| The Night We Called It a Day | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 8, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | Dallas, Texas | |||
| Genre | Christian hip hop, East Coast hip hop, underground hip hop | |||
| Length | 67:05 | |||
| Label | UpRok | |||
| Producer | Beat Rabbi, DJ Dust, Freddie Bruno, Harry Krum | |||
| Deepspace5 chronology | ||||
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The Night We Called It a Day is the debut studio album by underground hip hop supergroup Deepspace5, released on January 8, 2002, through Uprok Records. It was recorded in Dallas, Texas.
The Night We Called It a Day was recorded in one week in Dallas, Texas, in the apartment of group member Playdough. [1] It was produced by Beat Rabbi, DJ Dust, Freddie Bruno, and Playdough, with Playdough producing under a different moniker, Harry Krum. [2] During the recording sessions, the group met future member Sivion.
The album features an underground, anti-commercial style. [3] [4] Jayson Young of RapReviews.com called the album "strictly ground-roots, MC/DJ, hard-core hip-hop". [4] Young also found Listener's vocal style similar to Son Doobie, and noted that "Stick This In Your Ear" includes a flute sample. [4] Jon Corbin, writing for cMusicWeb.com, noted that on "World Go Round", Beat Rabbi brings a progressive jazz feel through the use of drum patterns and bass lines. [1] Jesus Freak Hideout's Chanile Campbell described the album as east coast "smooth and a little jazzy". [5] RapReviews.com and Sam Gunnell of Cross Rhythms also described the album as very chill and laid back, with Gunnell commenting that "If there is such a thing as easy listening hip hop, then this is definitely it!" [6]
Thomas Quinlan of Exclaim! described the lyrical content of the album as mostly "high concept songs", but with some testimonials and praises to God. [2] Sam Gunnell of Cross Rhythms and Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic both noted that the album's lyrics are intellectual and often humorous. [3] [6] Several reviewers noted the unusual verse by Listener on "Stick This In Your Ear", where he reads off a paragraph exactly as written – including punctuation. [1] [2] [4] [5] Jason Young wrote that Listener "literally says every period, comma, and semi-colon found in his verse." [4] Also highlighted by reviewers was the skit "Close Caption", where Listener translates a sign language rap by "MC Fong". [1] [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| Cross Rhythms |   [6] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [5] |
| RapReviews.com | 9/10 [4] |
| Rapzilla | [7] |
Critics responded quite favorably to the album. AllMusic rated the album three out of five stars, and found the album's seven-minute-plus long title track to be the standout track. [3] Jon Corbin of cMusicWeb.com wrote "Locked in Playdough's apartment, these boys got their creative juices flowing and whipped up something sweet, an album that reclaims hip-hop for the emcee." [1] Corbin considered all of the songs well-crafted and developed, with the exceptions of "Murder Creek" and "Take the Rhythm", tracks which Corbin said will have the listener hitting the skip button. These tracks aside, he summarized:
The production is very strong, especially considering that the album was created in a week. In all in all, this is a very good disc, filled with a wide range of topics to get your brain working and your head nodding. [1]
Sam Gunnell of Cross Rhythms rated the album eight out of ten squares and stated that when he first heard Deepspace5, he dismissed the group as "just another depressing Christian rap group", but that this release proved him wrong. [6] Exclaim!'s Thomas Quinlan opined that "Deepspace 5 demonstrate skills on their debut album that should get them respect, regardless of the message" and concluded that the group "is another example that Christian hip-hop is taking great strides forward." [2] Jesus Freak Hideout gave the album four stars, calling Deepspace5 "the hip hop that has been missed in the Christian music industry until now". [5] RapReviews.com scored the album nine out of ten, expressing that while the album displays some flaws typical of underground hip hop, namely that it avoids "party-starters", instead preferring to stay "laid back and mellow", and also that sometimes the songs start to all sound the same, but concluded that "Look past those tiny flaws and you'll find a fantastic rap album with enough depth to keep you coming back again and again. Hard beats and hard rhymes in a tight overall package is just the beginning here." [4] Rapzilla gave the album a four out of five and stated:
Deepspace5 represents some of the best talent hip hop has to offer which makes it absolutely shameful that The Night... was basically released under the rug. The push on this project was surprisingly minimal and as the rumors of a sophomore release tickle my ears, I only hope that things change. [7]
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Collective (Info)" | 1:15 | |
| 2. | "The Night We Called It a Day" (featuring Freddie Bruno, Listener, Manchild, Playdough, Sev Statik, and Sintax the Terrific) | DJ Dust | 7:10 |
| 3. | "Elementary" (featuring Freddie Bruno, Listener, Manchild, Playdough, and Syntax the Terrific) | Freddie Bruno | 4:53 |
| 4. | "Stick This in Your Ear" (featuring Listener, Manchild, and Playdough) | Beat Rabbi | 6:06 |
| 5. | "Winter in Manhattan" (featuring Freddie Bruno, Listener, Sev Statik, and Syntax the Terrific) | DJ Dust | 5:00 |
| 6. | "Take the Rhythm" (featuring Freddie Bruno, Listener, Manchild, Playdough, Sev Statik, and Syntax the Terrific) | Harry Krum | 4:55 |
| 7. | "Closed Caption" (featuring Listener and Beat Rabbi) | Beat Rabbi | 1:58 |
| 8. | "This Curse I Bear" (featuring Listener, Manchild, Playdough, and Sev Statik) | DJ Dust | 4:56 |
| 9. | "Ziontific" (featuring Freddie Bruno, Manchild, and Syntax the Terrific) | Harry Krum | 4:08 |
| 10. | "World Go Round" (featuring Listener, Manchild, and Playdough) | Beat Rabbi | 4:52 |
| 11. | "F-Words" (featuring Listener, Manchild, and Sev Statik) | DJ Dust | 4:22 |
| 12. | "Joywriting" (featuring Listener, Sev Statik, and Syntax the Terrific) | Harry Krum | 4:05 |
| 13. | "Murder Creek" (featuring Listener, Sev Statik, and Syntax the Terrific) | DJ Dust | 3:55 |
| 14. | "Thinking By Numbers" (featuring Listener, Manchild, and Sev Statik) | Beat Rabbi | 5:35 |
| 15. | "If Tomorrow Starts Without Me" (featuring Listener, Manchild, Playdough) | DJ Dust | 3:55 |
Deepspace5 is an underground hip hop supergroup formed in 1997 and currently composed of Beat Rabbi, Manwell?, Freddie Bruno, Listener, Mars ILL, Playdough, Sintax.the.Terrific, Sivion, and Sev Statik. Deepspace5 also previously included Illtripp and The Recon. Since its formation, the collective has sold over 100,000 copies of its recordings, and has performed with KRS-One, Atmosphere, and MF Doom, among others.
