| To Whom It May Concern... | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 5, 1991 [1] [2] | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 51:17 | |||
| Label | Sun Music | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Freestyle Fellowship chronology | ||||
| ||||
To Whom It May Concern... is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Freestyle Fellowship. [1] It was released on October 5, 1991. [1] [2] The 30th anniversary reissue of To Whom It May Concern... received a nomination for Best Historical Album at the 65th Grammy Awards. [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide | favorable [5] |
| Exclaim! | favorable [6] |
| RapReviews.com | 10/10 [7] |
| The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [8] |
Scott Thill of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it "a potent glimpse into the subcultural, conscientious side of Los Angeles hip-hop, one that would later be eclipsed by gangsta boogie from the likes of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and all the pretenders who followed in their wake." [4] Del F. Cowie of Exclaim! described it as "a mind-boggling collection of elastic rhymes, myriad flows and jazzy beats." [6]
Writing for Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide, Oliver Wang said, "the album stands as one of the most influential LPs ever released on the West Coast, the fire starter for practically the entire California underground movement in the 1990s and beyond." [5]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Are the Freestyle Fellowship" | Freestyle Fellowship | Freestyle Fellowship | 1:36 |
| 2. | "My Fantasy" | Aceyalone | Mathmattiks | 3:53 |
| 3. | "7th Seal" | Mikah 9 |
| 5:23 |
| 4. | "Let's Start Over" | Freestyle Fellowship | Freestyle Fellowship | 1:14 |
| 5. | "Sunshine Men" | J. Sumbi | All in All | 4:33 |
| 6. | "Physical Form" | P.E.A.C.E. | J. Sumbi | 3:49 |
| 7. | "120 Seconds" | Aceyalone | The Mighty O-Roc | 2:03 |
| 8. | "We Will Not Tolerate" | Freestyle Fellowship | Freestyle Fellowship | 1:46 |
| 9. | "Dedications" | Freestyle Fellowship | Freestyle Fellowship | 2:01 |
| 10. | "It's On" | Freestyle Fellowship | Freestyle Fellowship | 0:16 |
| 11. | "Sike" | Freestyle Fellowship | Freestyle Fellowship | 0:34 |
| 12. | "5 O'Clock Follies" | Mikah 9 | J. Sumbi | 5:56 |
| 13. | "Legal Alien" | J. Sumbi | All in All | 3:45 |
| 14. | "Convolutions" | Freestyle Fellowship | Freestyle Fellowship | 0:46 |
| 15. | "Jupiter's Journey" | Self Jupiter | Mathmattiks | 4:18 |
| 16. | "For No Reason" | P.E.A.C.E. | Mathmattiks | 3:14 |
| 17. | "Here I Am" | Aceyalone | Mathmattiks | 4:15 |
| 18. | "The Future?" | Freestyle Fellowship | Freestyle Fellowship | 1:32 |
| Total length: | 51:17 | |||
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop, he is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Jones began his musical career in 1989 as he adopted the moniker of "Nasty Nas" and recorded demos for Large Professor. He was later featured on the 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source.
A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985, originally composed of rapper and main producer Q-Tip, rapper Phife Dawg, DJ and co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and rapper Jarobi White. The group is regarded as a pioneer of alternative hip hop and merging jazz with hip hop, influencing numerous hip hop and R&B musicians.
James Todd Smith, known professionally as LL Cool J, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip hop acts Beastie Boys and Run-DMC.
Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American rapper, record producer, singer, and DJ. Nicknamed The Abstract, he is noted for his innovative jazz-influenced style of hip hop production and his philosophical, esoteric and introspective lyrical themes. He embarked on his music career in the late 1980s, as an MC and main producer of the influential alternative hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. In the mid-1990s, he co-founded the production team The Ummah, followed by the release of his gold-certified solo debut Amplified in 1999. In the following decade, he released the Grammy Award-nominated album The Renaissance (2008) and the experimental album Kamaal the Abstract (2009).
Beats, Rhymes and Life is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Released on July 30, 1996, by Jive Records, it followed three years after the highly regarded and successful Midnight Marauders. Produced by The Ummah, the album is a departure from the joyful, positive vibe of the group's earlier albums and is regarded as their darkest album in content. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 27, 1998.
Freestyle Fellowship is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. It consists of Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., and Self Jupiter. The group was a prominent part of the Good Life Cafe collective, and are part of the Project Blowed collective.
Critical Beatdown is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Ultramagnetic MCs, released on October 4, 1988, by Next Plateau Records. Production for the album was handled primarily by the group's rapper and producer Ced-Gee, who employed an E-mu SP-1200 sampler as the album's main instrument. Music journalists have noted the album for its innovative production, funk-based samples, self-assertive themes, ingenious lyricism, and complex rhyme patterns by Ced-Gee and fellow rapper Kool Keith.
