Customer Reviews

Funcrusher Plus (Reis)

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First of all, if I hear one more ignorant fool refer to Co Flow as backpacker hip-hop I swear I'm going to freak out. This album is straight up underground hip hop at its finest. This isn't some suburbanite bs. This is New York underground at the peak of the late nineties wave...props to Bobbito and 89.9. And for all of you kids who got into underground hip hop sometime after 1996, let me just break this to you: this album is responsible for all of it. Not necessarily the music mind you, but the opening of the doors for all those who would come to follow. Co Flow were the first group on Rawkus. Despite whatever problems one may have with rawkus now, they released some of the finest underground hip hop of the era. Cop the first Soundbombing to get a picture. (I have all the original 12''s that make up this compilation and I have to say that evil dee's mixing and voice overs get a little annoying on the cd version-though I am a big Black Moon fan). Mos Def, Kweli, Co Flow, Menelik, come on people. The lyrics on Funcrusher are amazing. Co Flow were intelligent and abstract without being pretentious. They were often on some battle-rhyme tip, but delivered so well. (...) On Funcrusher, Juss and El-P deliver some of the best rhymes I've ever heard. And while El-P comes correct I still think Juss steals the show on this record. His flow is just flawless. If you don't understand hip hop culture alot of this stuff will just fly over your head. Take Lune TNS, for example. Basically, the song is one gigantic shout out to many of the classic graff writers who influenced Juss. As he states at the end of the track "for those of you who don't understand this wasn't made for you.." Or dropping "super duty tough work" on end to end burners(not on this album)- refer to the recently re-released Style Wars dvd for this one. The beats plus Len and EL-P's production are also top notch. This is really a must for any hip hop fan. Seriously, if you just started listening to hip hop because some friend of yours turned you on to Aesop Rock or Sage Francis a few years ago, do not sleep on this record. And after you've heard it, do us all a favor and pick up an old record by Gangstaar, Souls of Mischief, and De La Soul, just to get a little perspective. Atmosphere and all that stuff is good for what it is, but if you haven't heard Main Source or Organized Konfusion you're sleeping. In my mind Funcrusher is like the perfect middle ground or segway for Def Jux, Rhymesayers, etc. It was, first and foremost, completely ahead of its time. It was abstract minus the pitfalls of wierdo-rap, intelligent yet still straight up hip hop. All the while transcending alot of the perennial elements that can make straight up hip hop, well boring. Yes EL-P and Juss will let you know that they're the bomb perhaps one too many time, but no smack my b**ch up, gun slinging, juvenille nonsense. I first heard this record when a friend of mine got a crappy tape copy of it and we jammed this album 24-7. It took me a whole year to finally find a cd or a vinyl copy of it (I'm not from New york). For a while there I honestly thought I was never going to find it. Take advantage of how readily accesible this cd is now and cop it, you won't regret it. It stands as a testament to this group that they only released one album (not counting the instrumental album) and were able to make such an impact.

My path to this album was circuitous, first getting into the Mush/Dirty Loops crowd from Anticon, then from Mush into Aesop Rock, then from Aes to Def Jux, from Def Jux to El-P and finally to Co Flow, and listening to the album when I did, after hearing so much other indie and underground sound, I am convinced that Funcrusher is probably THE most influential album in modern hiphop. I was walking home from the local record store with my headphones on thinking "where have I heard this before?" This does not diminish the album in the slightest, it's the most copied, borrowed from, stolen from, used, abused and referred to album of the last ten years and it's still one of the best. Go get it, if you don't my trained army of elite ninja weasels will sneak into your bedroom while you sleep and chew upon parts of you that you would rather not have chewed upon. You have until the count of three...

If you call yourself a fan of hip-hop and you don't own this album then shut up.
This is the sort of music that would make your average eminem, or Jay-z fan screw their face up in disgust. It'll take about 10 listens before you even start to understand this but after you do it is up there with the best albums of all time
For a ground breaking underground album by a nearly unknown group to win album of the year in HHC magazine speaks volumes.
The beats are EL-p's finest ever, just as an instrumental album this would be genius, but the lyrics provide something fresh every time you press play. BUY THIS ALBUM NOW

serious contender for _best hip hop record of all time_. that's a grandiose statement, but it's no joke. go ahead and buy it now or be a chump for a little longer if you want.

the more i listen to el-p's beats here, the more amazed i am. way better than any of his other (also pretty amazing) stuff. these guys (big jus, el-p, & mr. len) drop pop culture references that will knock you out of your chair left and right ("you couldn hang if you was bit by a radioactive spider") but it never comes off as gimmicky. really - one of my favorite albums ever. definitely going to the desert island with me when my time comes.

