Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 11/01/2025 02:45
- (Created: 12/04/2011 20:30).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 22 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 45 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from A Tribe Called Quest. (Remove this filter)
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1991 – JIVE
Produced By A TRIBE CALLED QUEST & SKEFF ANSELM
1. Excursions
2. Buggin’ Out
3. Rap Promoter
4. Butter
5. Verses From The Abstract
6. Show Business
7. Vibes And Stuff
8. The Infamous Date Rape
9. Check The Rhime
10. Everything Is Fair
11. Jazz (We’ve Got)
12. Skypager
13. What?
14. Scenario
The Low End Theory has been called the Sgt. Pepper’s of hip hop, and that may actually be the most accurate description of A Tribe Called Quest’s second album. Forget that the multitude of early 90’s references (pagers, Bell Biv Devoe, fades) sound painfully dated…this is one of the great hip hop masterpieces, and will always remain so. The key to this album, and the importance of it all,
is jazz. DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad expands on his use of jazz samples from their debut album to include pieces that are, at times, so subtle that they are almost invisible. This marriage of hip hop and jazz turns out to be completely natural, and it works amazingly well. Minimalism is something that hip hop has embraced, but with only a few exceptions, it has not done it well. Those few exceptions exist mostly on The Low End Theory, an album that both artists and producers should revisit much more often.
The highlights here are “Check The Rhime”, “Scenario” (with Busta Rhymes), and “Jazz (We’ve Got)”, but there are plenty of stellar moments. “Butter” flows like the title. “Excursions” features a nice sample from Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. Everything here flows like it’s supposed to, and there’s no fluff pieces (skits), and unlike pretty much every hip hop album ever made, there is not an ounce of filler. A Tribe Called Quest had one more good album in them (the mainstream Midnight Marauders) before settling for average releases…but there will always be The Low End Theory, a beautiful and vastly important album that changed the genre of hip hop forever, in very good ways. It’s not just an important album, it’s an exceptionally good album that deserves a spot in any collection. [First added to this chart: 12/15/2023]
Produced By A TRIBE CALLED QUEST & SKEFF ANSELM
1. Excursions
2. Buggin’ Out
3. Rap Promoter
4. Butter
5. Verses From The Abstract
6. Show Business
7. Vibes And Stuff
8. The Infamous Date Rape
9. Check The Rhime
10. Everything Is Fair
11. Jazz (We’ve Got)
12. Skypager
13. What?
14. Scenario
The Low End Theory has been called the Sgt. Pepper’s of hip hop, and that may actually be the most accurate description of A Tribe Called Quest’s second album. Forget that the multitude of early 90’s references (pagers, Bell Biv Devoe, fades) sound painfully dated…this is one of the great hip hop masterpieces, and will always remain so. The key to this album, and the importance of it all,
is jazz. DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad expands on his use of jazz samples from their debut album to include pieces that are, at times, so subtle that they are almost invisible. This marriage of hip hop and jazz turns out to be completely natural, and it works amazingly well. Minimalism is something that hip hop has embraced, but with only a few exceptions, it has not done it well. Those few exceptions exist mostly on The Low End Theory, an album that both artists and producers should revisit much more often.
The highlights here are “Check The Rhime”, “Scenario” (with Busta Rhymes), and “Jazz (We’ve Got)”, but there are plenty of stellar moments. “Butter” flows like the title. “Excursions” features a nice sample from Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. Everything here flows like it’s supposed to, and there’s no fluff pieces (skits), and unlike pretty much every hip hop album ever made, there is not an ounce of filler. A Tribe Called Quest had one more good album in them (the mainstream Midnight Marauders) before settling for average releases…but there will always be The Low End Theory, a beautiful and vastly important album that changed the genre of hip hop forever, in very good ways. It’s not just an important album, it’s an exceptionally good album that deserves a spot in any collection. [First added to this chart: 12/15/2023]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,349
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
67
Buy album
- #Sponsored
1993 – JIVE
Produced By A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, SKEFF ANSELM & LARGE PROFESSOR
1. Midnight Marauders Tour Guide
2. Steve Biko (Stir It Up)
3. Award Tour (feat. Trugoy The Dove)
4. 8 Million Stories
5. Sucka Nigga
6. Midnight (feat. Raphael Wiggins)
7. We Can Get Down
8. Electric Relaxation
9. Clap Your Hands
10. Oh My God (feat. Busta Rhymes)
11. Keep It Rollin’ (Feat. Large Professor)
12. The Chase, Part II
13. Lyrics To Go
14. God Lives Through
At a time when not a lot of hip hop careers were lasting much beyond a debut album, A Tribe Called Quest was still going strong at release number three. Midnight Marauders is their first top ten album, and shows definite improvements over their first two records. The sound, utilizing some of the coolest sampling in hip hop, builds on their jazz and R&B influences, but with more density and a heavier bass and drum sound. And lyrically, A Tribe Called Quest was never better than on this one. Clearly, the group…Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammed and Jarobi White…were at the very top of their game.
