Various Artists - Wild Style (2022 Reissue)
Animal Records – founded by Chris Stein of Blondie fame – only ever released one album in its brief early-80s history, but what an album that was. Wild Style remains the most seminal soundtrack in hip-hop history, a snapshot of the scene as it evolved from the streets to the recording studio. But it's not just a vital document, it's also a damn good listen.
The line-up is a who's who of those who stood out from hip-hop's nascent block
party days. The Double Trouble pairing of Rodney Cee and KK Rockwell, The Chief
Rocker himself, Busy Bee, the mighty line-ups of both The Cold Crush Brothers
and The Fantastic Freaks. The music captures the free-form, roaming nature of
the film – it's rough at the edges, it's occasionally amateurish, but it's completely,
utterly glorious.
The original Animal track listing, of which this is a reissue, is full of recurring
sounds and motifs, all of them co-produced by Chris Stein and Fab Five Freddy,
stepping away from breakbeats to produce a sound that reminds you of them,
while being totally unique. The epic drums are courtesy of Lenny 'Ferrari' Ferraro,
a Vietnam vet and punk drummer whose career spanned stints backing Aretha
Franklin and Lou Reed.
Over time, those sounds – the Charlie Chase and Grand Wizard Theodore
scratches, the indelible lyrics - have become hip- hop touchstones, endlessly
sampled and referenced, the bedrock of so much music to follow. That's because
the soundtrack perfectly encapsulated the essence of the film, the scene and
hip hop's emergence from The Bronx to the attention of the wider world.
Presented in this reissue with the original artwork, it remains the blueprint.
TRACKLISTING
A1. Wild Style Theme
A2. MC Battle
A3. Basketball Throwdown
A4. Fantastic Freaks At The Dixie
A5. Military Cut (Scratch Mix)
A6. Cold Crush Bros At The Dixie
B1. Stoop Rap
B2. Double Trouble At The Amphitheatre
B3. Wild Style Subway Rap
B4. The Chief Rocker Busy Bee, DJ AJ At The Amphitheatre
B5. Gangbusters (Scratch Mix)
B6. Rammellzee & Shock Dell At The Amphitheatre
PRODUCT DETAILS
Artist: Various Artists
Label: Mr Bongo
Condition: New
Genre: Hip-Hop
Format: Vinyl LP
Cat Number: MRBLP247B
Released: 10th June 2022
Animal Records – founded by Chris Stein of Blondie fame – only ever released one album in its brief early-80s history, but what an album that was. Wild Style remains the most seminal soundtrack in hip-hop history, a snapshot of the scene as it evolved from the streets to the recording studio. But it's not just a vital document, it's also a damn good listen.
The line-up is a who's who of those who stood out from hip-hop's nascent block
party days. The Double Trouble pairing of Rodney Cee and KK Rockwell, The Chief
Rocker himself, Busy Bee, the mighty line-ups of both The Cold Crush Brothers
and The Fantastic Freaks. The music captures the free-form, roaming nature of
the film – it's rough at the edges, it's occasionally amateurish, but it's completely,
utterly glorious.
The original Animal track listing, of which this is a reissue, is full of recurring
sounds and motifs, all of them co-produced by Chris Stein and Fab Five Freddy,
stepping away from breakbeats to produce a sound that reminds you of them,
while being totally unique. The epic drums are courtesy of Lenny 'Ferrari' Ferraro,
a Vietnam vet and punk drummer whose career spanned stints backing Aretha
Franklin and Lou Reed.
Over time, those sounds – the Charlie Chase and Grand Wizard Theodore
scratches, the indelible lyrics - have become hip- hop touchstones, endlessly
sampled and referenced, the bedrock of so much music to follow. That's because
the soundtrack perfectly encapsulated the essence of the film, the scene and
hip hop's emergence from The Bronx to the attention of the wider world.
Presented in this reissue with the original artwork, it remains the blueprint.
TRACKLISTING
A1. Wild Style Theme
A2. MC Battle
A3. Basketball Throwdown
A4. Fantastic Freaks At The Dixie
A5. Military Cut (Scratch Mix)
A6. Cold Crush Bros At The Dixie
B1. Stoop Rap
B2. Double Trouble At The Amphitheatre
B3. Wild Style Subway Rap
B4. The Chief Rocker Busy Bee, DJ AJ At The Amphitheatre
B5. Gangbusters (Scratch Mix)
B6. Rammellzee & Shock Dell At The Amphitheatre
PRODUCT DETAILS
Artist: Various Artists
Label: Mr Bongo
Condition: New
Genre: Hip-Hop
Format: Vinyl LP
Cat Number: MRBLP247B
Released: 10th June 2022