Smif-N-Wessun "Dah Shinin'" (You Better Wrekonize!, 1995)

Brooklyn: Population 2,231,000. The New York City borough is a veritable capital of hip hop culture, with high profile residents including Digable Planets, MC Lyte, Jeru the Damaja, the Notorious B.I.G., Gang Starr, The Fugees and Black Moon. The latest b-boys to stomp out of this rap mecca and make a move on the rap scene in their unlaced Timberlands are rappers Tek and Steele, better known as Smif-N-Wessun. Their biggest hit, "Bucktown," is a pseudonym for the music hotbed. "The environment of Brooklyn has always been to take what you need to succeed," says Steele. Like the Wu-Tang Clan of Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun's style is strictly hardcore. Typical of West Coast rap, the cuts on Dah Shinin' (Nervous), their first album, are heavy on lyrics and light on R&B backbeats. Dah Shinin' debuted at number one on the rap chart in its first week of release. The hit "Bucktown" jacked the rap charts for a solid month. Keeping it real is a philosophy Tek and Steele picked up from their mentors in Black Moon. The duo get to perform as guest MCs on Black Moon's Enta Da Stage and open for Black Moon and Das EFX on their nationwide tour. Their opportunity to "shine" in that tour precipitated the album's title, Dah Shinin'. Summing up their style, Steele says, "We're just conversatin', speakin', talkin', puttin' facts into a rhyme so that they sound good to the ear.  

Bucktown, the breakout single by Smif n Wessun of Brooklyn, NY, is one of those songs that rips into radio by sheer force of popular demand, bucking expectations and giving new meaning to the term "pop music." But "Bucktown" is no novelty, and its proud descriptions of Brooklyn as "home of the original gun clappers" sure isn't pop in the usual sense. The track has an underproduced skeletal appeal; the terse, muscular rhymes by 21-year-old rappers Tek and Steele are as compelling as they are simple and grim. "Bucktown" took off so briskly, selling 75,000 copies in just three weeks, that the duo was a long way from having a full-length album completed to cash in on the single's obvious appeal. "The inspiration for the song was straight-up Brooklyn, USA," says Steele. "Bucktown is everywhere. We've been to places like Missouri, and we can tell you it's the same shit goin' on as we see in Brooklyn." As far as explaining the song's runaway success, Steele says, "I think if the idea could be bottled, then everybody would be making hit jams and selling 75,000 in one week. We're just representing ourselves, and people pick up on it. That's why we say, 'All heads recognize real heads on the rise.' This is classic New York City hip-hop! Continue to revisit Dah Shinin' below...

Additional Reviews: The Source, OneNut, Vibe, Rap Pages. Art by Danial Kelly.

Smif-N-Wessun "Infinity" (Album Stream)

Smif-N-Wessun's new album, Infinity, is a cumulative reflection of their life experiences. Executive produced by college professor and world-renowned producer 9th Wonder and the Soul Council, 9th explains the thought process with the album. “I wanted to make sure that it didn't sound dated. It sounds like them (Smif-N-Wessun), but it's also new. They are our generation's version of Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Donald Byrd.” Illustrious MCs featured on the album include Buckshot, Pharoahe Monch, Conway the Machine, legendary artists Sean Price and Prodigy, multi-platinum RnB legend Ralph Tresvant, along with rising stars Sweta and Jalisa. Infinity cements Smif-N-Wessun's status as creators of nothing but classics. This is their eighth album and the second collaboration with 9th Wonder and the Soul Council. Showcasing buttery beats from Council members, 9th Wonder himself, Khrysis, SND*TRK, Kash, Mu'aath, and Nottz, the album delivers a sonic smash that will satisfy everyone from the rap purist to new school connoisseurs. Listen to it below...

Smif-N-Wessun "Dah Shinin" (One Nut Magazine, 1995)

Smif-N-Wessun exist in that opaque state of high where the smallest action has the deepest meaning; where words are part of some lost subtext. Their connection to ganja provides them with insight into the war around them. "The struggle is always on," states Steele. "It's a war of survival and elevation. We're doing battle with snakes, police, and fake motherf#ckers." In a world where brothers are "too leery to live and them nah want die" the representatives of the Boot Camp Clik know that the impending Armageddon will come. They rely upon each other in order to combat the uneasy peril of one's own life, forming a brotherhood of mutual respect. "We've been through mad obstacles," asserts Steele. "It's our ability to communicate. [It's] a bond we wrekonize and embrace. When you shine people will know that you know something." Indeed, there is a continuation of thought between the two, a shinin' which allows Tek to jump in where Steele leaves off.... "My family knows his family. We go back to when we was robbing motherf#ckers. We gotta show and prove." 

