| Funcrusher Plus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 22, 1997 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 73:52 | |||
| Label | Rawkus | |||
| Producer | Company Flow | |||
| Company Flow chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Funcrusher Plus | ||||
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Funcrusher Plus is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Company Flow. [2] It was released by Rawkus Records in 1997. [3] In 2009, it was re-released on Definitive Jux. [4] The album has been recognized as "a landmark independent hip-hop release". [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [6] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [7] |
| Los Angeles Times | [8] |
| Muzik | 10/10 [9] |
| NME | 7/10 [10] |
| Pitchfork | 9.0/10 [11] |
| PopMatters | 9/10 [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [12] |
| Spectrum Culture | [13] |
| Spin | 8/10 [14] |
Jon Dolan of City Pages noted "[Company Flow's] evincing a confrontational critique of 'those signed, big-budget muthafuckas' like none hip hop has attempted since EPMD's Strictly Business ." [15] Andrew Hultkrans of Spin gave the album 8 stars out of 10, commenting that "[the album] deconstructed hip-hop conventions and rebuilt them into a spare, murky, sputtering soundscape." [14] Jeff Weiss of the Los Angeles Times felt that "El-P conjured an apocalyptic minimalism -- the sublimated sound of clanging and cluttered train cars, city grime buried beneath cuticles, and the ghostly smoke of burning blunts." [8] Brian Coleman of CMJ New Music Monthly called it "the most important release of 1997 thus far." [16] The New York Times wrote that Company Flow "rap fast, rude, free-associative boasts and dystopian visions over tracks that mesh raunchy old funk snippets with electronic noise, making hip-hop that's simultaneously propulsive and disorienting." [17]
Nate Patrin of Pitchfork said: "With the exception of the nocturnal crystalline funk of the Bigg Jus-produced 'Lune TNS' and the frequent scratch contributions from secret weapon DJ Mr. Len, Funcrusher Plus' beats bear the mark of El-P's dusty-but-digital aesthetic, which even back then had the same sort of beautiful-dystopia Blade Runner feel that informed Cannibal Ox's The Cold Vein and his own Fantastic Damage a few years later." [11] AllMusic gave the album a perfect 5 star rating, and writer Steve Huey stated: "[Funcrusher Plus] demands intense concentration, but also rewards it, and its advancement of hip-hop as an art form is still being felt. It's difficult, challenging music, to be sure, and it's equally far ahead of its time." [6]
Joseph Schafer of Stereogum said, "Funcrusher Plus made for a hell of an opening salvo, and most emcee/producers would envy having such a record in their discography, but El mostly improved upon his work here later." [18]
On October 4, 2011, "Lune TNS" was chosen by NJ.com as the Song of the Day. [5]
In 2003, Funcrusher Plus ranked at number 84 on Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1990s list. [19] In 2014, Complex listed the album at number 86 on the 90 Best Rap Albums of the 90s. [3] In 2015, it was chosen by Fact as number 4 on the 100 Best Indie Hip-Hop Records of All Time. [20]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bad Touch Example" | El-P | 3:26 | |
| 2. | "8 Steps to Perfection" |
| El-P | 4:43 |
| 3. | "Collude/Intrude" (featuring J-Treds) |
| El-P | 5:25 |
| 4. | "Blind" |
| El-P | 3:42 |
| 5. | "Silence" | Ingleton | El-P | 3:33 |
| 6. | "Legends" | Meline | El-P | 4:02 |
| 7. | "Help Wanted" | El-P | 2:13 | |
| 8. | "Population Control" |
| El-P | 4:26 |
| 9. | "Lune TNS" | Ingleton | Bigg Jus | 3:39 |
| 10. | "Definitive" | Meline | El-P | 5:47 |
| 11. | "Lencorcism" | Mr. Len | 0:36 | |
| 12. | "89.9 Detrimental" | Meline | El-P | 1:03 |
| 13. | "Vital Nerve" (featuring BMS) |
| El-P | 5:01 |
| 14. | "Tragedy of War (in III Parts)" |
| El-P | 3:49 |
| 15. | "The Fire in Which You Burn" (featuring The Brewin from the Juggaknots & J-Treds) |
| El-P | 5:02 |
| 16. | "Krazy Kings" | Ingleton | El-P | 4:52 |
| 17. | "Last Good Sleep" | Meline | Mr. Len, El-P | 5:59 |
| 18. | "Info Kill II" |
| El-P | 3:48 |
| 19. | "Funcrush Scratch" | Mr. Len | 2:48 | |
| Total length: | 73:52 | |||
Notes
| Year | Song | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales [21] |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Blind" | 44 |
Company Flow was an American hip hop trio from Brooklyn, New York City, consisting of Bigg Jus, El-P and Mr. Len.
Jaime Meline, better known by the stage name El-P, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Starting his career as a member of Company Flow, he has been a driving force in alternative hip hop since the mid-1990s, producing for rappers including Aesop Rock, Cage, and Mr. Lif. He was a member of The Weathermen and is the co-founder, owner, and CEO of the Definitive Jux record label.
Rawkus Records was an American hip hop record label, owned by James Murdoch, known for starting the careers of many rappers. Rawkus started in 1995 with releases in hip-hop, drum and bass and fun-dustrial.
Daniel Dumile, also known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom, was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and "supervillain" stage persona, Dumile became a major figure of underground hip hop and alternative hip hop in the 2000s. After his death, Variety described him as one of the scene's "most celebrated, unpredictable and enigmatic figures".
Jedi Mind Tricks (JMT) are an American underground hip hop group from Philadelphia, founded in 1996 by two high school friends, rapper Vinnie Paz and producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind. In 1999, rapper Jus Allah joined the group to record their second studio album, Violent by Design. Jus left the group shortly after, but returned in late 2006 and began working on the sixth studio album, A History of Violence. In 2011 Stoupe left the group because "his heart wasn't in making JMT records anymore". In 2013, Jus split from the group indefinitely, and Stoupe returned in 2015.
Justin Ingleton, better known by his stage name Bigg Jus, is an American alternative hip hop artist from Jamaica, Queens. He was a member of Company Flow along with El-P and Mr. Len. He is also one half of the duo Nephlim Modulation Systems with Orko Eloheim.
Quality is the first studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on November 19, 2002, by Rawkus Records. It received wide critical acclaim and had some commercial appeal from the song "Get By", produced by Kanye West. Kludge magazine included it on their list of best albums of 2002.
The Beautiful Struggle is the second studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on September 28, 2004, by Rawkus Records and Geffen Records. The album features guest appearances such as Common, Faith Evans, Anthony Hamilton, Mary J. Blige and John Legend.
Soundbombing II is the second installment in Rawkus Records' Soundbombing compilation series, released by the label on May 18, 1999. Mixed by DJ Babu and J Rocc of Beat Junkies, the album included tracks from a variety of artists, both Rawkus' signees and popular artists from other labels.
The Cold Vein is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Cannibal Ox. It was produced by El-P and released on his Definitive Jux label on May 15, 2001. The album has since been reissued by iHipHop Distribution.
Funcrusher is the debut EP by the New York underground hip hop group Company Flow. It was released in 1995 on the group's own label Official Recordings. It sold well for an independently released record, with more than 30,000 copies sold despite only being available on vinyl. It was ranked sixth by album sales of its distributor Big Daddy Music by April 1996. Following the release, the group signed a deal with upstart label Rawkus Records for the release of their acclaimed album Funcrusher Plus, released in 1997, which includes all the tracks from Funcrusher.
Sub Verse Music was a record label specializing in hip hop. It existed from 1998 to 2003 and released recordings by MF Doom, Blackalicious and KMD, among others.
El-P is a New York–based hip hop artist and co-founder, owner, and CEO of Definitive Jux Records. His discography consists of three solo studio albums, five instrumental albums, two mix tapes, and eleven singles. He has also appeared on numerous other artist's recordings as either a guest vocalist or producer. Releases from Company Flow, The Weathermen, and Run the Jewels, all of which El-P has been a member, are not included in this discography: only solo material.
Revolutions per Minute is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Reflection Eternal, released May 18, 2010, on Blacksmith Records and Rawkus Records. Composed of rapper Talib Kweli and DJ/hip hop producer Hi-Tek, it is the duo's follow-up to their collaborative debut Train of Thought (2000).
Mr. Len is a hip hop DJ born in the Bronx, New York. He moved to Hillside, NJ when he was 12 years old. He was a member, with Bigg Jus and El-P, of the underground hip hop trio Company Flow, which disbanded in the late 1990s. His debut full-length, released on Matador Records in 2001, included guest spots by Jean Grae, Chubb Rock, and Mr. Live. Later he formed a group with Kimani Rogers from The Masterminds named Roosevelt Franklin. He also collaborated with Handsome Boy Modeling School member Prince Paul to produce the faux-doo wop group The Dix. Mr. Len was also a voice actor in the American action comedy television series, Kung Faux.
Welcome to the Afterfuture is a studio album by the American hip hop musician Mike Ladd. It was released on Ozone Music in 2000.
Poor People's Day is a solo studio album by American hip hop musician Bigg Jus, a former member of Company Flow. It was released on Mush Records in 2005. The album is entirely produced by DJ Gman.
Run the Jewels is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Run the Jewels, which consists of Killer Mike and El-P. The album was released on June 26, 2013, through Fool's Gold Records.
Tragic Epilogue is the first studio album by American hip hop group Antipop Consortium. It was released on 75 Ark on February 22, 2000. The group's member Beans described it as "a eulogy to the end of hip-hop".
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