#FreshRadio x #FreshFriday Since #MidnightMarauders and #EnterThe36Chambers dropped today in 1993…
9 November 2012 Fresh Radio
Join me at 5p est for the #FreshRadio Mixtape as I salute these 2 masterpieces!!!
A Tribe Called Quest release their third album, “Midnight Marauders”, on Jive Records, on this day in 1993.
The set is considered one of their finest works ever and featured some of their biggest hit singles to date like “Oh My God” (featuring Busta Rhymes), “Electric Relaxation”, used as the theme song for the WB sitcom “The Wayans Bros. and “Award Tour” (featuring Truguoy of De La Soul), their highest charting release ever.
Other guests on “Midnight Marauders” included Large Professor and Rapahel Saadiq of Tony, Toni, Tone.
“Midnight Marauders” featured production by Skeff Anselm, Large Professor as well as A Tribe Called Quest.
The album’s classic cover featured photos of some of the biggest names in hip-hop such as Kool DJ Red Alert, Ice-T, the late, great Heavy D, Jazzy Jay, Kool Moe Dee, The Rock Steady Crew, Too $hort, MC Lyte, Kid Capri, Grandmaster Flash, Dr. Dre, DJ Jazzy Joyce, Daddy-O of Stetsasonic, The Beastie Boys, Afrika Bambaataa and Yours Truly Chuck D, as well as several others.
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is the debut album of American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released November 9, 1993, on Loud Records and distributed through RCA Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 1992 to 1993 at Firehouse Studio in New York City, and it was mastered at The Hit Factory. The album’s title originates from the martial arts film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978). The group’s de facto leader RZA, also known as Prince Rakeem, produced the album entirely, utilizing heavy, eerie beats and a sound largely based on martial-arts movie clips and soul music samples.
The distinctive sound of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) created a blueprint for hardcore hip hop during the 1990s and helped return New York City hip hop to national prominence. Its sound also became hugely influential in modern hip hop production, while the group members’ explicit, humorous, and free-associative lyrics have served as a template for many subsequent hip hop records. Serving as a landmark record in the era of hip hop known as the East Coast Renaissance, its influence helped lead the way for several other East Coast hip hop artists, including Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep, and Jay-Z.
Despite its raw, underground sound, the album had surprising chart success, peaking at number 41 on the US Billboard 200 chart. By 1995, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of one million copies in the United States. Initially receiving positive reviews from most music critics, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) has been regarded by music writers as one of the most significant albums of the 1990s, as well as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all-time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 386 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
DJ Bee 36 Chambers, A Tribe Called Quest, ATCQ, Midnight Marauders, Wu-Tang