Tek expresses the struggle to come up as 'basic training', providing insight into the metaphorealical existence of the Boot Camp Clik -- a battalion including Black Moon, Heltah Skeltah, OGC and Champagne. Steele explains that they are 10 strong, "knowledging our circumference and coming to a circle. There wasn't no confrontation, no destruction." Adding that, "Each way we go it's construction. We shine a light." The unabashed connection that Tek and Steele express and the force of their words is not so much gun talk but a warning, an understanding that without pride and force (Mass acceleration intelligence), there will be no progress in life. Their bond is an example for brothers who consider their situation to be critical. In "Stand Strong" Steele rhymes: "Individuals who choose to use life for granted/What you gonna do when it's demanded?" When n!ggas see us forming they'll think, 'Damn. Maybe we should link up.'" When people really look at Smif-N-Wessun, they'll find that there's a much deeper meaning beyond their words. - OneNut '95. Art: Torre Pentel.

Smif-N-Wessun "Dah Shinin' Originals" (Mix by DJ Big Texas)

DJ Big Texas released this mix on January 10th 2015, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Smif-N-Wessun's debut album, Dah Shinin'. Flipping through various album samples and vocals from Smif-N-Wessun's classic debut, this is a fine mix to revisit from DJ Big Texas. Upon its release in 1995, Smif-n-Wessun's Dah Shinin' was unfortunately swept aside by the popular onslaught of the Notorious B.I.G. and the Wu-Tang Clan. That's too bad, because the group's album is a masterpiece of New York City crime rap. The stars of the album aren't really the two MCs, Tek and Steele, but the Beatminerz production team. They were responsible for the groundbreaking tracks on Black Moon's Enta da Stage, the album on which Smif-n-Wessun made their debut, and they continued their strong track record on Dah Shinin'. Da Beatminerz craft their songs with deep, fluid basslines and moody jazz samples. On Smif-n-Wessun's debut, they created a series of hazy soundscapes perfect for the group's brand of lyrical mayhem. Their smoked-out rhymes match the beats perfectly. Indeed, few hip-hop albums offer such a unified coherent effort. Dah Shinin' is certainly Smif-n-Wessun's strongest album, and it represents da Beatminerz's high point as well. - AllMusic. Dig into DJ Big Texas' sample mix below, and also revisit the album and various promo items in the archives...

TEK "Pricele$$" (Album Stream)

Representing Bed Stuy Brooklyn, Tekomin "TEK" Williams burst onto the hip-hop scene in 1993 on Black Moon's Enta Da Stage album. He has been a hip hop mainstay ever since. For nearly 30 years, TEK has delivered iconic albums and rocked crowds worldwide as one-half of the groundbreaking duo, Smif-N-Wessun. TEK continues to cement his star status in hip hop with his latest solo album, PRICELE$$. The album’s first single, The Illest, features TEK rocking a GQ Beats production and paying homage to the classic Notorious B.I.G. record, Unbelievable. Fresh off the success of his own album, Statik Selektah, delivers masterful scratches on the song’s hook. Conway the Machine joins forces with TEK on the album’s follow-up single, The Machine and TEK. The two trade gritty verses over a signature Daringer beat. Boot Camp Clik loyalists can look forward to Boot Camp 4 Life. The Don Notz produced song features a never before heard verse from Sean P, alongside TEK, General Steele, and Buckshot. From start to finish, PRICELE$$ is a gem for hip hop listeners from Bucktown and the world over. The album features production from the likes of GQ Beats, Joe Milly, Drawzilla, Daringer, Don Notz, Music Mystro, and Wavy Da Ghawd. Guest appearances on the album include Sheek Louch, Statik Selektah, Conway the Machine, AZ, Roc Marciano, Sean P, General Steele, Buckshot, Lil Fame, Rome Streetz, Dark Lo, Drawzilla, Mitchellel, and Trife Diesel. Listen to it below...

