The List is Finished but I'm Not
And the winner is ...
I don't want to ruin the fun (yet). The final piece of Pitchfork's Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s list just came out Friday, and some of you might actually want to read through it from 20 to 1 without knowing who's at the very top. I will say that the consensus seems to be that my three rules all held true. Maybe I'll come back and do a full rundown after the list has been out for a few days.
So then, back to the theme of my last post: Jon's Underlistened Tracks of the 90s. The problem with any endeavor like creating that post is that you can only invest so much time doing research and due diligence. As a result, you invariably think of a few other good potential entries just after hitting "publish." Pitchfork's list started on Monday, and I wanted to have my post done while the list was still being uncovered. That gave me until Thursday. Factor in work, sleep, etc., and that doesn't leave much time. Within a day after I published the post, I already had thought of a new batch of songs from the 90s that I could strongly argue were varying combinations of underexposed, underappreciated, and forgotten.
Hip-Hop Music in the 90s: Acceptance and Invention
Feeling the need to put some framework around this series of posts, I decided to make this entry all about hip-hop. Two qualities stand out when I think about hip-hop in the 90s: popularity and innovation. The former can be chalked up to a few factors, the seeds of which were sewn in the final years of the 80s. The scene spread to both coasts and in-between. Young suburbanites started listening. MTV decided it was ready to embrace hip-hop, starting with a one-off special called "Yo! MTV Raps!" that turned into one of the channel's most popular regular video shows. A guy making slick R&B-influenced hip-hop music dropped the "MC" from his name and sold 10 million copies of "U Can't Touch This" as just plain "Hammer."
Innovation also was big in the 90s, and again, the foundation for that was laid at the end of the prior decade. There has been hip-hop labeled as "alternative" from the old school days (the recently deceased Rammellzee for example). It wasn't until the late 80s, though, when the so-called golden age of hip-hop gave way to what was called "new school" at the time, that the boundaries started to get nudged in the directions they would go in later on. Rakim decided to play with complex rhyme schemes and pushed the art of MCing to new heights. In 1986 or so Schoolly D started making something close to gansta rap in Philly. De La Soul and their fellow Native Tongue groups like The Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest decided that there was more than James Brown beats and started exploring new places for samples, at the same time adding intelligent lyrics to their songs that appealed to the college crowd. Hip-house foreshadowed the influence that dance music would go on to have on hip-hop, particularly after sampling became tougher following successful legal challenges from the sampled artists. There was also commingling with reggae (BDP) and soul (Big Daddy Kane, Heavy D). On the DJing side, the simplistic scratching and mixing of the old-timers ceded to a new wave of innovators like DJ Cash Money, ushering in the golden era of turntablism.
Back to popularity. Maybe something like "U Can't Touch This" provided a clue, but when hip-hop to went mainstream in the 90s, it took a lot of people by surprise. By 1993, even "gangsta rap" (I never liked that moniker, hence the quotation marks this time) was selling big. Dr. Dre dropped "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," which gave many people their first dose of a new rapper who still went by the full name Snoop Doggy Dog. It sold a million copies and was on BET and MTV nonstop.
Once it became apparent that hip-hop sold, the whole game changed. As a side effect, a number of artists who were bored with the highly-produced, glossy styles of money-making hip-hop took all of the ideas that spawned in the late 80s, went underground, and made some incredible music. While Snoop and Dre ruled the charts and the suburbs, groups like Black Moon and Freestyle Fellowship were making heads bob in the places where rap music started out: the inner-cities.
Throughout the decade, I tried to stay up with what was happening on the fringes of hip-hop, which appealed to my creative side. At first, it was easy. At Tufts, I DJed from 1990-1994 on WMFO and had access to a great deal of music at the station. Plus I was in Boston, "the big city." After that, I moved to Connecticut, and the scene got tougher to follow until decent internet connections arrived later in the decade. Digging back into my memory banks, I came up with a few cuts from the less commercial side of hip-hop in the 90s. Maybe you've heard these songs before, maybe not. The level of obscurity varies quite a bit. I'm betting if you did hear a few of them, you forgot about a few of them or haven't heard them in a while.
Some of these songs may not have official videos. I'll post one of the better unofficial videos I find.
So, in vaguely chronological order, I give you ...
