Lyricist Lounge, Volume One is the first installment of Rawkus Records Lyricist Lounge album series, based on the Lyricist Lounge showcases in New York. The double-disc compilation features De La Soul, Mos Def, Q-Tip, Tash of Tha Alkaholiks, Punch & Words, O.C., Ras Kass, Black Thought, Common, Pharoahe Monch, Saul Williams, Kool Keith, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek, Bahamadia, Rah Digga, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Jurassic 5, KRS-One, Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, Last Emperor and Company Flow. Lyricist Lounge 2 is the second installment in Rawkus Records Lyricist Lounge album series. The release was one of Rawkus' most commercially successful releases, featuring the hit crossover singles, "Oh No" and "Get Up", the former charting on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite its success, Lyricist Lounge 2 drew criticisms from underground fans, mainly due to the album's more commercial sound, and also because of its focus on established artists, unlike the first installment, which largely featured up-and-coming MC's.
The album features appearances from Mos Def, Pharoahe Monch, Nate Dogg, Q-Tip, Wordsworth, Cocoa Brovaz, Beanie Sigel, Royce Da 5'9", Ghostface Killah, Saukrates, Redman, Talib Kweli, dead prez, Kool G Rap, M.O.P., Big Noyd, Prodigy, Erick Sermon, Sy Scott, Planet Asia, Punchline, Cobra Red, Phil Da Agony, C-Town, Dilated Peoples, Master Fuol, JT Money, Pastor Troy, Macy Gray and Guru, as well as late hip hop legends The Notorious B.I.G. and Big L.