Camp Lo "Uptown Saturday Night" (25th Anniversary)

Hot off the success of Jay-Z Reasonable Doubt, producer extraordinaire Ski was on fire when he flipped Dynasty's "Adventures In The Land of Music" for Camp Lo's breakout 1996 smash single "Luchini aka This Is It." The same year saw Camp Lo opening shows for De La Soul during their Stakes Is High tour. Combine that with the fact that Ish aka Butterfly from Digable Planets had cosigned for the group's reputation and would appear on the tracks (in addition to Trugoy from De La), there became a huge buzz around their debut album Uptown Saturday Night. Fast forward a few months to January 1997 and the heavily anticipated release of Camp Lo's first record, which did not disappoint. It struck the perfect balance between club tracks and underground bangers for the mixtape crowd. Critically acclaimed and fan approved, this late 90s must-have was complemented by the incredible cover art illustrated by legendary NYC graffiti artist Dr. Revolt that paid homage to Marvin Gaye's 1976 classic I Want You. It's hard to believe in the time of Puffy's heyday, Camp Lo had developed and delivered a style of Hip Hop that was not only fresh and creative, but also straight up dope. Flipping intricate rhyme styles over some of Rap's finer beats, the fact that Camp Lo got main stream radio play and love from big time club DJ's is a testament to the essence of what Hip Hop was once about: raw talent and originality! Props to Geechi Suede, Sonny Cheeba and Ski Beatz. I believe Uptown Saturday Night has aged considerably well - go 'head, revisit it below...

You cannot front on this album, on any level! Happy 25th anniversary.

Camp Lo "Uptown Saturday Night" (January 28, 1997)

One thing you can say about Camp Lo is that the boogie-down Bronx duo of Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba have style. With confidence on par with most mic gripping veterans, these new jacks effortlessly spread their lyrics over the mostly intoxicating funk grooves of burgeoning producer Ski with never-let 'em-see-you-sweat-like panache that's hard to resist. As you can gather from the title of their debut album, these young soul brothers are big fans of the '70s blaxploitation film era. Unfortunately, like many of the flicks that hindered the genre, Uptown Saturday Night has its fair amount of highlights, but suffers from an influx of material that should have been left on the cutting room floor. Things start off well enough with a consistent and entertaining first half. "Luchini" is a champagne cork popping tale of the pursuit of riches; "Black Connection," the disc's strongest moment, spotlights inviting strings, while special star cameos also provide much needed assistance and diversity. De La Soul's Trugoy The Dove adds the Native Tongue touch to "B-Side to Hollywood," and Butterfly shines on "Swing," a kinetic duet with the Lo's Geechi Suede, who incidentally sounds strikingly similar to the Digable Planets' leader. Despite the help of these outside forces, as Uptown Saturday Night grows in length, the crew's appeal begins to dwindle with each subsequent musical scene. - The Source (2/97). Uptown Saturday Night was ahead of its time and often misunderstood, so the rest of the review and the 3-mic rating are off to me. Revisit it below...

You can read the full review in The Source below...

Camp Lo "Coolie High (Paradise Remix)" (12", 1996)

This is it! Camp Lo's latest release 'On The Way Uptown' features rare and unreleased demos for the early fans of 'Uptown Saturday Night' (one of my favorite albums). Geechi Suede dropped a solo project, '0.9 NyteLife FM,' in December and it's rumored that there will be another Camp Lo project coming real soon. Also, if you haven't heard it, check out the classic Paradise Remix to Camp Lo's 'Coolie High,' with the umm... alternate sample. Me and the homie, The Audible Doctor, were at Fat Beats and came upon a crate of records to dig through, in the batch were several white label joints, so we threw them on the 1200s and gave a listen. A few duds, then we unearthed TWO pristine copies of this 12" - not sure if they were bootlegs or test presses, my memory is failing me, but man that was a helluva find, lol. A true classic... dig into the 12" below. I miss Fat Beats, man.

Bahamadia "Uknowhowwedu / True Honey Buns" (Review, 1995)

Bahamadia released her debut album "Kollage" on April 2, 1996. Her conversational style, monotone flow, and poetic rhymes were meshed with the funky production of DJ Premier, Da Beatminerz, N.O. Joe, Guru, The Roots, and more, creating a classic album from the Philly MC. One of the stand-out tracks was the second single, "Uknowhowwedu," with production from Ski-Beatz and DJ Red Handed in 1995. A brief back story and review of the single from The Source says, "Many have heard the lyrical styling of Bahamadia on duets with Guru and The Roots and on an all-star female lineup on Big Kap's "Da Ladies." Having established a sizable following with those who appreciate spoken word a la hip-hop, Bahamadia delivers for dat ass in her self-proclaimed "off beat flow." Watch below.

