Happy 20th Birthday To Midnight Marauders & 36 Chambers!

To have two of the greatest hip hop albums of all time released on the same day deserves its own holiday in my opinion. You just don’t get momentous occasions like that anymore. On 9th November 1993, A Tribe Called Quest and Wu-Tang Clan released their third and first albums, respectively – Midnight Marauders and Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Coming from different times in their careers, they still managed to capture the essence of the golden era of 1993-1994 with their own unique styles of sampling and lyrical content. While Tribe came with more of the good stuff in their “jazz rap” and Native Tongues rhetoric, Wu-Tang brought a fresh take on hip hop with martial arts-themed beats, soul sampling thanks to legendary producer RZA and lyrics about everything from martial arts to comic books.

Due to the extent of both albums’ richness in history and context, we’ve decided to collate a list of articles about them including an “oral history” of 36 Chambers by Spin and Midnight Marauders cover art inspiration from Frank151. Enjoy and make sure to raise a glass for Tribe and The Wu (as these albums aren’t old enough to drink in the US)!

Midnight Marauders

1.  Today In Hip-Hop: A Tribe Called Quest ‘Midnight Marauders’ Turns Twenty (XXL Mag)
2. November 9, 1993: When Marauders Entered The 36 Chambers (Huffington Post)
3. Midnight Marauders Turns 20 Today As A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Final’ NYC Shows Near (Gothamist)
4. Curren$y, Pharoahe Monch & Phonte Reflect On “Midnight Marauders” (HipHopDX)
5. 12 Days of Early 90′s Hip Hop – Day 9 – ATCQ – Midnight Marauders Review (Sampleface)
6. A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders [The Samples] (Hip Hop Is Read)

Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

1. Celebrate The 20th Anniversary Of ‘Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ With This Inspiring Ol’ Dirty Bastard Speech (UPROXX)
2. Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ at 20: Classic Track-By-Track Review (Billboard)
3. 15 Fun Facts About Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ (Rolling Stone)
4. Re-entering The 36 Chambers (Noisey)
5. “A Real Breath of Fresh Air”: Wu-Tang Clan’s “Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers” Turns 20 (Complex)
6. Clan in Da Back: The Behind-the-Scenes Oral History of ‘Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ (Spin)
7. 12 Days of Early 90′s Hip Hop – Day 8 – Wu-Tang – 36 Chambers Review (Sampleface)
8. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers): The Samples (Hip Hop Is Read)

You can also stream both albums – in full – below.