Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Artifacts album)

Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Studio album by Artifacts
Released	October 25, 1994 (1994-10-25)
Studio	Soundtrack Studios (New York, NY) Chung King Studios (New York, NY)
Genre	Hip hop
Length	50:16
Label	Big Beat Atlantic
Producer	Buckwild Drew Redman T-Ray
Artifacts chronology
Between a Rock and a Hard Place (1994) That's Them (1997)
Singles from Between a Rock and a Hard Place
"Wrong Side of da Tracks" Released: 1994 "C'mon wit da Git Down" Released: 1994 "Dynamite Soul" Released: 1995

Between a Rock and a Hard Place is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Artifacts. It was released on October 25, 1994, via Big Beat/Atlantic Records. The recording sessions took place at Soundtrack Studios in New York, except for the song "Cummin' Thru Ya Fuckin' Block", which was recorded at Chung King Studios. The album was produced by T-Ray, Buckwild, Drew and Redman, with co-producers Rockwilder and Artifacts. It features guest appearances from Jay Burns Jaya, Redman and Busta Rhymes. ^[1]

The album debuted at number 137 on the Billboard 200, number 17 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 2 on the Heatseekers Albums charts in the United States. It was supported with three singles: "Wrong Side of da Tracks", "C'mon wit da Git Down" and "Dynamite Soul".

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
RapReviews	9/10 [3]
The Source	[4]

The Washington Post concluded, "By the fourth or fifth cut ... the monotony of blunt smoking and murdering MCs is enough to grate even the most ardent rap enthusiast, and the hardcore lyrics, at times wonderfully twisted, simply become annoying." ^[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Drama (Mortal Kombat Fatality)"		Drew	1:31
2.	"C'mon wit da Git Down"	Rahem Ross Brown William E. Williams Anthony Best Galt MacDermot	Buckwild	4:04
3.	"Wrong Side of da Tracks"	Brown Williams Todd Ray Henry Anadon	T-Ray	4:20
4.	"Heavy Ammunition"	Brown Williams Ray	T-Ray	4:07
5.	"Attack of New Jeruzalum" (featuring Jay Burns Jaya)	Brown Williams Jere Oxendine Best	Buckwild	4:24
6.	"Notty Headed Nigguhz"	Brown Williams Ray	T-Ray	3:27
7.	"Whayback"	Brown Williams Ray	T-Ray	4:47
8.	"Flexi with da Tech(nique)"	Brown Williams Ray	T-Ray	4:08
9.	"Cummin' Thru Ya Fuckin' Block" (featuring Redman)	Brown Williams Reginald Noble	Redman Rockwilder (co.)	4:21
10.	"Lower da Boom"	Brown Williams Ray	T-Ray	5:11
11.	"What Goes On?"	Brown Williams Best	Buckwild	3:33
12.	"Dynamite Soul"	Brown Williams Ray	T-Ray	3:51
13.	"Whassup Now Muthafucka?"	Brown Williams Ray	T-Ray	2:25
14.	"C'mon wit da Git Down (Remix)" (featuring Busta Rhymes)		Buckwild	3:43
Total length:				50:16

2012 reissue edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
15.	"Dynamite Soul II (Lip Service Remix)" (featuring Mad Skillz)	Ez Elpee	3:51
16.	"It's Gettin' Hot"	K-Def	4:18

Sample credits

• Track 3 contains material from "Bubble Gum" performed by 9th Creation.
• Track 4 contains material performed by EPMD.
• Track 6 contains material performed by Redman.
• Track 7 contains material performed by Just-Ice.
• Track 10 contains material performed by Michael Franks.
• Track 11 contains material performed by Buster Williams.

Charts

Chart (1994)	Peak position
US Billboard 200 [6]	137
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [7]	17
US Heatseekers Albums ( Billboard ) [8]	2

References

1. Ducker, Jesse (October 24, 2019). "Revisiting Artifacts' Debut Album 'Between A Rock And A Hard Place' (1994) | Retrospective Tribute". Albumism. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
2. DiBella, M.F. "Between a Rock and a Hard Place The Artifacts". AllMusic . Retrieved August 24, 2018.
3. De Zilva, Jason (August 8, 2006). "Artifacts :: Between a Rock and a Hard Place :: Big Beat Records". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
4. DJ Mighty Mi (September 1994). "Record Report: Artifacts – Between A Rock And A Hard Place". The Source . No. 60. New York. p. 97.
5. Carroll, Kenneth (February 22, 1995). "Rap". The Washington Post. p. R18. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024.
6. "Billboard 200". Billboard . Vol. 106, no. 46. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 12, 1994. p. 114. ISSN   0006-2510. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
7. "Top R&B Albums". Billboard . Vol. 106, no. 46. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 12, 1994. p. 20. ISSN   0006-2510. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
8. "Heatseekers". Billboard . Vol. 106, no. 46. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 12, 1994. p. 18. ISSN   0006-2510. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2024.

External links

• Between A Rock And A Hard Place at Discogs (list of releases)