January 18, 2015

Prince AD & Psycho Child "Lyrical Flava" (12", 1996)


Prince AD & Psycho Child released "Lyrical Flavor" as a 12" back in 1996. Their crew, the Killa Kidz, had a 12" out that same year and Prince AD (later known as Killa Sha) was the eldest member of the Killa Kidz crew. Production on "Lyrical Flavor" was handled by the OG, Chuck Chillout on Phat Wax Records. Chuck Chillout was influential in New York as an early radio DJ at 98.7, then working at The Box with Ralph McDaniels and years later started a record pool for DJs. I didn't know it at the time, but I started building with Killa Sha years later, and he told me that coming up, he was the DJ for Mobb Deep back in their Poetical Prophet demo days and for their debut album, "Juvenile Hell." He did the cuts on that album. With dozens of features under his belt and history throughout Queensbridge, Killa Sha later released a batch of solo efforts that were highly slept on, especially the "God Walk On Water" album, which you really should go back and revisit. In the fall of 2008, I spoke to Killa Sha suggesting he come through Fat Beats so we could chop it up. A few days later just happened to be the in-store for Large Professor's "Main Source" album; Sha came with him to Fat Beats, and didn't come empty-handed. Knowing I was a fan of 90s hip-hop, he brought me a sealed OG copy of the Killa Kidz "Phenomenon" 12". I was humbled by that, because of his generosity and also because it was a rare and expensive piece of vinyl. A lil' over a year later, I was sad to hear that he passed away due to complications from diabetes. I never opened that 12" and it makes his gift all the more significant to me. Rest In Peace, Killa Sha. Listen to this early 12" below.