Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
When it comes to Hip Hop Production, there are many that have tried and many that have failed. Lord Finesse is one of those producers that didn't try, he just does. Ever since 1990 when I first got a hold of the "Funky Technician" cassette featuring Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth, I was hooked. Not only was the production top notch, (especially for a debut album), but the vocal delivery was just as good. This, is Lord Finesse.
The Beginning
Lord Finesse first burst onto the Hip Hop scene back in 1990 with DJ Mike Smooth and dropped "Funky Technician", a solid debut LP. The production was dope but it was actually Finesse's vocals that garnered all of the attention, with his slick delivery plus his catchy punchlines. Lines like:
"Rough and tough cause I come from a bad block
Watch your girl with a chain and a padlock
I go solo, far from a homo
That's a no no, get more sex than a porno"
The entire album was produced by people other than Finesse, since he was coming out solely as a rapper at the time, with production from the likes of DJ Premier, Showbiz, Diamond D, and DJ Mike Smooth. It wasn't until later on in 1992 when Finesse finally got behind the boards and produced a song on his next album, "Return Of The Funkyman".
It was this album that further solidified his mark in the Hip Hop game, with numerous hits from this album alone. "Hey Look At Shorty", "Isn't He Something", and "Fat For The 90's" were some of my favorite from that album.
Looking back, it's interesting because his next release was in 1995 when he came out with his best album ever, "The Awakening". That tells me that from 1992 until 1995, he was working hard on his production skills, and it helped that he had some of the best Hip Hop producers in the game to look to for support.
The Awakening
When this album dropped, my jaw dropped! Even to this day, it's one of those albums that can still hold very strong with anything else from today, and in most cases, surpass them. "Brainstorm" with O.C. and KRS-One, "Speak Ya Peace", and "Hip 2 Da Game" were some of the best from that album. In fact, there's not one song on there that I don't dislike. Some are of course better than others, but the whole album is super solid.
I remember reading an interview with Lord Finesse back then and he mentioned how he has vinyl records and diskettes for his MPC lying around. I think he even had an ASR-10 at the time, and he was talking about how he would basically wake up and immediately head over to his MPC to get ideas out of his head and into music. I think he was basically hiding out in his crib for months while he worked on "The Awakening", and it showed.
Percee P
Who could forget the battles that Lord Finesse and Percee P had back in the day? It all started with the two of them rhyming back and forth on the street and neither of them would let up. Percee had the wicked fast rhymes, and Finesse had the clever rhymes:
Since that exchange of rhymes, they followed up their "battle" with an updated version:
Productions & Remixes
Soon after "The Awakening" album, it seemed that Finesse was all over the place, doing remixes for other artists, and also producing joints for pretty much everyone. He produced most of Big L's first album, "Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous", then he worked on O.C.'s classic album, "Jewelz", as well as doing the "Suicidal Thoughts" track on Notorious B.I.G.'s debut LP.
He's also done a ton of other production, namely for up and coming artists, as well as remixing his own earlier work. He's also kept busy of course, with D.I.T.C.
D.I.T.C.
The Digging In The Crates crew is one of the finest Hip Hop crews ever. Featuring Lord Finesse, Big L, Diamond D, O.C., Fat Joe, Buckwild, Showbiz, and A.G., they've done some major damage in the Hip Hop world, and have released countless amounts of music. From their own crew's albums, to each individual member's releases, to all of the associated acts, D.I.T.C. can't be messed with.
It was rumoured not too long ago that they've disbanded, but apparently they're now working on a new album, since O.C. mentioned that deceased member Big L would not have wanted their legacy to end like that.
The Future
The biggest news that's brought Finesse's name into the spotlight recently was when he sued Mac Miller for $10 million for using his beat from "Hip 2 Da Game", without his permission. The lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Lately, Finesse has been working with Slice of Spice Records, and together they've been releasing many of his old work, namely singles and remixes, on vinyl. There's also lots of unreleased tracks and beats that they're making available, even box sets.
My Finesse Picks
More Information
For more information on Lord Finesse, visit:
