If Amplified comes out in a non-Rawkus world, it probably goes over much better. But between the conscious/underground vs jiggy/commercial split widening and Tribe breaking up, seeing Tip make an overtly commercial album (albeit amazingly produced and executed) felt like a betrayal of Tribe's values and the group's fans.

Looking back at my reaction, I'm more than a little embarrassed that my flawed understanding of hip-hop got in the way of enjoying what is one of the most, if not underrated, then, definitely, overlooked albums of its time.

On another note, it's odd how defensive a lot of hip-hop fans were at that time. Especially since now, there aren't clear walls between underground and commercial. In a way, it seems the younger generations look at hip hop as one big melting pot, kind of how things were early on in the Golden Age.