“We put these out to directly serve our core fan base.” Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution “If you don’t put your demos out, somebody else will and probably posthumously,” says Tajai. Around the same time, the larger Hieroglyphics crew began digging in the archives and releasing unreleased cuts and b-sides under the banner of the Hiero Oldies series, also originally sold online. “This was prior to digital music, and prior to digital money,” recalls Tajai, adding that fans had to send in checks through the mail to secure the coveted album. On “Stealth Bombing (Shift The Sands),” Phesto revisits his graffiti roots and embarks on a clandestine writing mission as he conjures a scene, “where you’re going out late night bombing and maybe trespassing just to accomplish the goal of getting your art out.”Īdding to the legend of Focus-which was notoriously hard to get ahold of for many years -the album was originally sold as a cassette-only release direct to fans via the pioneering Hieroglyphics Imperium website. The format of Focus allows each crew member to follow their singular conceptual instincts. “It’s a cult classic, and I think it was a big foray into us also becoming solo artists as well as recording as Souls of Mischief,” says Tajai. #Souls of mischief 93 til infinity rar seriesReleased in 1998, Focus is structured as a series of individual songs from each member, collected together as a standalone album. “But I look back at No Man’s Land now and think it’s aged much better than the first album.” FocusĪfter being dropped by Jive Records, Tajai says Souls of Mischief decided to hit the road to “keep ourselves in the public eye and keep connected to our fans,” as well as to sow the seeds for each of the group members’ solo ambitions. We were trying to have a more adult sound here which probably backfired in hindsight,” says Tajai. He admits that they “made a tactical error” by not picking the sultry, flute-laden “Fa Sho Fo Real” as the lead single. Tajai points to “Secret Service” in particular as a song that was ahead of its time, with the group zeroing in on America’s status as a police state over an ominous rumbling bass line and reverb-enhanced snares. True to the group’s intentions, No Man’s Land presents 16 cuts that veer in a starker direction. Released in 1995, Tajai characterizes No Man’s Land as an active case of, “not recreating what we did on the first album.” To which Phesto adds, “To be quite honest, the Souls of Mischief signature flow had been copied so much, we were like, ‘We can’t come back that way.’ Especially with the production, we wanted to show our versatility, and not go down the same path as far as sampling jazz-fusion loops.” When Souls of Mischief started to think about following up 93 ’Til Infinity, the group made a collective decision to pivot in a fresh direction. Pre-order buy pre-order buy you own this wishlist in wishlist go to album go to track go to album go to track Kicking off with 1995’s underrated sophomore effort No Man’s Land, we asked Tajai and Phesto to look back on Souls of Mischief’s essential discography. That mentality of self-sufficiency has endured to this day, and Souls of Mischief have racked up a rich vault of self-released LPs and solo albums that include collaborative projects with revered producers like Prince Paul and Adrian Younge. This was back in the late ‘90s, when payments were made by mailing in a physical check. Operating as part of the wider Hieroglyphics Imperium collective-which also includes Del, Casual and Pep Love-they began selling music directly to devoted fans. #Souls of mischief 93 til infinity rar fullThe group’s first two full lengths were released on Jive Records and, after leaving the label, Souls of Mischief came into their own as early champions of independent hip-hop. Consisting of the rappers and producers A-Plus, Opio, Phesto and Tajai, the quartet from Oakland established a reputation for delivering freewheeling flows over beats sculpted from looped jazz samples-a blend that defined their breakthrough 1993 debut album, 93 ’Til Infinity. Souls of Mischief were formed in the early ‘90s, and secured their place as a cornerstone crew in hip-hop’s fabled golden era almost instantly.
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