Smif-N-Wessun "Dah Shinin" (January 10, 1995)

A recent Atlantic Monthly article, "The Coming Anarchy," predicted the evolution of a starkly bipolar world populated by "haves" and "have-notes." Jousting on a planet of rapidly dwindling resources and mushrooming ethnic conflict, social mores and institutions collapse under the strain. Large classes of warlords and desperadoes emerge. The article's author would find much to buttress his thesis on Dah Shinin', the debut from Smif-N-Wessun, a shifty duo out of Brooklyn. On gritty, deceptively unadorned tracks like "Won Time" and "Next Shit," street conflict is "war" and the corner is the "battlefield." Timberland boots and camouflage fatigues are omnipresent. In the hypnotic, surreal world of "Tek" and "Steele," the duo function as self-styled "pioneers" who carve out a tenuous foothold in an unforgiving landscape. Smif-N-Wessun, along with Black Moon, Heltah Skeltah, and Originoo Gun Clappers, are aptly named "Boot Camp Clik." The duo ask their audience to take this union very seriously - and because their fraternity is so stylishly realized on wax, it's easy to oblige.

Smif-N-Wessun's vision is gripping; regardless of their big talk about "getting paper," money is secondary to the capers they perform to survive. They put it succinctly on the blood-curdling "Sound Bwoy Buriel": "All around New York / N!ggas be talkin' / But we be stalkin'." Dah Shinin builds on the summer success of the group's "Bucktown" single and adds up to a convincing collection of outlaw music. Sociologists may be disappointed by the lack of insight Smif-N-Wessun shed on how they ended up with such bleak prospects. But on "Wrek Time" they sum up with a simple, "I am what I am / I do what I do" chorus: It sounds like a pirate's drinking anthem. Inspired in part by the unforgettable Kubrick flick, Dah Shinin' hits the mark with a thematic impact that stuns with single-minded intensity. (Vibe, November, 1994). Hit up the archives for an anniversary mixtape; The Source album review and clap back; podcasts discussing the LP and more! Peace to the whole Duck Down.

A copy of the Vibe Review and more below...

Smif-N-Wessun "The All" (Album Stream)

Smif-N-Wessun, the duo of Tek & Steele, return with their 7th studio album, ‘The All,’ entirely produced by 9th Wonder & The Soul Council. Known for their hardcore lyrical content, The PNC Boyz represent their Brooklyn roots going bar-for-bar offering deep jewels of knowledge and wisdom. The All features guest appearances from Raekwon, Rick Ross, Musiq Soulchild, Rapsody, GQ, Heather Victoria and more. The 9th Wonder x Boot Camp Clik projects are always solid, listen below...

Smif-N-Wessun "Dah Shinin" (Rap Pages, 3/95)

"The generals of Bucktown's Boot Camp Clik, Smif-N-Wessun are no one-hit wonders. Ever since debuting on Black Moon's seminal Enta Da Stage, and following their "Bucktown" anthem (easily one  of the biggest crowd-movers in recent memory), Steele and Tek's full-length joint has been eagerly awaited by roughnecks everywhere. Dah Shinin' doesn't disappoint, lightening up the spot from beginning to end with solid cut after cut. The 1-2-3 combination punch of "Wrektime," "Wontime," and "Wreckonize" gets the album going, but it's the ragga-flavored "Sound Bwoy Buriel," featuring Black Moon's Buckshot, that delivers the knockout blow. Relentless grooves wallop ears in this threatening testament to all those suckas at the show. The album's other posse cut, "Cession at the Doghouse," features O.G.C. (Originl Gun Clappaz) and Heltah Skeltah, with Buckshot delivering the chorus like Method Man on the Wu's Da Mystery of Chessboxin'." Peep the Dah Shinin' album, cont'd below...

"Hellucination," which freaks a fly Minnie Riperton bassline sample and the infamous "Bucktown" drum track, is lyrically the strongest track on the album. "Home Sweet Home" uses the same "We Live In Brooklyn" Roy Ayers classic that's on Digable Planets' latest, but Steele and Tek give it a decisively more hardcore touch. "P.N.C. (Partners 'N' Crime)," the album's finale, is Smif-N-Wessun's "together forever" tribute to fallen friend Sean Grady. Produced exclusively by Da Beatminerz (Mr. Walt, Evil Dee and newcomer Baby Paul), Dah Shinin' establishes Smif-N-Wessun as legitimate artists who took the lead of mentors Black Moon and pushed a distinct New York sound to new heights." - Rap Pages, March 1995. You can save a copy of the Rap Pages album review below... Peace to the BCC.

