Soundbombing 2 is perhaps the most pivotal moment in hip hop for me, because that was my gateway to Common, Mos Def, Talib/Reflection Eternal and Black Star, Dilated, Pharoahe, Company Flow, High And Mighty.

I'd heard Com on Illadelph and TFA, but it was 1999 that had me checking for his albums.

For me, SB2 was a gateway drug of epic proportions, and kicked open the floodgates.

The wave that hit next is, IMO, criminally under heralded.

LWFC, BOB, Internal Affairs, TOT, Fantastic Vol 2, and The Platform made for a monster slate on it's own. Lesser albums by High and Mighty, even. Hi Teknology dropped in 01 to keep that train rolling along.

Even then, I had so much ground to cover just to get caught up, with Black Star, ODIAMS, Resurrection, Funcrusher, SB 1, looking for shit like MOOD, discovering Kool Keith, looking for Rugged Man shit off the strength of his oddball cut off SB2...