Jon's Underexposed Hip-Hop Tracks of the 1990s
"Kickin' Afrolistics (Clark Kent Superlistic mix)" - The Afros (1990)
Who were The Afros? What were The Afros? Sort of like a cross between Digital Underground and Biz Markie, The Afros looked a bit like novelty acts with the wigs, but they brought it musically. Sonically, this one's a bit more old school than the others on the list, but it was still only 1990.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Who Me?" - KMD (1991)
KMD was an outer-ring member of the Native Tongues. They released one good album in 1991, got tied up in a legal tussle with their label, dealt with the tragic loss of one member, then vanished. I picked up Mr. Hood pretty soon after hearing "Who Me?" Loved it and waited for that second album that never came. Much later, when it was revealed that KMD emcee Zev Love X was rising underground legend MF DOOM, it made a lot of sense to those of us who had been around for KMD. That second album did eventually come out in 2001, but KMD forever died with the passing of DJ Subroc (Zev/DOOM's younger brother).
"Who Me?" is worth listening to carefully for its commentary on racism. It also has a cool beat based on a funky strumming guitar riff. And Bert (yeah, that Bert).
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Sally Got a One Track Mind" - Diamond & The Psychotic Neurotics (1992)
Diamond D (Joseph Kirkland) was an integral part of the soundtrack of my senior yer at Tufts. My cousin turned me on top Diamond & The Psychotic Neurotics, and I brought it back to Boston with me. Rachel, I and our friends listened to that CD from start to finish countless times during our pre-going out routine (typically involving drinks and Sega Genesis). Stunts, Blunts and Hip-Hop holds up pretty well, and although there aren't necessarily any classic tracks, there isn't much filler either. "Sally" probably got the most exposure of the singles released from the album. Put it on in a room full of hip-hop heads today and they'll still nod.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I Got Cha Opin (remix)" - Black Moon (1993)
Another one from my Tufts days. Black Moon's first single, "Who Got the Props?" got some play on BET's Rap City. I was immediately blown away by the razor-sharp emcee skills of Buckshot Shorty (he later dropped the "Shorty," much as the aforementioned Snoop dropped the "Doggy"). I got the cassette of the first album when it came out, but the version of "I Got Cha Opin" that I started hearing on radio shows was a slower, slicker version that was absent from the tape. I went out and got one of the very few "cassingles" I ever purchased just to have this remix.
(sorry for the lame video, you can't imbed the official one -- instead, click here)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Livin' Proof" - Group Home (1995)
I was tempted to pick "Suspended in Time" because the song lives up to its title. It really sounds like East Coast hip-hop circa 1995. "Livin' Proof" is more of a jam though. Gang Starr's DJ Premier produced the album. You can really tell that Wu-Tang has happened in listening to Premier's production, and with him on the mix, it's no surprise that beats are top shelf.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"The Fire With Which You Burn" - Company Flow (1997)
If we want to talk about innovation in the 90s, the very beginning of Allmusic.com's review of official debut LP Funcrusher Plus (1997) justifies the inclusion of Company Flow: "Funcrusher Plus, had a galvanizing effect on the underground hip-hop scene. It was one of the artiest, most abstract hip-hop albums ever recorded, paving the way for a new brand of avant-garde experimentalism that blatantly defied commercial considerations." From Funcrusher Plus, "The Fire With Which You Burn" shows that innovation doesn't really need to be complex. Company Flow was one of the reasons Rawkus Records was a go-to label for heads in the late 90s. It is a good example of why the acclaim Funcrusher Plus received was warranted.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Time Is Running Out" - Visionaries (1998)
And the winner is ...
I don't want to ruin the fun (yet). The final piece of Pitchfork's Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s list just came out Friday, and some of you might actually want to read through it from 20 to 1 without knowing who's at the very top. I will say that the consensus seems to be that my three rules all held true. Maybe I'll come back and do a full rundown after the list has been out for a few days.
So then, back to the theme of my last post: Jon's Underlistened Tracks of the 90s. The problem with any endeavor like creating that post is that you can only invest so much time doing research and due diligence. As a result, you invariably think of a few other good potential entries just after hitting "publish." Pitchfork's list started on Monday, and I wanted to have my post done while the list was still being uncovered. That gave me until Thursday. Factor in work, sleep, etc., and that doesn't leave much time. Within a day after I published the post, I already had thought of a new batch of songs from the 90s that I could strongly argue were varying combinations of underexposed, underappreciated, and forgotten.
