This EP emerged from nowhere in the early 2000s, until then very few people know of its existence. So what? Quite right. I get there. First of two extended plays roughly carved by Soul Intent, both are made in the early nineties, but the first is signed under the name Bassmint Production. There has never been too much information on these two Soul Intent EPs and it's a shame, because we only know something about them after the premature death due to the suicide of one of its most important members, one of the two rappers, Chaos Kid: he takes his own life in his hometown on September 28, 2011, many years after his former friend had insisted alone in the intricate and dark musical world, reaching the success dreamed by both.
On March 3, 1990, a Detroit group that is touring the local places, decided to release its debut: the group was born in 1989 from the union of the trio composed of James "Chaos Kid" Deel, Michael "Manix" Ruby and Jason "Vitamin C" Fields to the duo New Jacks, in which Matthew "DJ Butter Fingers" Ruby (brother of Manix) & MC Double M are present.
In 1992, the group changes its name to Soul Intent when Double M brings DeShaun Holton and his other childhood friends to the group. The name of the their first effort is "Steppin' on to the Scene" and is divided into two parts equally written and interpreted by two rappers: the first side is dedicated to M&M, the second one to Chaos Kid, while the production is credited to Manix and the scratches are provided by DJ Butter Fingers.
Released exclusively on cassette and having never been marketed, it has become an extremely rare document: produced by the Bassmint Production label, it was recorded between 1989 and 1990 mainly in a basement with non-professional instruments, so the sound quality isn't good. The two rappers deliver decently hardcore over these simple, frantic and also rocking rhythms, trying to accelerate the raw flow sometimes; also the lyrics of the performers are extravagant freestyle to which not to give too much weight: it lasts just under twenty five minutes and the title track of the disc interpreted by M&M that opens the disc is credited for being the first track that presents the Detroit rapper.
This EP is minimal and skeletal in all its aspects, starting from the cover of an embarrassing simplicity, which manages to fully represent hip hop in its pure rawness, up to the tracklist where the guest of a dude named "Delirious D" is reported, an artist of whom we know even less, probably a friend of the group, busy singing on the hook of "Enuff Is Enuff", fifth track.
Overall, it's an honest hardcore effort from the Detroit underground circuit: I'm not going to reinvent the wheel, it wasn't a success nor is the second EP, released in 1992. That second effort puts an end to the career of all members of the Bassmint Production / Soul Intent, they're all around twenty years old, they start doing something else in life. But one. M&M decides not to give up, despite the concrete risk of wasting his life chasing the shadow of the success: he continues to work on his music and in the mid-nineties, he publishes an EP together with his friend Holton.
Even this work is ignored by insiders, it's difficult to enter a system that select few. After being rebounded several times by Fat Joe, at the time one of the rare white rappers to have a moderate success in the game, and could worthily promote him as an artist, in 1996 M&M changes his name and comes out with his debut album, almost ignored completely by critics, despite biting the Nas & AZ style that at the time had enthralled fans.
This boy has already founded his second group, The Dirty Dozen with Holton and other performers, however the passion for music must be reconciled with the growth of a young daughter and the work; despite everything, he feels he's close to success, which comes the following year, when he finishes second in the first Los Angeles edition of the Tri-State rap contest "Rap Olympics". His new demo arrives to Interscope's A&R, is the first step towards the success of the white rapper par excellence: at the point, the D12 will follow in the wake, while Soul Intent will be forced into oblivion.
Rating: 6/10.
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