Brick City Kids
Brick City Kids [prod. The Ghetto Professionals]

b/w
What What [prod. The Ghetto Professionals]

July 31, 2025

Fresh off a near-classic sophomore LP, El Da Sensei and the late-great Tame One, known prominently as Artifacts, adopted the moniker Brick City Kids for their contribution to the classic mid-to-late 1990s Rawkus Records twelve-inch run.

Rawkus began releasing vinyl in 1995, and soon after-thanks to funding from media magnate Rupert Murdoch, who happened to be the father of the founders' high school friend-became the premiere boutique label during the late-1990s East Coast underground movement. Although music industry politics precipitated the label's decline at the turn of the millennium, Rawkus Records played a pivotal role in raising the visibility of artists including Yasin Bey (p/k/a Mos Def), Talib Kweli, Company Flow (El-P, Mr. Len, and Big Juss), Common, Pharoahe Monch, DJ Spinna, R.A. the Rugged Man, Natural Elements (rest in peace K.A.), and many others.

They also released Big L's first posthumous album, The Big Picture, in 2000.

In addition to influencing the commercial and critical revival of underground hip-hop, Rawkus provided major label distribution for artists that may have otherwise sold mostly in local music shops.

The signature 'Soundbombing' series compiled their finest singles into mix show-style albums, with the first volume, released in 1997, featuring DJ Evil Dee of Da Beatminerz as curator and host ("C'mon, kick it!").

The Brick City Kids' eponymous twelve-inch single on Rawkus Records made its way onto this classic mix:
"If you don't know whose shit this is
N!@#$ you better think twice about them Brick City Kids

Puff mad iz' - fuck who you are

Bringing down crews and so-called superstars".

'Brick City' refers to Newark, New Jersey, the hometown El and Tame share with luminaries like Redman, Rah Digga, and their very own Boom Skwad.

The Ghetto Professionals, consisting of JuJu from the Beatnuts and V.I.C. (later V.I.C. and Mike Heron), lace the track on some dusty, futuristic street hop. Electronics from Bit 'a' Sweet's '2086' clash over heavy drums and two MCs' b-boy science.

Tame One epitomizes Artifacts style on the second verse:
"I'm all about the weed papers and vapors
1-800 pagers and the stages
Hit live spots before the Rap Pages ".

Switching up from Side A, The Ghetto Professionals bless the B-Side, 'What What', with some cool-out vibes reminiscent of Mad Skillz From Where???

El Da Sensei makes himself known on the second half of the record:
"My slick talk be talkin'
Hittin' low spots brothers be jackin'
Still be maxin', page after page, stage after stage
Engage for snappin', happen to be true to rappin'".

R&B vocals and jazzy horns smooth out the hook while El and Tame set the track on fire.

While demographic disconnects and shady business in the record industry (including a fiasco surrounding Kool G Rap's The Giacanna Story in 2001) spelled the downfall of Rawkus Records, its rise in the mid-1990's brought us some of the dopest cuts ever pressed on wax while elevating the careers of widely celebrated hip-hop artists.

The Brick City Kids also represents the last time Tame One, who passed away in 2022, and El Da Sensei appeared together for a few years. Around 2000, Tame One joined underground collective The Weatherman, while El Da Sensei kept it moving with the true-school movement, dropping his solo debut on Seven Heads.

Given the 'Ghetto Gold' inscription on the vinyl, Rawkus knew they had something special with their initial phase of twelve-inch singles.

This Brick City Kids piece presents the best of underground hip-hop in the East Coast during the late-1990s.

The A-Side also features the DJ-style radio edit and instrumental for 'Brick City Kids'.

We lost so many hip-hop legends in the years following the worst stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's only right to pay respect to the eternal Tame One.