damn..........97. What's more to add to that than Company Flow's debut "Funcrusher Plus". Around the time when hip hop fans were makin their choice of bumpin gangsta bling-bling rap or dusting off their walkmans and buying underground mixtapes of unknown artists, Company Flow; consisting of El-Producto, Big Juss (vocals) & DJ Mr. Len (programming & scratches), dropped this gem to bless the underground and literary crush more suckers with each verse. While this LP contains 0 skip material and ahead of time production (in that time only compared to Dr. Octagon), and 2 very talented MC's burnin' mics, they are literary saviors of the underground. Though all cuts are beautiful, the most, most standout ones are "collude/intrude", "Silence", "definitive", "vital nerve" and the all time classic "the fire in which you burn". Oh yeah, and i forgot Big juss' solo joint "lune TNS" dedicated to the NY ol' school graffit. Too bad it was their only LP (with lyrics), but if you wanna hear somrthing very similar with El-P's production and guest appearances get Cannibal Oxe's classic "Cold vein". HEADS DON'T SLEEP!!

I'm a big wu-tang fan and Enter the Wu was my all time favorite CD in terms of reply value and number of good songs. Funcrusher Plus is better than Enter the Wu in nearly every way. You can listen straight from song 1 to 19, every track is worth listening to. And most of the good songs are five minutes long. Big Juss and EL-P compliment Mr. Len's crazy, intricate beats. The metaphors and stories they tell through their rhymes are amazing. Better than Enter the Wu, that's a big thing to say about a CD.

an amazing album,,,8 steps to perfection is probably the greatest song i have ever heard.,,El p is one of the best rappers,,not just amoung white,,,but all,,and his production is extreamly fresh and ill,,,,a must have album,,,with lyrics with some real substance,,on co flow song is equal to an album by other artists,,,just in what u can get out of it,,

peace

This album is true hip-hop innovation at it's best and brightest.Company Flow's grimy samples, gritty beats and super-tight lyrics (El-P isthe best white rapper, bar NONE) can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the industry and stomp 'em into the ground. High points: the ingenious "8 Steps to Perfection, " the afore-mentioned "Bad Touch Example," and the fragmented "Blind." Occasionally, they lapse into semi-generic production, but buy this album. Satisfaction guaranteed.

I am Elp's father. I have listed to this album dozens of times. I don't understand a word of it. That's great! Please buy this cd. My son needs the money to buy his cat an air conditioner.

Over the past year, my CD case has been saturated by the likes of every Definitive Jux artist, a lot of Rhymesayers, and other independent hip-hop artists. If you're in the same boat as me, you have probably learned that Company Flow has had a profound effect on hip-hop throughout the late 90s through today. After finally listening to the album (several times), I can honestly say that this is definitely the most groundbreaking underground hip-hop classic I've ever heard. It is so clear that Co Flow has opened the door for a new wave of underground b-boys. And although El-P produces more of the well-known artists on his label, Definitive Jux, their presence in the hip-hop world is truly incredible. Co Flow has also opened the door for the artsy hip-hop label Anticon, although they've taken it in a totally different direction. It's very simple to see the influence that this album has over modern underground hip-hop.

Several descriptive terms have been attached to hip-hop; one of which is "funky". Well, that's one word you will "not" use to describe this music. This was easily the most abstract hip-hop album ever recorded (at the time), which paved the way for avant-garde experimentalism in rap music. And as the picture of Co Flow represents under the CD tray (with El-P flipping the bird), these guys are "Independent As Fu**". The music is completely absent of choruses, and hooks. There aren't any jazzy or funky samples here either. The music is real spacey, futuristic and dense. Which is totally and completely anti-radio. But if you made it this far in the underground, you're probably used to that by now. Big Juss and El-P's lyrical flow is absolutely incredible. Their flows are bafflingly impenetrable, with well written lyrics that will eke their way into your mind. This is just one of those records where every track is complete gold, so I won't waste your time listing standout tracks. And although the music is very dense and futuristic, the actual beats and cuts are very minimal. The feel and mood of the music is what's reminiscent of El-P's solo work, "Fantastic Damage". That album just pushed the envelope much, much further. The music on Co Flow usually doesn't deviate from a single loop or two. Don't let that discourage you though, a lot of groundbreaking artists have minimal beats, such as BDP.

Overall, I think "Funcrusher Plus" is very similar to Boogie Down Productions' debut album from 1987, "Criminal Minded". Not because they sound similar (they don't really), but because they presented a completely new approach to hip-hop. They were so totally original upon their release dates, and shined light on an otherwise ignored, and untouched area of experimentalism in rap music. These two albums really show that their is more that you can do with a hip-hop record. Their are few visionaries in music like KRS-One, and El-P is the closest I've seen in several years. It's almost sad that their are only 13 reviews for this album since it's release in 1997. That just means that even a lot of underground hip-hop lovers have yet to discover the magic of Company Flow. I implore you to change this. Buy this album, listen to it, and don't stop until you get it. It's truly one of the most satisfying listens you'll get from a group of true hip-hop visionaries.