1993 was the first time the World Trade Center was bombed. If you were born after 2001 and thought the Biggie Smalls line “Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade” was insensitive, it helps to know that it’s a time dated reference referring to the first attack and not to September 11th, 2001.

Coincidentally 1993 was a pretty big year for Biggie. His daughter T’yanna was born in ’93, and his first official single under the name The Notorious B.I.G. came out that year – the remix of Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love.” He scored his first big hit as a soloist later that year with the single “Party and Bulls#%!” off the “Who’s the Man?” soundtrack. In the course of twelve months Biggie became so well established that his 1994 debut album was going to be HUGE.

As you’re reading this article please know that there are WAY more than 20 songs from 1993 worth featuring, but I had to stop somewhere. Check out part two HERE. In the meantime let’s kick things off with the song that defines the year through referencing it by name.

1.) Souls of Mischief – “93 ‘Til Infinity”

2.) A Tribe Called Quest – “Electric Relaxation”

3.) OutKast – “Player’s Ball”

4.) 2Pac – “I Get Around”

5.) Black Moon – “How Many MC’s…”

6.) KRS-One – “Sound of Da Police”

7.) Wu-Tang Clan – “Method Man”

8.) Del Tha Funkee Homosapien – “Catch a Bad One”

9.) Run-D.M.C. – “Down With The King”

10.) Naughty By Nature – “Hip Hop Hooray”

11.) The Beatnuts – “Reign of the Tec”

12.) US3 – “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)”

13.) Snoop Doggy Dogg – “What’s My Name?”

14.) De La Soul – “Breakadawn”

15.) The Notorious B.I.G. – “Party and Bulls#%!”

16.) Lords of the Underground – “Chief Rocka”

17.) A Tribe Called Quest – “Award Tour”

18.) Eazy-E – “Real Muthaph#%!kin G’s”

19.) Queen Latifah – “Just Another Day”

20.) Guru f/ Donald Byrd – “Loungin'”