Here’s a thread of album covers that all celebrate their silver anniversary (25th) this year:

The Tony Rich Project’s debut, “Words.” “Nobody Knows” was the No. 2 single of the year and won a Grammy.

Total’s self-titled debut. Gave us “Can’t You See,” “No One Else,” two versions of “Kissin You” and a yang to the yin of so many female R&B groups at the time.

Yep. 25 years old. One of the most important albums in hip hop history. Period. And of course, the last to be released while the legend was with us.

Released on the same day, casuals think this was their debut. It wasn’t, but the sophomore album turned hip hop on its axis with the group’s unique sound. “Killing Me Softly” is one of the few covers to completely eclipse the source material.

“Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down” might be one of the most recognizable alternative lyrics of the 90s, as the song “Follow You Down” has persisted in rom coms and TV shows to this day. Happy 25th (Feb 13th)

Yes, it’s Weird Al. But who among you doesn’t remember “Amish Paradise”? That’s THIS album. And on March 12, it turns 25 years old.

Celine was already a star, but “Falling Into You” arguably was the album that vaulted her into superstar status. “Because You Loved Me” was everywhere, and the album won the Grammy for album of the year. March 12 it turns 25.

WOO-HAH! After being a household name to hip hop heads for several years, Busta brought his raw energy and bombastic flair to the mainstream with his debut “The Coming.” Released on my born day (March 25)

Spring ‘96 brought us one of the first salvos fired by the Neo Soul movement, this sultry, unique and “mellosmooth” debut by @_MAXWELL_. Between “Ascension,” “Sumthin, Sumthin” and “Til the Cops Come Knockin,” it was unlike anything in the mainstream.

These ladies hit hard with “Youre the One” on their sophomore follow-up. And the album gave us another clear glimpse into a production duo that would become one of the dominant soundmakers of an era, @TheNeptunes. “Use Your Heart” is indeed a Neptunes beat.

The album cover tells you all you need to know. Yes, the album that gave us “Last Night” turns 25 in April.

The album lives on in college dorms and pot-mellowed kickbacks across America. DMB’s most commercially successful album to date and arguably its best. Takes us back to April 30, 1996. Yes, “Crash...into me” is 25 this year

Love them, hate them, doesn’t matter. This was one of the hugest debuts we’ve ever seen. Ever. And yes, you won’t admit it, but you probably know at least one song word for word. May 6, the Backstreet Boys turn 25. Damn.

Another “guilty pleasure,” Donna Lewis hasn’t been heard of before or since in the US, but for one spring and sumner, she had us eating out the palm of her hand. “I Love You Always Forever” was on continuous loop, and would’ve been #1 if not for The Macarena. May 7

Duncan Sheik’s debut album gave us one of the quintessential tracks of the 90s alternative era of music, “Barely Breathing.” May 20th, it’ll be 25 years old!

“Album Number ten...the last album”

Too $hort gave us a legendary release for what was supposed to be his final musical entry. His retirement was abbreviated, but it doesn’t take away from the album’s significance in hip hop’s canon.

With hits "One Headlight", "6th Avenue Heartache", "The Difference", and "Three Marlenas,” “Bringing Down the Horse” became The Wallflowers signature album and its most commercially successful. Shares the same May 21 release date as Too $hort’s album.

Another artist whose debut is confused by casuals, Donell Jones dropped this underrated debut 25 years ago, which gave us “In The Hood,” a song I feel was ahead of its time. June 4!

It was the combination of the raw, New York grittiness and the smoothness of Mr Cheeks delivery that made Lost Boyz debut offering such an important piece to arguably one of hip hop’s best years.

Before millennials were scratching their heads when Beck won album of the year in 2014, he was a 90s mainstay. “Where It’s At” propelled this to become Beck’s most commercially successful album to date. June 18, 1996!

NY was on fire the summer of 96, so much so that this debut might get overlooked, but not by most hip hop purists. The duo, hailing from the Boot Camp Clik, peaked at No. 5 on the hip hop charts.

This album got decidedly mediocre reviews, but Primitive Radio Gods blessed us with one of the most unique sounding — and titled — songs of the 90s, "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand.” Turns 25 on June 18th.

We’re getting into some huge hitters.

