Saafir (Boxcar Sessions (1994) still remains a firm favourite) has always been one of my fave MC's but the whole Hobo Junction have always been on some next shit, It's solid West Coast Hip Hop(Bay Area, Oakland to be precise) with a twist of East Coast Hip Hop sensibilities and you can tell these kids love what they do and it's all about the passion for the art form rather than the almighty dollar.
The thing I love about this EP is the diverse rhyme styles and production techniques, I don't think I have ever heard Vaughn Mason's Bounce, Rock and Skate used so smoothly like The Whoridas have on Shot Callin & Big Ballin and I love the bugged out wobbling keyboards and piano tinkles on Saafir's In A Vest,
Hobo Junction have released a lot of material and it's all worth checking out and getting familiar with, but I think this EP is as good as any introduce you to the crew if you haven't heard them yet and if anyone wants to know who is sampled on Bignous's Just Not My Style, it's Akinyele off the track Exercise (1993)
- Townsh_t - Whoridas w/ Saafir
- In A Vest - Saafir
- What's My Weapon - Eyecue
- Shot Callin' & Big Ballin' - Whoridas
- Crooked-Letter Eye - Eyecue
- Just Not My Style - Bignous
- Heir Apparent - Bignous & Rashinel
Huge and (I think) complete Hobo Junction Discography
http://members.aol.com/ProfQuater/Hobo_Junction.html
http://www.myspace.com/hobojunction
Hobo Junction was the brain child of legendary Oakland rapper Plan Bee and graffiti artist Mike Dream. While both men’s lives were tragically cut short, the Junction would go on to become one of the hottest underground acts of the ’90s, gaining particular notoriety from a series of freestyle battles with the Hieroglyphics. They copped big label exposure on Saafir’s debut for Qwest, the critically-acclaimed Boxcar Sessions (1994); dropped singles for indie Delicious Vinyl; and self-released three highly-regarded street classics: Limited Edition (1996), The Black Label (1997), and The Cleaners (1999). Their atmospheric soundscapes favor murky samples floating above or below innovative beats and unconventional flows. The emcees are artful story-tellers, skilled rhymers, and masters of the old school boast. This is head-nodding funk that wrinkles your brow, and with the passage of time, the line-up sounds less like an underground crew and more like a Bay Area supergroup.
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