This golden age New York sound is characterised by skeletal beats, samples cribbed from hard rock or soul tracks, complex wordplay and tough dis raps. Another definitive characteristic is the ability to sample from a wide variety of sources — jazz, funk and soul through to rock & roll. Many of the sample-laden albums released during the 90s would not be able to receive legal clearance today. This compilation collects some of the rarest hip hop songs of that decade from New York City artists, the ones that truly represent the authentic 90s sound.
Tracklist
- E. Bros Funky Piano
- Big Squiq Keep It Going
- Shabam Sahdeeq Sexy
- Nas Deja Vu
- Godfather Don Buster (Intro)
- I Power Rock Da Spot
- Bad Influence That's The Way Life Goes (Remix)
- Tribal Men Down Like That
- Roughneck Soldiers Kill Or Be Killed
- 8Trak & The Faculty Money
- Godfather Don Culo Grande En La Calle Ocho (Interlude)
- Bee Why The Boros
- Grand Puba I Like It (I Wanna Be Where You Are)
- 8 Off Used To Have It All
- Rakim Show Me Love
- People Without Shoes Ghettonetics
- North Bronx Alliance Got My Niggaz Back
- Big L MVP (Buckwild Remix #2)
- The Unsociables RIP Lil' Spunk (Outro)