The Juggaknots x DJ Boo "Mega-Mix"

When people ask me to give my 'Top 5', I let out a grunt ... why? ... because it's such a loaded question. It's usually asked by trolls or people that just wanna hear themselves rattle off a list of their own. I think it's one of the reasons so many people default to Nas, Rakim, Jay-Z, Biggie and 2Pac. Safe bets, right? Hard to argue with those LEGENDS. Well, how about a list that has Breeze Brewin, Pharaohe Monch & Black Thought in it too (to name a few)? Is that too "backpack" for you? Well, I stand by those MCs and I'm always excited to hear new - or throwback - music from them. Technically, I just find them to be superb lyricists and it'd be hard to find an artist that could disagree with me. I watched Breeze come up in the NYC underground scene, not to mention at Fat Beats, and in some of the hottest, dustiest venues we had. His vocal tones, flow, wordplay and message are all top tier. Sometimes it saddens me that we don't go more new music from Breeze, but then when we do, it does feel like a holiday; much the same as 3 stacks but on a niche level, lol. Whether it was "Dear Autumn," the "Control" verse, Pessimistic Personal Trainer or features with Marco and others; it comes in drips, but it's always high quality, non-disposable music. I could go on, but let's get into this Megamix from the Juggs, put together by my long-time homie and also Fat Beats alumni, DJ Boo! Big ups to Kev Fever and Queen Herawin as well; a family affair! #ILoveJuggs

Juggaknots "Use Your Confusion" (CMJ, 2006)

"Widely considered underground hip hop's holy grail, Juggaknots' 1996 debut EP, Clear Blue Skies (Fondle 'Em), centered around Breezly Brewin's marble-mouthed musings - instantly relatable expressions of a young man's doubt about himself and the world. Its dusty jazz loops and clomping snares marked the apex of indie rap's signature moodiness. After ten years away (save a loose EP), Brooklyn's Juggs - Breeze, his brother Buddy Slim, and, now, their sister Queen Herawin - prattle on like no time has passed. Over the winding funk guitars of "New $$$," Breeze bitterly raps, echoing O.C.'s anthem "Time's Up": "I'd rather be broke and have a whole lot of respect..."

"...Mostly Juggs-produced, Confusion bubbles with an up-beat, if more atmospheric, update of their sound, buoyed by swelling strings and scratched soul samples. But mostly, the Juggs - shouting out the crew on "Namesake" like it's still '96 - are running in place. The album's real lesson: there's no recapturing independent hip-hop's bounding, childlike enthusiasm. We're all grown up now." - CMJ 

You can stream/purchase the full LP below...

Juggaknots in Vibe Magazine, (March, 1997)

"If the Juggaknots weren't MCs, they'd definitely be dope filmmakers. Bronx-born siblings Breezly Brewin' and Buddy Slim surface from the sub-underground to take angst-tale rhymes to impressive heights with their self-titled debut. Buddy's hypnotic blend of jazz and lyric sonics wins big on cuts like the vigilante saga "Loosifa," "Clear Blue Skies," with its musings on race, and "Romper Room," which details the loss of innocence. Each is a cinematic gem that raises the stakes for modern-day griotry. Edit in visually jagged endings like the one on "I'm Gonna Kill U" - "I'll get up closer to her gate / I figured that he wasn't bluffin' / The honey I was with was strictly body-bag stuffin'" - and you'll see the Juggaknots take home the Oscar." - Vibe Magazine, March 1997. A favorite below...

A copy of the article in Vibe, March 1997.

Juggaknots "Re:Release" (Vibe Magazine, April 2003)

"The Juggaknots' out-of-print 1996 debut was a landmark, everything hip hop should be: braggadocious, roughneck, insightful, dirty, challenging, and sly. Miraculously, this extended reissue, which adds nine new and previously unreleased tracks to the EP's original nine, shows sides of the Bronx crew the original didn't. Old cuts like "Loosifa" and the title track are as potent today as they were seven years ago, and dustbin rescues like "Sex Type Thang" find the crew in a comical mood. But the propulsive "Who Makes It Hot" shows they were plenty radio ready, even if the feeling wasn't mutual." - Vibe, April 2003. Listen to "Troubleman" (Updated: the full Re: Release LP) below...

The original 4/5 review in Vibe (April, 2003) is available below...