The Album (Latyrx album)

Last updated
The Album
Latyrxalbum.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 25, 1997 (1997-08-25) [1]
Genre Hip hop [2]
Length47:14
Label
Producer
Latyrx chronology
The Album
(1997)
The Second Album
(2014)

The Album is the first studio album by Latyrx, an American hip hop duo consisting of Lateef the Truthspeaker and Lyrics Born. It was released on Solesides in 1997, and it was re-released on Quannum Projects in 2002.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Spin 9/10 [3]
The Village Voice A− [4]

Steve Huey of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, saying, "Enough people heard the record to make it something of an underground legend, but its potential influence wound up unfortunately limited, especially given how forward-looking the music on The Album is." [1] He added, "its key tracks are nothing short of visionary, making it an essential listen." [1]

In 2015, Fact placed it at number 67 on the "100 Best Indie Hip-Hop Records of All Time" list. [2]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Latyrx" DJ Shadow 5:48
2."Say That" Lyrics Born 3:41
3."The Quickening (The Wreckoning Part II)"DJ Shadow5:02
4."Balcony Beach" (featuring Joyo Velarde)Lyrics Born5:30
5."Live 90.3 '94" (featuring John Tchicai and Free Association) 1:25
6."The Muzappers Mix: Aim for the Flickering Flame / Rankin' #1"Lyrics Born4:13
7."Funky Granules"Lyrics Born1:49
8."Bad News" Chief Xcel 2:46
9."Off (With) Their Heads (Be Prompt)"Lyrics Born3:03
10."Interlude"Lyrics Born0:24
11."Burnt Pride"Lyrics Born6:53
12."Scratchapella"DJ Shadow0:23
13."The Wreckoning (Live 45 Mix)"DJ Shadow2:47
14."Burning Hot in Cali on a Saturday Night" (featuring Blackalicious)Chief Xcel3:30
Total length:47:14
2017 deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
15."Looking Over a City" (featuring El-P) El-P 5:00
16."Last Trumpet"Lyrics Born4:54
Total length:57:18

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kool Keith</span> American rapper and producer

Keith Matthew Thornton, better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American rapper and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, known for his surreal, abstract and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both as a solo artist and in group collaborations. Kool Keith is generally considered to be one of hip-hop's most eccentric and unusual personalities.

<i>The Chronic</i> 1992 studio album by Dr. Dre

The Chronic is the debut studio album by the American hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his own record label Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place in Death Row Studios in Los Angeles and at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rakim</span> American rapper

William Michael Griffin Jr., better known by his stage name Rakim, is an American rapper. One half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled rappers of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gift of Gab (rapper)</span> American rapper (1970-2021)

Timothy Jerome Parker, better known by his stage name Gift of Gab, was an American rapper best known for performing in the Bay Area hip hop duo Blackalicious along with DJ Chief Xcel. He was also a member of Quannum Projects, a Bay Area hip hop crew and record label, and performed and recorded as a solo artist.

<i>Madvillainy</i> 2004 studio album by Madvillain

Madvillainy is the only studio album by American hip hop duo Madvillain, consisting of British-American rapper MF Doom and American record producer Madlib. It was released on March 23, 2004, on Stones Throw Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quannum Projects</span> American hip hop collective

Quannum Projects is an American hip hop collective based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has been active since 1992, when it was formed at UC Davis under the moniker Solesides Records. It is also the name of the independent record label that releases their records, as well as those of a number of other artists. The label continues to be 100% independently owned and operated.

<i>The Best Part</i> (album) 2001 studio album by J-Live

The Best Part is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist J-Live. It was released on Triple Threat Productions in 2001.

Lateef Daumont, better known by his stage name Lateef the Truthspeaker, or mononymously as Lateef, is a hip hop artist from Oakland, California. He is a member of several hip hop groups such as Latyrx, Lateef and the Chief, and the Mighty Underdogs. He was the founding member of the Solesides collective, which became Quannum Projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latyrx</span> American hip hop group

Latyrx is an American alternative hip hop duo consisting of Lateef the Truthspeaker and Lyrics Born. The roots of their partnership lay in the formation of the Solesides collective at the University of California, Davis.

