The album's lo-fi, no frills production and centering of lyricism flew in stark contrast to the R&B-flavored hits that were becoming the rage and Company Flow helped cement Rawkus Records as a hotbed for non-commercial underground rap.įirst single “8 Steps to Perfection," highlights Juss and P's lyrical bonafides, as their verbosity shines over the swirling synth backdrop and menacing bassline. The buzz from that project landed them on Rawkus Records and set the stage for the group's full-length debut. Len formed Company Flow as teens in 1993, before Jus joined and the now-trio dropped their debut EP Funcrusher. They were children of The Stretch and Bobbito Show on 89.9 FM El-P and Mr.
Len” Smythe, were a trio out of the NYC underground who had a love for classic rap lyricism and a "no bullshit" sonic approach. Rappers Justin “Bigg Jus” Ingleton and Jaime “El-P" Meline, along with DJ/producer Leonard “Mr. I used to go over to whoever's house - El-P, Kaos, whoever and make beats until I got my own sampler." They were friends of mine and taught me how to use their samplers. Producing came about because of Anttrx and Enuff Styles.
I found myself wanting to do what he did so I tried and tried. "It was dedicated to me and I listened to it all the time. "I got into DJ'ing from an old 8track tape my father made a couple of days before I was born," Company Flow's Mr. The jazzy, cerebral aesthetics of just a few years earlier seemed like a bygone era, as the rap game became obsessed with floss and gloss.Īnd it was into that climate that Funcrusher Plus emerged. But for many, the Shiny Suit party was a major turnoff. Music videos were multimillion dollar affairs and rap hits had taken over the pop charts.
On the one hand, rap music's mainstream was bigger than ever: albums by superstars like The Notorious B.I.G., Missy Elliott and Wyclef were selling by the boatload. No doubt, 1997 was a year where Hip-Hop seemed to be at a significant crossroads.
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