# 1998 in hip-hop

This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 1998.

## Released albums

| Release Date | Artist | Album |
| January 13 | The Lox | Money, Power & Respect |
| January 13 | Funkdoobiest | The Troubleshooters |
| January 20 | Saafir | Trigonometry |
| January 20 | Young Bleed | My Balls and My Word |
| January 27 | GP Wu | Don't Go Against the Grain |
| February 3 | Myzery | Para la Isla |
| February 17 | Silkk the Shocker | Charge It 2 da Game |
| February 24 | Above the Law | Legends |
| February 24 | C-Bo | Til My Casket Drops |
| February 24 | E.S.G. | Return of the Living Dead |
| February 24 | Prophet Posse | Body Parts |
| March 3 | Scarface | My Homies |
| March 10 | Killah Priest | Heavy Mental |
| March 17 | Fat Pat | Ghetto Dreams |
| March 24 | Cappadonna | The Pillage |
| March 24 | C-Murder | Life or Death |
| March 24 | Das EFX | Generation EFX |
| March 24 | Hieroglyphics | 3rd Eye Vision |
| March 24 | Lil' Keke | Commission |
| March 24 | People Under the Stairs | The Next Step |
| March 31 | Daz Dillinger | Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back |
| March 31 | Gang Starr | Moment of Truth |
| March 31 | Hussein Fatal | In the Line of Fire |
| March 31 | Smif-n-Wessun | The Rude Awakening |
| April 7 | AZ | Pieces of a Man |
| April 7 | Do or Die | Headz or Tailz |
| April 7 | Fat Pat | Throwed in da Game |
| April 7 | Goodie Mob | Still Standing |
| April 7 | Various Artists | I Got the Hook Up |
| April 13 | Mark B | Hitmen for Hire |
| April 14 | Aceyalone | A Book of Human Language |
| April 20 | Massive Attack | Mezzanine |
| April 21 | Allfrumtha I | Allfrumtha I |
| April 21 | Marvaless | Fearless |
| April 28 | Big Daddy Kane | Veteranz' Day |
| April 28 | Big Pun | Capital Punishment |
| April 28 | Mac Dre | Stupid Doo Doo Dumb |
| April 28 | Public Enemy | He Got Game |
| April 28 | WC | The Shadiest One |
| May 1 | Shades of Culture | Mindstate |
| May 5 | Fiend | There's One in Every Family |
| May 5 | Rawkus Records | Lyricist Lounge, Volume One |
| May 12 | Various Artists | Streets Is Watching soundtrack |
| May 19 | DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince | Greatest Hits |
| May 19 | DMX | It's Dark and Hell Is Hot |
| May 19 | Snoop Dogg | Smokefest Underground |
| May 19 | Soulja Slim | Give It 2 'Em Raw |
| May 19 | Too Short | Nationwide: Independence Day |
| May 19 | Eightball | Lost |
| May 24 | Show and A.G. | Full Scale (EP) |
| May 26 | Mo Thugs | Chapter II: Family Reunion |
| June 1 | Jurassic 5 | Jurassic 5 |
| June 1 | All Natural | No Additives, No Preservatives |
| June 2 | Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz | Make It Reign |
| June 2 | Master P | MP Da Last Don |
| June 2 | Onyx | Shut 'Em Down |
| June 15 | Lewis Parker | Masquerades & Silhouettes |
| June 16 | Devin the Dude | The Dude |
| June 16 | Queen Latifah | Order in the Court |
| June 16 | Z-Ro | Look What You Did to Me |
| June 23 | Andre Nickatina | Raven in My Eyes |
| June 23 | John Forte | Poly Sci |
| June 23 | Ka'Nut | Look At 'Em Now |
| June 23 | Lil' Troy | Sittin' Fat Down South |
| June 30 | Black Eyed Peas | Behind the Front |
| June 30 | Def Squad | El Niño |
| June 30 | Ganksta N-I-P | Interview with a Killa |
| June 30 | MC Ren | Ruthless for Life |
| July 7 | Kane & Abel | Am I My Brother's Keeper |
| July 7 | Noreaga | N.O.R.E. |
| July 14 | Beastie Boys | Hello Nasty |
| July 14 | Celly Cel | The G Filez |
| July 21 | 69 Boyz | The Wait Is Over |
| July 21 | Cam'ron | Confessions of Fire |
| July 21 | Nate Dogg | G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2 |
| July 21 | Mac | Shell Shocked |
| July 21 | Mix Master Mike | Anti-Theft Device |
| July 21 | Rasco | Time Waits for No Man |
| July 21 | Sunz of Man | The Last Shall Be First |
| July 21 | Wu-Tang Clan | The Swarm |
| July 28 | Delinquent Habits | Here Come the Horns |
| August 4 | Snoop Dogg | Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told |
| August 4 | Twiztid | Mostasteless |
| August 11 | Crime Boss | Still at Large |
