The 90s was an amazing decade for hip-hop, with so many iconic artists and groups emerging in those years. But that also means there were a lot of one-hit wonders that slipped through the cracks. These three artists deserved way more recognition than they received in their prime.
Craig Mack
Craig Mack emerged in 1994 as one of the first hip-hop artists on Bad Boy Records. He gained attention for his single “Flava in Ya Ear”, but was unfortunately overshadowed with the release of the remix later that year. The Notorious B.I.G. debuted on the remix, along with one of the first solo appearances of Busta Rhymes. Mack was the first to sign with Bad Boy Records, but Biggie’s debut album, Ready to Die, came out right before Mack’s. Additionally, Diddy initially attempted to market Mack and Biggie together on the label. But they had different styles and goals, and the match-up put them both off.
Mack left Bad Boy for his subsequent albums after Diddy made false claims that he was working with Mack on his second album. Even though he continued putting out music, he never regained the success of “Flava in Ya Ear”. His work maybe wasn’t the most innovative hip-hop of the time. But he had a chill, almost mellow style of rapping that deserved more love than it got.
Onyx
Onyx was a hardcore hip-hop group that formed in 1988 and released their debut album, Bacdafucup, in 1993 on Jam Master Jay Records. The entire album earned moderate success for the group, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard 200. While they continued to release albums after the breakout success of the single “Slam”, their most popular years were definitely in the 90s. However, eventually the mainstream attention waned, and Onyx fell mostly into obscurity, besides devoted fans.
Their grimy, aggressive rapping style was interesting, but not as commercially viable as that of other hip-hop artists. Verses were bare-bones, vocals were raw, and the group’s stage presence was loud and in-your-face. Listening to their debut album, it’s saturated with hardcore punk influences even as it’s clearly hip-hop. Maybe they were knowingly inspired by punk, or maybe that was an attitude they naturally gravitated toward. But Onyx were sort of like the rudimentary hip-hop beginnings of groups like Death Grips and Ho99o9.
The Lady of Rage
Robin Allen, known as The Lady of Rage, first gained attention in the early 90s for her features on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle. In 1994, she made her solo debut with the single “Afro Puffs” for the Above the Rim soundtrack. But that song brought her more attention in mainstream hip-hop. She signed to Death Row Records, but didn’t release her first, and only, album, Necessary Roughness, until 1997.
Allen left the music industry to focus on acting in 1998, but she came back periodically to work with her contemporaries. The fact that she only put out one album is a shame, because her vocals are so interesting. Her style is sharp while being almost languid in the way she draws out syllables beyond their natural capacity. Staccato and bouncy, but intimidating and aggressive at the same time. She proves that The Lady of Rage is not a meaningless title, as there seems to be some sort of fury hidden in the back of her voice. As if it’s trying to escape through her vocals, and she’s barely holding it back.
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