# 1990 in hip-hop

This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 1990.

## Released albums

| Release Date | Artist | Album |
| January 17 | Geto Boys | The Geto Boys |
| January 25 | Low Profile | We're in This Together |
| February 6 | Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth | Funky Technician |
| February 12 | Bobby Jimmy and the Critters | Hip-Hop Prankster |
| February 12 | MC Hammer | Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em |
| February 20 | Above The Law | Livin' Like Hustlers |
| March 19 | Salt-n-Pepa | Blacks' Magic |
| March 20 | Digital Underground | Sex Packets |
| March 27 | Everlast | Forever Everlasting |
| March 28 | The Dogs | The Dogs |
| April 1 | Three Times Dope | Live From Acknickulous Land |
| April 10 | A Tribe Called Quest | People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm |
| April 10 | Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. | New Funky Nation |
| April 10 | Public Enemy | Fear of a Black Planet |
| April 11 | MC Shan | Play It Again, Shan |
| April 17 | Audio Two | I Don't Care: The Album |
| April 24 | X Clan | To the East, Blackwards |
| May 1 | Kwamé | A Day In the Life: A Pokadelick Adventure |
| May 18 | Ice Cube | AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted |
| May 22 | K-Solo | Tell the World My Name |
| May 29 | Poor Righteous Teachers | Holy Intellect |
| May 30 | Antoinette | Burnin' at 20 Below |
| June 12 | MC Trouble | Gotta Get a Grip |
| June 19 | Compton's Most Wanted | It's a Compton Thang |
| June 19 | Eric B. & Rakim | Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em |
| July 2 | Kid Sensation | Rollin' with Number One |
| July 10 | Kid Frost | Hispanic Causing Panic |
| July 10 | Tragedy Khadafi | Intelligent Hoodlum |
| July 11 | Choice | The Big Payback |
| July 13 | Luke | The Luke LP |
| July 16 | The Jaz | To Your Soul |
| July 17 | Boogie Down Productions | Edutainment |
| July 24 | D-Nice | Call Me D-Nice |
| July 24 | Masta Ace | Take a Look Around |
| July 31 | Special Ed | Legal |
| August 7 | CPO | To Hell and Black |
| August 14 | Kool G Rap & DJ Polo | Wanted: Dead or Alive |
| August 14 | N.W.A | 100 Miles and Runnin' |
| August 14 | The Afros | Kickin' Afrolistics |
| August 20 | Poison Clan | 2 Low Life Muthas |
| August 30 | Cool C | Life in the Ghetto |
| September 10 | Vanilla Ice | To the Extreme |
| September 11 | Too Short | Short Dog's in the House |
| September 14 | LL Cool J | Mama Said Knock You Out |
| September 24 | King T | At Your Own Risk |
| October 2 | Candyman | Ain't No Shame in My Game |
| October 5 | Ex Movement | Ex Movement |
| October 9 | Paris | The Devil Made Me Do It |
| October 15 | Chubb Rock | Treat 'Em Right (EP) |
| October 15 | Father MC | Father's Day |
| October 15 | Lakim Shabazz | The Lost Tribe of Shabazz |
| October 16 | Grand Daddy I.U. | Smooth Assassin |
| October 16 | Run-D.M.C. | Back from Hell |
| October 30 | Monie Love | Down To Earth |
| October 30 | Big Daddy Kane | Taste of Chocolate |
| October 30 | Lighter Shade of Brown | Brown & Proud |
| November 22 | Malcolm McLaren and The World's Famous Supreme Team | Round the Outside!, Round the Outside! |
| November 27 | Kid Rock | Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast |
| December 4 | Brand Nubian | One for All |
| December 7 | J.J. Fad | Not Just a Fad |
| December 18 | EPMD | Business as Usual |
| December 18 | Ice Cube | Kill at Will |
| Unknown | DJ Kool | The Music Ain't Loud Enuff |
| Unknown | Lil Mac | Lyrical Midget |
| Unknown | Isis | Rebel Soul |
| Unknown | Professor X the Overseer | Years Of The 9, On The Blackhand Side |
| Unknown | The Afro's | Kickin' Afrolistics |
| Unknown | YZ | Sons of the Father |
| Unknown | King Sun | Righteous But Ruthless |
| Unknown | Kings Of Swing | Strategy |
| Unknown | Mantronix | This Should Move Ya |
| Unknown | Outlaw Posse | My Afro's On Fire! |
| Unknown | Rodney-O & Joe Cooley | Three the Hard Way |
| Unknown | Michael Peace | Loud-N-Clear |
| Unknown | Barsha | Barsha's Explicit Lyrics |
| Unknown | Shazzy | Attitude: A Hip Hop Rapsody |
| Unknown | D-Boy Rodriguez | Lyrical Strength of One Street Poet |
| Unknown | Dooley-O | Watch My Moves 1990 |
| Unknown | P.K.O. | Armed and Dangerous |
| Unknown | She Rockers | Rockers from London... |
| Unknown | Pooh-Man | Life of a Criminal |
| Unknown | Whistle | Always and Forever |
| Unknown | MC Shy D | Don't Sweat Me |
| Unknown | 415 | 41Fivin |
| Unknown | I.A.P. | Shock The World |
| Unknown | Mark Dee | All In A Day's Work |
| Unknown | Joeski Love | Joe Cool |

## Highest-charting singles

Hip hop singles from any year which charted in the 1990 Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 :
| Song | Artist | Project | Peak position |
| "Ice Ice Baby" | Vanilla Ice | To the Extreme | 1 |
| "Pray" | MC Hammer | Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em | 2 |
| "Have You Seen Her" | MC Hammer | Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em | 4 |
| "U Can't Touch This" | MC Hammer | Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em | 8 |
| "Just a Friend" | Biz Markie | The Biz Never Sleeps | 9 |