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Eight Million Stories: Hip-Hop In 1993

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Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Faith Newman, Ralph McDaniels and Prince Paul at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25. i i

Faith Newman, Ralph McDaniels and Prince Paul at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25. Ebru Yildiz for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Ebru Yildiz for NPR
Faith Newman, Ralph McDaniels and Prince Paul at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25.

Faith Newman, Ralph McDaniels and Prince Paul at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25.

Ebru Yildiz for NPR
Onyx in an undated photo. From left to right, Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Starr, Suave and Big DS.

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The Wu-Tang Clan. Clockwise from left: Ol' Dirty Bastard, the GZA, the RZA, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. Center, from left, Method Man and U-God.

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Tupac Shakur on the set of Poetic Justice.

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All year Morning Edition and NPR Music have been running radio pieces about rap albums released 20 years ago, in 1993. For a special episode of Microphone Check we invited a group of people who were working in hip-hop back then to meet us at the Ace Hotel in New York City and tell stories about that productive and creative year. At the audio link you can hear an edited version of the evening.

Our guests were:

Dr. Dre (right) with Snoop Dogg, who played a starring role on Dre's The Chronic. Here they pose after a 1993 performance in Chicago.

The Record

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Faith Newman — A&R at Def Jam and then Columbia, who signed Nas.

Ralph McDaniels — host of Video Music Box, music video director and producer.

A still from the video for E-40's 1993 song "Practice Looking Hard," in which rappers like The Coup's Boots Riley (second from right) and Tupac (not pictured) also appeared.

The Record

The Many Sounds Of 1993 Bay Area Rap

Prince Paul — producer for De La Soul and the Gravediggaz, member of Handsome Boy Modeling School and solo musician.

Boots Riley, in the opening of The Coup's video for "Not Yet Free."

The Record

This Was 1993: 20 Years Ago I Heard The Perfect Rap Song

Mike Dean — engineer and producer at Rap-A-Lot Records.

Stretch Armstrong — DJ for WKCR's Stretch & Bobbito radio show.

Stretch Armstrong (left) and Prince Paul at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25. i i

Stretch Armstrong (left) and Prince Paul at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25. Ebru Yildiz for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Ebru Yildiz for NPR
Stretch Armstrong (left) and Prince Paul at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25.

Stretch Armstrong (left) and Prince Paul at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25.

Ebru Yildiz for NPR
Mike Dean at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25. i i

Mike Dean at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25. Ebru Yildiz for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Ebru Yildiz for NPR
Mike Dean at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25.

Mike Dean at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25.

Ebru Yildiz for NPR
Frannie Kelley and Ali Shaheed Muhammad at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25. i i

Frannie Kelley and Ali Shaheed Muhammad at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25. Ebru Yildiz for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Ebru Yildiz for NPR
Frannie Kelley and Ali Shaheed Muhammad at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25.

Frannie Kelley and Ali Shaheed Muhammad at the Ace Hotel Sept. 25.

Ebru Yildiz for NPR

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