We're living in a time where music seems to come and go. Where are all the timeless classics? Some of the best examples of this come from the year 1996. Hip-hop and R&B was at its prime and the replay value on albums seemed endless.

Unfortunately, it was also the year the world lost Tupac. Hip-hop fans had to bravely look into the future to see what the new artists would bring or hold onto the classic tracks the West Coast rapper created during his lauded career. As 2016 creeps up in the rearview (there's less than two months left until the new year), we look back to 20 years ago when albums from 2Pac and a wealth of other celebrated artists ruled the playlist rotation.

Heavy hitters from the year include Fugees' The Score. Lauryn Hill's powerful vocals on "Killing Me Softly" and Wyclef and Pras' rhymes on "Ready or Not" made the LP one of the best of year. 1996 also saw Jay Z's debut album, Reasonable Doubt, featuring gems like "Feelin It" and the Foxy Brown-assisted "Ain't No N----."

The year was a great one for R&B as well as quartet known as 112 debuted their self-titled effort. The smooth love song "Cupid" was a banger and the effort left us with one of the last verses from the Notorious B.I.G. on "Only You." And 1996 wouldn't be complete without mentioning Aaliyah's One in a Million. Her angelic voice left us too soon in 2001, but fans will always have this album to hear "4 Page Letter," "The One I Gave My Heart To" and "If Your Girl Only Knew."

But there's a lot more to uncover as we take a trip down memory lane to one of the most influential years in music. Check out 26 Albums That Are Turning 20 Years Old in 2016 above.

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