Hip-Hop Music in the 90s: Acceptance and Invention
Feeling the need to put some framework around this series of posts, I decided to make this entry all about hip-hop. Two qualities stand out when I think about hip-hop in the 90s: popularity and innovation. The former can be chalked up to a few factors, the seeds of which were sewn in the final years of the 80s. The scene spread to both coasts and in-between. Young suburbanites started listening. MTV decided it was ready to embrace hip-hop, starting with a one-off special called "Yo! MTV Raps!" that turned into one of the channel's most popular regular video shows. A guy making slick R&B-influenced hip-hop music dropped the "MC" from his name and sold 10 million copies of "U Can't Touch This" as just plain "Hammer."
Innovation also was big in the 90s, and again, the foundation for that was laid at the end of the prior decade. There has been hip-hop labeled as "alternative" from the old school days (the recently deceased Rammellzee for example). It wasn't until the late 80s, though, when the so-called golden age of hip-hop gave way to what was called "new school" at the time, that the boundaries started to get nudged in the directions they would go in later on. Rakim decided to play with complex rhyme schemes and pushed the art of MCing to new heights. In 1986 or so Schoolly D started making something close to gansta rap in Philly. De La Soul and their fellow Native Tongue groups like The Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest decided that there was more than James Brown beats and started exploring new places for samples, at the same time adding intelligent lyrics to their songs that appealed to the college crowd. Hip-house foreshadowed the influence that dance music would go on to have on hip-hop, particularly after sampling became tougher following successful legal challenges from the sampled artists. There was also commingling with reggae (BDP) and soul (Big Daddy Kane, Heavy D). On the DJing side, the simplistic scratching and mixing of the old-timers ceded to a new wave of innovators like DJ Cash Money, ushering in the golden era of turntablism.
Back to popularity. Maybe something like "U Can't Touch This" provided a clue, but when hip-hop to went mainstream in the 90s, it took a lot of people by surprise. By 1993, even "gangsta rap" (I never liked that moniker, hence the quotation marks this time) was selling big. Dr. Dre dropped "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," which gave many people their first dose of a new rapper who still went by the full name Snoop Doggy Dog. It sold a million copies and was on BET and MTV nonstop.
Once it became apparent that hip-hop sold, the whole game changed. As a side effect, a number of artists who were bored with the highly-produced, glossy styles of money-making hip-hop took all of the ideas that spawned in the late 80s, went underground, and made some incredible music. While Snoop and Dre ruled the charts and the suburbs, groups like Black Moon and Freestyle Fellowship were making heads bob in the places where rap music started out: the inner-cities.
Throughout the decade, I tried to stay up with what was happening on the fringes of hip-hop, which appealed to my creative side. At first, it was easy. At Tufts, I DJed from 1990-1994 on WMFO and had access to a great deal of music at the station. Plus I was in Boston, "the big city." After that, I moved to Connecticut, and the scene got tougher to follow until decent internet connections arrived later in the decade. Digging back into my memory banks, I came up with a few cuts from the less commercial side of hip-hop in the 90s. Maybe you've heard these songs before, maybe not. The level of obscurity varies quite a bit. I'm betting if you did hear a few of them, you forgot about a few of them or haven't heard them in a while.
Some of these songs may not have official videos. I'll post one of the better unofficial videos I find.
So, in vaguely chronological order, I give you ...
Jon's Underexposed Hip-Hop Tracks of the 1990s
"Kickin' Afrolistics (Clark Kent Superlistic mix)" - The Afros (1990)
Who were The Afros? What were The Afros? Sort of like a cross between Digital Underground and Biz Markie, The Afros looked a bit like novelty acts with the wigs, but they brought it musically. Sonically, this one's a bit more old school than the others on the list, but it was still only 1990.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Who Me?" - KMD (1991)
KMD was an outer-ring member of the Native Tongues. They released one good album in 1991, got tied up in a legal tussle with their label, dealt with the tragic loss of one member, then vanished. I picked up Mr. Hood pretty soon after hearing "Who Me?" Loved it and waited for that second album that never came. Much later, when it was revealed that KMD emcee Zev Love X was rising underground legend MF DOOM, it made a lot of sense to those of us who had been around for KMD. That second album did eventually come out in 2001, but KMD forever died with the passing of DJ Subroc (Zev/DOOM's younger brother).