| August 11 | E-40 | The Element of Surprise |
| August 11 | Funkmaster Flex | The Mix Tape, Vol. III |
| August 11 | Killarmy | Dirty Weaponry |
| August 11 | M.O.P. | First Family 4 Life |
| August 18 | Kid Rock | Devil Without a Cause |
| August 18 | MC Lyte | Seven & Seven |
| August 18 | Styles of Beyond | 2000 Fold |
| August 25 | A.D.O.R. | Shock Frequency |
| August 25 | Biz Markie | On the Turntable |
| August 25 | Lauryn Hill | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill |
| August 25 | Xzibit | 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz |
| September 1 | Big Ed the Assassin | The Assassin |
| September 1 | Fat Joe | Don Cartagena |
| September 1 | Flipmode Squad | The Imperial |
| September 1 | Herschelwood Hardheadz | A Million Dollar$ Later |
| September 8 | Canibus | Can-I-Bus |
| September 8 | Digital Underground | Who Got the Gravy? |
| September 8 | Skull Duggery | These Wicked Streets |
| September 15 | Magic | Sky's the Limit |
| September 15 | The Kaze | Kamakazie Timez Up |
| September 22 | Big Tymers | How You Luv That Vol. 2 |
| September 22 | Ghetto Twiinz | No Pain No Gain |
| September 22 | Ras Kass | Rasassination |
| September 29 | Bad Azz | Word on tha Streets |
| September 29 | Black Star | Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star |
| September 29 | Brand Nubian | Foundation |
| September 29 | Jay-Z | Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life |
| September 29 | No Limit Records | Mean Green |
| September 29 | OutKast | Aquemini |
| September 29 | A Tribe Called Quest | The Love Movement |
| October 6 | Bizzy Bone | Heaven'z Movie |
| October 6 | Cypress Hill | Cypress Hill IV |
| October 6 | Kurupt | Kuruption! |
| October 6 | Mack 10 | The Recipe |
| October 6 | P.M. Dawn | Dearest Christian, I'm So Very Sorry for Bringing You Here. Love, Dad |
| October 6 | Prime Suspects | Guilty 'til Proven Innocent |
| October 6 | Tela | Now or Never |
| October 6 | Twista & the Speedknot Mobstaz | Mobstability |
| October 13 | Heltah Skeltah | Magnum Force |
| October 13 | Various Artists | Slam: The Soundtrack |
| October 13 | The Dynospectrum | The Dynospectrum |
| October 17 | Beat Junkies | World Famous Beat Junkies Vol. 2 |
| October 19 | Ex-Prez | 1019 |
| October 20 | Deadly Venoms | The Antidote |
| October 20 | Ghetto Mafia | On da Grind |
| October 20 | Vanilla Ice | Hard to Swallow |
| October 20 | Gambino Family | Ghetto Organized |
| October 20 | Kool G Rap | Roots of Evil |
| October 27 | Bushwick Bill | No Surrender No Retreat |
| October 27 | Mia X | Mama Drama |
| October 27 | Pras | Ghetto Supastar |
| November 3 | Crucial Conflict | Good Side, Bad Side |
| November 3 | Juvenile | 400 Degreez |
| November 3 | All City | Metropolis Gold |
| November 3 | GRITS | Factors of the Seven |
| November 3 | Yukmouth | Thugged Out: The Albulation |
| November 10 | The Coup | Steal This Album |
| November 10 | Ghetto Commission | Wise Guys |
| November 10 | Pete Rock | Soul Survivor |
| November 17 | Geto Boys | Da Good da Bad & da Ugly |
| November 17 | Ice Cube | War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc) |
| November 17 | Method Man | Tical 2000: Judgement Day |
| November 17 | LA the Darkman | Heist of the Century |
| November 24 | Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | The Collection, Vol. 1 |
| November 24 | DJ Quik | Rhythm-al-ism |
| November 24 | RZA | Bobby Digital in Stereo |
| November 24 | Steady Mobb'n | Black Mafia |
| November 24 | 2Pac | Greatest Hits |
| November 24 | Timbaland | Tim's Bio: Life From Da Bassment |
| December 1 | Full Blooded | Memorial Day |
| December 8 | Redman | Doc's da Name 2000 |
| December 15 | Busta Rhymes | E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front |
| December 15 | Mystikal | Ghetto Fabulous |
| December 15 | DJ Clue | The Professional |
| December 22 | DMX | Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood |
| December 22 | Southside Playaz | You Got Us Fuxxed Up |
| Unknown | Aesop Rock | Music for Earthworms |

