# 1997 in hip-hop

This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 1997.

## Released albums

| Release Date | Artist | Album | Notes |
| January 14 | Various Artists | Rhyme & Reason: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Debuted at no. 16 on the Billboard 200 Certified Gold |
| January 28 | Camp Lo | Uptown Saturday Night | |
| January 28 | Various Artists | West Coast Bad Boyz II | Debuted at no. 16 on the Billboard 200 Certified Gold |
| February 4 | Kool Keith | Sex Style | |
| February 4 | C-Bo | One Life 2 Live | |
| February 11 | Frankie Cutlass | Politics & Bullshit | |
| February 11 | Funkmaster Flex | The Mix Tape, Vol. II | Debuted at no. 19 on the Billboard 200 Certified Gold |
| February 18 | Luniz | Bootlegs & B-Sides | |
| February 18 | TRU | Tru 2 da Game | Debuted at no. 8 on the Billboard 200 Certified 2 x Platinum |
| March 4 | Soul Assassins | The Soul Assassins, Chapter I | Debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 |
| March 11 | Ghetto Mafia | Straight from the Dec | |
| March 11 | Scarface | The Untouchable | Debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Certified Platinum |
| March 25 | The Notorious B.I.G. | Life After Death | Debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Certified Diamond |
| March 25 | Warren G | Take a Look Over Your Shoulder | Debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 Certified Gold |
| March 25 | Tracey Lee | Many Facez | |
| April 7 | Big Tymers | How You Luv That | |
| April 8 | 3X Crazy | Stackin' Chips | |
| April 8 | Big Mike | Still Serious | |
| April 8 | Crime Boss | Conflicts & Confusion | |
| April 8 | Us3 | Broadway & 52nd | |
| April 15 | Artifacts | That's Them | Debuted at no. 134 on the Billboard 200 |
| April 22 | Ill Al Skratch | Keep It Movin' | |
| May 6 | Steady Mobb'n | Pre-Meditated Drama | |
| May 13 | Juvenile | Solja Rags | |
| May 20 | Boot Camp Clik | For the People | |
| May 20 | KRS-One | I Got Next | Debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 Certified Gold |
| May 20 | Various Artists | I'm Bout It | Debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 |
| June | Esham | Bruce Wayne: Gothom City 1987 | |
| June 1 | Down Ta Erf | Down Ta Erf | |
| June 3 | Wu-Tang Clan | Wu-Tang Forever | Debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Certified 4 x Platinum |
| June 3 | Jungle Brothers | Raw Deluxe | |
| June 3 | World-famous Beat Junkies | The World Famous Beat Junkies Volume 1 | |
| June 3 | Teflon | My Will | |
| June 10 | Mike Ladd | Easy Listening 4 Armageddon | |
| June 15 | Cru | Da Dirty 30 | |
| June 17 | Capone-N-Noreaga | The War Report | Debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 |
| June 17 | Lil' Keke | Don't Mess wit Texas | |
| June 17 | The Lost Boyz | Love, Peace & Nappiness | |
| June 17 | Boogiemonsters | God Sound | |
| June 24 | The Beatnuts | Stone Crazy | |
| June 24 | Craig Mack | Operation: Get Down | |
| June 24 | Insane Clown Posse | The Great Milenko | |
| June 24 | Twista | Adrenaline Rush | Debuted at No. 77 on the Billboard 200 Certified Gold |
| June 24 | Mia X | Unlady Like | |
| June 24 | The Lady of Rage | Necessary Roughness | |
| June 24 | Wyclef Jean | Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival | Debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 Certified 2 x Platinum |
| July 1 | B.G. | It's All on U, Vol. 1 | |
| July 1 | Ghetto Twiinz | In That Water | |
| July 11 | Slum Village | Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1) | |
| July 13 | Chubb Rock | The Mind | |
| July 15 | DJ Pooh | Bad Newz Travels Fast | |
| July 15 | Missy Elliott | Supa Dupa Fly | Debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 Certified Platinum |
| July 22 | Company Flow | Funcrusher Plus | |
| July 22 | Puff Daddy & the Family | No Way Out | Debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Certified 7 x Platinum |
| July 29 | Bone Thugs-n-Harmony | The Art of War | Debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Certified 4 x Platinum |
| July 29 | D-Shot | Six Figures | |
| July 29 | Rampage | Scout's Honor... By Way of Blood | |
| July 29 | Trick Daddy | Based On A True Story | |
| August 5 | Atmosphere | Overcast! | |
| August 5 | Killarmy | Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars | |
| August 5 | Mr. Serv-On | Life Insurance | |
| August 5 | Various Artists | How to Be a Player | |
| August 12 | Hed PE | Hed PE | |
| August 19 | O.C. | Jewelz |
| August 19 | Royal Flush | Ghetto Millionaire |
| August 26 | Coolio | My Soul | Debuted at No. 39 on the Billboard 200 Certified Platinum |
| August 26 | Diamond D | Hatred, Passions and Infidelity | |
| August 26 | Latryx | The Album | |
| August 26 | The Mossie | Have Heart Have Money | |
| August 26 | Tha Alkaholiks | Likwidation | |
| September 2 | Master P | Ghetto D | Debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Certified 3 x Platinum |
| September 16 | Gravediggaz | The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel | Debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 Certified Platinum |
| September 16 | Mack 10 | Based on a True Story | Debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 Certified Gold |
| September 16 | Busta Rhymes | When Disaster Strikes... | Debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 Certified Platinum |
| September 23 | EPMD | Back in Business | Debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 Certified Gold |
| September 23 | MC Breed | Flatline |
| September 23 | Mood | Doom | |
| September 23 | Organized Konfusion | The Equinox |
| September 23 | The X-Ecutioners | X-Pressions |
| September 23 | No I.D. | Accept Your Own and Be Yourself (The Black Album) |
| September 30 | Common | One Day It'll All Make Sense | Debuted at No. 61 on the Billboard 200 |
| September 30 | RBL Posse | An Eye for an Eye | Debuted at No. 70 at the Billboard 200 |
| October 14 | Kinfusion | Da Unhatched Breed | |
| October 14 | Jurassic 5 | Jurassic 5 | |
| October 14 | LL Cool J | Phenomenon | Debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 Certified Platinum |
| October 14 | Rawkus Records | Soundbombing | |
| October 21 | The Firm | The Album | |
| October 21 | Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz | Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album | |
| October 21 | Salt-n-Pepa | Brand New | |
| October 28 | Hot Boys | Get It How U Live! | |
| October 28 | Mase | Harlem World |
| October 28 | Natas | Multikillionaire: The Devil's Contract | |
| October 28 | Psycho Realm | The Psycho Realm |
| October 28 | Spice 1 | The Black Bossalini | |
| November 4 | Jay-Z | In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 | Debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 Certified Platinum |
| November 4 | Jedi Mind Tricks | The Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro-Magnetic Manipulation of Human Consciousness | |
| November 4 | Mic Geronimo | Vendetta | |
| November 4 | Rakim | The 18th Letter | Certified Gold |
| November 4 | Three 6 Mafia | Chapter 2: World Domination | |
| November 10 | MC Lyte | Badder Than B-Fore | |
| November 11 | B.G. | It's All on U, Vol. 2 | |
| November 11 | Luniz | Lunitik Muzik'' | Certified Gold |
| November 11 | Luke | Changin' the Game | |
| November 11 | MC Eiht | Last Man Standing | |
| November 11 | Mystikal | Unpredictable | Debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 Certified Platinum |
| November 11 | Timbaland & Magoo | Welcome to Our World | |
| November 18 | 5th Ward Boyz | Usual Suspects | |
| November 18 | Del the Funky Homosapien | Future Development | |
| November 18 | MJG | No More Glory | |
| November 25 | DFC | The Whole World's Rotten | |
| November 25 | Will Smith | Big Willie Style | |
| November 25 | 2Pac | R U Still Down? (Remember Me) | Debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 Certified 4 x Platinum |
| December 10 | Eminem | Slim Shady EP |
| December 16 | Ice Cube | Featuring...Ice Cube | |
| December 16 | Queen Pen | My Melody | Debuted at No. 78 on the Billboard 200 |
| December 23 | Eightball & MJG | Lyrics of a Pimp | |

