Erick Sermon, Parrish Smith and DJ Scratch get called up to the majors and release their first LP on Def Jam with their new protegé Redman in tow. The end result was one of the first classic Rap albums of 1991, the first being Main Source’s Breaking Atoms.
EPMD, the Long Island Rap group comprised of Erick Sermon, Parish Smith and DJ Scratch, were recognized as one of the premiere groups in Rap following their Gold certified debut Strictly Business and sophomore album Unfinished Business.
However, due to financial issues with their label Sleeping Bag/Fresh Records, Erick and Parrish weren’t…
Rap’s self proclaimed “Teacher” was at a career crossroads after the release of “Self Destruction” and his successful album “Ghetto Music: The Blueprint Of Hip Hop”. Where could he possibly go from here? How about the world of academia?
In February 1989, Jive/RCA released the Stop The Violence Movement’s “Self Destruction” 12". The D-Nice produced posse track became a breakout success, eventually going Gold and raising $250,000 for the National Urban League. KRS One followed that up by releasing Boogie Down Productions’ 3rd LP in as many years, “Ghetto Music: The Blueprint Of Hip Hop”.
40 Over 40
Hot lines < hot songs < hot albums. Here are the best of the best.
Summer 1977: The art of emceeing begins. Among the first triumvirate of greats — Grandmaster Caz, Grandmaster Melle Mel, and Kool Moe Dee — the average age is just under 16 years old.
Summer 1986: The first golden era spins up, and with it a new triumvirate of greats in Rakim, Kool G Rap, and Big Daddy Kane. They, too, average out to less than 18 years old. Kurtis Blow, the undisputed king of the early ’80s, is on his way out — and he’s barely past 25. …
N.W.A.’s former front man left one of Rap’s most controversial groups at their peak to go solo without any production from Dr. Dre. He then headed to New York to find a new producer, resulting in one of the greatest debut albums in Rap history.
N.W.A. was formed back between 1986 and 1987 with the original lineup consisting of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E & Arabian Prince. A 17 year old Ice Cube joined after his old groups Stereo Crew and C.I.A (Criminals In Action) with Kid Disaster (K-Dee) and Sir Jinx who Dr. Dre produced for both dissolved. Shortly afterward, MC…
Mobb Deep’s sophomore LP serves as the breakthrough album for one of Rap’s all time great duos in the midst of a Golden Era
The now legendary duo Mobb Deep were originally known as the Poetical Prophets. They were both 16 year old Rap wunderkinds discovered by Matty C of The Source and featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the famed Hip Hop publication back in the July 1991 issue. In 1992, they secured a record deal with 4th & B’way/Island Records thanks to assistance from fellow The Source contributor Bonz Malone, the 4th & B’way A&R who signed…
30 years ago this holiday season, the animated film feature “Akira” became the catalyst that sparked the modern American anime subculture
The ambitious anime film “Akira” first opened in Japan on July 16, 1988. At the time its 1.1 billon Yen ($8.5 million USD in 1988) budget was the largest for a Japanese animated feature but it grossed 6.3 billion Yen ($49 million USD in 1988) at the box office so it paid off quite handsomely in more ways than one.
“Akira” had amassed a devoted following in Japan since the manga was first printed on December 6th, 1982 in…
After the Jiggy Era took over the mainstream Rap world and commercial radio, the kind of Rap that once thrived on major labels was progressively forced underground like the Morlocks. What happened next was the formation of a Resistance forced to eek out spaces in the shadow of the First Order.
This 3 part series was created to acknowledge the essential, classic & often times slept on, overlooked, obscure, independent underground Rap EP’s & LP’s, mixtapes, scratch albums, instrumental projects or compilations. SIDEBAR: I fought for the Resistance, thus this story is told from my perspective. …
Zev Love X of KMD ceased to exist after his brother Subroc died in a tragic accident shortly after their group was dropped from Elektra before their sophomore album could be released. He re-emerged as his alter ego MF DOOM and after years of releasing 12"’s on Bobbito Garcia’s Fondle ’Em, he released the classic LP “Operation: Doomsday”.
In the beginning, Zev Love X was originally half of the Rap duo KMD. It came as a shock when his group was dropped from Elektra Records back in 1994 because they’d been using variations of their soon to be released album’s…
In the 25 years since Nas released the universally recognized classic Rap album “Illmatic” it’s become praised while modern Rap albums that follow its example are often derided. Let’s look at this album’s release through the eyes of someone who was an adult at the time it was released in April 1994.
“Illmatic” is regarded as an unadulterated Rap classic and is arguably the greatest Hip-Hop album ever recorded. …
Two of America’s most blunted bunkered down in Stones Throw’s storied Bomb Shelter and the end result was a modern classic Rap album.
In October 2003, independent West Coast Hip Hop label Stones Throw released Jaylib’s “Champion Sound”, a collaboration between J Dilla and Madlib who shared both production and rhyming duties. The album was a sensation that not only ignited the independent Hip Hop world but garnered much attention and critical acclaim from the mainstream music press although it didn’t move the amount of units Stones Throw hoped it would.
While Madlib was a fan of DOOM, DOOM was largely unfamiliar with Madlib and his back catalogue. Egon of Stones Throw/Now Again reached out to a friend of his who knew DOOM…
Dart_Adams
Host of Dart Against Humanity/Boston Legends. CCO @ Producers I Know/journalist @ Okayplayer/DJBooth/Complex/NPR/Mass Appeal/IV Boston/HipHopWired/KillerBoomBox
