If done right, an album reflects the world around it while also providing listeners with an entirely new and therapeutic world to escape into and revisit whenever needed.
This year, some classic albums will be celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary, as the year 1997 produced some heavy hitters that have grown to become timeless gems to many classic song lovers.
We’ve rounded up the hits you’ve probably forgotten, so let’s get nostalgic as we talk about 5 CLASSICS ALBUMS TURNING TWENTY-FIVE THIS YEAR 2022.
- THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G: LIFE AFTER DEATH
It may have taken the Notorious B.I.G. a few years to follow up his milestone debut, ‘Ready to Die’ with another album, but when he did return with ‘Life After Death’ in 1997, he did so in a huge way.
The ambitious album, intended as somewhat of a sequel to Ready to Die, picking up where its predecessor left off, is a double album filled with twenty-four songs in all.
The album was released sixteen days after his murder. Life After Death, though, earned Biggie two number one smashes on the Hot 100 ‘Hypnotize’ and ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’, it also got three posthumous Grammy nominations: best rap album, best rap solo performance and best rap performance by a duo or group.
Ready to Die is a milestone album, for sure, but it’s nowhere near as extravagant or epic as Life After Death.
5 Classics Albums Turning Twenty-Five This Year 2022.
- BACKSTREET BOYS: BACKSTREET BOYS
The Backstreet Boys are one of the best boy bands of all time. The release of their self-titled album made several people fall under the group’s spell, as overnight they went from a group of unknowns into one of the biggest boy bands.
The album didn’t get a release in the US until the following year, but it proved a massive success in several other countries. Consisting of a combination of hook-heavy dance numbers and sweet ballads, the album is one of the most successful debut albums of all time.
It peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 albums chart and has been certified fourteen times Platinum (Diamond) by the RIAA for sales to retailers, having sold over fourteen million copies in the United States.
5 Classics Albums Turning Twenty-Five This Year 2022.
- USHER: MY WAY
Although ‘Usher’ was his debut album, but ‘My Way’ felt like the singer’s first, as the album gave birth to a star.
The album captures Usher’s spirit: adventurous to the verge of reckless, young, and beyond charming.
With just ten tracks, one of which is nothing more than a glorified remix, Usher cemented himself as R&B’s next big thing, thanks to unforgettable ballads, pristine vocals and tons of star power.
My Way was certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and it also earned him a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for ‘You Make Me Wanna.’
5 Classics Albums Turning Twenty-Five This Year 2022.
- BOYZ II MEN: EVOLUTION
Nobody had a better pulse on ’90s R&B than Boyz II Men, and ‘Evolution’ was their third studio album.
It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 which was their second number one album after II.
The project went double platinum and also earned the group a Grammy award for best R&B album Grammy Awards. ‘4 Seasons of Loneliness’ and ‘A Song for Mama’ each earned Platinum status.
A Song for Mama might get top billing, but it’s just one of many incredible offerings from the album.
5 Classics Albums Turning Twenty-Five This Year 2022.
- PUFF DADDY & FAMILY: NO WAY OUT
This album was that which positioned Puffy, Diddy, or whatever you want to call him now as the biggest star in all of rap, setting the stage for one of the more entertaining and intriguing careers in music history.
It was his debut studio album and the album’s crediting of ‘The Family’ referencing the guest appearances from his label-mates and other artistes.
The album’s singles ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ also saw commercial success which became a worldwide hit. Other hit singles include; Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down, It’s All About the Benjamins, and Been Around the World.
In 1998, No Way Out would win the Grammy Award for the Best Rap Album. On September 7, 2000, the album was certified seven-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
5 Classics Albums Turning Twenty-Five This Year 2022.