Midnight Marauders features some of the group’s best tracks. “Award Tour”, “Electric Relaxation” and “Oh My God” (which features Busta Rhymes) are excellent, and make this worthwhile alone. But the rest of this is great as well…A Tribe Called Quest were funkier, groovier and cooler than the rest, and it shows here in all phases. They made 2 more successful albums in the nineties, then split up. There have been a pair of reunions, but they never recaptured that early magic. The best records to have from this group are the first three…they do not disappoint in any way. One of the genre’s greatest groups at their very best right here. [First added to this chart: 05/07/2025]
Produced By A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, SKEFF ANSELM & LARGE PROFESSOR
1. Midnight Marauders Tour Guide
2. Steve Biko (Stir It Up)
3. Award Tour (feat. Trugoy The Dove)
4. 8 Million Stories
5. Sucka Nigga
6. Midnight (feat. Raphael Wiggins)
7. We Can Get Down
8. Electric Relaxation
9. Clap Your Hands
10. Oh My God (feat. Busta Rhymes)
11. Keep It Rollin’ (Feat. Large Professor)
12. The Chase, Part II
13. Lyrics To Go
14. God Lives Through
At a time when not a lot of hip hop careers were lasting much beyond a debut album, A Tribe Called Quest was still going strong at release number three. Midnight Marauders is their first top ten album, and shows definite improvements over their first two records. The sound, utilizing some of the coolest sampling in hip hop, builds on their jazz and R&B influences, but with more density and a heavier bass and drum sound. And lyrically, A Tribe Called Quest was never better than on this one. Clearly, the group…Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammed and Jarobi White…were at the very top of their game.
Midnight Marauders features some of the group’s best tracks. “Award Tour”, “Electric Relaxation” and “Oh My God” (which features Busta Rhymes) are excellent, and make this worthwhile alone. But the rest of this is great as well…A Tribe Called Quest were funkier, groovier and cooler than the rest, and it shows here in all phases. They made 2 more successful albums in the nineties, then split up. There have been a pair of reunions, but they never recaptured that early magic. The best records to have from this group are the first three…they do not disappoint in any way. One of the genre’s greatest groups at their very best right here. [First added to this chart: 05/07/2025]
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,131
Rank in 1993:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 2. Page 1 of 1
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1990 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1991 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1992 | 15 | 15% | |
| 1993 | 17 | 17% | |
| 1994 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1995 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1996 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1997 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1998 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1999 | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Uncle Tupelo | 4 | 4% | |
| Nirvana | 3 | 3% | |
| Pearl Jam | 3 | 3% | |
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 2% | |
| Yo La Tengo | 2 | 2% | |
| Radiohead | 2 | 2% | |
| Pavement | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
79 | 79% | |
 |
11 | 11% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 7 from 92nd to 85th I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One by Yo La Tengo |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 85th to 86th Come On Feel The Lemonheads by The Lemonheads |
| Down 1 from 86th to 87th Time's Up by Living Colour |
| Down 1 from 87th to 88th Ænima by Tool |
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| Top 83 Music Albums of the 1990s | maverick470 | 1990s decade chart | 2015 |  |
| Los 100 mejores discos de los años 90 | Diariocrítico | 1990s decade chart | 2016 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | edubs | 1990s decade chart | 2016 | |
| Top 100 Greatest Music Albums | Romanelli | Overall chart | 2025 | |
| My Overall Chart: 201-300 | Romanelli | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s |  StefanR10 | 1990s decade chart | 2020 |  |
| Rolling Stone 100 Best Albums Of The 1990s | WayneMC | Custom chart | 2019 | |
| 100 Best Albums of the Nineties | Rolling Stone | 1990s decade chart | 2010 | |
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s ratings
87/100 (from 45 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 45 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 50/100  | 02/09/2023 22:04 |  pedro1976 | | 85/100 |
| 65/100 | 02/06/2023 02:26 | jonatascv1990 | | 78/100 |
| 100/100 | 02/10/2022 00:40 |  Larcx13 | | 86/100 |
| 90/100 | 06/26/2021 23:01 |  zwiebel | | 86/100 |
| 100/100 | 05/03/2021 09:53 |  jnfbn | | 96/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 86.8/100, a mean average of 85.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 87.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 17.1.
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s favourites
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s comments
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65/100
From jonatascv1990 02/06/2023 02:27
Good chart!
#293622 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Larcx13 02/10/2022 00:44
Larcx13 02/10/2022 00:44
Good descriptions and a bunch of new records for me to check out. Favorited.
#281051 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From henrygreen0203 05/04/2021 18:49
This is an excellent list. Lots of "alt-country" here, which is much more Replacements-Meets-Bruce Springsteen than traditional folk or country.
#269358 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
seb7 05/03/2021 18:04
seb7 05/03/2021 18:04
I can't really give a good rating because I haven't listened to 96 of these albums, but I just want to say that I am convinced that Romanelli and AM are the same person
#269325 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Johnnyo 05/03/2021 09:28
Great chart
#269302 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
ExTeaSea 01/18/2020 16:05
ExTeaSea 01/18/2020 16:05
I really appreciate some of the more personal picks. This is a really good chart. 14 albums in common is pretty good. Perhaps one day I'll check out Uncle Tupelo.
#246969 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 05/30/2019 07:36
ForegroundNoise 05/30/2019 07:36
Really love the detailed notes and careful selections!! I still feel it's a little too focused on American alt-rock for my liking however, would be nice to see some electronic releases/more hip hop besides Public Enemy at no.73!
#236903 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
RoundTheBend 05/30/2019 02:57
RoundTheBend 05/30/2019 02:57
23 albums in common. Solid other picks!
#236900 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From edubs 05/29/2019 20:20
awesome chart!
#236889 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
HoldenM 10/01/2017 05:52
HoldenM 10/01/2017 05:52
Ahhh... That's a great chart right there.
#198955 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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