grammy Awards, including one for Best Rap Album. The US top ten hit, "Gone Till November" earned Jean a nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards in 1999.

Life In 1472

Life in 1472 is the debut studio album by American producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri, released by So So Def Recordings in the United States on July 21, 1998. 1472 refers to the year of Dupri's birth, 1972. It produced the singles "Money Ain't a Thang", "Sweetheart", "The Party Continues", and "Going Home with Me". Life In 1472 spend two weeks at #1 on the Top R&B Albums chart, while breaking the Top 5 on the Billboard 200.

Harlem World

Harlem World is the critically acclaimed multi-platinum debut album by Harlem rapper Mase, released October 28, 1997. The album was nominated at the 41st Grammy Awards for Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.

I Wish

I Wish is the debut album by Skee-Lo, released on June 27, 1995 on Sunshine Records. It was originally distributed through Scotti Bros. Records BMG in the US, Polydor in the UK, MCA in France, Edel Records in Germany, Mega Records in Scandinavia and Jive Records in Holland.
The album was produced by Walter 'Kandor' Kahn and Skee-lo at Sunshine Studios in Hollywood CA assisted by Todd Tracey. It was mixed at Santa Monica Sound Recorders assisted by Colin Sauers. Mastering was performed by Arnie Acosta at A&M Studios in Hollywood CA.
Three months prior to the album's release, Skee-Lo's debut single, also titled "I Wish", was released independently on Sunshine Records. The song quickly became a hit, peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. While the album only managed to reach 53 on the Billboard 200, the popularity of the single eventually led the album to achieve gold status on November 16, 1995 for sales of 500,000 copies.
The album was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Rap Album category. Several of the songs from the album were featured in major motion pictures including; Top of the Stairs in Money Train and Come Back To Me in Big Bully.

Believe it or not, the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album wasn't presented until 1996. That's the year that trio Naughty by Nature took home the first-ever ...