Death Certificate by Ice Cube.
F.U.--Don't Take It Personal by Fuschnickens.
Juice Soundtrack by Various Artists.
The Low-End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest.
Naughty by Nature by Naughty by Nature.
Pure Poverty by Poor Righteous Teachers.
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Black Sheep.
Classical Music (not ranked):
Note: This list is an exception. If you want a list of the year's "hottest" releases in classical music, there are dozens of authorities who will gladly tell you what to listen to and what to buy. To help people re-view works that they might have overlooked or dismissed, here is a highly subjective list of favorite recordings. Not one of them was released this year, but the music itself is so old that it hardly matters.
J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations, recorded by Glenn Gould.
Beethoven's Fidelio, Herbert von Karajan et al.
Haydn's Die Schopfung, Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood.
The Cole Porter Songbook, Ella Fitzgerald.
Jean-Phillippe Rameau's Acteon, Les Arts Florissants/William Christie.
Camille Saint-Saens' Symphony #3 (with organ), Montreal Symphony Orchestra/Charles Dutoit.
Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf/George Szell.