DREAM TEAM 5: 1991 feat 2Pac, Ice-T, Geto Boys, NWA, A Tribe Called Quest and more!

In this episode we journey back to the early stages of hip-hop’s golden era and put together a playlist of our favourite tracks from 1991.

It was the year that hip-hop erupted with groundbreaking albums and cultural milestones. Public Enemy continued their legacy of politically charged anthems, while A Tribe Called Quest redefined jazz-infused rap. Ice Cube's solo sophomore effort ‘Death Certificate’ sparked controversy with its raw social commentary, contrasting with Naughty by Nature's patented brand of party bangers.

Meanwhile, the debut album by a young, hungry Tupac Shakur introduced his poetic lyricism and social activism, while Cypress Hill brought a gritty West Coast flavour to the forefront with their self-titled debut album. Yep, 1991 was a pivotal year, shaping hip-hop's diverse landscape for years to come.

In this epic Dream Team episode, Danny, James and Steve attempt to knock a squad of 22 songs down to 11 by drawing them against each other in a series of one-on-one matches and using the three-man vote to decide the winner each time. 

The 11 winning tracks earn a place on our Spotify playlist, the losers get an early bath. We also decide on the team's name, manager and star player. All that, plus quiz questions, ‘Urgent News’ and the usual mix of nonsense. Don’t miss it!

THE 1991 SQUAD:

1. 2Pac ‘If My Homie Calls’ 
2. A Tribe Called Quest ‘Scenario’ 
3. Big Daddy Kane feat Little Daddy Shane ‘Brother Brother’ 
4. Black Sheep ‘The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)’ 
5. Cypress Hill ‘How I Could Just Kill a Man’ 
6. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien ‘Ahonetwo Ahonetwo’ 
7. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince ‘Summertime’ 
8. DJ Quik ‘Sweet Black Pussy’ 
9. Gang Starr ‘Just To Get A Rep’ 
10. Geto Boys ‘Mind Playing Tricks On Me’ 
11. Heavy D & The Boyz ‘Don’t Curse’ 
12. Ice Cube ‘Bird In The Hand’ 
13. Ice-T ‘O.G. Original Gangster’ 
14. KMD ‘Soulflexin’’ 
15. Main Source ‘Live At The Barbeque’ 
16. Naughty By Nature ‘OPP’ 
17. Nice & Smooth ‘Sometimes I Rhyme Slow’ 
18. NWA ‘Real Niggaz Don’t Die’ 
19. Public Enemy ‘Shut ‘Em Down (Pete Rock Remix)’ 
20. Terminator X ‘Homey Don’t Play Dat’ 
21. The UMC’s ‘One To Grow On’  
22. Tim Dog ‘Fuck Compton’ 

DREAM TEAM 1991 SPOTIFY PLAYLIST:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2zByTKTPp4LVvQHA6mpDs4?si=XJ9CXdLXRAm02nUzGq2IIQ

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Beats and stings by Danny Phillips: ⁠https://soundcloud.com/dannyphillips1978