Echoes from the Black Hills (Old School/ Underground Mid West Hardcore Rap )

Band: FIGURE UV SPEECH

CD: U Already Know

Record Label: Warner Music

Underground Rap Album Review

Release Date: 10/26/1993
Recording Date: Janvier 1993.
Tracks: 21
Length: 52:15 Hrs
Label: WEA International
Members: King James, L.T.D & Xtreme
Rating: 10/10

If you haven’t already, Figure Uv Speech is a Mid-West Hardcore hip hop outfit from South Chicago, IL. Influenced by underground artistes such as The GZA, EPMD, 90’s LL Cool J/ Naughty by Nature, FUV kick enough dust to keep us engrossed in a long time to come. Even though, U Already Know has certain samples that are reminiscent to the 91-’93 circa, it rarely sounds stripped.

The album’s replete with dope beats, dark samples and groovy jams. And if that’s not enough the funky jams are gonna ring through your dome as you cruise through your alley. Make sure you have your headlights turned on as every joint on the LP are dark as hell. Boy, this would surely have heavyweights like Biggie Smalls, 2Pac and The Wu tang Crew on their knees.

Sure, that’s a tall statement, but not if you actually pop the disc inside your machine. You can tell that there’s real passion & zeal in these young guns. I say this only because they all started recording this album at a tender age of 16. Now, that’s what I call a feat. This record is a true blaze of glory reducing the likes of radio friendly poseur rap artistes to coarse rubble.

 The entire LP is da bomb and listening to it from start to finish will have you experience rapture. Standout tracks include: “Girls Love the Jam” (so true...), “Wick Wick Wack” (awesome cut), “Can We Kick It?” & “Keep the Faith”. The Introduction couldn’t have been smarter.

Needless to mention, this is one of my favourite Top 5 Records on the shelf. This record is available on Amazon.Com on the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Already-Know-Figure-Uv-Speech/dp/B00000E9UA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351837823&sr=8-1&keywords=Figure+Uv+Speech.  

You can surely sample some of dem sounds on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwzuOdsuzG4&playnext=1&list=PL2B077C509A6DA684&feature=results_main

Biographie:

All members of the Figure UV Speech crew were born in Chicago, Illinois. Xtreme and King James went to Brother Rice High School, where they would meet up and record material for King James as a solo artist. Then as time passed they added LTD as the other front man who originally was just a part of the production.

 LTD and Xtreme grew up on the same block. Figure UV Speech started to record as a group at the age of 16, and doing shows all over Illinois. Before getting signed the group was called Black Asiatic Tribe. They were signed to Onyx/Warner in 1992 and released a single called Ready to Wreck in 1993. 10 months later their album U Already Know was released.

Xtreme is still producing. King James is working on solo projects and LTD is working on solo material also but has decided to work with new and upcoming artist after this year. They are still waiting on royalties but continue to endure the hardships of the industry. 

They all have MySpace networks, if you go to myspace.com/chicagokingjames you can hear new material. Also you can go to King James friend’s and find LTD and Xtreme and hear their projects.

Reviewed by Saurabh Mistry (Jason-X)