Debut studio album from The Bronx's Showbiz & AG. The duo started off pressing up independent copies of the legendary debut 12" in 1991. After their rep grew bigger on the strength of the "Soul Clap," in 1992 they dropped Runaway Slave on the Payday label. The album didn't blow up as expected, but lucky for hip-hop purists, the album was hot and not available to the mainstream. So vinyl junkies got to keep classic tracks like "Fat Pockets" and "Bounce Ta This" featuring Black Sheep to themselves, and we are left to discover it years later. The production is what you'd expect from vintage DITC. And in an extra flex of dusty vinyl skills, many songs have rare loop intros, something I thought was always cool. You get the mandatory DITC posse cut featuring Finesse, Big Red, and Big L, plus collaborations with godfather Diamond. Also includes: "Soul Clap," "Still Diggin," "More Than One Way Out the Ghetto," "Runaway Slave," "Hard to Kill," "He Say, She Say," "40 Acres and My Props," "Hold Ya Head," "Represent," "Silence of the Lambs" and "Catchin Wreck." Ten tracks in all. Released by Island Records on black vinyl housed in a full color sleeve.

• music label: Island Records 2018

reviewed by the mgmnt 08/2018