<90s Tapes (2025, 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.
90s Tapes brings us another of their fabled 'indie' releases, this time diving into a time period I am always keen on exploring, the early 90s. While the album didn't see the light of day until much later with the release of a CDr version in 2008, 90s Tapes sets things right by giving it their typically lavish treatment on vinyl. The material on this Funk Family LP was originally recorded between 1991 and 1993 if the internet is to be believed. Even if the years aren't spot on, you can tell just by listening to the production that it's of that general era.
And it's really nice production. The bulk of the album was produced by Tony D and he turns in an album full of beats that are predominantly uptempo and hard hitting. The Funk Family are from New Jersey, so you're getting that authentic East Coast boom bap sound. It provides a canvas for the MCs to let loose on. While I admittedly have a difficult time following who is rapping when all the time, anytime someone is on they're bringing a fast paced, lyrically complex style. Had this been released in 1992 or 1993 and gotten the right kind of exposure, I can really see this being the sort of thing that the underground scene would have gravitated towards. The Funk Family would eventually morph into Blaque Spurm, but this early stuff is what resonates the most with me.
As usual, 90s Tapes crushes it with a triple LP crammed full of the original tracks from the CDr release, remixes and previously unreleased songs. They continue to set the standard and The Funk Family is a welcome addition to my shelves.
No comments:
Post a Comment