Soundbombing

Soundbombing is a hip hop compilation album by Rawkus Records, released on October 14, 1997. The album helped launch the careers of Mos Def and Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek), who later became Rawkus's most popular artists. Soundbombing is regarded as a "scene-defining" underground hip hop album.

Soundbombing
Compilation album by
ReleasedOctober 14, 1997 (1997-10-14)
GenreHip hop
Length69:54
LabelRawkus
Producer
Rawkus Records chronology
Soundbombing
(1997)
Lyricist Lounge, Volume One
(1998)

Background

After the critical success of Company Flow's Funcrusher Plus album, released a few months prior, Rawkus returned with a compilation that showcased their growing roster. Mixed by DJ Evil Dee of Da Beatminerz,[1] the album is sequenced like a mixtape, staying true to the label's underground roots. The album is mainly composed of 12" singles previously released by the label in 1997.[1] It is subtitled "The Ultimate Guide to Underground Hip-Hop Mixed by Evil Dee".[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Consumer GuideA−[3]
NME8/10[4]

Soundbombing received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Charles Aaron of Spin noted that "you can hear the hints of a Native Tongues-like posse feeding off of one another's smarts and enthusiasm, unworried about recreating 1988's magic or being welcomed into rap's gated fantasyland."[5] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau gave the album an A− rating and stated, "this singles-plus showcase is 'underground' hip hop's most convincing advertisement for itself", also praising the performances of Mos Def, Talib Kweli and R.A. the Rugged Man.[3]

Writing for AllMusic, Nathan Rabin believed that the album "arrived at a crucial juncture for rap music, just as the deaths of 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G. forced hip-hop to re-examine its priorities, and the commercial dominance of Bad Boy necessitated a smart, socially conscious alternative to P. Diddy's blatantly commercial brand of karaoke hip-pop."[1] Dana Scott of Ambrosia for Heads wrote that the album "was Hip-Hop seeking refuge to return to the culture's days of innocence. It worked, signaling a rebirth that spawned a new breed of MC legends—and a subsequent series that Heads could trust."[2] In the 5th edition of his Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Colin Larkin hailed it as a "scene-defining" underground hip hop album.[6]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Intro" (Brick City Kids & Evil Dee)Ghetto Professionals1:17
2."Flipside" (R.A. the Rugged Man)Dirtman2:13
3."Fire in Which You Burn" (Indelible MC's)El-P4:52
4."Lune TNS" (Company Flow)Bigg Jus3:13
5."Nightwork" (Sir Menelik)El-P4:04
6."Arabian Nights" (Shabaam Sahdeeq)Nick Wiz4:13
7."Fortified Live" (Reflection Eternal featuring Mos Def and Mr. Man)Hi-Tek5:11
8."Show Me Your Gratitude" (L-Fudge)Rich Boogie3:55
9."'Till My Heart Stops" (R.A. the Rugged Man featuring 8-Off the Assassin)Dirtman4:10
10."Freestyle" (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) 4:38
11."So Intelligent" (Sir Menelik featuring Kool Keith)Sir Menelik4:10
12."Empire Staters" (B-1)Chuckie Madness4:06
13."If You Can Huh..." (Mos Def)Shawn J. Period3:44
14."Universal Magnetic" (Mos Def)Shawn J. Period4:07
15."What If?" (L-Fudge featuring Mike Zoot, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Skam and Talib Kweli)DJ Spinna5:27
16."My Crown" (Black Attack)Ghetto Professionals3:40
17."2000 Seasons" (Reflection Eternal)Hi-Tek6:54
Total length:69:54

References

  1. Rabin, Nathan. "Soundbombing – Various Artists". AllMusic. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  2. Scott, Dana (June 26, 2018). "Soundbombing Was Released 20 Years Ago & Launched A Generation Of Underground Hip-Hop". Ambrosia for Heads.
  3. Christgau, Robert (2000). "Soundbombing". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  4. "Various Artists: Soundbombing". NME: 33. January 3, 1998.
  5. Aaron, Charles (February 1998). "B-Boys From Outer Space". Spin: 110.
  6. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Company Flow". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
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