Talk about a squad… Soul Assassins, a loose collective of musicians and artists affiliated with Cypress Hill, includes hip-hop luminaries from both the over and underground. In 1997, DJ Muggs assembled a hard-hitting album, The Soul Assassins Chapter I, by enlisting some of the best spitters from both of the coasts and matching them up with his signature beats—laid back, dusty, and boom bap to the fullest. From GZA & RZA trading bars on the sinister "Third World" and B Real rapping alongside Dr. Dre on "Puppet Master" to the Goodie Mob collabo "Decisions, Decisions," the album is a true hip-hop classic, and it is back on a beautiful 12" pic disc (features original album illustration and logo) for the 20th anniversary of the original release. Other tracks to check out: "It Could Happen to You" featuring Mobb Deep (fun fact: Muggs was born in Queens, NY and moved to LA when he was 14), "Battle of 2001," and "Move Ahead."

• 2500 copies pressed
• picture disc LP
• music label: Legacy 1997 / 2017
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reviewed by marble cake floors 05/2017