10 Most Underrated Hip-Hop Albums Of All Time
9. Princess Nokia - 1992 Deluxe
No city has given more to hip-hop than New York, and few rappers are as quintessentially New York as Princess Nokia. Her second studio album, 2017’s 1992 Deluxe, is a tribute to being young and foolish in the Big Apple, as well as an album full of one liners and braggadocio that shows off her infections, distinctive flow and effective melding of old and new sounds.
The record kicks off with “Bart Simpson” a track that bigs up its ‘90s influence in its stripped back beat as well as its subject matter. Nokia depicts a misspent youth in a manner that would shock the titular cartoon 10 year old - they share a love of skateboarding, but everything past that is beyond the pale.
“Brujas”, with its skittery sound and manipulated vocals, hits a far more modern feel, demonstrating the versatility of Nokia’s performance. She knows exactly when to lay back and when to up the energy, and pulls in a number of influences in this track discussing her mixed ethnicity background.
Another highlight is “Saggy Denim”, on which she trades bars with similarly uber-New York emcee Wiki. It’s another killer beat, here produced by Sound M.O.B. It pulls in a bevy of retro soul sounds to create a track dramatic enough to satisfy any major rapper.