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David Frederick Washington, who goes by the stage name Freddie Bruno, is an American Christian hip hop musician and member of the hip hop collective, Deepspace5. He has released two noteworthy studio albums, The Ballpoint Composer in 2002 on Uprok Records, and Hold Music on Illect Recordings, in 2007.
Joseph T. Evans, known professionally as Sev Statik and Stu Dent, is a hip hop musician and promoter from Albany, New York. Active as a rapper since the early 1990s, he has performed and recorded both as a solo artist and as a member of the hip hop collectives Deepspace5 and Tunnel Rats. Evans has also been a member of various Albany-area hip hop groups, including All Bully, Master Plan, Body Language, currently fronts the rap rock band Goldtooth, and is active in Pitch Control Music, a musical collective and arts movement he co-founded in order to promote and develop hip hop in the Albany area. Evans is a freemason in East Greenbush, New York.
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Speak Life is the debut studio album by Albany, New York-based hip hop musician Sev Statik, released on November 9, 2002, through Uprok Records. While Sev Statik, real name Joseph Evans, had released a previous studio album, Altered State, in 2001 under the moniker "Stu Dent", Speak Life is considered his debut. Sev Statik had recently joined to the hip hop collective Tunnel Rats, and the release features several artists from that group. It also features Listener from Deepspace5, another collective of which Sev Statik is part. Speak Life marks the debut appearance of Propaganda, who would join Tunnel Rats the following year. The album garnered a mixed response from critics, receiving praise for its positive lyrics, East Coast sound and use of sampling, but criticized for its lack of innovation and inconsistency in overall quality.
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Ill Harmonics is a hip hop band from Dallas, Texas, formed in 1995 by Playdough and Blake Knight. In 2004, Gib, the brother of Blake Knight, joined the group as a drummer. Ill Harmonics has released four studio albums, An Octave Above The Original Volume No. 1 (2000), Take Two (2002), Monkey Business (2004), and Modern Heart Exhibit (2007), as well as a compilation sampler album with MG! the Visionary and Soup the Chemist, released in 2000 through Uprok. Both Playdough and Blake Knight have released solo material, and Playdough also performs and records with the supergroup Deepspace5.
Back to Dust is a studio album by Albany, New York-based rapper Sev Statik and Atlanta-based producer DJ Dust, originally released on October 9, 2007, through Rawkus Records. It was the fourth studio release by Sev Statik and the second studio release for DJ Dust. Back to Dust features numerous guest appearances, including Manchild and Playdough of Deepspace5, Theory Hazit, Supastition, LMNO of The Visionaries, and Raphi, Griffin, and Triune of Tunnel Rats. The album was selected by Rawkus for inclusion in its "Rawkus 50" promotional campaign, and was released as a digital download. A physical version of the album was released on July 7, 2008, through Braille's Hip Hop IS Music label. Back to Dust met with critical acclaim. In 2010, Theory Hazit released a remixed version of the album.
Zane Marie Reynosa, known by the stage names Zane and Zane One as well as the names Zane Valdez and Zane Marie, is an American rapper and fashion accessory designer from Whittier, California. She joined the pioneering Christian underground hip hop collective Tunnel Rats in 1993, which was formed by her brother, Dax Reynosa, and recorded three studio albums and a compilation with the group. She also founded the band Saturday Night Freestyle. She has featured on numerous songs and in 2008 released a solo studio album, L.A. Woman. She was active for years as a battle rapper in the Los Angeles scene and was featured in the 2004 documentary The Battle for L.A.: Footsoldiers, Vol. 1, directed by Darren Doane. She also created a fashion line, Zane Marie Bags, specializing in vintage handbags, luggage, wallets, and rhyme books.
