Wontime
I must say that it’s quite an amazing feeling as a fan to witness your favorite artist and album reach a certain pinnacle. For the 80s baby Hip-Hop nerd, many of these milestones have been reached in the past few years: Redman’s Dare Iz a Darkside turning 20, Doggystyle, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, Illmatic and Enter the Wu-Tang’s twentieth.
Wreckonize
Today, we can add another classic to the line-up of albums that have stood the ultimate test of time: Smif-N-Wessun’s Dah Shinin’. Released on Jan. 10th, 1995 – Tek and Steele’s magnum opus was spawned during a period many heads[1] would consider the Golden Era: 1993 – 1995.
Recorded at the now defunct D&D Studios, Dah Shinin’ followed on the heels of another Duck Down Records/Boot Camp Clik release – Black Moon’s Enta Da Stage – an album in which Tek and Steele also made their debut appearances. As with Enta, Dah Shinin’s jazzy, yet ominous lo-fi production was handled in-house via Da Beatminerz (DJ Evil Dee, Mr. Walt, Baby Paul & Rich Blak).
On a more personal note, Smif-N-Wessun’s debut always struck a deep chord within me. Dah Shinin’ was is one of those albums that I could press play on and get entirely lost in until it was time to flip the tape over to the B-side; real timeless. Like many fans of the two PNCs, I refused to conform and call Smif-N-Wessun by their “new” group name the Cocoa Brovaz – a change brought upon by the absurd lawsuit firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson filed in the mid-90s.
Huge shouts to Mr. Rippa, Mr. Vicksta, Da Beatminerz, Duck Down Records and everyone else who was involved in the creation of this album, and congratulations on twenty-f*cking years! All praises due. Hopefully we’ll see a deluxe version re-release of the album in the very near future. For now, you can cop Dah Shinin’ on iTunes or via Duck Down.
Smif-N-Wessun, Evil Dee & Heltah Skeltah Recording Dah Shinin’ In ’95
[1]It could be argued that the Golden Era of Rap/Hip-Hop was also from ’87-’91.
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