# 1996 in hip-hop

This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 1996.

## Released albums

| Release Date | Artist | Album |
| January 9 | Kid Rock | Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp |
| January 9 | The Brotherhood | Elementalz |
| January 23 | The D.O.C. | Helter Skelter |
| January 23 | Speech | Speech |
| January 30 | Eazy-E | Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton |
| February 13 | 2Pac | All Eyez on Me |
| February 13 | Fugees | The Score |
| February 13 | Mad Skillz | From Where??? |
| February 20 | Ganksta N-I-P | Psychotic Genius |
| February 20 | Lord Finesse | Awakening |
| February 27 | Dark Sun Riders | Seeds of Evolution |
| February 27 | Suga-T | Paper Chasin' |
| March 5 | The Conscious Daughters | Gamers |
| March 12 | Plains of Fascination | Join the Ranks |
| March 12 | Wise Intelligent | Killin' U... For Fun |
| March 19 | Bahamadia | Kollage |
| March 19 | Rappin' 4-Tay | Off Parole |
| March 19 | Smoothe da Hustler | Once Upon a Time in America |
| March 26 | Busta Rhymes | The Coming |
| March 26 | Cella Dwellas | Realms 'n Reality |
| March 26 | DJ Yella | One Mo Nigga ta Go |
| March 26 | Ill Biskits | Chronicle of Two Losers: The First Edition |
| March 26 | Nonchalant | Until the Day |
| April 2 | Beastie Boys | The In Sound From Way Out! |
| April 2 | Geto Boys | The Resurrection |
| April 9 | MC Eiht | Death Threatz |
| April 9 | MC Ren | The Villain in Black |
| April 9 | Chino XL | Here to Save You All |
| April 16 | Master P | Ice Cream Man |
| April 16 | Kwest Tha Madd Lad | This Is My First Album |
| April 19 | Insane Clown Posse | Tunnel of Love |
| April 23 | Mac Mall | Untouchable |
| April 23 | Erick Sermon | Insomnia |
| April 23 | DJ Kool | Let Me Clear My Throat |
| April 30 | Celly Cel | Killa Kali |
| May 7 | Esham | Dead Flowerz |
| May 7 | Kool Keith | Dr. Octagonecologyst |
| May 14 | Luke | Uncle Luke |
| May 14 | MC Breed | To Da Beat Ch'all |
| May 14 | Real Live | The Turnaround: A Long Awaited Drama |
| May 15 | Messy Marv | Messy Situationz |
| May 21 | Dr. Dre | First Round Knock Out |
| May 21 | Lil' ½ Dead | Steel on a Mission |
| May 21 | Too $hort | Gettin' It (Album Number Ten) |
| May 28 | Shyheim | The Lost Generation |
| May 28 | Pete Miser | What It Be... |
| June 1 | People Without Shoes | Thoughts of an Optimist |
| June 1 | Hyenas In The Desert | Die Laughing |
| June 4 | Delinquent Habits | Delinquent Habits |
| June 4 | Digital Underground | Future Rhythm |
| June 4 | Lost Boyz | Legal Drug Money |
| June 4 | Ice-T | Ice-T VI: Return of the Real |
| June 4 | Kool G Rap | Rated XXX |
| June 11 | Heather B | Takin' Mine |
| June 18 | Heltah Skeltah | Nocturnal |
| June 18 | Jewel-T | Gangsta Chronicles |
| June 25 | Jay-Z | Reasonable Doubt |
| June 25 | Punk Barbarians | Sex, Props, Cream... And The Drama In Between |
| June 25 | Quad City DJ's | Get On Up and Dance |
| June 25 | Various Artists | America Is Dying Slowly |
| June 25 | Prince Paul | Psychoanalysis: What Is It? |
| July 2 | Crucial Conflict | The Final Tic |
| July 2 | De La Soul | Stakes Is High |
| July 2 | N.W.A | Greatest Hits |
| July 2 | Nas | It Was Written |
| July 9 | New Kingdom | Paradise Don't Come Cheap |
| July 15 | Funk Mobb | It Ain't 4 Play |
| July 15 | Al' Tariq | God Connections |
| July 15 | Sadat X | Wild Cowboys |
| July 23 | 11/5 | A-1 Yola |
| July 30 | A Tribe Called Quest | Beats, Rhymes and Life |
| July 30 | Mr. Mike | Wicked Wayz |
| July 30 | UGK | Ridin' Dirty |
| August 6 | Marvaless | Wiccked |
| August 6 | Nine | Cloud 9 |
| August 13 | Akinyele | Put It In Your Mouth |
| August 13 | Blahzay Blahzay | Blah Blah Blah |
| August 13 | Cypress Hill | Unreleased and Revamped |
| August 13 | Facemob | The Other Side of the Law |
| August 13 | Tha Mexakinz | Tha Mexakinz |
| August 20 | Insane Poetry | Blacc Plague |
| August 20 | Paperboy | City to City |
| August 20 | Silkk | The Shocker |
| August 27 | A+ | Latch Key Child |
| August 27 | Passion | Baller's Lady |
| August 27 | MC Lyte | Bad As I Wanna B |
| August 27 | OutKast | ATLiens |
| September 3 | Do or Die | Picture This |
| September 3 | Dru Down | Can You Feel Me |
| September 10 | Young Ed | Time To Stack |
| September 10 | Foesum | Perfection |
| September 16 | DJ Shadow | Endtroducing..... |
| September 17 | Mr. 3-2 | The Wicked Buddah Baby |
| September 17 | Whodini | Six |
| September 21 | Juggaknots | Clear Blue Skies |
| September 24 | Dr. Dre | Back 'n the Day |
| September 24 | The Roots | Illadelph Halflife |
| September 24 | Raw Breed | Killa Instinct |
| October 1 | The Dayton Family | F.B.I. (Fuck Being Indicted) |
| October 1 | Ras Kass | Soul on Ice |
| October 1 | Guce | Clear and present danger |
| October 10 | Ultra | Big Time |
| October 11 | Grav | Down to Earth |
| October 15 | Da Bush Babees | Gravity |
| October 15 | Jeru the Damaja | Wrath of the Math |
| October 15 | Poor Righteous Teachers | The New World Order |
| October 15 | Xzibit | At the Speed of Life |
| October 22 | Westside Connection | Bow Down |
| October 22 | PMD | Business is Business |
| October 22 | M.O.P. | Firing Squad |
| October 22 | House of Pain | Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again |
| October 22 | Chuck D | Autobiography of Mistachuck |
| October 22 | Above the Law | Time Will Reveal |
| October 27 | E-40 | Tha Hall of Game |
| October 29 | Black Moon | Diggin' In Dah Vaults |
| October 29 | Da Brat | Anuthatantrum |
| October 29 | II D Extreme | From I Extreme II Another |
| October 29 | Ghostface Killah | Ironman |
| October 29 | O.G.C. | Da Storm |
| October 29 | Yo-Yo | Total Control |
| November 5 | LL Cool J | All World: Greatest Hits |
| November 5 | Makaveli (formerly 2Pac) | The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory |
| November 5 | Mo Thugs | Family Scriptures |
| November 5 | Richie Rich | Seasoned Veteran |
| November 5 | Tela | Piece of Mind |
| November 12 | Eminem | Infinite |
| November 12 | Lil' Kim | Hard Core |
| November 12 | Snoop Doggy Dogg | Tha Doggfather |
| November 19 | The Almighty RSO | Doomsday: Forever RSO |
| November 19 | Flesh-N-Bone | T.H.U.G.S. (Trues Humbly United Gathering Souls) |
| November 19 | Foxy Brown | Ill Na Na |
| November 19 | Mobb Deep | Hell on Earth |
| November 19 | Shaquille O'Neal | You Can't Stop the Reign |
| November 26 | Aftermath Entertainment | Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath |
| November 26 | B-Legit | The Hemp Museum |
| November 26 | Keith Murray | Enigma |
| November 26 | B.G. | Chopper City |
| December 3 | Three 6 Mafia | Chapter 1: The End |
| December 10 | Redman | Muddy Waters |
| December 10 | Big Noyd | Episodes of a Hustla |
| Unknown | San Quinn | The Hustle Continues |
| Unknown | Deadringaz | New Ringa Order |
| Unknown | Freak Nasty | Controversee...That's Life...And That's the Way It Is |
| Unknown | Smoothe Da Hustler | Once Upon A Time In America |
| Unknown | Young Lay | Black 'N Dangerous |
| Unknown | Ill Biskits | Chronicles of Two Losers: First Edition |

