Scientifik - Criminal LP - Clear w/ Splatter Vinyl (/50)

de Rap Winkel (2019, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

The story of Scientifik is one of those ones that is a little difficult to unravel with information on the internet.  it never ceases to amaze me how little actual information is left on out there as websites wither on the vine and fade into oblivion.  I can only imagine that will happen with this site eventually someday as well.  A far cry from the cries of 'it will be on the internet forever' that once were prevalent.

Anyway, Scientifik recorded this album in the early 90s.  It may have been released in 1994, or maybe it was just supposed to be released.  It seems that the original label that was putting it out went under, but on discogs a cassette version exists as does a white sleeve with sticker LP.  Son't know what actually happened, but for sure this was not released with much fanfare in 1994.  It took years for labels to get it together for a reissue and that's happened several times now.  This version is from 2019 on de Rap Winkel, though it was recently reissued again and should be easier to track down than my copy was when I picked it up a couple of years ago.  Yes, this is another one that has lingered in the piles for a while.

And why has it lingered?  Because it's consistently good, but never really rises to great for me.  I like it, I have nothing bad to say about it, but I also don't get particularly excited about it.  The production is strong, but the songs are on the slower side of things and have more in common with the beats of 1995 and beyond than a lot of what was happening in 93 and 94.  So maybe this one was ahead of the time with Diamond D, Buckwild and even RZA handling beats.  It's never so slow that it isn't enjoyable, I just like some higher BPMs in my production.

Scientifik is great on the mic.  He weaves together stories with showy lyrical structures that never get in the way of the narrative.  When combined with the grimy production, it's definitely a vibe and has a sinister undertone without being over the top or campy.  A really strong overall package.  Like I said, I can't really say anything on here is bad or even less than very good, but it never totally connects for me to make it elite.  Regardless, it is a record I will want to listen to from time to time and I'm glad to have it available on the shelf.

 Scientifik - Criminal:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nTijSXdF0Nlw1r8mvWePTdDtLSo0qU3EM