1988
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Too Short – Life Is...Too Short
Geto Boys – Making Trouble
Biz Markie – Goin' Off
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five – On the Strength
Derek B – Bullet From A Gun
Run-D.M.C. – Tougher Than Leather
Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew – The World's Greatest Entertainer
Boogie Down Productions – By All
Means Necessary
Audio Two – What More Can I Say?
EPMD – Strictly Business
J.J. Fad – Supersonic
Stetsasonic – In Full Gear
Big Daddy Kane – Long Live the Kane
Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Eric B. & Rakim – Follow the Leader
Salt-N-Pepa – A Salt with a Deadly Pepa
N.W.A — Straight Outta Compton
2 Live Crew – Move Somethin'
Sir Mix-a-Lot — Swass
Eazy-E – Eazy-Duz-It
Ice-T – Power
MC Lyte – Lyte as a Rock
Steady B – Let the Hustlers Play
Marley Marl – In Control, Volume 1
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock – It Takes Two
MC Hammer — Let's Get It Started
Ultramagnetic MC's – Critical Beatdown
Boogie Boys – Romeo Knight
Kid 'n Play – 2 Hype
MC Shan – Born to be Wild
Slick Rick – The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
Jungle Brothers – Straight out the Jungle
King T — Act a Fool
Lakim Shabazz – Pure Righteousness
Kaos – Court's In Session
Busy Bee Starski – Running Thangs
Kurtis Blow – Back By Popular Demand
Sweet Tee – It’s Tee Time
Schoolly D – Smoke Some Kill
Numarx – Our Time Has Come
Cold Crush brothers – Troopers
Chubb Rock – Chubb Rock Featuring Howie T.
The 45 King – Master Of The Game
The Real Roxanne – The Real Roxanne
Superlover Cee & Casanova Rud – Girls I Got Em Locked
D.J. Cash Money & Marvelous – Where’s The Party At?
The 7A3 – Coolin’ in Cali
Rhyme Syndicate – Comin’ Through
JVC Force – Doin’ Damage
Mantronix – In Full Effect -
Eric B. & Rakim – “Microphone Fiend”
BDP – “My Philosophy”
Public Enemy – “Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos”
N.W.A. – “Straight Outta Compton”
Slick Rick – “Children’s Story”
Ice-T – “Colors”
M.C. Lyte – “Paper Thin”
Biz Markie – “Vapors”
EPMD “You Gots To Chill”
Ultramagnetic MCs – “Watch Me Now”
L.L. Cool J – “Jack The Ripper”
Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock – “It Takes Two”
M.C. Lyte – “10% Dis”
De La Soul – “Plug Tunin’”
Jungle Brothers – “Straight Out The Jungle”
Too Short – “Cusswords”
Run-D.M.C. – “Run’s House”
1988 NEWS
YO! MTV Raps debuts in America in August, 1988. The First guests were Run DMC, DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Fresh Prince, and Ready Rock C. Fab Five Freddy Hosted. The show allowed for hip-hop to become an even more video-based enterprise, with access into America’s homes.
US Space Shuttle Program resumes after a 2.5 year hiatus following the Challenger disaster
Washington D.C. has its deadliest year, with 366 murders, largely attributed to the drug trade
The Federal Anti-Drug Abuse act passed, July
Jesse Jackson loses the Democratic Party presidential nomination for the second time, losing to Michael Dukakis. In the process of his running, he moved Black Americans to adopt the term “African-American”
Black Olympians dominated the 1988 Summer Games, including Carl Lewis, Florence Griffith-Joyner, and Jackie Joyner Kersee
Tompkins Square Park riot, August 6-7
Operation Hammer raids continued in Los Angeles, notably, in August, descending on two apartment buildings, and tearing them apart, beating and publicly humiliating residents, none of whom were charged with a crime. Police left graffiti throughout the building. No officers were reprimanded.
