[I have been back on my digitizing grind as of late, so I thought I should share the fruits of this labor as well. Introducing - "throwbacks".]
Lord Finesse was just a few years out from his critically-acclaimed debut with DJ Mike Smooth, when he dropped this track. It came out on the b-side of a single by J.R. Swinga (who?) called “Chocolate City”. The label was Mad Sounds, better known for their Trendz of Culture singles, but not much else. 1994 was post-Golden Era and at the time, New York rap was making that rough transition into the East Coast hardcore response to Snoop, Dre, and the rest. Mobb Deep, Biggie and the Wu were starting to shine, but many rappers from the late 80s and early 90s had blown up and embraced New Jack Swing as the next evolution, which quickly fizzled in the rap community. Record label (Giant) collapses didn’t help either. In the midst of all this turmoil, Finesse managed to squeeze out this “reality rap” gem that probably only the Stretch Armstrong Show diehards (and some DJs) have had a chance to hear. Check it out:
Lord Finesse – Shorties Kaught in the System | Mad Sounds
