'90s Hip-Hop

Every one of these selections could spark a party in a hot minute, playing off our nostalgia for '90s hip-hop, which bombed the suburbs (Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, The Notorious B.I.G.), catered to the clubs (Onyx, Naughty By Nature, Craig Mack), and cracked the Pop charts (M.C. Hammer, Digital Underground).

The competitive nature of hip-hop at the tail end of the 20th century kept songs fresher than a dozen 6 a.m. donuts, as proven formulas were toyed with by adventurous producers and MCs. The Wu-Tang Clan referenced kung-fu flicks, Eminem offended just about everyone, and OutKast staked its plot in outer space, right near the P-Funk mothership.

It's debatable whether we can really call these radio dial favorites "Deep Cuts." There's DMX baiting and barking at MCs, Method Man establishing his star power, Warren G. asking regulators to "mount up," Nas and Jay-Z battling for the title of greatest mic manipulator, and DJ Kool asking us to please let him clear his throat.

Ah, the '90s — the moment hip-hop went from a street-level movement to a cultural institution. A fine time, if you're into beats and rhymes, as every variety of the precious pair was on display in droves. Things being that way, our '90s Hip-Hop playlist also serves as a fitting summation of the decade itself: turf wars between the East and West Coasts, OutKast and others reinventing pop music, and the likes of P. Diddy and Master P cementing empires from two turntables and a rusty microphone.