A Tribe Called Quest certainly comes to mind. OutKast definitely has to be included. Of course you can't forget about N.W.A. or Public Enemy. De La Soul deserves a mention, as well as Pharcyde and the GZA, the RZA, the WU-TANG CLAN!
But does the name Main Source ring any bells? Further, has anyone except those that are real hardcore hip hop heads even know who they were?
One of the great things about technology today, the internet specifically, is that you can dig up these groups that get lost in the shuffle. I certainly had no idea who Main Source was until, while scrolling down the same list that introduced me to Endtroducing (Henry Adaso's "Top 100 Hip Hop Albums Ever" on About.com), I found them sitting at #20 with an album called Breaking Atoms.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not as well researched into hip hop that existed pre-1988, but I always have felt I had a firm grip on the 90's and on forward. So when I found out that Main Source released their debut album in 1991, I was amazed I hadn't found them sooner. Turns out that their debut album, Breaking Atoms, turned out to be their only one that they released as a group before breaking up in 1992. What's more is that this wasn't a group that didn't contain all no-name, never heard of emcees. One of the greatest producers in hip hop history, none other than Large Professor, was not only part of Main Source, but its emcee!
Main Source was formed in 1989 when Professor, real name Paul Mitchell, decided to team up with Toronto-based twin artists K-Cut (Kevin McKenzie) and Sir Scratch (couldn't find his real name for some reason). The group was signed to Wild Pitch and just two years later, released Breaking Atoms. Mitchell stuck with the group long enough to come out with "Fakin' the Funk", which was featured on the White Men Can't Jump Soundtrack of 1992. Due to financial reasons, Mitchell left the group shortly after this and began to focus more on producing, which has turned out pretty well I'd say (after all, the guy is considered one of the greatest producers ever still today).
Cut and Scratch were left with a troubling dilemma after Mitchell's departure. How would they replace their only piece that was responsible for actually rapping? They decided on Mitchell's replacement to be MC Mikey D and things seemed to be back in order for the group. Source released their follow up to Breaking Atoms in 1994 with Fuck What You Think, but things weren't quite as smooth as their first offering. The album failed to build on the success of their debut and was a complete failure both critically and commercially. The failure could be attributed to the three year gap that existed between their first and second albums, but the absence of Mitchell was apparent. Main Source ceased to be a source for hip hop after Fuck What You Think and faded away into the music abyss.
Still, if Main Source was such a short-lived group, why was their debut ranked so high on a list of the greatest hip hop albums ever? I decided to make my main source of music for a day be Breaking Atoms, and here's what I found. . .
Breaking Atoms
Release Date: July 23rd, 1991
Label: Wild Pitch/EMI
1. Snake Eyes
The first ten seconds made me think this was going to be real old school, but then the beat comes in. I could tell immediately from the opening of this smooth, mellow background that Breaking Atoms was going to be extremely well produced. The samples used here are brilliant and they really give you that "golden era" hip hop feel. This was the first time I had ever heard Professor on the mic, and man, he wasn't half bad. In fact, Professor was pretty damn good on his first track. His delivery wasn't as fast paced as a Nas or Pac, but the man certainly knew how to rap over the beat given to him. Loved the line, "Once a snake, you stay a snake/When you're small you took cookies, but now you take the cake."
A very strong way to start off the album.
2. Just Hangin Out
Soul and jazz samples defined this album, and this song was a shining example of it. Another extremely well put together couple of verses by Professor and it's a great song to lay back and chill to. Even the meaning is very laid back, as the hook is simply "And I like to hang out and hustle with my friends/Yo, I'm just hanging out". It also contains a sample, "Season of the Witch", that Black Moon later used in their track "Son Got Wrec" on their debut album, Enta Da Stage. At first listen I was still buzzing about "Snake Eyes". After a second spin though, I really, really was digging this. If you're going to smoke to something, this is a good place to start.
3. Looking at the Front Door
By far one of my favorite songs on this album. A more up tempo beat with a hook that's extremely catchy. The production, as with just about every other song on this album, is top notch as well as Professor's delivery. I can easily see myself memorizing the words to this one. Awesome track.
4. Large Professor
Now this track does sound really old school, which is maybe the reason I wasn't crazy about it. Don't get me wrong, Professor is good again on the mic and the production is still very good with the piano key loop throughout. It just didn't fit with the other three songs previous and it doesn't hold up as well over time as the others do either.
