As a “what if” it’s compelling — the powerful debut by an MC whose voice and career were all but destroyed in a car accident months later — and as a showcase for what Dr. Dre can do behind the boards (and what his ghostwriter can do on the mic), it’s second to none. Go in knowing none of that, though, and you’re still confronted with a rapper who, at his core, had a rare, enviable blend of LL’s swagger and Rakim’s intricacy.

– Nate Patrin