Critics say that after Jus Allah left JMT the group lost most of its intelligence and that Stoupe’s production has become too polished and more inconsistent, getting carried away at times with Latin-flavored and other sounds that don’t really fit Vinnie Paz’s rugged and rough style of rhyming. The long and short of it is: some hate Visions Of Gandhi, some love it. This is an album that has always polarized opinions, especially among first hour Jedi Mind Trick fans. Kno definitely is the key to CunninLynguists’ creative success, his work on the boards is all-around awesome, and with SouthernUnderground he delivers one of the best-produced albums of the year.Įven if SouthernUnderground was generally critically acclaimed it was commercially not nearly as successful as it should have been, making it one of 2003’s under-appreciated masterpieces. Other stand-outs include “Old School”, “Dying Nation,” “War,” and “Appreciation,” (about 9/11), and especially “Falling Down” – a creative musical masterpiece by Kno. SouthernUnderground may be best known for its single “Seasons” – which features Masta Ace – a classic cut that details that history of Hip Hop comparing different eras to seasons of a year. SOS to accompany on vocals for much of the album. For SouthernUnderground the trio employed Mr. SouthernUnderground is the second album from CunninLynguists, the trio hailing from Lexington, Kentucky a nd Atlanta, Georgia – consisting of Deacon the Villain, Natti, and DJ/vocalist Kno. Check out our list with 18 of the most under-appreciated albums of 2003, and let us know what you think. Readers of articles like this one will know better of course, but maybe even YOU will be surprised by some of the titles mentioned here (in no particular order). While 50 Cent’s classic sophomore album does make our Top 40 Hip Hop Albums Of 2003 (scroll down to see at which spot it lands), we feel there were a lot of albums better in 2003.Īlso: forget Lil Jon and the rest of the crunk legions who received too much of the spotlight this particular year – 2003 had plenty of excellent real Hip Hop to offer, even if you wouldn’t know it if mainstream popularity and commercial success were your only references. But was Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ among the best albums of 2003? Not if you ask HHGA. A landmark album when it comes to sales figures, popularity and impact – and not a bad album at all, with a couple of great songs and tight production throughout. 2003 was the year of 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’.