5. Just a Friendly Game of Baseball
Talk about creative, this is gushing with it all the way through. Each verse relates street life to a game of baseball with lines like "Just as bad as bein shot in the groin/To see who'll shoot ya, they'll flip a coin," and, "And watch him run for the stretch/But you don't know the man is at home waitin to make the catch," and "So the outfielder guns you down/You're out, off to the dugout, underground/I know a cop that's savage, his pockets stay green like cabbage/Cause he has a good batting average." With a great slower, heavy bass beat, makes for the complete package. This song is an absolute home run in every sense of the word.
6. Scratch & Cut
Well, if Large Professor gets his own title track, than I guess its only fair that the other two members get one as well. This is a strictly instrumental cut; mostly a way to showcase the skills of the two very talented Main Source producers. While its got a decent beat and one that stays consistent with what the rest of the album has to offer, it really only functions as an interlude and with it being close to 3:00 in clock, probably a little too long.
7. Peace is Not the Word to Play
Another terrific effort on the production end from Scratch and Cut. It's a quicker beat than most of the songs on the album, but there's some great sampling going on here, especially about midway through the song. There's only one verse, but it's good enough to make this track work. If Scratch and Cut wanted something to prove their production skills, this would be it, which makes their previous self-titled track even more unnecessary.
8. Vamos a Rapiar
I'm not as crazy about the beat here (surprising since Pete Rock actually helped produce this), although it's not terrible by any means. However, I had to love Professors lines on this track. Another extremely well written song, just listen to, "Cause so many MCs get star struck/Get on stage and find their washed up," or, "Hey and I make em concentrate on the songs I create/And kids can't wait to get they fork knife and plate/So they can chew what I serve with the nerve/To call themselves real, but I know the deal/So I just place all the cards on the trap/Tell them to cut the crap, now let's rap." I think I'm starting to understand how Large Professor got the second part of his name, maybe being a professor of creative writing?
9. He Got So Much Soul
A good track lyrically (although, are there really any on this album that aren't?) but the hook is a little too old school for me. Unlike "Snake Eyes" and some of the other cuts on here, this one doesn't hold up quite as well over time. If there is a filler on the album, this might be it.
10. Live at the Barbeque ft. Nasty Nas, Joe Fatal, & Akinyele
Quick story. When I first started getting really into hip hop about two and half years ago, the first artist I really got listening to was Nas (which is one of the reasons that he continues to be my favorite artist period). I always knew his first track he appeared on was this and I finally heard it when I found his first mixtape, released in 1991, but it wasn't the greatest quality. Which brings me back to this. To my surprise, that song that Nas (he was going by Nasty Nas at this point) came onto the scene with was right here, part of Main Source's debut. If you ever were wondering how Nas got noticed, please listen to the first minute of this. The kid is only 18 when he did this and still drops the best verse of the entire album. A classic to this day.
11. Watch Roger Do His Thing
Here is an old school track that sounds fresh as it did almost 20 years ago. The keyboard/organ sample in the background is very, very sweet. It makes the song sound sort of like something you'd see on MTV in the morning before you go to school with girls doing hopscotch, the sun shining, shots of graffiti, and Professor dropping lines in the background. Sounds corny, but this song emphasizes everything real hip hop was about before it became rap (that's a really good thing in case you were wondering, unless you're into that G-Unit or Young Money shit, which is bad).
12. Just a Friendly Game of Baseball (Remix)
I loved, loved the original of this song, so I wasn't real crazy about the remix. Same lines, different beat, and it's just not as good as the first one. Kind of disappointing that the album ends on it, but then again, there have been way worse concluding tracks to albums than this one.
Closing Statement: I couldn't believe that this album slipped through the cracks when I was really into the Native Tongues phase (in case you're wondering, that's The Jungle Brothers, Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul). It's an album filled with excellent production and I loved the combination of jazz/soul/funk elements. If I didn't know anything about Main Source or this album and heard it, I could still probably predict the year of its release. It embodies the early pieces of the hip hop/jazz movement, yet retains a lot of the stuff that made hip hop popular from the mid to late 80's. While it's not quite as good as Low End Theory, it's as good or better than De La Soul Is Dead (both released in 1991), and it's one of the most creative albums I've heard from the 90's, maybe ever. The beats are great, but Large Professor's rhymes, in my opinion, really make this album a special one. Add in the first time Nas jumped on the mic for an album, and you've got one package that is pretty damn good.
The Verdict: If you've read anything in my previous paragraph, then there should be no reason to not already know that this is an album worth that extra money you got for bringing in the groceries. Hell, the album is worth the $5 just for "Live at the Barbeque". A must-have for hip hop junkies.
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