| Faith | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Studio | Pachyderm | |||
| Genre | Hip hop, alternative rock | |||
| Label | Imago [1] | |||
| Producer | Michael Ivey | |||
| Basehead chronology | ||||
| ||||
Faith is the third album by the American hip hop group Basehead, released in 1996. [2] [3] The release was delayed for two years as Imago Records separated from BMG. [4] [5] It was the group's last album for the label. [6]
The album was recorded in 1994 at Pachyderm Recording Studio, in Minnesota, with engineering help from Michael Koppelman; Koppelman and DJ Clarence Greenwood also coproduced some of the tracks. [4] [7] The lyrics, written by Michael Ivey, address themes of Christian spirituality and God; "Lucy" is a song about Lucifer. [8] [9]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [10] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− [11] |
| Fort Worth Star-Telegram | [12] |
| MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide | [13] |
| Orange County Register | [14] |
Entertainment Weekly deemed the album "avant-Christian funk", writing that Ivey "hasn't curtailed his humor, his drawling sensuality, or his sense of musical adventure." [11] The Washington City Paper advised: "Imagine a mellow Prince quietly declaiming over the late-night vibes of a cafe ensemble comfortable with jazz balladry, triphop, sadcore, and cutting-edge hiphop." [4] The Orange County Register called it "a brilliant blend of social observation, lo-fi hip-hop, twisted jazz, clever avant-rock, and smart old school that cuts very, very deep." [14]
CMJ New Music Monthly thought that "some songs lilt and others throb, but Faith still has the arid, rustic sound that distinguishes Basehead's records from any others in hip-hop." [8] The Fort Worth Star-Telegram determined that Ivey's "spiritual lyrics have matured without getting pompous", writing that the frontman is "the guy who pretty much founded that whole 'alternative rap' movement—a commingling of rap, reggae, country and R&B that Arrested Development, the Fugees and others swiped and made nice careers out of—and still he lingers in the shadows of obscurity." [12]
AllMusic wrote that Ivey "didn't leave behind his trademark amalgam of funk, hip-hop, and kitschy pop but he has become more focused... Unfortunately, you don't listen to Basehead to hear direction—Ivey's charm has always been in his fragmented, hazy cut-and-paste approach." [10]
All tracks are written by Michael Ivey
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "If I Were Superman" | |
| 2. | "Cold Outside" | |
| 3. | "Faith" | |
| 4. | "Castles & Kings" | |
| 5. | "Ask Your Dad" | |
| 6. | "Fun Tube" | |
| 7. | "Betty Ford & a Brand New Bag" | |
| 8. | "Lucy" | |
| 9. | "Objects in the First Person" | |
| 10. | "Fives & Fours & Friend of Friends" | |
| 11. | "Saved" | |
| 12. | "Spreading Germs" | |
| 13. | "The Son Does Shine" | |
| 14. | "Family Man" |
Artis Leon Ivey Jr., known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper and chef. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the course of hip hop by bringing it to a wider audience. Other singles included "Fantastic Voyage" (1994), "1, 2, 3, 4 " (1996), and "C U When U Get There" (1997). He released nine albums, the first three of which achieved mainstream success: It Takes a Thief (1994), Gangsta's Paradise (1995), and My Soul (1997). Coolio first achieved recognition as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle. Coolio sold 4.8 million albums in the U.S.
S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is the second studio album by American rock band Incubus. It was released on September 9, 1997, by Epic and Immortal Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, and is the second and final release to feature Gavin Koppel, who first appeared on the 1997 Enjoy Incubus EP. It has been occasionally considered the band's proper debut album, due to the nature of their independent release Fungus Amongus.
Funk metal is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, and has been described as a "brief but extremely media-hyped stylistic fad".
G-funk, short for gangsta funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre was heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic, often incorporated through samples or re-recordings. It was represented by commercially successful albums such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic (1992) and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle (1993).
Go-go is a subgenre of funk music with an emphasis on specific rhythmic patterns, and live audience call and response.
Basehead, also known as dc Basehead and Basehead 2.0, is an American alternative rock group formed by Michael Ivey in 1992. Ivey serves as the group's songwriter and leader, performing vocals and various instruments. Basehead's 1992 debut album, Play with Toys, was recorded at Ivey's home with various studio musicians. Ivey formed a touring band for live performances, which contributed to Basehead's second album, Not in Kansas Anymore. The group's current lineup consists of Ivey, drummer Aaron Burroughs and bassist Brendan Ciotta.
Christopher Edward Martin, known professionally as DJ Premier, is an American DJ and record producer. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr—alongside the rapper Guru—and presently forms half of the hip hop duo PRhyme, together with Royce da 5'9".
Stankonia is the fourth studio album by the American hip hop duo Outkast. It was released on October 31, 2000, by LaFace Records. The album was recorded in the duo's recently purchased Atlanta recording facility Stankonia Studios, which allowed for fewer time and recording constraints, and featured production work from Earthtone III and Organized Noize.
Vaudeville Villain is the third studio album by British-American rapper-producer MF Doom, released on September 16, 2003 under the pseudonym of Viktor Vaughn. All of the tracks are produced by Sound-Ink record label members Heat Sensor, King Honey, and Max Bill, with the exception of "Saliva", produced by RJD2.
The Bliss Album...? is the second studio album by American hip hop duo P.M. Dawn. It was released on March 23, 1993, by Gee Street and Island Records. Although some critics considered it less successful than the duo's first record, The Bliss Album...? received positive reviews and produced two hit singles—"I'd Die Without You" and "Looking Through Patient Eyes". It was voted the 12th best album of 1993 in The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll.
Super Junky Monkey is an all female Japanese funk metal group.
Play with Toys is the debut album by American alternative hip hop group Basehead. It was voted one of the top 50 albums of 1992 in Q magazine, and listed as number 43 in NME's top albums of 1992.
Mandolyn Wind Ludlum, better known by her stage name Mystic, is an American singer and rapper from the San Francisco Bay Area. After touring and recording with Digital Underground she released her debut solo album in 2001.
Not in Kansas Anymore is the second album by the group Basehead, released in 1993 via Imago.
Hip-hop or hip hop, also known as rap, and formerly known as disco rap, is a genre of popular music that originated in the early 1970s by African Americans and Caribbean immigrants in the Bronx, a borough of New York City. Hip-hop music originated as an anti-drug and anti-violence genre consisting of stylized rhythmic music that often accompanies rapping, a rhythmic delivery of poetic speech. According to the professor Asante of African American studies at Temple University, "hip hop is something that blacks can unequivocally claim as their own". The music developed as part of the broader hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, breakdancing, and graffiti art. While often used to refer solely to rapping and rap music, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also incorporate other elements of the culture, including DJing, turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.
"Night of the Living Baseheads" is the third single released in 1988 by hip hop group Public Enemy, from their critically acclaimed album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. The lyrics deal with the effects of crack cocaine on African-Americans during the 1980s crack epidemic, referring to the slang for freebase cocaine "base" or crack cocaine. The song reached #62 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.
Imago Records was an American independent record label, which was active during the early 1990s. It was started by Terry Ellis after he left his previous record label, Chrysalis Records.
Marcus Jamal Hopson, known professionally as Hopsin, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles, California. He is known for his use of white colored eye contacts in his music videos and performances.
Progressive rap is a broad subgenre of hip hop music that aims to progress the genre thematically with socially transformative ideas and musically with stylistic experimentation. Developing through the works of innovative US hip hop acts during the 1980s and 1990s, it has also been known at various points as conscious, underground, and alternative hip hop.
