Admittedly I am not a very big fan of compilations but Scratch Vol. 1 is definitely an
exception. Scratch‘s track list reads
like a who’s who of Hip Hop’s old school and underground vets.
Things start out nicely, quite nicely indeed, with the legendary Large Professor and his original crew Main Source on Snake Eyes. For those who don’t know Large Pro and Main Source
are the fellas who introduced the likes of Nasty
Nas and Akinyele to the world on
Live At The Barbeque. A young,
pre-jiggy Jay-Z scorches the mic on Original Flavor‘s Can I Get Open. In few
instances, never has a theme been so craftily integrated into a song such as on
the Freestyle Fellowship‘s Hot Potato, which certainly has its fair
share of everyone’s favourite, starchy vegetable. Diamond D‘s proclamation, circa ’93, that he’s the Best Kept Secret still holds true today.
Diamond‘s simple but slamming beats
and potent metaphors make for an entertaining listen. Things are taken back to
rap’s roots with a groovy instrumental of Love Bug Starski‘s Positive Life.
Perhaps the best track on the album, the Souls
of Mischief‘s 93 Til Infinity,
reminds me of all the things that made me love this song (and hip hop in
general) back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. 93 Til Infinity is blessed with relaxing melodies and basslines,
which are further heightened by the Souls‘
clever rhymes about chasing women. In one of the greatest lyrical feats that I
have ever had the privilege to hear the incredibly competent J-Live not only rhymes brilliantly, but
he does so to a changing tempo (lyricists start taking your notes)! The
remaining tracks by the Masterminds,
KMD, Abdominal & DJ Fase,
Schoolz Of Thought, Digital Underground, A
Tribe Called Quest, and Canadians DJ
Serious & D-Sisive are either classics in their own right or
underground gems.
If you’re an old school fan, or you love great lyrics and creative (real)
production Scratch Vol. 1 has been
made for you.