After her smash debut, Toni Braxton emerged in 1996 with a new look and new sound. “Secrets,” which was helmed by juggernaut singles “Youre Making Me High” and Un-Break My Heart,” notched the singer 2 Grammy wins. @tonibraxton

Who doesn’t remember this Jacksonville, Fla, group’s smash single “C’Mon Ride It (The Train)”? The song became one of the biggest dance hits of the 90s and still gets steady radio play today and is a mainstay at sporting events due to its inclusion on “Jock Jams”

And here we are. The start of a 25 year journey with Jay-Z. He’s become arguably the most important hip hop artist of an era, bridging multiple eras without skipping a beat. And it started with one of hip hop’s greatest debuts, Reasonable Doubt. June 25, 1996.

A week later, the artist who would become inexorably tied to Jigga in the 2000s released his successful sophomore follow up. “It Was Written” was more mainstream than his legendary “Illmatic” debut, but still held true to his NY bravado. July 2, 1996

Departing from Hip Hop’s zenith for a bit, LeAnn Rimes debuted as a 14 year old powerhouse with a voice that couldn’t possibly come from someone so young. The album’s eponymous single would take music by storm, marking her as one of country’s brightest stars. 25 on July 9th!

July 16 marks the 25th anniversary of the debut of Tonic. The album “Lemon Parade” produced the iconic alt-rock ballad “If You Could Only See” and went platinum as a result.

Crazy to think that it’s been 25 years since the owner of these eyes, Fiona Apple, debuted with “Tidal” in July of 1996. Her innocent face and pouting lips belied her powerful rock vocals, which earned her a Grammy in 1998 for the album’s signature single, “Criminal.”

Not as heralded as the group’s legendary predecessors, A Tribe Called Quest still made waves with its platinum selling 4th album, Beats, Rhymes and Life. Turns 25 July 30.

Mista’s only release (July 30, 1996) gave us the cult classic “Blackberry Molasses,” but might be just as important because of WHO it gave us. See the loner on the couch to the left? Yes, that’s none other than Bobby V, one of the biggest R&B singers of the 2000s.

The signature ska band of the 90s gave us one last classic on July 30, 1996. “What I Got” and “Santeria” would become global smash hits, as the Long Beach-based group would disband after frontman Bradley Nowell’s tragic death that same year.

Swedish band The Cardigans had been around for some time, but registered its biggest hit in 1996 fueled by the success of “Lovefool,” which was featured in “Romeo + Juliet.”

“Love me, love me, saaay that you love me!”

The next giant hip hop release of ‘96 takes us down to Atlanta, where hip hop duo OutKast was just getting started with its legendary run. It’s sophomore album “ATLiens” would cement the group as one of hip hop’s brightest stars with hits “Elevators” and “ATLiens.” August 27

Controversy surrounding her personal life could have threatened Aaliyah’s ascent, but she quickly dispelled any such thought with her meteoric follow up, “One in a Million.” With the help of a then little known VA producer @Timbaland, Aaliyah transformed her sound on this classic

Fueled by the worldwide success of the Broadway play, the Rent Soundtrack brought the power ballad-driven sound to the comforts of your home. August 27,1996

Despite losing two of the band’s founding members, the show went on for the Teddy Riley-fronted group, which blew up with the 1996 sophomore smash “Another Level.” “No Diggity” is still a huge hit worldwide refueled by its inclusion on “Pitch Perfect.” Sept 3, 1996

Trivia: what is the highest selling funk album of all time?

Answer:

Fueled by the international success of “Virtual Insanity,” Jamiroquai’s Sept. 9, 1996 release sold 8 million copies worldwide.

After a half decade apart, the 80s super group returned, and for the first time featured all 6 of the group’s members. “I’m Still in Love With You” became the album’s signature hit, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sept. 10, 1996.

The marriage of hip hop and neo soul was inevitable, and Philly collective The Roots was the perfect officiant. Featuring D’Angelo, Amel Larrieux and Cassandra Wilson, the album is widely hailed as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. @blackthought Sept. 24 1996

Sept. 27, 1996 — Atlanta-based R&B quartet dropped its classic self-titled debut. Their sound became emblematic of the late 90s R&B sound. “Only You” and “Cupid” became household titles as Q, Daron, Slim and Mike began their successful 3-album run with Bad Boy.

