NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
Hip-hop in the 90’s and early 2000’s was just a different sound and vibe than what we have today. You had hits that were played on the radio over and over and had CDs flying off the shelves. Before the age of downloads and streams, mixtapes ruled the land and so did the underground, where you found unsigned artists who wanted a shot to be heard and share their talents. Well New York the birthplace of the genre would not be forgotten with the bank account of James Murdoch son of mogul Robert Murdoch Brian Brater and Jarret Myer formed Rawkus Records. What we ended up with was one of the dopest collections of emcees and projects. Each one was a must-have for any real hip-hop head and in 2024 they still bang and need to be remembered.
I first heard of the label when a group out of NYC dropped a project called “Funcrusher Plus” Bigg Jus, El-P, and Mr. Len came out of Brooklyn and the sound was unlike anything around. It was spooky beats, quick wordplay and just sounded like something you play on the train on the way to school or work. This was just the start of what the label was gonna bring fans. Later in 1997, they came up with Soundbombing which was a mixtape but really wasn’t a mixtape. Read that again. It was an intro to two underground hip-hop superstars named Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Other names that jumped out are RA The Rugged Man, DJ Hi-Tek, and Mike Zoot. During that time a spot you went to in NYC to prove you had skills was the Lyricist Lounge a dope open mic series, think 8 Mile but in New York. This sparked a double album and the roster of who was on it was out of this world. I bought two copies one for the car and the other stayed in the house. Some of my favorites were “Action Guaranteed”, “Mayday”, and “CIA” Basically the whole thing is fire go check it out.
This led to the album that at the time anyone who really was bout this hip-hop life wanted and on September 29th, 1998 we got it. Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star came out. Down the line classic solo joints came from Pharoahe Monch and Mos Def it was like this label could do nothing wrong just dropping fire nonstop. I didn’t even think about what a Rawkus project would look like I just bought it and was rarely disappointed. Just when you thought it was safe to come outside Soundbombing II was released and they leveled up. Just look at this track listing
This was a Chicago Bulls with MJ type of run, we got 2 solo Talib Kweli albums, another Lyricist Lounge project, and an underrated Soundbombing III. One of my personal favorite projects was “Reflection Eternal” which saw Hi-Tek and Kweli link up and they made a classic. With the beats and the message, which was one of the things that made Rawkus awesome. The sound and message were so far from the norm of the times. A kid out of Harlem with the confidence of a 1,000-man Big L was super dope and raised the bar for everyone to step up your pen game. And just like the Bulls and other dynasties before them, the end came quick and attempts to bring it back to what it once was failed. But the legacy remains and will always as the artists they brought us are still around making good music and the catalog is way too dope to just push to the side. I consider myself lucky to have been a young cat during this run, who just snatched up all the albums and still rock them today.
What are some of your favorite albums and songs from the Rawkus era? Hit me up on social and let’s talk about it. And for a real deep dive check out this doc from Def Goldbloom who is super talented.
