Episodes

As we continue our special preview of what is to come in 2022, B. Cox looks back on the year of 1997. It was a year of a transition of some sorts and and one of tragedy. Three major deaths marked the year. including the murder of the Notorious B.I.G. in March in Los Angeles that shocked the hip-hop world. It also produced some unheralded, yet important classic albums that would help shape where the industry was headed for the rest of decade and into the new millenium. Visit The Vault Classic Mus...

In a special preview of some what is to come in 2022, B. Cox looks back on the year of 1992 , an explosive year of change in American society and hip-hop. It was makred by the chaos of the devestating riots of Los Angeles in the wake of the Rodney King verdict, the introduction of the world to the Dream Team at th 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona an entertaining year in film and a hip-hop scene tha provided thrills and changes that would resonate well beyond the calendar dates. Visit The Vault ...

In the last episode of the year, the crew takes time to rank the albums reviewed from 1991, 1996 and 2001 to put a bow on what has been a busy and memorable year for the podcast. Follow The Vault: Classic Music Reviews Online www.vaultclassicpod.com Support The Vault Classic Music Reviews on Buy Me A Coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vaultclassicpod Show Notes Vanyaland: 91 Classic Albums turning 30 in 2021 https://vanyaland.com/2021/01/04/1991-forever-and-ever-91-classic-albums-turning-30-in...

B. Cox and J. Owe look back at Nas ' fifth album Stillmatic . After a couple of critical disappointments in I Am and Nastradamus in 1999 and the ascent of rival Jay-Z both critically and commercial in the hip-hop game in the new millenium, the Queensbridge emcee launched his "comeback" with this latest effort. Being embroiled in a now legendary beef with Jay-Z for the better part of the year and amid whispers that he was on the decline, Nas emerged with his best album since It Was Written , reco...

B. Cox & J. Owe review Redman 's classic third album Muddy Waters . After a successful sophmore album Dare Iz A Darkside and a time when Redman self admitted he was in a dark place and time, the Brick City emcee linked back up with fellow Def Squad member Erick Sermon to close out the ultra competitive year of 1996. Displying a level of emceeing not seen often by even the top emcees and funky, soulful and innovative production by the likes of Sermon and Rockwilder, Redman delivered his best work...

B. Cox reviews Tony! Toni! Tone! 's fourth and final album House of Music . After taking a hiatus after the success of their third album Sons of Soul , the Oakland band reunited to record their final effort. Taking a departure from their previous albums, the group adopted a sound that harkened back to their funk & soul roots of the late 60s and 70s. Working with mostly vintage recording equipment to aid their sound, they also incorporated a 40-piece orchestra in some of their recordings and also...

B. Cox looks back on Ludacris ' sophomore album Word of Mouf as it turns 20. After a commercially successful debut the previous year, the Atlanta emcee burst onto the scene with an equally, if not more impressive follow up. Keeping up with his theme of being braggadocious, witty and comedic at times, he successfuly weaved sharp puchlines and hard hitting metaphors into hits for the clubs and streets equally as well. Working with a all-star cast of producers such as Bangladesh , Jazzie Pha , Timb...

B. Cox & J. Owe review Mobb Deep 's third album Hell On Earth . After releasing their sophmore classic, 1995's The Infamous , to critical acclaim and rave reviews, the duo from Queensbridge followed up the next year with an equally strong effort to announce their intention to be in the game for the long haul. While the album lacks the starpower of tracks and titles that The Infamous displayed, it packs a emphatc and consistent soung of just over an hour filled with new Havoc production. The new ...

The crew reviews Lil' Kim's debut album Hardcore. The highly anticipated debut came on the heels of her being a focal point of Junior M.A.F.I.A's debut the previous year. Unleashing a torrid assult of hardcore lyrics mixed with sexually explicit scenarios and lines that could rival any of her male counterparts, her style helped to open the door for the following generation of female rappers who would follow her lead of shock value of sexual liberation that would soon become the norm when once th...

B. Cox & J. Owe look back at the late Tupac Shakur 's (recording under the alias Makaveli ) fifth studio album and his first posthumous album The Don Killuminati-The 7 Day Theory . Released on Death Row Records not even two months after his fatal shooting in Las Vegas which shook up the entertainment industy, the album featured little features other than the Outlawz and R&B singers Danny Boy, Aaron Hall and K-Ci and Jo-Jo of Jodec i. It also featureed a less heralded group of producers from Deat...

B. Cox & J. Owe review Ice Cube 's classic, but controversial second album Death Certificate . After splitting with NWA and dropping his highly acclaimed debut AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted , Cube followed up with a busy 1991 starting his label, kicking off the careers of fellow West Coast emcess Yo-Yo and Del The Funky Homosapien as well as making his acting debut in the cult classic film Boyz In the Hood. He released his sophomore album with new production help from producers Sir Jinx and Boogiemen....

The crew take a look back at Wu Tang Clan crew member Ghostface Killah 's debut classic album Ironman . After a four year run of exellence that started with the group's groundshifting debut Enter the 36 Chambers followed up by acclaimed solo releases by various group members, the release by the proclaimed Pretty Tone aka Tony Starks was the final solo release from a group member before the groups second album, Forever , in 1997. Backed my soulful, but at times gritty beats, Ghostface showcases h...

