Tried by 12

Last updated

"Tried by 12"
Single by East Flatbush Project
from the album First Born (Overdue)
Released1996 (1996)
Genre Hip-hop [1]
Length2:58
Label 10/30 Uproar
Songwriter(s)
  • R. Smith
  • S. Bellamy
Producer(s) Spencer Bellamy
East Flatbush Project singles chronology
"A Madman's Dream" / "Can't Hold It Back"
(1994)		"Tried by 12"
(1996)		"Everything We Spit Is Hard"
(2000)

"Tried by 12" is a single by American record producer Spencer Bellamy under the pseudonym East Flatbush Project, featuring American rapper Des. It was released in 1996 through 10/30 Uproar Records. [1] Tried by 12 (Remixes), an EP featuring remix versions of the song, was released in 1998 through Chocolate Industries and Ninja Tune. [2] It is Bellamy's most successful song to date. [3]

Contents

Release

The single was originally released in 1996 through 10/30 Uproar Records. [1] Marvin "Seven" Bedard, who is the co-founder of Chocolate Industries, heard the song and decided to get it remixed. [2] He then got in touch with East Flatbush Project's Spencer Bellamy. [2] The song was remixed by Autechre, Bisk, Freeform, Funkstörung, The Herbaliser, Ko-Wreck Technique, Nick Fury, Phoenecia, Sluta Leta, Squarepusher, and Trapazoid (Richard Devine). [2] [4] Kevin Foakes played Autechre's remix to Ninja Tune, and the label licensed the release for a wider market. [2] The remix EP was released in 1998 through Chocolate Industries and Ninja Tune, with the artwork designed by The Designers Republic. [2]

The song was later included on East Flatbush Project's album, First Born (Overdue) (2009). [5] [6]

Critical reception

According to Rob Theakston of AllMusic, the single "took the hip-hop community by storm, as well as the electronic world." [3] Jack Erwin of Complex stated, "there is an underlying truth to the lyrics of the original 'Tried by 12' that bluntly describes both the violence that continues to permeate America and the role of rap music as a mirror to reflect our own worst instincts." [7] Nate Patrin of Stereogum commented that "Des, née Ron Smith, is the rapper who made the titular refrain 'I'd rather be tried by 12 than carried by six' feel so central to the '90s-and-onward American street-justice vernacular." [8] In a review of the remix EP, Tim Haslett of CMJ New Music Monthly stated, "What distinguishes this effort from the plethora of remix work is that on first hearing, some of the reinterpretations bear absolutely no resemblance whatever to the original, but that impression is deceptive because they all retain the parched groove and moody, contemplative textures of the original version." [9] He added, "This is where experimental electronics and hip-hop meet in a way that will change the received wisdom about each form." [9]

Accolades

Accolades for "Tried by 12"
PublicationYearListRankRef.
Complex 2015The 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Beats of All Time
89
Complex2015The 100 Best New York City Rap Songs
84
[7]
Complex2016The Best Rap Songs of 1996
29
Fact 2015The 100 Best Indie Hip-Hop Records of All Time
7
[1]
Stereogum 202020 Essential Late '90s Underground Rap Songs
—
[8]

Legacy

At the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards, Eminem and his Shady Records signees Slaughterhouse (Joe Budden, Crooked I, Joell Ortiz, and Royce da 5'9") and Yelawolf rapped over the instrumental of "Tried by 12". [12] The performance was called "Shady 2.0 Cypher". [13] XXL included the performance on its list of the "Top 10 Biggest Moments of 2011". [14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by R. Smith and S. Bellamy.

"Tried by 12" (12-inch single) track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Tried by 12" (radio edit)2:56
2."Tried by 12" (original)2:58
3."Tried by 12" (instrumental)2:57
4."Tried by 12" (acapella)2:36

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The 100 best indie hip-hop records of all time (page 95 of 101)". Fact . February 25, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fintoni, Laurent (March 1, 2018). "Going to Miami: How IDM conquered the USA". Fact . Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Theakston, Rob. "East Flatbush Project". AllMusic . Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Tried By Remixes - East Flatbush Project". AllMusic . Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  5. ↑ East Flatbush Project (2009). First Born (Overdue) (CD booklet). 10/30 Uproar.
  6. ↑ "First Born Overdue [Bonus Tracks] - East Flatbush Project". AllMusic . Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  7. 1 2 "The 100 Best New York City Rap Songs". Complex . October 31, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  8. 1 2 "20 Essential Late '90s Underground Rap Songs". Stereogum . November 13, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Haslett, Tim (December 1998). "Dance". CMJ New Music Monthly : 78.
  10. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Beats of All Time". Complex . July 24, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  11. ↑ "The Best Rap Songs of 1996". Complex . February 22, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  12. ↑ Young, Alex (October 12, 2011). "Video: Eminem leads Shady Records Cypher at BET Awards". Consequence . Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  13. ↑ Hogan, Marc (October 12, 2011). "See Eminem Murder the BET Hip Hop Awards' Best Cypher". Spin . Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Top 10 Biggest Moments of 2011". XXL . December 28, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
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