The only album to feature Main Source’s original lineup, 1991's Breaking Atoms broke new ground for sample-heavy hip-hop. Large Professor's inventive approach to collaging breaks shines on cuts like the sweet "Just Hangin' Out" and the anxious "Peace Is Not the Word to Play." But despite the soulful jazz loops, it’s not all so laidback: “Just a Friendly Game of Baseball” is a furious meditation on police brutality. A young Nas also makes his explosive debut, mean-mugging on the energized posse cut “Live at the Barbeque."