#4....Hot tracks of the day: Lords of the Underground "Funky Child" b/w Smif-N-Wesson "Bucktown"

Today's hot tracks probably couldn't be any more different. One of the things I love about Hip Hop music is the little differences you can notice in two tracks like this. One bombastic and over the top, while the other assuming, calm, and collected.

Lords of the Underground were a group of MC's, 2 parts Newark, NJ, and one part Cleveland, OH. they came to know each other while attending Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Their seminal record was arguably 1993's Here Come the Lords. The beats were loud and bombastic and the vocals had a layered/echo affect. The video for "Child" revels in silliness as DoItAll appears in a Diaper. the Lords had a few more singles from this record; the title track for "Here Come the Lords" as well as "Chief Rocka". The follow up to Lords came the following year in 1994 w/ Keepers of the Funk, while their signature bombast remained intact, it still was no match for Here Come the Lords, lyrically, as well as from a production standpoint.



Entry numero dos on today's breakdown of hot tracks comes deep from Brownsville, BKLYN NYC's boot camp click, "Bucktown" off of Smif-N-Wesson's 1995 inaugural release Dah' Shinin. I think the reason I like this track so much is that there's not anything made like this anymore, underground or mainstream. The silky smooth flows of Tek and Steele along with unassuming Boot Camp production make for a near-classic. Dah' Shinin, to many, (especially in Brooklyn) is seen as a Hip-Hop classic and has been mentioned in the same breath as records like Nas's 1994 masterpiece Illmatic. S-N-W would continue to make records well throughout the 90's, after getting dropped by Priority in 1999 they made an independent single, aptly titled "Super Brookyln" which ultimately landed them a deal with then-indie stronghold Rawkus Records.

Both tracks today exhibit a fusion of old and new styles, however, only made a small indent on the mainstream. While I could sit here and whine about how sad it is that these groups never reached critical mass, I'm glad I can still see the videos and listen to the songs. Like all music, it lives on.

-Marv.

Biblio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smif-n-Wessun

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lords_Of_The_Underground