Among the most underrated and recognizable hip hop voices of the era, Xzibit made his debut on Oct. 1, 1996. “Paparazzi” and “The Foundation” laid the groundwork for Xzibit’s raspy sound and intense lyrics. @xzibit

“Sunny Came Home” became a critical darling and a commercial success off of Shawn Colvin’s fourth album, which debuted Oct. 1, 1996. The song won 2 Grammys and reached 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

October 1, 1996 was a huge album release day in retrospect. Arguably the biggest debut that date was Matchbox 20’s “You or Someone Like You.” “Push,” 3 am,” and “The Real World” gave us a great sample of what would become one of rock’s biggest groups of the late 90s.

R&B’s sexy crooner Ginuwine made his debut Oct. 8, 1996. The album featured the song that arguably is one of Ginuwine’s two biggest solo hits, “Pony,” and gave the world its next glimpse into the VA sound pioneered by Timbaland.

Criminally underrated during its late 90s/early 2000s run, Vegas-based 702 debuted Oct 8, 1996 with mid tempo jam “Steelo” and the ballad “Get it Together.”

The world was formally introduced to Paula Cole with “This Fire,” which was nominated for a whopping 7 Grammy awards and whose most famous track “I Don’t Wanna Wait,” lives on in Dawson’s Creek re-runs. October 15!

Ice Cube, Mac 10 and WC would join forces to create West Coast supergroup Westside Connection. “Bow Down,” its debut single, was the group’s biggest commercial hit.

. @WuTangClan collective members had a strong run of solo joints in the 90s, including Ghostface Killah’s Ironman Debut, which went platinum, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and established Ghost as a bona fide solo star. Oct 29, 1996

Released earlier in UK in September 96, the Spice Girls crashed ashore in the US on Nov 4 with their debut “Spice.” Fueled by the international smash “Wannabe,” the album has sold 23 MILLION copies worldwide. Yes...you loved to hate that you loved them.

Two months after we lost Pac, we were blessed with his first posthumously released album, under the pseudonym “Makaveli.” Make no mistake though, this was Pac at his grimiest, delivering a classic album with classic track after classic track.

You guys have your Cardi’s, Megans and Nickis...we had our Lil Kim (and later this year, Foxy Brown). Kim’s debut “Hardcore” laid the foundation for many a female MC who would straddle the line between lyrical prowess and explicit sex appeal. Nov. 12, 1996

This used to be the trivia answer that would make you look pretty cool: What was Eminem’s debut album?

He only sold 1,000 copies and finding it is like searching for the Holy Grail, but Detroit’s very own debuted Nov. 12, 1996.

One year later, he was discovered by Dre...

The movie is a classic...and so is the soundtrack. The Michael Jordan-driven basketball-meets-animation film’s soundtrack gave us “Hit Em High,” “For You I Will,” “Fly like an Eagle” and, yes, “I Believe I Can Fly.”

Yes..it’s not Doggystyle. But Snoop gave us a very good follow-up in Tha Doggfather, considering the tumult that was going on behind the scenes at the time. Also released Nov 12 @SnoopDogg

112 debuted earlier in the fall. Arguably the next most important R&B group of the late 90s era, Dru Hill, dropped their self-titled debut Nov. 19. An absolute classic with hits like “Tell Me” and “In My Bed,” Dru’s harmonies and grooves became legendary

The end of Tony Toni Tone’s run through the late 80s and early 90s, the predecessors of the neo-soul movement delivered a classic on the way out. Teaming up with DJ Quik for the timeless “Let’s Get Down,” the group help bridged the New Jack and late 90s eras of R&B

We alluded to her earlier, but Foxy Brown’s “Ill Na Na” turns 25 on Nov. 19. “Get Me Home” featuring Blackstreet is an underrated hit from the era, and “Big Bad Mamma” was a huge summer jam the following year.

One of the reasons it never felt like an 8-year gap between Whitney Houston studio albums was because of her soundtrack work. Between The Bodyguard, Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher’s Wife (Nov 25), the late legend was giving us hit after hit thru the 90s.

One I missed in January 1996 was truly the end of an era. “Young Rich and Dangerous” saw childhood stars Kris Kross deep into puberty and exploring more mature topics, such as the hit “Tonight’s the Night.”

Also from earlier, Geto Boys dropped the classic “The Resurrection” April 2, 1996 after a 3 year hiatus. “Still” is one of the most recognizable hip hop songs of a generation, thanks in part to Office Space and a printer

So that’s it. That’s a compelling argument for why 1996 might be one of the greatest years in the history of recorded music. And you know what song we DIDNT mention?