When I first heard this album I didn’t put it together that this was Lil Boosie from the Concentration Camp group until maybe a year later. I was first introduced to this album in 2004 while I was a freshman at Alabama A&M Univeristy. My roommate put me on this shit, he was from Mobile, AL and Boosie and Webbie had already made a name for themselves down there and were steadily spreading thoughout the rest of the South. I was selling mixtapes around that time and the records on this album landed on several mixtapes especially the standout cuts “Swerve”, “Gimme That”, “Baby Momma”, “Show Ya Tattoos”, and “Bad Bitch”. I also relied on “Get On Ya Shit” for motivation. Before you knew it Lil’ Boosie and Webbie were the kings of the SWAC (Southwest and Central: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee) states and you couldn’t go to the club in those states without the DJ goin at least 4 deep into this album. What was more impressive was that they did it independently. Classic country rap tunes, FREE LIL BOOSIE.
Classic album of the Day: Lou Bond “Light In The Attic”. “Light In The Attic” is the ultimate title for this enigmatic soul release from the Memphis, TN based artist Lou Bond. The title is appropriate because the album is more likely to be found in the attict of an avid music collecter than anywhere else in the world. The album was released on the We Produced label, an imprint of Memphis based label Stax Records. The album was written flawlessy, incorporating invigorating social commentary about the struggles of the early 1970s and soulful love songs. He was also musically backed by Memphis’s Symphony String Orchestra and The Horns of South Memphis, not mention some excellent bass players who just accentuated each record, just see the albums standout record “To The Establishent” which has been sampled by OutKast (“Wailin”), Mary J. Blige (“Free”) and recently Starlito (“Alright”). Also, “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” is my favorite love ballad on the album. 1970s southern soul at his finest.
The second mixtape between DJ Burn One & KD, released August 5, 2008. The album is what garnered KD his buzz in his local Alabama, it is still talked about in the streets until this day. This album defined KD’s southern, soulful sound with exceptional production from B-Flat, KD, B. Kirk, Kidz With Machine Gunz, DJ Bamboo, Rafeal Andres, and DJ Toomp. This street album rides from front to back. The new project from DJ Burn One & KD drops on May25th.
Classic album of the day: Dirty “The Pimp & Da Gangsta”. The Pimp & Da Gangsta had already released an underground album locally in 1999 in their native Montgomery, Alabama before they were signed to Universal Records the following year. Their debut album was released in 2001 and help introduce the hip hop world to the sound of Alabama. The album was both pimp and gangsta in beats and lyrics, plus it provided us with some southern classics such as “Hit Da Floe”, “6 Deep Creepin”, “Rollin’ Vogues”, and “Candyman”. The album added another dimension to the southern sound, as we were able to get some authentic Alabama flavor. This album represented the culture and vibe of Alabama perfectly and set a standard for other acts from the area.
Classic album of the day: Sam Dees “The Show Must Go On”. Sam Dees was one the 1970′s most underrated writers and singers. The Birmingham, AL native has written hits for a who’s who list of RnB artists. His music, however, didn’t recieve the same attention as the work he did for other artists. After recording and album in a Birmingham church, he was signed to Atlantic Records and released the stellar album “The Show Must Go On”. What the album lacked in commercial appeal, it made up for with powerful soul ballads and social commentary that has been rivaled by few. Cuts like “Child of The Streets”, “Trouble Child”, and “What’s It Gonna Be” gave a glimpse into what was going on in the inner-city communities of Birmingham, the South, and really the USA. Its a shame that music like this is sometimes hidden from us and lacked its due exposure.
