The Latch-Key Child

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The Latch-Key Child
Studio album by A+
Released	August 27, 1996
Genre	Hip-Hop
Length	51:37
Label	Kedar Entertainment
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
A+ chronology
The Latch-Key Child] (1996) Hempstead High (1999)

The Latch-Key Child is the first album by the child rap prodigy, A+, released in 1996. The title is representative of a large number of children and adolescents in Hempstead, New York (a latchkey kid is English vernacular for a child whose parent or parents are out at work when he/she returns home from school). Despite his age (he was only 13), the subject matter on this album and A+'s sheer lyrical ability is extremely mature. He touches on many topics relative to minority youths in Hempstead's overtly urbanized suburbs. A+'s lyrical talent and conscious and aware subject matter on this album was such that it has been compared to artists twice his age at the time (ie. Method Man, Nas etc.). "All I See", the single that introduced A+ to the world was the first single from this album.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Next Level (Intro)/Enter Hempstead"
2. "Move On"
   • Contains samples from The Isley Brothers' song "Voyage to Atlantis"
3. "Me & My Microphone" featuring Q-Tip
4. "All I See"
5. "Gusto" featuring Mobb Deep
6. "Hard Times"
7. "A+Z" featuring AZ
8. "Wanna Be Rich"
9. "My Thing"
10. "Parkside Coalition"
11. "Party Joint"
12. "Alpha 2 Omega
13. "Shout It Out (Outro)"