"Uknowhowwedu" is a mellow lil' ditty with a catchy hook and groovy track. The swinging beat offsets Bahamadia's monotone delivery. Her voice is slightly reminiscent of the abstract poet -  especially when all Philly crew is told to "rock, rock on." Years later, this is still one of Bahamadia's most popular cuts, as well as the B-Side "True Honey Buns," produced by the greatest of all-time, DJ Premier. "Wittily getting her point across, Bahamadia freaks the science of "it ain't what you do, it's how you do." (Angela Bronner, The Source). Check out the video for "True Honey Buns" below.

Cover "Underground Flow" (12", 1995)

Cover The Child of Detruction released this 12" in 1995 via Mad Dog Records. Some people might be familiar with the Bronx (graffiti) crew C.O.D. (Children of Destruction). Flipping the Isaac Hayes sample to "The Look Of Love," the production is handled by Michelob who also features on the track. That sample was also used by Special Ed & others around the same time. On the flip side of the 12" is a nice remix to "Underground Flow," credited to Ski for Rok-A-Blok, which is Ski Beatz known for Camp Lo, Jay-Z's "Feelin It" and so many other bangers over the years. There were a few pressings of this 12", including a clear blue vinyl release, which is probably harder to dig up. You can debate which version is the best, the full 12" is available to stream below. There's also a video HERE.

Camp Lo "Uptown Saturday Night" (Classic Material, XXL)

"The day Camp Lo came out was the day hip-hop smiled," says producer Ski, who handled the lion's share of the group's 1997 debut, Uptown Saturday Night. Layered in Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba's unorthodox flow and '70s slang, the album was a refreshing standout amid the shiny suits and bottle poppin' that was dominating the charts at the time. "We plotted everything out before we even started recording the music," explains Suede. "The whole '70s Black exploitation, the slang, the sound that we wanted to be on, just everything. The duo's chemistry built over time. Originally a solo artist, Suede met Ski in the Bronx, and the pair began making music together. From time to time, Suede would play tracks for his friend and fellow rapper Cheeba, before suggesting they form a group, in 1994. With Ski handling most of the production, the duo recorded at his apartment and banged out timeless songs like "Sparkle," "Coolie High" and "Luchini AKA This Is It." Although not a commercial success, Uptown Saturday Night presented a new chapter in New York hip-hop and is widely regarded as a project that was ahead of its time. "A lot of people didn't really understand it," says Suede. "They thought the slang was too far out. They thought the way we dressed wasn't cool ... But when "Coolie High" came out, that just changed everybody's mind..." - XXL. Listen below...

Camp Lo discuss records off their debut, including "Luchini," "Sparkle," and more... 

Camp Lo "Next" Feature In Vibe Magazine (November, 1996)

"What I love most about '70s flicks is the cool way they talked and dressed," says Camp Lo's Geechi Suede (Salahadeen Wallace), barely watching a videotape of the 1970 action comedy Cotton Comes to Harlem. "Not in this flick, though." Geechi waves his hand at the screen; he and his partner Sonny Cheeba (Saladine Wilds) are a tad disappointed in the Blockbuster blaxploitation selection this writer has brought to Geechi's modest East Bronx apartment. Cotton's not quite as gritty as 1973's gangster-bent Hell Up In Harlem, or the 1975 coming-of-age classic Cooley High, which are the duo's favorites. But whether funny or mackadocious, these cinematic moments (which came out when these cats were in  Pampers) mark Camp Lo's bond. Geechi, 21, and Sonny, 22, met two years ago after being introduced by a mutual friend, and discovered that they shared not only a first name but also a love for the decade that embodied flamboyance and superbaad optimism. "Sonny introduced me to The Mack," Geechi says. He in turn took Sonny - who was on his way to electrician school and had never rhymed a day in his life - as his partner. "What gave me the idea to do it was Sonny's ability to critique raps," he says. "Thoroughly."" Check out the visuals to "Coolie High," cont'd...

Eight months later, after completing and shopping their demo, Camp Lo landed a recording deal with Profile, set to pull off their heist of the rap game. Their first single, "Coolie High," which appeared on the soundtrack to The Great White Hype, was a quintessential old-school-meets-in-school hit that blended the duo's retro rhyme delivery with their cut 'n' paste recollection of the '70s, blaxploitation, and The Godfather. Their long-playing debut, A Piece Of The Action, is a full-blown taste of Original Flavor's Ski, the album offers a lineup of intoxicating songs like "Sparkle," "Nicky Barnes," and "Black Connection" (an adaptation of Bruce Lee's Chinese Connection). "I thought it was fly to take on that concept because not too many MCs were coming from a movie angle," says Geechi, reducing the Cristal/Versace onslaught to a fun fantasy. This way, if listeners don't want the party to end, all they have to do is rewind." - Vibe, November 1996. The full feature is below...