93 'Til Infinity

by Souls of Mischief

Overview

One of hip-hop's great lost masterpieces, 93 'Til Infinity is the best single album to come out of Oakland's Hieroglyphics camp, and ranks as a seminal early classic of the West Coast underground. The Souls of Mischief weren't even out of their teens when they completely redefined the art of lyrical technique for the West Coast, along with fellow standard-bearers Freestyle Fellowship, the Pharcyde, and Hiero founder Del tha Funkee Homosapien. The Souls come off as four brash young MCs who are too smart for their own good, yet they're so full of youthful exuberance that it's impossible to dislike them for it. They're also excellent storytellers, punctuating their tales with a wry wit and clever asides; still, they're able to take on the grittier subjects of violence and death with a worldliness beyond their years. The production -- all by various core Hieroglyphics members -- is just as good as the raps, driven by complex beats, unpredictable basslines, and samples drawn from spacy fusion records and East Coast jazz-rap crews. Main Source and Gang Starr both provide track foundations here, and it's possible to hear the intricately constructed loops of the former and the lean attack of the latter (circa Step in the Arena) in the record's overall style. A better comparison, though, would be to the effortless flow and telepathic trade-offs of A Tribe Called Quest. In fact, 93 'Til Infinity seems to actively aspire to the fluidity of the best Tribe albums; tracks often segue directly into one another without pause -- and the transitions are seamless. Although the title cut is an underappreciated classic, 93 'Til Infinity makes its greatest impression through its stunning consistency, not individual highlights. Put it all together, and you've got one of the most slept-on records of the '90s. ~ Steve Huey

Product Details

Release Date:	03/09/2010
Label:	Traffic
UPC:	0829357850416
Rank:	24508

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Souls of Mischief   Primary Artist
Del the Funky Homosapien   Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Bill Ortiz   Trumpet
Domino   Vocals (Background)
Casual   Vocals,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Pep Love   Vocals,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Tajai   Vocals
Opio   Vocals
A Plus   Scratching
Phesto   Vocals
Jay Biz   Vocals (Background)
Snupe   Vocals (Background)
A-Plus   Vocals,Scratching,Turntables
Kwam   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Chris Trevett   Engineer,Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Matt Kelly   Engineer
T. Massey   Composer
Teren Jones   Composer
J. Peters   Composer
J. Owens   Composer
Tim Lindsey   Composer
Curtis Mayfield   Composer
Domino   Mixing,Producer
Del the Funky Homosapien   Producer
Casual   Producer
S. McKenzie   Composer
Del   Producer
K. McKenzie   Composer
Jerry Butler   Composer
Matt Kelley   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
A+   Mixing,Producer
Monk Higgins   Composer
Billy Cobham   Composer
J. Butler   Composer
J. Suarez   Composer
Freddie Hubbard   Composer
E. Green   Composer
Jonathan Owens   Composer
Jerry Peters   Composer
O. Lindsey   Composer
Tim Massey   Composer
Alex Brown   Composer
Tom Coyne   Mastering
A. Brown   Composer
Paul Fauerso   Composer
D. Thompson   Composer
Opio Lindsey   Composer
A Plus   Mixing,Producer
Del.   Producer
Tajai Massey   Composer
Jay Biz   Producer
T. Jones   Composer
Damian "Domino" Siguenza   Composer
A. Carter   Composer
Chris Martin   Composer
A-Plus   Mixing,Producer,Remixing
Mark Higgens   Composer
Adam Carter   Composer
Sean Brennan   Mixing
Damani Thompson   Composer
Jay Suarez   Composer