Rawkus Records Soundbombing 2 Rarest
Happy 20th Anniversary to Rawkus Records’ Soundbombing II compilation, originally released May 18, 1999.Rawkus Records couldn’t put a foot wrong in 1999. The New York based label had helped redefine independent hip-hop with a run of consistently dope 12” singles and critically acclaimed albums including Company Flow’s and the inaugural Soundbombing collection in 1997, and Black Star’s in 1998.Soundbombing was a showcase for new tracks and previous 12” highlights from the label’s artists and affiliates, packaged as a hosted mixtape. The sequel, Soundbombing II, arrived in 1999, a stacked year for the label that also saw them drop excellent albums like ’s Black on Both Sides, ’s Internal Affairs and High & Mighty’s Home Field Advantage.Hosting duties were handled this time by Beat Junkies J Rocc and DJ Babu who do a solid job of keeping momentum through the many tracks. The addition of song intros and a few skits make Soundbombing II a more grandiose and arguably bloated album compared to the original, but who cares when the music is this good. Many of the standout tracks are those from artists closely associated with the label and their vinyl releases, still eager to prove themselves and make a lasting impact.
Mos Def and Mr. Eon excel on the throwback “B-Boy Document 99,” which also features revered emcee Skillz.
Mos’ partner is as solid as ever on “Chaos” over a stripped-down headnodder from his Reflection Eternal producer, Hi-Tek., meanwhile, further perfects the slick, rapid-fire and very angry style that helped make Funcrusher Plus such a classic, on the Company Flow track “Patriotism.”Soundbombing II also highlights some of the label’s sharpest lyricists whom, unlike Mos Def, El-P and Talib Kweli, haven’t since managed to reach as many listeners as they deserve, namely Shabaam Sahdeeq (“WWIII” and “Every Rhyme I Write” with ) and Sir. Menelik (“7XL”).But the Soundbombing albums were not only a way of showing off newer talent.
Rawkus’ solid rep had given the label the respect of many established and respected emcees and producers from the first half of the decade who were now looking to be part of this new golden era of independent hip-hop., and all pop up on Soundbombing II song intros, adding some serious credibility to the set. Rhyme vets Grand Puba and contribute verses to “7XL” and Sadat X also kicks rhymes with the seasoned on “1-9-9-9,” two of the finest cuts on the album.
Rawkus Records Soundbombing 2 Rarest Pokemon
Pharoahe Monch excels as always, kicking off a sublime, post solo career with his full-length debut on Rawkus, Internal Affairs, and a couple of tracks on Soundbombing II (“WWIII” and “Mayor”).Lest we forget that Soundbombing II also features a track by a certain artist from Detroit named. Having already featured on the Rawkus 12” “5 Star Generals” with Shabaam Sahdeeq in 1998, his appearance on Soundbombing II’s “Any Man” came out the same year as “My Name Is,” a.k.a. The year he become a huge, controversial star. It would be the last time Eminem would be associated with underground hip-hop, but his appearance and subsequent success gave Soundbombing II a wider reach than Rawkus Records probably ever expected.Rawkus began to fizzle out in the early years of the new millennium. Activation code for poker academy pro activation key. There would be a few more quality albums from the label to come, including ’s posthumous The Big Picture and Reflection Eternal’s Train of Thought in 2000, DJ Hi-Tek’s Hi-Teknology and Beatminerz’ Brace 4 Impack in 2001, and Marco Polo’s Port Authority as late as 2007. But much of the grimy, dusty-crate spirit of their late ‘90s releases had gone.