<i>Fantastic Damage</i> 2002 studio album by El-P

Fantastic Damage is the first solo studio album by American hip hop artist El-P. It was released through Definitive Jux on May 14, 2002. It peaked at number 198 on the Billboard 200 chart. Music videos were created for "Stepfather Factory" and "Deep Space 9mm".

SoleSides was an American underground hip hop label based in Northern California, founded in 1991. It comprised various DJs and MCs, the most notable being DJ Shadow, MC–producer Lyrics Born and duo Blackalicious. The members of Solesides all met via the radio station, KDVS, the 5000-watt community radio station of the University of California at Davis. During high school, Davis-natives DJ Shadow and The 8th Wonder used to frequent the station to support Orus Washington's hip hop show. In college, journalist and then-grad student Jeff "DJ Zen" Chang, broadcast a weekly hip hop radio show that got the attention of DJ Shadow and The 8th Wonder, freshmen Xavier Mosely, Tom Shimura and Joseph Patel (Jazzbo). They all shared a like-minded passion for hip hop that pushed beyond the sounds of mainstream commercial music.

<i>Funcrusher Plus</i> 1997 studio album by Company Flow

Funcrusher Plus is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Company Flow. It was released by Rawkus Records in 1997. In 2009, it was re-released on Definitive Jux. The album has been recognized as "a landmark independent hip-hop release".

<i>The Unseen</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Quasimoto

The Unseen is the debut studio album by Quasimoto, a hip-hop duo composed of Madlib and his animated alter ego Lord Quas. It was released under Stones Throw Records on June 13, 2000. It was re-released in 2005 as a deluxe edition with a bonus CD containing the instrumental version of the album.

<i>Melodica</i> (EP) 1994 EP by Blackalicious

Melodica is the debut EP by American hip hop duo Blackalicious. It was originally released on Solesides in 1994. It was reissued digitally in 2012 with an additional bonus track "Change".

<i>Steal This Album</i> 1998 studio album by the Coup

Steal This Album is the third studio album by American hip hop duo the Coup. It was released on Dogday Records on November 10, 1998. It peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, as well as number 51 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album's title is a nod to Steal This Book (1971) by social activist Abbie Hoffman.

<i>Unforeseen Shadows</i> 2000 studio album by Illogic

Unforeseen Shadows is the first solo studio album by American rapper Illogic. It was released in 2000.

<i>The Second Album</i> (Latyrx album) 2013 studio album by Latyrx

The Second Album is the second studio album by Latyrx, an American hip hop duo consisting of Lateef the Truthspeaker and Lyrics Born. It was released via Latyramid on November 5, 2013. It includes productions from Jel, Amp Live, and Tune-Yards, among others. The album peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.

<i>Ready to Die</i> Debut album by the Notorious B.I.G.

Ready to Die is the debut studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album features productions by Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky Thompson, DJ Premier, and Lord Finesse, among others. It was recorded from 1993 to 1994 at The Hit Factory and D&D Studios in New York City. The partly autobiographical album tells the story of the rapper's experiences as a young criminal, and was the only studio album released during his lifetime, as he was murdered sixteen days before the release of his second album Life After Death in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackalicious</span> American hip hop band

Blackalicious was an American hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel. They are noted for Gift of Gab's often tongue-twisting, multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's soulful production. The duo released four full-length albums: Nia in 1999, Blazing Arrow in 2002, The Craft in 2005, and Imani Vol. 1 in 2015. Gift of Gab died in June 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyrics Born</span> Japanese-American rapper (born 1972)

Tsutomu "Tom" Shimura, better known by his stage name Lyrics Born, is a Japanese-American rapper, singer, and producer. He is one half of the duo Latyrx with Lateef the Truthspeaker.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Huey, Steve. "The Album – Latyrx". AllMusic . Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "The 100 best indie hip-hop records of all time: 67. Latyrx – The Album (Solesides, 1997)". Fact . February 25, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  3. Tompkins, Dave (August 1997). "Lateef and Lyrics Born: Latyrx / Company Flow: Funcrusher Plus". Spin . 13 (5): 116–18. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  4. Christgau, Robert (May 27, 1997). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved August 10, 2014.