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
Radio cover

Radio

LL Cool J
Kurtis Blow cover

Kurtis Blow

Kurtis Blow
Tana Talk 3 cover

Tana Talk 3

Benny The Butcher
Big Tyme cover

Big Tyme

Heavy D & the Boyz
Ironman cover

Ironman

Ghostface Killah
Summertime ‘06 cover

Summertime ‘06

Vince Staples
Mecca and the Soul Brother cover

Mecca and the Soul Brother

C.L. Smooth, Pete Rock
A Future Without a Past… cover

A Future Without a Past…

Leaders of the New School