Funcrusher Plus

Funcrusher Plus
Studio album by Company Flow
Released	July 22, 1997
Recorded	1996–1997 (Corners: 1994) Ozone Studios, NYC No Mystery Studios, NYC
Genre	Hip hop
Length	73:52
Label	Rawkus Records RWK 1134 (first pressing) Rawkus/Priority/EMI Records 0499 2 50063 2 2 P2-50063 (second pressing) Rawkus/MCA/Universal Records 112 898 (third pressing) Definitive Jux DJX177 (fourth pressing)
Producer	El-P Mr. Len Bigg Jus
Company Flow chronology
Funcrusher EP (1996) Funcrusher Plus (1997) Little Johnny From the Hospitul (1999)

Funcrusher Plus is the debut album by Brooklyn, New York hip-hop group Company Flow, released on July 22, 1997 (see 1997 in music). It was the first album released on Rawkus Records, arguably the most popular and successful independent hip hop label of the late 1990s. Extremely well received - in the East Coast independent hip-hop community - the record is considered influential, but ultimately failed to significantly penetrate into market demographics outside of "independent East Coast hip-hop," that is to say, Funcrusher Plus did not see much mainstream play.

Overview

The album is largely compiled of tracks recorded over a period of 3 years, including those featured on the group's debut Funcrusher EP, as well as a number of newly recorded songs. The group's past singles, "8 Steps to Perfection" b/w "Vital Nerve", and "Population Control", are included on the debut, as well as the single "Blind" b/w "Tragedy of War (In III Parts)". The tracks "The Fire in Which You Burn", and the graffiti-inspired Bigg Jus solo cut "Lune TNS", were both later featured on Rawkus' influential 1997 compilation album Soundbombing. A bonus track titled "Corners '94" was featured only on cassette and vinyl versions of the release. The majority of the album is produced by El-P, and also features production from Mr. Len and Bigg Jus. Guest appearances are provided by J-Treds, BMS and The Juggaknots. El-P and Bigg Jus both have several solo tracks on the album.

Funcrusher Plus was the only full-length album released by the group. They followed in 1999 with an instrumental album titled Little Johnny From the Hospitul: Breaks & Instrumentals Vol.1, then split ways with Rawkus Records due to personal differences. In 2000, the group released a popular underground single titled "D.P.A." on El-P's newly formed record label Definitive Jux, then officially parted ways in 2001. El-P furthered his career as a producer, crafting original scores for films like Bomb the System, and released an acclaimed solo album titled Fantastic Damage. Bigg Jus released a pair of albums between 2004 and 2005, receiving little attention. Mr. Len has since continued his DJing and producing career, and also released a pair of compilation albums. Though Company Flow received continually growing attention after the release of their debut, no project released by the group or its members since has been able to match the wide acclaim of Funcrusher Plus.

A newly mastered version of the album was rereleased through El-P's Definitive Jux label on May 5th, 2009.

Critical Acclaim

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Los Angeles Times	[2]
Pitchfork Media	(9.0/10)[3]
Popmatters	(9/10)[4]
RapReviews	(10/10)[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
Spin	(8/10)[7]
Sputnikmusic	[8]

Funcrusher Plus was one of the most acclaimed alternative hip hop releases of its time. Self-described as "independent as fuck," the album was influential over the burgeoning underground rap scene of the late '90s, due to its creative production techniques and abstract lyricism. Allmusic gave the album a perfect 5 Star rating, and writer Steve Huey stated:

The album was described as "convention shattering" by RapReviews,^[10] and is acknowledged as one of the most original hip hop albums ever released. Despite the wide acclaim, the album was unable to reach much further than the New York underground scene, and failed to reach any Billboard chart. The only charting single from the album was "Blind", reaching the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, but failing to reach the Hot Rap Singles or Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks charts. In spite (or because) of this, tracks like "8 Steps to Perfection," "Blind," and "The Fire in Which You Burn" became underground anthems of the late 1990s.

The album was included in Pitchfork's list of the top 100 albums of the 1990s.

Track listing

Bonus Track

Samples

• "8 Steps To Perfection"
  • "Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba" by Harlem Underground Band
• "Silence"
  • "Quote from 1985 Anime film Vampire Hunter D"
• "Legends"
  • "Lex Lugor" by The Cenobites
• "Help Wanted"
  • Dialogue from the film "The Holy Mountain"
• "Population Control"
  • The Hobbit (1977 film)
• "Lune TNS"
  • "Growth Sequence" by Steve Roach
• "Tragedy Of War"
  • "Opus Pocus" by Jaco Pastorius
• "Info Kill II"
  • "Come in Out of the Rain" by Parliament

Album singles

Personnel

• El-P - Producer, lead vocals, mixing
• Bigg Jus - Producer, lead vocals
• Mr. Len - Producer, scratching
• J-Treds - Vocals
• BMS - Vocals
• Breezly Brewin - Vocals
• Vassos - Recording, engineering, mixing
• Jeff Cordero - Recording, engineering, mixing
• Walker Bernard - Recording, engineering
• Chris Athens - Mastering

Singles chart positions

References