Edwin Maximilian "Eddie" Hayes, Jr., better known by his stage name Aceyalone, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California, United States. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku D'Etat and The A-Team. He is also a co-founder of Project Blowed. Aceyalone is best known for his role in evolving left-field hip-hop on the West Coast at a time when the West Coast was dominated by gangsta rap.
The Love Movement is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, and their last album released during group member Phife Dawg's lifetime. Released on September 29, 1998, by Jive Records, it is a concept album, exploring the lyrical theme of love. Musically, it is a continuation of the group's previous album, Beats, Rhymes and Life, featuring minimalist R&B and jazz-oriented production by The Ummah. The lead single, "Find a Way", charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and was followed by a second single, "Like It Like That". The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 1, 1998. The group announced its disbandment a month before the album's release.
Golden age hip hop is mainstream hip hop music created from the mid-1980s to the early-mid 1990s, particularly by artists and musicians originating from the New York metropolitan area. A precursor to the new school hip hop movement, it is characterized by its diversity, quality, innovation and influence on hip hop after the genre's emergence and establishment in the old-school era, and is associated with the development and eventual mainstream success of hip hop. There were various types of subject matter, while the music was experimental and the sampling from old records was eclectic.
Project Blowed is an open-mic workshop, its affiliated underground hip hop crew and record label based in Los Angeles, California at 3333 Leimert. This hip hop function started in 1994 and features many music groups, emcees, dancers, music producers, and graffiti artists local to the Southern California area.
"Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check" is a song by American rapper Busta Rhymes. It was released as his debut solo single and the lead single from his debut studio album The Coming on January 7, 1996, by Flipmode Entertainment and Elektra Records. The song was both written and produced by Rhymes and Rashad Smith. It contains additional vocals by Flipmode Squad member and Rhymes' cousin Rampage, credited as Rampage the Last Boy Scout. A critical and commercial success, the song peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and also peaked at the same position in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. In the United States, the song was released with several remixes of the song and the song "Everything Remains Raw", also appearing on The Coming, as its B-side. The single received a nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 39th Grammy Awards, losing to "Hey Lover" by LL Cool J. In addition, its music video received a nomination for Best Breakthrough Video at 1996 Video Music Awards.
The Promise is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Freestyle Fellowship. It was released on Decon in 2011.
Michael Lafayette Troy, better known by his stage name Myka 9, is a rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku d'Etat and Magic Heart Genies. Known for years as Mikah Nine, he changed the spelling to Myka Nyne with the release of A Work in Progress in 2003. Since Magic Heart Genies' album Heartifact in 2008, he has been credited as Myka 9.
"Otis" is a song by American hip hop artists Jay-Z and Kanye West from their first collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011). The song posthumously features soul singer Otis Redding, whose version of "Try a Little Tenderness" is sampled in the song. The production was covered solely by West. The track was premiered by Funkmaster Flex's Hot 97 radio show and was released onto the Internet the day afterward. Lyrically, the song has the two rappers sharing lines discussing wealth, decadence and fame. The track received highly positive reviews from music critics who praised the trading off of verses by the two rappers and the Redding-sampled beat, which was compared to the style heard on West's The College Dropout. Several publications placed the song amongst the best of the year.
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City is the second studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on October 22, 2012, through Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from Drake, Dr. Dre, Jay Rock, Anna Wise, and MC Eiht. It is Lamar's major label debut, after his independently released first album Section.80 in 2011 and his signing to Aftermath and Interscope the following year.
Temptations is the third studio album by American hip hop group Freestyle Fellowship. It was released on Ground Control Records on October 16, 2001. Its release was delayed considerably because of Self Jupiter's incarceration.
"Break the Bank" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Schoolboy Q, released on January 21, 2014, by Top Dawg Entertainment and Interscope Records, as a promotional single from his major label debut studio album Oxymoron (2014). The song was recorded in 2012 and was produced by The Alchemist. The song has since peaked at number 32 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"Just Begun" is a song by American hip hop duo Reflection Eternal, composed of New York rapper Talib Kweli and Ohio producer Hi-Tek. The song was released on February 2, 2010, as the second single from their second studio album Revolutions per Minute (2010). The song is a posse cut featuring verses from rappers Jay Electronica, J. Cole and Mos Def, the latter of whom also forms a duo with Talib Kweli, known collectively as Black Star.
Laila's Wisdom is the second studio album by American rapper Rapsody, released on September 22, 2017, by Jamla Records and Roc Nation. It is Rapsody's first album released under her partnership with Roc Nation. The album features collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, Busta Rhymes, Lance Skiiiwalker, Black Thought, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Musiq Soulchild, among others.