It's a bonus episode of 'Cards, Dominoes, Drinks & Smoke'! In this episode, B.Cox and Domo discuss old school southern hip-hop and break it down by Region: SouthEast, Mid-South, and the Gulf Coast aka 3rd Coast. They talk about which acts from each region were their favorites and which region had the most impact on the game today. Follow The Vault: Classic Music Reviews Podcast https://linktr.ee/vaultcmr Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vault-classic-music-reviews-podcast/dona...

B. Cox reviews A Tribe Called Quest 's seismic second album The Low End Theory as it turns 30. Fresh of their successful debut People's Instinctive Travels And Their Paths of Rhythm , the quartet-turned-trio from Queens sought to make a deeper impact on their sophomore album. Buoyed by the presence of inventive jazz samples, stirring and sense tingling bassliness, and the emergence of emcee and group member Phife Dawg, the album laid the groundwork of what many thought was possible with the fusi...

B. Cox reviews The Roots ' third studio album, 1996's Illadelph Halflife . After a respectable success and notoriety from their sophomore offering Do You Want More?!!!???! , the hip-hop band and outfit from Philadelphia found themselves moving a little bit away from their live instrumentation 100 percent output and experimented with samples and drum programming. The sound of a more traditional hip-hop album helped to popularize the group with an hardcore hip-hop audience and the emergence of Bla...

The crew discusses Jay-Z 's sixth studio album, 2001's The Blueprint . The album was released ironically on the same day of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., leaving it overshadowed by tragedy. After the smoke cleared (literally and figuratively), the album emerged as one of the most revered and acclaimed projects to drop in the new millenium, captipulting the Roc-A-Fella CEO and emcee into a another galaxy of success and carrying on the momentum from the end of the 90s. Back...

In this bonus episode, B. Cox gives us a double feature with a two-part episode as the summer starts to wind down. In the first part, he pays homage to the DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (Will Smith) classic 'Summertime' as it turns 30 years old this summer. In the second part, he runs down his Top 10 Summer Jams of 1996, a summer that 25 years ago, many who were around would not forget. Follow The Vault: Classic Music Reviews Podcast https://linktr.ee/vaultcmr Support this podcast at — https:...

B. Cox welcomes 12Kyle of The 12 Kyle Podcast to review OutKast 's sophmore hit album ATLiens . After shaking up and introducing themselves on the hip-hop scene with their classic debut album Southernplayaisticadillacmuzik , Dre and Big Bo i sought to make a project that would solidfy their position as major players in the hip-hop scene nationally and internationally. Spurned once again by production from Organized Noize and also their debut into self-production, the duo spun tales of growth, ca...

The crew discuss the late singer Aaliyah 's classic second album One In A Million . After a succesful debut under the guise of R. Kelly (which ended in legal troubles and a seperation), the talented young songtress took her success and stardom to the next level by linking up with producer Timbaland and rapper, singer and songwriter Missy Elliot . Backed by furturistic and innovative production of Timbaland and songwriting assistance and background vocals from Missy, Aaliyah's talent and dedicati...

B. Cox & J. Owe review West Coast and Hispanic iconic group Cypress Hill 's self-titled debut album Cypress Hill . After undergoing a couple interations with group members, the trio of B. Real , Sen Dog and DJ Muggs brought their debut album onto the seed over snapped and hard production over rhymes filled with references of life in the streets on the West Coast, dark humor and most of all, weed. Their foray into the marijuana sub culture made their pioneers prior to even the exploits of fellow ...

B. Cox once again welcomes Nathan "The Professor" Rideaux of Food Dope Podcast to review UGK 's third album, the southern classic Ridin' Dirty . After feeling neglected, underutilized and underfunded by their record lable Jive, the Texas duo went to work to lay their classic album to prove them and the industry wrong. Over soulful, funky and bass heavy production by Pimp C and N.O. Joe , they sought to bring the industry to a slice of life in their corner of the world in Texas; life riddled with...

In a bonus episode of The Guest Lounge , B. Cox sits down with Sumit Sharma & Chris Mitchell of the Breaking Atoms Podcast . Based in the United Kingdom, Sharma and Mitchell have built one of the more intuitive, insightful and entertaing hip-hop podcasts in the industry. He chats with the duo about their journey as hip-hop fans, content creators and their motivation for starting the podcast. He also digs deep on the success of their recently critically acclaimed audio documentary Brookyln's Fine...

B. Cox reviews A Tribe Called Quest 's fourth studio album Beats, Rhymes & Life . It was Tribe's first album since their classic third album Midnight Marauders and a three year gap between projects. In their return, the group grabbed their first No. 1 album on the charts which went platinum. While promising at first, the album suffered from a noticable lack of cohesion and disjointedness. While the album's production (handled by the new production trio the Umma) and lyrical content was a bright ...

B. Cox reviews Main Source 's classic debut album 1991's Breaking Atoms . It was a wildly creative and sonically pleasing debut combining the exploits of twin brother DJs K-Cut and Sir Scratch along with emcee and soon to be legendary producer Large Professo r. Behind funky and soulful sample based beats teamed up with Large Professor's prolific rhymes, the album tackled issues such failed relationships, emcee double crossing, police brutality, violence in the community and even featured the now...