| 93 'til Infinity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 28, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
| Studio | Hyde Street (San Francisco) | |||
| Genre | Alternative hip hop | |||
| Length | 54:38 | |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Producer |
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| Souls of Mischief chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 93 'til Infinity | ||||
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93 'til Infinity is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group Souls of Mischief. It was released on September 28, 1993, [1] [2] [3] on the Jive label.
The sound of 93 'til Infinity is characteristic of the distinct style explored by the collective, including a rhyme scheme based on internal rhyme and beats centered around a live bass and obscure jazz and funk samples. According to AllMusic author Steve Huey, "Although the title cut is an underappreciated classic, 93 'til Infinity makes its greatest impression through its stunning consistency, not individual highlights." [4]
93 'til Infinity met commercial success with its title track and lead single, which reached No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also featured singles "That's When Ya Lost" and "Never No More" which reached the Hot Rap Singles but never charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [4] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | A− [5] |
| RapReviews | 9.5/10 [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [7] |
| The Source |  [8] |
93 'til Infinity was critically acclaimed for its subject matter, production, and rapping, though it was not as popular as other West Coast hip hop albums at the time of its release. The St. Petersburg Times noted that "the new school diversity and relaxed swagger is highlighted by the Souls' raw and effortless verbal flow." [9] The Washington Post praised "the distant trumpet shouts and fuzzy drum brushes in 'Never No More' and the combination of record-scratches and Ramsey Lewis keyboard samples on 'Make Your Mind Up'." [10] Suzann Vogel of Philadelphia Weekly wrote:
At the pinnacle of the G-funked gangsta era, Souls of Mischief took the low road of emotional complexity. Hailing from Oakland, Calif., the foursome's distinctive lyrical mapping, infectious beats and subtle melodies on their debut rerouted gun-toting wannabes back to the underground and vaulted record-label Hieroglyphics to indie legend. MCs Tajai, Opio, Phesto and A-Plus exhibited a surprising charisma between them while undoing ghetto esteem. Their world of boredom, girls, weed, books, lounging and, of course, violence was a more easily understood reality for those caught between Pete Rock's tragedy, De La Soul's hippie aesthetics and Tupac's marginalizing glamour. Follow-up releases by Souls fell pathetically flat of achieving 'Til Infinity's harmony, and MCs have since broached personal topics of greater depth. Still, the genre-altering release possesses one undeniable truth: Reality's never sounded so good.[ citation needed ]
Steve Huey of AllMusic also positively reviewed 93 'til Infinity, calling it "the best single album to come out of Oakland's Hieroglyphics camp," as well as saying how Souls of Mischief "completely redefined the art of lyrical technique for the West Coast" and that it's "one of the most slept-on records of the '90s". [4]
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source 's 100 Best Rap Albums. [11]
Over the years, the title track "93 'til Infinity" has been referenced and sampled by numerous artists, including Consequence and Kanye West in their 2004 song "03 'Til Infinity", [12] J. Cole in 2009's "Til' Infinity", [13] Freddie Gibbs in 2009's "How We Do", [14] Big K.R.I.T in 2010's "Somedayz", [15] and Joey Badass in 2013's "95 Til Infinity". [16]
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Let 'em Know" | Domino | 4:15 |
| 2. | "Live and Let Live" | Domino | 5:20 |
| 3. | "That's When Ya Lost" | Del the Funky Homosapien | 3:35 |
| 4. | "A Name I Call Myself" | Del the Funky Homosapien | 4:11 |
| 5. | "Disseshowedo" | Domino, Jay Biz | 2:59 |
| 6. | "What a Way to Go Out" | A-Plus | 3:59 |
| 7. | "Never No More" | A-Plus | 3:41 |
| 8. | "93 'til Infinity" | A-Plus | 4:46 |
| 9. | "Limitations" | Jay Biz | 3:21 |
| 10. | "Anything Can Happen" | A-Plus | 3:02 |
| 11. | "Make Your Mind Up" | Del the Funky Homosapien | 3:51 |
| 12. | "Batting Practice" | Casual | 4:04 |
| 13. | "Tell Me Who Profits" | Domino | 4:02 |
| 14. | "Outro" | Domino | 2:04 |
| Total length: | 53:10 | ||
| Year | Album | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 [17] | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums [18] | ||
| 1993 | 93 'til Infinity | 85 | 17 |
| Year | Song | Peak position | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 [19] | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks [20] | Hot Rap Singles [21] | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales [21] | ||||||||||
| 1993 | "93 'Til Infinity" | 72 | 65 | 11 | 20 | ||||||||
| "That's When Ya Lost" | — | — | 24 | — | |||||||||
| 1994 | "Never No More" | — | — | 46 | 15 | ||||||||
| "—" denotes that a recording did not chart. | |||||||||||||
Souls of Mischief:
Additional personnel:
Souls of Mischief is a hip hop group from Oakland, California, that is also part of the hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. The Souls of Mischief formed in 1991 and is composed of rappers A-Plus, Opio, Phesto, and Tajai.