You Must Learn Episode 2: Smif-N-Wessun "Dah Shinin"

Released January 10, 1995, Dah Shinin is celebrated for the synergy between Smif N Wessun’s two members, Tek and Steele, and the cohesive, gritty production courtesy of Da Beatminerz. In 1998, The Source placed the album in its list of 100 Best Rap Albums. What you’re about to hear is Tek and Steele take us through the backstory and the making of their quintessential classic. They talk about: their relationships with Biggie and Tupac; going to high school with Maxwell and Sean Price; being inspired by the work of Roy Ayers, and what the Doghilee actually was. “You Must Learn” is produced by Peter Oasis and is written by Dharmic X; the podcast features contributions from DJ Flipout and Soul Khan. Special thanks Kelly Green. Listen below to Episode 2 of You Must Learn...

Buckshot & P-Money "Backpack Travels" (Album Stream)

The new album from Buckshot, "Backpack Travels," is produced entirely by New Zealand boombap beatsmith, P-Money. I first heard P-Money last year with his "Gratitude" LP. That project featured M.O.P, Skyzoo & Havoc, Roc Marciano, Freddie Gibbs & Fashawn, and lots more, including a track with Buckshot, which likely sparked their interest in working together on this new album. The 10-track release boasts features from Joey Bada$$, Steele of Smif-N-Wessun, Chelsea Reject & more. It's got a nice sound to it that caters to our niche audience and should fit well in Buck's extensive catalog with Duck Down. I'm about to dig into it, then go back and peep "Gratitude" from last year.

Smif-N-Wessun "Dah Shinin" (The Source, 2/95) + Response (4/95)

"After being discovered by Black Moon, and appearing on that group's Enta Da Stage album, Smif n Wessun hit headz with their single "Bucktown," a laidback mixture of rugged lyrics and moody bass. Now they return with their debut album, Dah Shinin'. While every song is appealing due to the group's talent for flowing and their ability to occasionally drop strong lyrics, the album suffers from too many Black Moon-like tracks and sing-song styles that too closely echo Buckshot on "I Got Cha Opin." They begin with a bouncy intro, "Timz N Hood Check," (one of the album's best cuts), and then leap off into criminal-minded freestyles on "Wrektime," "Wontime" and "Wrekonize." For "Sound Bwoy Bureill," they are gun-clappers killing a soundman. "K.I.M." (Keep It Movin') is traditional New York horns and echo. "Stand Strong" tells us it's mad deep in the streets and "Hellucination," despite its promising title, features 'eerie' bass that sounds more like a Spanish soap opera soundtrack."

"Their anthemic "Bucktown" is still the group's bread and butter. Using less forced deliveries, the duo evoke images of Brooklyn housing projects, jeeps cruising by, ciphers of freestyling bluntsmokers, and brothers rolling dice in Bushwick. This was the song that got everybody open; the song that led many people to think that this group's album would be the shit. Instead of sticking to this mode, they leap into tough guy BS and make their album hit a little weaker than it should've. The tracks, by Evil Dee and Mr. Walt, are too similar (dirty, plodding beats and bumpy bass) and make them sound even more like Black Moon proteges. If they were hooked up with more diversified flavors, listeners wouldn't feel deja vu and might be more satisfied." - The Source, 2/95.

Obviously, this was not one of the most favorable reviews. Is it any surprise that Duck Down's Boot Camp Clik wrote a letter to express their displeasure with the review? Let's look back at their response, too... "Over the last few weeks the Boot Camp Clik has had to answer for The Source. The question being asked: "How could Smif-N-Wessun's Dah Shinin' receive 3 mics (February 1995) for one of the phattest albums of the year and find itself with a lower rating than every other album on that page? The Source states itself "These ratings are determined by staff consensus..." yet the staff we have contacted at The Source told us that they had never heard Smif n Wessun's album. Could one Joe Charles determine all by himself, for the hip-hop community, what Da Shinin deserved? If so, it creates a serious problem because The Source is what it is titled: "the source" that tells the hip-hop community what's the haps in hip-hop. HIP-HOP, NOT RAP. By giving Smif n Wessun's Da Shinin 3 mics you are striking a blow to the head of each and every individual who lives for hip-hop. Individuals who have been craving for dirty plodding beats and bumpy bass (the essence of hip hop music production). Originu crooks who can't get enough of street reality lyrics. Originu Headz who recognize that The Source staff now knows that Smif n Wessun's album deserved, maybe not a higher rating, for that is Joe Charles' opinion, but at least a fair shake before their work is to be judged and reviewed for the masses. Joe Charles wipe ya mouf." - 4/95