## Highest-charting singles

Hip hop singles which charted in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 :
| Title | Artist | Peak position |
| "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" | P. Diddy feat. Mase | 1 |
| "I'll Be Missing You" | P. Diddy feat. Faith Evans & 112 | 1 |
| "Hypnotize" | The Notorious B.I.G. | 1 |
| "Mo Money Mo Problems" | The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy & Mase | 1 |
| "It's All About the Benjamins" | P. Diddy feat. Lil' Kim, The Lox & The Notorious B.I.G. | 2 |
| "Look into My Eyes" | Bone Thugs-n-Harmony | 4 |
| "Feel So Good" | Mase | 5 |
| "Dangerous" | Busta Rhymes | 9 |
| "C U When U Get There" | Coolio featuring 40 Thevz | 12 |
| "Smile" | Scarface featuring 2Pac & Johnny P. | 12 |
| "Ghetto Love" | Da Brat ft. T-Boz | 12 |
| "Up Jumps da Boogie" | Timbaland & Magoo featuring Aaliyah & Missy Elliott | 12 |
| "I Shot The Sheriff" | Warren G | 20 |
| "Street Dreams" | Nas | 22 |
| "I Miss My Homies" | Master P ft. Silkk the Shocker, Pimp C & Sons of Funk | 25 |
| "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" | Busta Rhymes | 27 |
| "If I Could Teach the World" | Bone Thugs-n-Harmony | 27 |
| "What They Do" | The Roots | 34 |
| "Smokin' Me Out" | Warren G ft. Ronald Isley | 35 |
| "ATLiens" | OutKast | 35 |
| "Backyard Boogie" | Mack 10 | 38 |
| "Gangstas Make the World Go Round" | Westside Connection | 40 |

## 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 | Life After Death | The Notorious B.I.G. | 690,000 | 1 | East Coast Hip Hop |
| 2 | Wu-Tang Forever | Wu-Tang Clan | 612,000 | 1 | East Coast Hip Hop |
| 3 | No Way Out | Puff Daddy & the Bad Boy Family | 561,000 | 1 | East Coast Hip Hop |
| 4 | R U Still Down? (Remember Me) | 2Pac | 549,000 | 2 | West Coast Hip Hop |
| 5 | The Art Of War | Bone Thugs-n-Harmony | 394,000 | 1 | Midwest Hip Hop |
| 6 | Harlem World | Mase | 270,000 | 1 | East Coast Hip Hop |
| 7 | Ghetto D | Master P | 260,000 | 1 | Southern Hip Hop |
| 8 | Tru 2 da Game | TRU | 200,000 | 8 | Southern hip hop |
| 9 | The Untouchable | Scarface | 169,000 | 1 | Southern hip hop |
| 10 | When Disaster Strikes... | Busta Rhymes | 165,000 | 3 | |