Friday 6 May 2011

#460 - "Sleeping With The Enemy" - Paris


Released On:  Scarface Records, 1992

Before the L.A. riots, there was "Coffee, Donuts, And Death", a brutal screed advocating cop-killing as a cure for the brutality and corruption endemic amongst those who policed the poor communities across America.  And that's not even the most controversial song on the album:  that prize goes to "Bush Killa", the President Bush Sr. assassination fantasy that caused Warner Bros. to cancel the album's release (the date of which neatly coincided with the lead-up to the 1992 U.S. Presidential election).  What else would you expect from an album that opens up with nearly two minutes of sirens and heavy machine-gun fire titled "The Enema (Live At The White House)".  It wasn't just about the political firebrand lyrics, however; the production is tight and funky, with crisp bass and an adventurous sense of sampling.  None of this is surprising, of course, considering a very young DJ Shadow handles a lot of the production here.  One of the fiercest hip-hop albums to ever make the white establishment really, really uncomfortable.

Where You'd Know It From:  Hip-Hop History 101?  That dreadlocked kid in your class who found the album during Bush Jr.'s reign and thought it was soooo timely?  

Track Listing:
1.  The Enema (Live At The White House) (1:53)
2.  Make Way For A Panther (2:30)
3.  Sleeping With The Enemy (2:40)
4.  House Niggas Bleed Too (1:31)
5.  Bush Killa (4:51)
6.  Coffee, Donuts, And Death (3:52)
7.  Thinka 'Bout It (4:26)
8.  Guerrillas In The Mist (3:11)
9.  The Days Of Old (4:19)
10.  Long Hot Summer (1:42)
11.  Conspiracy Of Silence (3:42)
12.  Funky Lil' Party (2:49)
13.  Check It Out Ch'All (3:27)
14.  Rise (1:12)
15.  Assata's Song (5:01)


("Bush Killa")


("Coffee, Donuts & Death")


("Guerrillas In The Mist")





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