| Soundbombing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | October 14, 1997 (1997-10-14) | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 69:54 | |||
| Label | Rawkus | |||
| Producer |
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| Rawkus Records chronology | ||||
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Soundbombing is a hip hop compilation albumbyRawkus Records, released on October 14, 1997. The album helped launch the careers of Mos Def and Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek), who later became Rawkus's most popular artists. Soundbombing is regarded as a "scene-defining" underground hip hop album.
After the critical success of Company Flow's Funcrusher Plus album, released a few months prior, Rawkus returned with a compilation that showcased their growing roster. Mixed by DJ Evil DeeofDa Beatminerz,[1] the album is sequenced like a mixtape, staying true to the label's underground roots. The album is mainly composed of 12" singles previously released by the label in 1997.[1] It is subtitled "The Ultimate Guide to Underground Hip-Hop Mixed by Evil Dee".[2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | A−[3] |
| NME | 8/10[4] |
Soundbombing received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Charles AaronofSpin noted that "you can hear the hints of a Native Tongues-like posse feeding off of one another's smarts and enthusiasm, unworried about recreating 1988's magic or being welcomed into rap's gated fantasyland."[5] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau gave the album an A− rating and stated, "this singles-plus showcase is 'underground' hip hop's most convincing advertisement for itself", also praising the performances of Mos Def, Talib Kweli and R.A. the Rugged Man.[3]
Writing for AllMusic, Nathan Rabin believed that the album "arrived at a crucial juncture for rap music, just as the deaths of 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G. forced hip-hop to re-examine its priorities, and the commercial dominance of Bad Boy necessitated a smart, socially conscious alternativetoP. Diddy's blatantly commercial brand of karaoke hip-pop."[1] Dana Scott of Ambrosia for Heads wrote that the album "was Hip-Hop seeking refuge to return to the culture's days of innocence. It worked, signaling a rebirth that spawned a new breed of MC legends—and a subsequent series that Heads could trust."[2] In the 5th edition of his Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Colin Larkin hailed it as a "scene-defining" underground hip hop album.[6]
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" (Brick City Kids & Evil Dee) | Ghetto Professionals | 1:17 |
| 2. | "Flipside" (R.A. the Rugged Man) | Dirtman | 2:13 |
| 3. | "Fire in Which You Burn" (Indelible MC's) | El-P | 4:52 |
| 4. | "Lune TNS" (Company Flow) | Bigg Jus | 3:13 |
| 5. | "Nightwork" (Sir Menelik) | El-P | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Arabian Nights" (Shabaam Sahdeeq) | Nick Wiz | 4:13 |
| 7. | "Fortified Live" (Reflection Eternal featuring Mos Def and Mr. Man) | Hi-Tek | 5:11 |
| 8. | "Show Me Your Gratitude" (L-Fudge) | Rich Boogie | 3:55 |
| 9. | "'Till My Heart Stops" (R.A. the Rugged Man featuring 8-Off the Assassin) | Dirtman | 4:10 |
| 10. | "Freestyle" (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) | 4:38 | |
| 11. | "So Intelligent" (Sir Menelik featuring Kool Keith) | Sir Menelik | 4:10 |
| 12. | "Empire Staters" (B-1) | Chuckie Madness | 4:06 |
| 13. | "If You Can Huh..." (Mos Def) | Shawn J. Period | 3:44 |
| 14. | "Universal Magnetic" (Mos Def) | Shawn J. Period | 4:07 |
| 15. | "What If?" (L-Fudge featuring Mike Zoot, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Skam and Talib Kweli) | DJ Spinna | 5:27 |
| 16. | "My Crown" (Black Attack) | Ghetto Professionals | 3:40 |
| 17. | "2000 Seasons" (Reflection Eternal) | Hi-Tek | 6:54 |
| Total length: | 69:54 | ||
