There are very few albums across any genre that stand the test of time better than 93 'Til Infinity, the classic debut record from Hieroglyphics crew's very own Souls of Mischief. In an era where Gangsta Rap and G-Funk dominated the West Coast Rap scene, Souls broke ground on a completely unique and thoroughly west coast sound. While the Dr. Dre's and Snoop Doggs were garnering much of the mainstream attention, Souls were quietly forging a charismatic, critically acclaimed, and cohesively shaped record that when categorized, sounded much closer to A Tribe Called Quest than N.W.A. The sound of their debut is characteristic of the distinct style explored by the collective, including a rhyme scheme based on internal rhyme and beats centered around a live bass and obscure jazz and funk samples.

93 'Til Infinity was propelled into success by its title track and lead single, which reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also featured singles 'That's When Ya Lost' and 'Never No More' which also reached the Hot Rap Singles. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Albums of All Time.

Considered by many to be a text book 'slept-on' classic Rap record, 93 'Til Infinity has only grown better with age. The album simply defines the Hiero golden age with a sound that would leter be fine tuned with strong releases from MCs Del The Funkee Homosapien, Casual and Pep Love.

It takes some serious bravado to name your album 93 'Til Infinity, but certainly the goal of creating a Hip Hop 'classic' must have been on the collective minds of the group members A-Plus, Tajai, Opio, and Phesto when recording this landmark moment in Hip Hop history. It's true, even seventeen years after the albums release many people are still discovering it, and with this re-mastered reissue on double vinyl, fans all over the world will once again discover the brilliance that 93 'Til Infinity delivers and will continue to deliver beyond infinity.

Montezuma's Revenge was created the old-fashioned way, with the MCs A-Plus, Phesto, Opio & Tajai - and producers Prince Paul & Domino - in the lab together from the beginning to the end of the recording process. "We rented a house" explains Opio. "Prince Paul came out, we had no distractions, we just did music every day. " "It was cool" adds Tajai. "He had concepts, and its good to have an outside perspective - it was a great process." The result is a cohesive, creative Hip Hop album, the kind of project you d expect from veterans like Souls of Mischief under the auspices of a genius producer like Prince Paul. Souls first encountered Prince Paul while touring with A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul back in the day. But it was on a more recent tour with Handsome Boy Modeling School that the seeds of this collaboration were planted. So what exactly is Montezuma's Revenge? Tajai comments, "We recorded the album on Montezuma Street." The final product features 18 tracks of the quality Hip Hop you ve come to expect from Hieroglyphics, with cover art by esteemed illustrator Steve Lopez (famous for his illustrations of Erykah Badu and others). Of course there s more to the title than the location of the recording, Tajai says "The deeper meaning is this album will make you cr@p yourself."

There are very few albums across any genre that stand the test of time better than 93 'Til Infinity, the classic debut record from Hieroglyphics crew's very own Souls of Mischief. In an era where Gangsta Rap and G-Funk dominated the West Coast Rap scene, Souls broke ground on a completely unique and thoroughly west coast sound. While the Dr. Dre's and Snoop Doggs were garnering much of the mainstream attention, Souls were quietly forging a charismatic, critically acclaimed, and cohesively shaped record that when categorized, sounded much closer to A Tribe Called Quest than N.W.A. The sound of their debut is characteristic of the distinct style explored by the collective, including a rhyme scheme based on internal rhyme and beats centered around a live bass and obscure jazz and funk samples.

93 'Til Infinity was propelled into success by its title track and lead single, which reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also featured singles 'That's When Ya Lost' and 'Never No More' which also reached the Hot Rap Singles. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Albums of All Time.

Considered by many to be a text book 'slept-on' classic Rap record, 93 'Til Infinity has only grown better with age. The album simply defines the Hiero golden age with a sound that would leter be fine tuned with strong releases from MCs Del The Funkee Homosapien, Casual and Pep Love.

It takes some serious bravado to name your album 93 'Til Infinity, but certainly the goal of creating a Hip Hop 'classic' must have been on the collective minds of the group members A-Plus, Tajai, Opio, and Phesto when recording this landmark moment in Hip Hop history. It's true, even seventeen years after the albums release many people are still discovering it, and with this re-mastered reissue on double vinyl, fans all over the world will once again discover the brilliance that 93 'Til Infinity delivers and will continue to deliver beyond infinity.

There are very few albums across any genre that stand the test of time better than 93 'Til Infinity, the classic debut record from Hieroglyphics crew's very own Souls of Mischief. In an era where Gangsta Rap and G-Funk dominated the West Coast Rap scene, Souls broke ground on a completely unique and thoroughly west coast sound. While the Dr. Dre's and Snoop Doggs were garnering much of the mainstream attention, Souls were quietly forging a charismatic, critically acclaimed, and cohesively shaped record that when categorized, sounded much closer to A Tribe Called Quest than N.W.A. The sound of their debut is characteristic of the distinct style explored by the collective, including a rhyme scheme based on internal rhyme and beats centered around a live bass and obscure jazz and funk samples.

93 'Til Infinity was propelled into success by its title track and lead single, which reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also featured singles 'That's When Ya Lost' and 'Never No More' which also reached the Hot Rap Singles. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Albums of All Time.

Considered by many to be a text book 'slept-on' classic Rap record, 93 'Til Infinity has only grown better with age. The album simply defines the Hiero golden age with a sound that would leter be fine tuned with strong releases from MCs Del The Funkee Homosapien, Casual and Pep Love.

It takes some serious bravado to name your album 93 'Til Infinity, but certainly the goal of creating a Hip Hop 'classic' must have been on the collective minds of the group members A-Plus, Tajai, Opio, and Phesto when recording this landmark moment in Hip Hop history. It's true, even seventeen years after the albums release many people are still discovering it, and with this re-mastered reissue on double vinyl, fans all over the world will once again discover the brilliance that 93 'Til Infinity delivers and will continue to deliver beyond infinity.

One thing is certain about Souls of Mischief, the razor- sharp quartet at the center of Oakland's Hieroglyphics crew (which includes Del the Funky Homosapien, Extra Prolific, and Casual): These people live and die for hip-hop. But the question on No Man's Land, the follow-up to an excellent debut, 93 'Til Infinity, is whether Souls of Mischief have sold their mischievous souls to the devil for a crack at a larger piece of the rap pie. Though they've long been favorites of rap purists, multiplatinum status has eluded the group for any number of reasons--sadly among them the antigangster, college-level rhymes of members A-Plus, Opio, Phesto, and Tajai. A quick listen to No Man's Land's tougher stance and gunshot sound effects, however, would cause anyone to guess the Hiero crew had compromised their just peace for a little chart action.

A closer inspection of the new album, though, will put at ease those who see Souls of Mischief as defenders of an unadulterated, showmanlike rhyme tradition. Even the group's slightly hardened attitude can't nullify the fact that Souls of Mischief's brand of old school hip-hop formalism resides far outside current rap fashions. In the face of today's smooth R&B flavors, No Man's Land comes without a single melodic hook. Tracks like "Rock It Like That" and "Ya Don't Stop" are as retro as their titles imply: Beats and spare jazz loops serve as shells for the raw exchanges of the verse and intricate interplay of the chorus. Even more than on their debut, Souls of Mischief focus less on what they're saying than on how they say it--the lyrics, therefore, are liable to be branded superficial. Ask the four Souls, though, and they'll tell you to leave the message to the preachers--in rap, it's all about the flow. --Roni Sarig