"Who Me?" is worth listening to carefully for its commentary on racism. It also has a cool beat based on a funky strumming guitar riff. And Bert (yeah, that Bert).
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Sally Got a One Track Mind" - Diamond & The Psychotic Neurotics (1992)
Diamond D (Joseph Kirkland) was an integral part of the soundtrack of my senior yer at Tufts. My cousin turned me on top Diamond & The Psychotic Neurotics, and I brought it back to Boston with me. Rachel, I and our friends listened to that CD from start to finish countless times during our pre-going out routine (typically involving drinks and Sega Genesis). Stunts, Blunts and Hip-Hop holds up pretty well, and although there aren't necessarily any classic tracks, there isn't much filler either. "Sally" probably got the most exposure of the singles released from the album. Put it on in a room full of hip-hop heads today and they'll still nod.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I Got Cha Opin (remix)" - Black Moon (1993)
Another one from my Tufts days. Black Moon's first single, "Who Got the Props?" got some play on BET's Rap City. I was immediately blown away by the razor-sharp emcee skills of Buckshot Shorty (he later dropped the "Shorty," much as the aforementioned Snoop dropped the "Doggy"). I got the cassette of the first album when it came out, but the version of "I Got Cha Opin" that I started hearing on radio shows was a slower, slicker version that was absent from the tape. I went out and got one of the very few "cassingles" I ever purchased just to have this remix.
(sorry for the lame video, you can't imbed the official one -- instead, click here)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Livin' Proof" - Group Home (1995)
I was tempted to pick "Suspended in Time" because the song lives up to its title. It really sounds like East Coast hip-hop circa 1995. "Livin' Proof" is more of a jam though. Gang Starr's DJ Premier produced the album. You can really tell that Wu-Tang has happened in listening to Premier's production, and with him on the mix, it's no surprise that beats are top shelf.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"The Fire With Which You Burn" - Company Flow (1997)
If we want to talk about innovation in the 90s, the very beginning of Allmusic.com's review of official debut LP Funcrusher Plus (1997) justifies the inclusion of Company Flow: "Funcrusher Plus, had a galvanizing effect on the underground hip-hop scene. It was one of the artiest, most abstract hip-hop albums ever recorded, paving the way for a new brand of avant-garde experimentalism that blatantly defied commercial considerations." From Funcrusher Plus, "The Fire With Which You Burn" shows that innovation doesn't really need to be complex. Company Flow was one of the reasons Rawkus Records was a go-to label for heads in the late 90s. It is a good example of why the acclaim Funcrusher Plus received was warranted.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Time Is Running Out" - Visionaries (1998)
Not all boundary-pushing hip-hop came out of the Northeast in the 90s. Innovation spread west, south, and overseas. The West Coast was a hotbed for invention as well as hits, from Digital Underground, Pharcyde, Del & Hieroglyphics on downward.
Visionaries were part of a very active underground scene in LA in the late 90s. The large, politically aware group tends to focus on the bright side of things, bringing back the positive focus that was a cornerstone of East Coast hip-hop during the golden age (late 80s). Though never big commercially, Visionaries' output has been prolific. Following the Wu-Tang model, the large group's membership has released over a dozen albums as a collective and individually. UndergroundHipHop.com had this to say about the 1998 debut album, Galleries: "The album captures the essence of the Los Angeles scene and how the crew ascended to the top of it. Featuring the production creativity and dexterity of members DJ Rhettmatic and KeyKool along with guest spots from other Cali natives Evidence and J-Rocc this is a no-brainer for hip-hop historians as well as fans of dope rhymes and radiant beats."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Super Brooklyn" - Cocoa Brovaz (1999)
Cocoa Brovaz started out as Smif-n-Wessun and later returned to that tag. In 1999, while they were Cocoa Brovaz, emcees Tek and Steele laid down some good rhymes atop a beat based on the music and sounds featured in all-time favorite video game, Super Mario Bros. It sounds silly, but they pull it off. Tek and Steele are tight as they cleverly turn some of the game's plain sound effects into a chorus. This one was never officially released, due to copyright issues. I discovered it by ordering a mixed tape on UndergroundHipHop.com (still going strong after all these years).
