Jeru The Damaja - The Sun Rises In The East

This startlingly good release contributed to the revival of east coast hip-hop circa mid 1990s, along with the Wu-Tang Clan's Enter The Wu-Tang and Nas' Illmatic.
Jeru's lyrics paint a vivid picture of life in New York at the time, and are enhanced by stellar beats courtesy of the great DJ Premier. No release has had such an apt title except for perhaps Refused's post-hardcore opus The Shape Of Punk To Come.

If you are a fan of east coast hip hop such as Nas or GZA then look no further than this.