## Highest-charting singles

Hip hop singles from any year which charted in the 1996 Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 :
| Song | Artist | Project | Peak position |
| "California Love" | 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman | All Eyez On Me | 1 |
| "How Do U Want It" | 2Pac featuring K-Ci & Jojo | All Eyez On Me | 1 |
| "Tha Crossroads" | Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | E. 1999 Eternal | 1 |
| "Loungin" | LL Cool J | Mr. Smith | 3 |
| "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" | Coolio | Gangsta's Paradise | 5 |
| "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check | Busta Rhymes | The Coming | 8 |
| "Doin' It" | LL Cool J | Mr. Smith | 9 |
| "Elevators (Me & You)" | OutKast | ATLiens | 12 |
| "Tonite's Tha Night" | Kris Kross | Young, Rich & Dangerous | 12 |
| "Get Money" | Junior M.A.F.I.A. featuring The Notorious B.I.G. | Conspiracy | 17 |
| "Bow Down" | Westside Connection | Bow Down | 21 |
| "Po Pimp" | Do or Die featuring Twista | Picture This | 22 |
| "Too Hot" | Coolio | Gangsta's Paradise | 24 |
| "Fu-Gee-La" | Fugees | The Score | 26 |
| "It's All the Way Live (Now)" | Coolio | Eddie (soundtrack) | 29 |
| "What's Love Got to Do with It" | Warren G featuring Adina Howard | Supercop (soundtrack) | 32 |

## Highest first-week sales

List of top ten albums with the highest first-week home market sales :
| Number | Album | Artist | 1st-week sales | 1st-week position | Genre |
| 1 | The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory | 2Pac | 664,000 | 1 | West Coast hip hop |
| 2 | All Eyez On Me | 2Pac | 566,500 | 1 | West Coast hip hop |
| 3 | Tha Doggfather | Snoop Doggy Dogg | 470,971 | 1 | West Coast hip hop |
| 4 | It Was Written | Nas | 268,000 | 1 | East Coast hip hop |
| 5 | Family Scriptures | Mo Thugs | 219,000 | 2 | East Coast hip hop |