Ism & Blues

PRESSED ON GHOSTLY BLUE & ORANGE COLORED VINYL

Over thirty years ago in 1994, Hard 2 Obtain caught fire with its smash underground single “L.I. Groove,” a tune that affirmed through a Rakim sample that the trio represented “New York, from Long Island.” On the strength of H20’s newfound respect among Hip Hop’s cypher legions, H2O dropped their debut album “Ism and Blues” to explore three true loves: weed, women, and Hip-Hop. The album reflects this triple love affair, combining hazy funk and jazz echoes with a rapper’s delight format. MCs Taste and DL are B-Boys in the traditional sense, playing off each other nicely with call-and-response rhymes, and cuts provided by DJ Six-Seven.

In addition to the standout lead single “L.I. Groove”, other standout tracks include the horn-heavy “Ghetto Diamond”, a fortified ode to beautiful women of a Hip-Hop persuasion, and “Heels Without Souls” fuses Hip-Hop and the R&B-styled vocals of Vinia Mojica (Tribe Called Quest) with some flair. This largely slept-on album also features a guest appearance from New Jersey underground stalwarts the Artifacts and boasts production from the Stimulated Dummies aka SD50s (beatmakers for K.M.D., Brand Nubian, Grand Puba), Roc Raida (X-Ecutioners), and DJ Nastee. The album, rooted in jazz, R&B, and an old-school Hip-Hop aesthetic, caught a ripple of popularity with the non-mainstream Hip-Hop audience, but, unfortunately, the threesome was never heard from again. Get On Down is proud to bring back this Golden Era classic for the first time on vinyl in the US since it was originally released. The album is packaged in a gatefold jacket and pressed on Ghostly Blue and Ghostly Orange colored vinyl.