Peace to El and Tame for crafting this artifact.
++++

Blackalicious
Deception Part 1: Don't Let Money Change Ya [prod. Chief Xcel]
Deception Part 2: Turmoil [prod. El-P & Chief Xcel]
Deception Part 3: Redemption [prod. Kut Masta Kurt]

b/w
Deception Part 1-3 Instrumentals

July 04, 2025

For the first single off their 1999 debut album, Nia, Blackalicious enlist two of the illest white boys behind the boards to tell the story of Cisko - a rising local rapper who gets on, falls off, and comes back up.

I got put on to Blackalicious via Okayplayer circa 2001. Thanks to advent of the internet age, I had access to their entire catalog and learned their history.

Blackalicious consisted of rapper Gift of Gab and producer/DJ Chief Xcel. They made insightful, thought-provoking rap music between Gab's verbal gymnastics and Xcel's soulful production. The Bay Area duo explored themes of spirituality, social conditions, Black consciousness, Afrofuturism, and hip-hop culture.

They belonged to a California-based collective known as Quannum Projects, which began in the early-1990's as the label SoleSides. Other notable members include Lyrics Born, Lateef the Truth Speaker, DJ Shadow, and journalist/filmmaker Joseph Patel.

Unfortunately, Gift of Gab passed away in June 2021 at age 50.

'Deception' illustrates Gab's critical perspective on music and industry politics.

On 'Don't Let Money Change Ya', Cisko goes from savvy street kid to sell-out sucker after giving in to the temptations of wealth and fame. Chief Xcel flips a funky piano loop over heavy drums and a subtle sample of Kraftwerk's 'Hall of Mirrors', while Gift of Gab introduces the protagonist:
'This is a story of a kid, his name is Cisko
Who made more money than the Count of Monte Crisco
He lived a lavish style of life, fast money, women, cars
And he liked to frequent bars, pubs, and discos
Made his living as a world famous rap star...'

By the third verse, Cisko has signed with a major record label, abandoned his old crew, and got washed in the tide of current pop trends.

Subsequently, on 'Turmoil', Cisko's rap dream turns into a nightmare as he experiences psychosis, depression, and spiritual torment. Over El-P & Xcel's sci-fi/horror-inspired production, distorted vocals paint a harrowing picture of a fallen star in his lowest moments:
"...Easily come, easily go
Creepin' in slow, deep in your folds
Evil and so on and so forth
You should have stood on your own cause!
Now you reap what you sow [sinister laugh]".

Having sold his soul, Cisko spirals downward into a hell of dejection and isolation.

However, his number hasn't been called up just yet.

On the funky Kut Masta Kurt-laced 'Redemption', Cisko confronts his demons and emerges victorious as a creative spirit:
"...Made a comeback, he been around for years
Just fell and went off track
The sounds inside his ears
Propelled him back to that spotlight
Only the difference now is he been humble
And he has a shield
Satan cannot arouse him with glamour and glitz...".

Only a rare soul like Gift of Gab could bring the cycle around and offer hope for anyone who feels they lost their way.

'Deception' represents a powerful parable for up-and-coming artists on the tricks and traps of the record industry. It also displays Blackalicious's penchant for songcraft and substance.

We may never see Timothy Parker's light on this level again, but his legacy remains through Blackalicious's brilliant music and message.

Neither 'Turmoil' nor 'Redemption' appear alongside the first part of 'Deception' on Nia, making this single the only way to hear the complete story of Cisko over banging beats from the underground's finest.

Having had my first near-death experience at 19-years-old in my red 1991 Acura Integra coupe -while Nia played on repeat for hours- gives this piece a special place in my heart.

The vintage-style cover art also beautifully depicts the narrative arc of the 'Deception' trilogy.

Proper instrumentals for 'Deception' parts 1-3 bless the b-side.

This is how to make a proper vinyl single.

Peace and much love to Gift of Gab for transcending death to give us music for life.
++++

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse

Brick City KidsBrick City Kids [prod. The Ghetto Professionals]

The Brick City Kids' eponymous twelve-inch single on Rawkus Records made its way onto this classic mix:"If you don't know whose shit this is N!@#$ you better think twice about them Brick City Kids