Funcrusher Plus [PA]

Something of a landmark album in the world of hip-hop, FUNCRUSHER PLUS opened the floodgates for edgy experimentation in rap in the 1990s and 2000s. Light years away from both Dr. Dre's bouncy West Coast g-funk and the East Coast hardcore of Biggie Smalls, Company Flow made a fiercely independent statement with their tense, futuristic sound. On one hand, the music is minimal: songs are built around bare-bones beats, and ominously pulsing two-note synths loops. At the same time, MCs El-P and Bigg Jus spit amazingly dense, intricate rhymes that sound like nothing in mainstream rap.
Overall, the music is aggressive and intense, with nary a hook to be found (fat chance finding a singable R&B crossover here). And CoFlo's forward-thinking ethos is lent additional credibility via its often political themes and the reclamation of the genre as a rebellious, street-level art form. FUNCRUSHER PLUS had a direct impact on the aesthetic of labels like Anticon and Nature Sounds and rappers like MF Doom and Aesop Rock, and its influence continues--and will continue--to be felt in the underground scene. While casual hip-hop fans may not immediately take to this record, it's a must-have for the headphones/backpack set as well as any fan of adventurous music.|