## Highest-charting singles

Hip hop singles from any year which charted in the 1998 Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 :
| Song | Artist | Project | Peak position |
| "Doo Wop (That Thing)" | Lauryn Hill | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | 1 |
| "Been Around the World" | Puff Daddy featuring The Notorious B.I.G. & Mase | No Way Out | 2 |
| "What You Want" | Mase featuring Total | Harlem World | 6 |
| "Lookin' at Me" | Mase featuring Puff Daddy | Harlem World | 8 |
| "Dangerous" | Busta Rhymes | When Disaster Strikes | 9 |
| "Turn It Up (Remix)/Fire It Up" | Busta Rhymes | When Disaster Strikes | 10 |
| "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" | Pras featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard & Mýa | Ghetto Supastar | 15 |
| "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" | Jay-Z | Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life | 15 |
| "Money, Power & Respect" | The LOX featuring DMX & Lil Kim | Money, Power & Respect | 17 |
| "Father" | LL Cool J | Phenomenon | 18 |
| "Still a G Thang" | Snoop Dogg | Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told | 19 |
| "Victory" | Puff Daddy featuring The Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes | No Way Out | 19 |
| "Do For Love" | 2Pac featuring Eric Williams | R U Still Down? | 21 |
| "Still Not a Player" | Big Pun | Capital Punishment | 24 |
| "Going Back to Cali" | The Notorious B.I.G | Life After Death | 26 |
| "Intergalactic" | Beastie Boys | Hello Nasty | 28 |
| "The Party Continues" | Jermaine Dupri featuring Da Brat & Usher | Life in 1472 | 29 |
| "If You Think I'm Jiggy" | The LOX | Money, Power & Respect | 30 |
| "Get At Me Dog" | DMX featuring Sheek Louch | It's Dark and Hell is Hot | 36 |
| "Superthug" | N.O.R.E. | N.O.R.E. | 36 |
| "Clock Strikes" | Timbaland & Magoo | Welcome to Our World | 37 |

## Highest first-week album sales

List of top ten albums with the highest first-week home market sales :
| Number | Album | Artist | 1st-week sales | 1st-week position |
| 1 | Hello Nasty | Beastie Boys | 681,000 | 1 |
| 2 | Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood | DMX | 670,000 | 1 |
| 3 | Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told | Snoop Dogg | 520,000 | 1 |
| 4 | MP Da Last Don | Master P | 495,000 | 1 |
| 5 | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | Lauryn Hill | 422,624 | 1 |
| 6 | Tical 2000: Judgement Day | Method Man | 411,000 | 2 |
| 7 | Ghetto Fabulous | Mystikal | 386,000 | 5 |
| 8 | Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life | Jay-Z | 350,000 | 1 |
| 9 | Charge It 2 Da Game | Silkk The Shocker | 288,000 | 3 |
| 10 | It's Dark and Hell Is Hot | DMX | 251,000 | 1 |