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"My Fantasy" - Freestyle Fellowship (1991)
"Planets Ain't Aligned" - Nobody featuring. Freestyle Fellowship (1999)
"Space Cadet Ace reporting from base." Anything with Aceyalone rapping on it seems to bounce. Aceyalone has been delivering great beats and rhymes with a sufficient dose of underground cred for what seems like forever. Starting out with the Fellowship in the early 90s and throughout the rest of the decade and beyond with other projects like Haiku D'Etat, Project Blowed and his solo material, Acey has had a bit of the underground hip-hop midas touch.
If I had to put together a Justice League of 90s Emcees, Aceyalone would probably be on it. These two tracks show the growth he had during the decade. On "My Fantasy," which was included on Freestyle Fellowship's first album To Whom It May Concern..., Acey sounds like he's basically laying down a spaced-out freestyle over a beat that's a little eccentric but still sounds firmly planted in the early 90s. Still, you can hear the emergence of his syncopated and stuttering delivery that would influence a lot of West Coast rappers later that decade (think Bone Thugs-n-Harmony).
Acey stayed strong throughout the decade. By 1999, he was in top form. "Planets Ain't Aligned" was released on a Ubiquity Records compilation that I ordered on-line back when. Produced by DJ Nobody, this one features Acey's Fellowship and Haiku mate Mikah 9, another dude who could make his case for the 90s underground rap Mt. Rushmore.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Come back soon. I'll be putting together one more post, after that Pitchfork list has had a little more time to simmer.
Visionaries were part of a very active underground scene in LA in the late 90s. The large, politically aware group tends to focus on the bright side of things, bringing back the positive focus that was a cornerstone of East Coast hip-hop during the golden age (late 80s). Though never big commercially, Visionaries' output has been prolific. Following the Wu-Tang model, the large group's membership has released over a dozen albums as a collective and individually. UndergroundHipHop.com had this to say about the 1998 debut album, Galleries: "The album captures the essence of the Los Angeles scene and how the crew ascended to the top of it. Featuring the production creativity and dexterity of members DJ Rhettmatic and KeyKool along with guest spots from other Cali natives Evidence and J-Rocc this is a no-brainer for hip-hop historians as well as fans of dope rhymes and radiant beats."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Super Brooklyn" - Cocoa Brovaz (1999)
Cocoa Brovaz started out as Smif-n-Wessun and later returned to that tag. In 1999, while they were Cocoa Brovaz, emcees Tek and Steele laid down some good rhymes atop a beat based on the music and sounds featured in all-time favorite video game, Super Mario Bros. It sounds silly, but they pull it off. Tek and Steele are tight as they cleverly turn some of the game's plain sound effects into a chorus. This one was never officially released, due to copyright issues. I discovered it by ordering a mixed tape on UndergroundHipHop.com (still going strong after all these years).
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"My Fantasy" - Freestyle Fellowship (1991)
"Planets Ain't Aligned" - Nobody featuring. Freestyle Fellowship (1999)
"Space Cadet Ace reporting from base." Anything with Aceyalone rapping on it seems to bounce. Aceyalone has been delivering great beats and rhymes with a sufficient dose of underground cred for what seems like forever. Starting out with the Fellowship in the early 90s and throughout the rest of the decade and beyond with other projects like Haiku D'Etat, Project Blowed and his solo material, Acey has had a bit of the underground hip-hop midas touch.
If I had to put together a Justice League of 90s Emcees, Aceyalone would probably be on it. These two tracks show the growth he had during the decade. On "My Fantasy," which was included on Freestyle Fellowship's first album To Whom It May Concern..., Acey sounds like he's basically laying down a spaced-out freestyle over a beat that's a little eccentric but still sounds firmly planted in the early 90s. Still, you can hear the emergence of his syncopated and stuttering delivery that would influence a lot of West Coast rappers later that decade (think Bone Thugs-n-Harmony).
Acey stayed strong throughout the decade. By 1999, he was in top form. "Planets Ain't Aligned" was released on a Ubiquity Records compilation that I ordered on-line back when. Produced by DJ Nobody, this one features Acey's Fellowship and Haiku mate Mikah 9, another dude who could make his case for the 90s underground rap Mt. Rushmore.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Come back soon. I'll be putting together one more post, after that Pitchfork list has had a little more time to simmer.
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