When Grand Daddy I.U. dropped Smooth Assassin in 1990, he was already a 22-year-old alumni of hip hop’s most legendary collective. Whilst his career never fully took off, the Grand Daddy still rocked the mic with his distinctive delivery and ostentatious garb. We’re looking back at the refined emcee’s obscure debut.
Read MoreBefore Queensbridge emcee Percy Chapman was Tragedy Khadafi, he was Intelligent Hoodlum, a young socio-political firebrand with a long list of grievances. His self-titled 1990 debut is a hip hop relic that explores injustice, upheaval, celebrations and irreverence in equal measure. That’s definitely something worth exploring, so jump in!
Read MoreBefore there was The Roots, there was Stetsasonic, the original hip hop band. Boasting a roster that included legendary producer Prince Paul, the six-man outfit were a unique addition to the scene, and their 1988 LP In Full Gear marked their critical apex. In celebration of the 30th anniversary, we’re breaking down the samples throughout that classic LP!
Read MoreIn the first of two pieces about Kanye West's landmark LP, we outline the real-life heartbreaks that pushed Kanye to make his most ambitious and important record.
Read MoreIn the second retrospective exploring the writing, recording and impact of Kanye West’s 808s and Heartbreak, we delve into the collaborators, samples and eventual influence of the new wave-flavoured effort.
Read MoreOnce hip hop Enter[ed] the Wu-Tang, things were never the same. The ‘93 record provided a blueprint for a new East Coast sound, launched the careers of all nine members and quickly became one of the most esteemed hip hop records of all time. In this edition of Behind…, we’re celebrating a quarter-century by breaking down the samples on Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)!
Read MoreSlick Rick is one of hip hop’s great storytellers. His 1988 debut, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, has since become the gold standard of narrative hip hop, a lewd and crude retelling of Rick’s oft-unsavoury exploits. In this edition of Behind…, we’re looking at the samples scattered throughout Rick the Ruler’s landmark LP!
Read MorePete Rock’s PeteStrumentals, released by BBE in 2001, is the legendary producer’s first instrumental LP. A distillation of old school sampling and ‘90s sensibilities, the record finds Rock playing in the musical sandbox he helped create throughout the preceding decade, pulling jazz and soul into hypnotic boom-bap reimaginings.
Read MoreAZ’s 1995 debut was both a critical and commercial success, though it’s largely been lost amongst the swathe of top quality East Coast records. Far more than just a companion piece to Nas’ Illmatic, Doe Or Die remains a gem of ‘90s hip hop. In this edition of Behind…, we explore the samples that underpin the essential effort.
Read MoreImpressive rhymes, innovative sampling and bold style: Ultramagnetic MC’s were some of the golden age’s most vibrant characters. In this instalment of the Behind… series, we’re breaking down their very particular style via the samples littered throughout their 1988 debut, Critical Beatdown!
Read MoreWhen NYC rappers Mos Def and Talib Kweli called themselves "best alliance in hip hop," they weren’t wrong. Twenty years after the release of their sole LP, 1998’s Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, we look back at the samples that helped make the album such a subdued and pithy statement.
Read MoreEPMD’s 1988 debut, Strictly Business, is yet another golden age classic. In this edition of Behind…, we’re breaking down the samples scattered throughout Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith’s smooth and funky debut.
Read MoreIce-T’s Power, his 1988 sophomore album, found him expanding on the niche he’d helped create - gangsta rap - just one month after N.W.A’s genre-defining debut. In celebration of the 30th anniversary, we’re looking at the samples on the Afrika Islam-produced LP!
Read MoreJJ Fad’s Supersonic, though hardly a masterpiece, was the first effort out of Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records, presaging 1988 efforts by N.W.A and Eazy himself. The charting album and its hit singles helped establish the label, a move which helped Straight Outta Compton make history. For the 30th anniversary, we’re breaking down the samples on the indispensable record.
Read MoreSweet Tee’s It’s Tee Time - her only record - remains an important but oft-overlooked slice of 1988 hip hop. Though hardly influential, the record found a new artist collaborating with one of the most successful pop-rap producers of the day, Hurby Luv Bug, to create a lighthearted and surprisingly versatile LP.
Read MoreThe Jungle Brothers’ debut LP, Straight Out The Jungle, paired upbeat jazz samples with positive Afrocentricity. This then-novel vision kickstarted jazz rap and marked the beginning of the Native Tongues collective, a loose group of likeminded artists whose vision would leave an indelible mark on ‘90s alternative hip hop.
Read MoreAs hip hop itself turns 45, we’re looking back at the first ever breakbeat compilation and the man behind it. A collection of hip hop favourites that bridged the gap between park parties and the very first studio recordings, we’re tracking the influence of Paul Winley’s Super Disco Brake’s across four decades of blossoming culture.
Read MoreStraight Outta Compton: the definitive gangsta rap album. It made legends out of Eazy, Cube and Dre, setting the stage for a five-year period of commercial dominance that established the West Coast as a hip hop powerhouse. In this instalment of Behind…, we’re diving into the samples that help keep the record as exciting and incendiary as it was 30 years ago.
Read MoreThe second and final instalment of our piece on Straight Outta Compton, we look at the samples in tracks “Express Yourself” through “Something 2 Dance 2.”
Read MoreFollow The Leader - Eric B. & Rakim’s sophomore album - was released on July 25, 1988. The album, which boasts some of Rakim’s most commanding verses, is steeped in old school sensibilities that would soon give way to the more socio-political bent of ‘90s hip hop. In this instalment of Behind…, we’re looking at a classic from one of hip hop’s most formidable and influential duos.
Read More