Hold It Down (Das EFX album)

Last updated
Hold It Down
HoldItDownDas.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 26, 1995 (1995-09-26)
Studio
Genre
Length1:13:39
Label EastWest
Producer
Das EFX chronology
Straight Up Sewaside
(1993)
Hold It Down
(1995)
Generation EFX
(1998)
Singles from Hold It Down
  1. "Real Hip-Hop"
    Released: September 12, 1995
  2. "Microphone Master"
    Released: January 30, 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Muzik Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Rap Pages 7/10 [3]
RapReviews7/10 [4]
The Austin Chronicle 2/5 [5]
The Source Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Trouser Press (Negative) [7]

Hold It Down is the third studio album by American Brooklyn-based hip hop duo Das EFX. It was released on September 26, 1995 via East West Records. Recording sessions took place at Ian London Studios in East Islip, at Northshore Soundworks, D&D Studios, The Music Palace and Chung King Studios in New York, and at The Sewa. Production was handled by Easy Mo Bee, Solid Scheme, DJ Premier, DJ Scratch, DJ Clark Kent, Kevin Geeda, Peter Lewis, Showbiz, Soul G., Pete Rock and Das EFX themselves, with PMD serving as an executive producer. It features guest appearances from KRS-One and PMD.

Contents

The album peaked at number 22 on the Billboard 200 and number 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States. Its singles "Real Hip-Hop" and "Microphone Master" made it to the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 61 and No. 86, respectively. The song "Represent the Real" first appeared under the title "Represent the Real Hip Hop" as the B-side to KRS-One's "MC's Act Like They Don't Know" single, which was released during the summer of 1995, taken off of his eponymous album KRS-One . [8]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro (Once Again)"
  • Andre Weston
  • William Hines
Peter Lewis1:08
2."No Diggedy"
DJ Premier 4:03
3."Knockin' Niggaz Off"
Easy Mo Bee 3:24
4."Here We Go"
  • Weston
  • Hines
  • Chris Charity
  • Derek Lynch
Solid Scheme4:05
5."Real Hip-Hop" (Original Version)
  • Weston
  • Hines
  • Martin
DJ Premier4:09
6."Here It Is"
Kevin Geeda4:59
7."Microphone Master"
  • Weston
  • Hines
  • Harvey Jr.
Easy Mo Bee4:30
8."40 & a Blunt"
  • Weston
  • Hines
  • Harvey Jr.
Easy Mo Bee3:17
9."Buck-Buck"
  • Weston
  • Hines
Das EFX 3:12
10."Intro"  0:09
11."Can't Have Nuttin'"
  • Weston
  • Hines
  • Gerald Stevens
Soul G.5:34
12."Alright"
  • Weston
  • Hines
  • Harvey Jr.
Easy Mo Bee4:23
13."Hold It Down"
  • Weston
  • Hines
  • Harvey Jr.
Easy Mo Bee4:47
14."Dedicated"
DJ Clark Kent 3:46
15."Ready to Rock Rough Rhymes"
  • Weston
  • Hines
  • Charity
  • Lynch
Solid Scheme4:34
16."Represent the Real" (featuring KRS-One)
Showbiz 3:19
17."Comin' Thru"
DJ Scratch 3:32
18."Hardcore Rap Act"
  • Weston
  • Hines
  • Charity
  • Lynch
Solid Scheme4:30
19."Bad News" (featuring PMD)
DJ Scratch2:20
20."Real Hip-Hop" (Pete Rock Remix)
  • Weston
  • Hines
Pete Rock 3:58
Total length:1:13:39
Sample credits [9]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1995)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [10] 22
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [11] 4

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References

  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hold It Down - Das EFX | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  2. Ashon, Will (November 1995). "Das EFX: Hold It Down" (PDF). Muzik . No. 6. p. 90. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  3. Red (October 1995). "Flippin Da Traxx: Das EFX – Hold It Down". Rap Pages . Vol. 4, no. 9. Los Angeles. p. 32.
  4. Juon, Steve 'Flash' (December 5, 2017). "Das EFX :: Hold It Down :: East/West Records". www.rapreviews.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  5. Gabriel, Rashied (November 3, 1995). "Music Reviews". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  6. Hinds, Selwyn Seyfu (November 1995). "Record Report". The Source . No. 74. New York. pp. 91, 94. Retrieved January 5, 2015 via archive.today.
  7. Robbins, Ira. "Das Efx". Trouser Press . Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  8. Ducker, Jesse (September 25, 2020). "Revisiting Das EFX's 'Hold It Down' (1995) | Retrospective Tribute". Albumism. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  9. Das EFX – Hold It Down (CD). EastWest Records America. 1995. 61829-2.
  10. "The Billboard 200". Billboard . Vol. 107, no. 41. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 14, 1995. p. 88. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  11. "Top R&B Albums". Billboard . Vol. 107, no. 41. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 14, 1995. p. 26. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved April 20, 2024.