Teren Delvon Jones, better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien or Sir DZL, is an American rapper.
Hieroglyphics, also known as the Hieroglyphics Crew and Hiero, is an American underground hip hop collective based in Oakland, California. It was founded in the early 1990s by rapper Del the Funky Homosapien. The collective is currently composed of rappers Del the Funky Homosapien, Casual, Pep Love, producer/manager Domino, DJ Toure, and the four individual members of the rap group Souls of Mischief: Phesto, A-Plus, Opio, and Tajai.
Yameen is an American hip hop producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. His most recent album, "Diamond is Unfadable" was released in 2017 on Rumble Pack Records.
"Never No More" is a song by American hip hop group Souls of Mischief recorded for their 1993 debut album 93 'til Infinity. The song was the third and final single released in promotion of the album.
Focus is the third studio album from Souls of Mischief. It was their first release on the independent Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings label, and was released in 1999. For over a decade, it was a cassette and LP release, only available through the group's website; it has since been made available on digital music sites.
3rd Eye Vision is the first studio album by American hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. It was released by Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings on March 24, 1998. It peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, as well as number 88 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It has sold more than 100,000 copies.
Damani Thompson, known by the stage names, Phesto and Phesto Dee, is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the founding four members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief, and, with the Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective, the Hieroglyphics.
Adam Carter, known by the stage name, A-Plus, is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the founding four members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief and, with Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective, the Hieroglyphics.
Tajai Massey, known by the stage name Tajai, is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the four founding members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief and, with Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. He is also one half of the hip hop duo Rap Noir.
Over Time is the fifth compilation album released by the Oakland, California-based, underground hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics. The album was released on March 20, 2007 by the group's own independent record label, Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings.
Montezuma's Revenge is the fifth studio album by the Oakland hip hop group Souls of Mischief. It was released on December 1, 2009, by Clear Label Records. After a nine-year period dedicated to touring and working on other projects, both solo and as part of Hieroglyphics, Montezuma's Revenge marked Souls of Mischief's return as a group. Souls of Mischief worked for six weeks with the producer Prince Paul at a remote house, where they could focus on recording the album.
Like It Should Be is the only album released by Hieroglyphics subgroup, Extra Prolific. The album was released on October 25, 1994 through Jive Records and was mainly produced by group member Duane "Snupe" Lee and Souls of Mischief member A-Plus, with additional production handled by the likes of Domino and Mike G among others.
Jonathan Owens, known by his stage name Casual, is an American rapper, producer, and one of the founding members of the alternative hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. He also reads and has been studying Egyptian Hieroglyphics for many years, makes videos on the subject on his YouTube channel Smash Rockwell as well writing about it on his blog Rap God. As a rapper Casual initially became known for his freestyle battle rhymes in the Bay Area hip hop scene and later developing into a solo artist. He is known for diverse lyrics, a complex multisyllabic East Coast influenced flow but with a distinctive Oakland accent. Casual's debut album Fear Itself released on Jive records in 1994 when he was 17 years old garnered both critical and commercial success. Along with Del the Funkee Homosapien Casual went on to become one of the most prominent and recognizable faces of the Hieroglyphics crew, releasing three albums all on the Hieroglyphics crew's own label, Hiero Imperium. He has released thirteen solo albums as of 2023.
Respect Game or Expect Flames is a collaborative studio album by Casual and J. Rawls. It was released on Nature Sounds on August 28, 2012.
The Kitchen is the third studio album by American hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. It was released by Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings on July 16, 2013. It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, as well as number 45 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
"Thug Cry" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Rick Ross, released on March 13, 2014 by Maybach, Slip-n-Slide, and Def Jam, as the 2nd and final official single from his sixth studio album Mastermind (2014). The song was produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, written by Betty Idol and features a guest appearance by American rapper Lil Wayne, along with a hook performed by Betty Idol. The song has since peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The sample comes from "Heather" by Billy Cobham (1974), which was previously used in songs such as "93 'til Infinity" by Souls Of Mischief (1993) and in "No Wheaties" by Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA & Curren$y (2010).
"Step" is a song by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. Written and composed by band members Ezra Koenig and Rostam Batmanglij and produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and Batmanglij, the song was released as the fourth and final single from the band's third studio album Modern Vampires of the City. The song was inspired by American hip hop group Souls of Mischief's song "Step to My Girl".
"93 'til Infinity" is a song by American hip-hop group Souls of Mischief. It was released in 1993 as the second single from their debut album of the same name. It was their only single to ever chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 72. The single has been hailed by critics as an inspiration for the hip-hop genre, landing at number 5 on the Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest West Coast Hip-Hop Songs of All Time" list in 2023, and number 7 on the BBC's "The greatest hip-hop songs of all time" list.
Alex Asher Daniel is an American contemporary artist and composer. He uses a broad variety of materials including painting, sound installations, photography, drawing and film. A Los Angeles native, he has since lived and worked between London, New York City, and the Bay Area.
