Runaway Slave cover

Runaway Slave

Released

These two fellas are part of the Diggin’ In The Crates crew, along with Black Sheep, Lord Finesse, Diamond D., Fat Joe, Big L and a few others. These guys pretty much lived at the Rock & Soul Convention at the Roosevelt Hotel, and are responsible for some of the hardest loops of the Nineties. They’re also all clever MCs and this album should be much better known. “Soul Clap” alone is worth the price and—that’s right—it samples the original “Flash To The Beat” bootleg from 1980. History! Also boom bap jesters Nice & Smooth are in the video.

Sasha Frere-Jones

Recommended by

Suggestions
Big Fish Theory cover

Big Fish Theory

Vince Staples
R.A.P. Music cover

R.A.P. Music

Killer Mike
Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop cover

Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop

Diamond and the Psychotic Neurotics
FM! cover

FM!

Vince Staples
The Love Movement cover

The Love Movement

A Tribe Called Quest
Doggystyle cover

Doggystyle

Snoop Dogg
Put Ya Boots On cover

Put Ya Boots On

Double XX Posse
Phrenology cover

Phrenology

The Roots
Fair Exchange No Robbery cover

Fair Exchange No Robbery

Boldy James, Nicholas Craven