In 1996, Bobbito Garcia's Fondle 'Em publishes the second project in its catalog, which coincides with the first official work of the Juggaknots, a Bronx group made up of brothers Paul "Breeze Brewin'", Peridot "Queen Herawin" and Kevin "Buddy Slim" Smith.
The vinyl is split into two sides, "Butter Side" and "Barber Side", comprising five and four tracks respectively, for a total of just under 35 minutes total. Personal, self-produced, without guests. A real gem, it's by far one of the most beautiful tapes of the year. In 2003, the independent label Third Earth Music made hip-hop fans rediscover it, releasing it as a CD with the addition of eleven bonus tracks, recorded between 1995 and 2003.
Both editions are extraordinary. The '96 work is compact, cohesive, tight, immediate, with great replay value. The reissue breathes better, shines more, is a little irregular, and the added material features guests both on the microphone, with the underground duo Adagio!, both behind the keyboards, with the production of The Obvious Wonder and Suga Shadow. The MC Breeze Brewin stands out from its siblings, boasting a technically flawless style and a crisp, velvety, fantastic flow, he runs like silk on what is one of the best productions of the year. Lyrically, the rappers provide bravado, socio-conscious, vicious, violent and abstract lyrics, providing some excellent excerpts. The Juggaknots prove to be very good producers too, building their own set with a fairly simple formula: dirty and dusty drum, raw and ill jazz samples, scratches on the hooks. The result is cinematic, fluid, dark, bordering on perfection. It's an incredible album, one of the freshest of the decade, a gem in independent New York hip-hop.
Rating: 8.5/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment