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#rewindreview: Lord Finesse ‘Return Of The Funky Man’ (1992)

Posted on October 10, 2023October 10, 2023 by

The second album from the ‘Funky Man’ Lord Finesse was literally a return to what he had already given on his debut album ‘Funky Technician’ with D.J. Mike Smooth. By 1992 HOP music was becoming even more popular and with that comes a change in sound and content. The weird thing about that year was with the success of West Coast “gangsta rap,” rappers outside those borders had to shift and sound more edgy to compete. On ‘Return Of The Funky Man’ Lord Finesse seems caught in this quagmire which prevents this record from having the flare his previous album had by just being in the moment and having fun. This album at times felt like Finesse was trying to overcompensate for the change of hardcore content in HOP music. ‘Return Of the Funky Man’ is still a solid release but it also leans too much on what made the previous album work with certain songs sounding like a carbon copy of tracks off ‘Funky Technician.’ Production is handled by the D.I.T.C. crew which include Showbiz, Diamond D. and Lord Finesse himself, with some outside production from D.J. Aladdin and some early production work from Shafiq Husayn on ‘Save That Ish.’ Lord Finesse is really trying to make a statement with this album of being an elite M.C. The majority of the tracks are more competitive rap content but also the “underestimated” narrative most people can relate to whether it be in relationships or career success. It might not be Lord Finesse’s best album but the record opened the door for M.C.’s like Percee P., Shel Rumble, Harry-O and the up and coming D.I.T.C. member A.G. Lord Finesse clearly learned from this album and “trimmed the fat” for ‘The Awakening’ that would be released a few years later. Would did you think of the album? Singles include: ‘Return Of The Funky Man’ & ‘Party Over Here’ Listen to QUANTUM LEAP RADIO every Saturday from 4-6p.m. CST & Thursday from 3-5a.m. CST on 90.1 FM KPFT Houston in HD2 Worldwide @kpft.org/listen/ & TuneIn app (under “kpft in HD2”) Catch past episodes by searching and following @fanlink.to/QuantumLeapRadio

#REWINDREVIEW: KRS-One ‘Return Of The Boom Bap’ (1993)

Posted on October 3, 2023October 4, 2023 by

This is how you know time must be moving faster these days because at the time of the release of this album, KRS-One was considered “old school.” This was thirty years ago almost to the date that ‘Return Of The Boom Bap’ blessed our ears. It is the debut album for KRS-One as a solo act and although all he did was drop the “Boogie Down Productions” moniker, this album felt like we had never heard this from him. KRS was in a zone on this record and it truly felt like he was in his “second childhood.” ‘Return Of The Boom Bap’ never lets up in terms of song interest and personally over the years the few songs I thought were the weakest initially, have grown to be my favorite tracks. There is a magic to what “The Teacha” has been able to do all these years and as simple as it may be to say he is one of the greatest it’s harder to pinpoint that said magic. KRS is one of the greatest orators in this hip-hop culture and he has been able to activate that trait on all of his releases, even the latter ones that might not have been received well. KRS knows that the ultimate battleground is the live stage so when songs like ‘Uh Oh’ are made it’s not just an album cut but crafted for the audience to be fully immersed in during a live show. This is why ‘Return Of The Boom Bap’ is not only a classic in KRS-One’s catalog but HOP music in general. The whole album could be performed live by itself. From ‘Outta Here’ to the uncontrolled energy of ‘I Can’t Wake Up,’ to the unexpected hit still heard in movies and shows today, ‘Sound Of Da Police,’ KRS amassed a selection of tracks that provide the perfect mix of “Edutainment.” Still available to serve you on the mic with ‘Mad Crew,’ the importance of black women on ‘Brown Skin Woman,’ questioning the religion handed to slaves on ‘Higher Level’ is The Teacha in his most prestigious moment on this release. To make this album more tight nit is the production of D.J. Premier, Showbiz, Kid Capri and KRS himself. A combination of names that in 1993 had no choice but to succeed. If it isn’t obvious by now I’ll say that this is one of my favorite albums, even before I started calling KRS-One the greatest. What did you think of the album? Singles include: ‘Outta Here,’ ‘Sound Of Da Police’ & ‘Return Of The Boom Bap’ Listen to QUANTUM LEAP RADIO every Saturday from 4-6p.m. CST & Thursday from 3-5a.m. CST on 90.1 FM KPFT Houston in HD2 Worldwide @kpft.org/listen/ & TuneIn app (under “kpft in HD2”) Catch past episodes by searching and following @fanlink.to/QuantumLeapRadio

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#rewindreview: Lord Finesse ‘Return Of The Funky Man’ (1992)

#REWINDREVIEW: KRS-One ‘Return Of The Boom Bap’ (1993)

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