“93 ‘til Infinity” by Souls of Mischief
The most slept-on hip-hop record of the 90s, bar none.
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Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!
Today’s music pick celebrates the 30th anniversary of a jazz-rap masterwork from one of the genre’s best-kept secrets.
Genre: Hip-Hop, Jazz Fusion
Label: Jive
Release Date: September 28, 1993
Vibe: 🥰
Of all the game-changing hip-hop releases of 1993, none may be more symbolic of hip-hop’s growth and cultural influence than Souls of Mischief’s incredible full-length debut, 93 til Infinity. Coming out less than a year after The Chronic and more than a month ahead of both Doggystyle and Enter the Wu: 36 Chambers, it carved out its own sonic space alongside Oakland underground contemporaries, the Pharcyde, steering clear of standard-issue G-funk tropes to add a new dimension to the West Coast sound. Anchored around live bass and obscure samples that pull heavily from jazz, their complex internal rhyming schemes overflow with wit and intelligence that extends far beyond their years, even when they tackle topics like street violence and death. As the group spits bar after perfectly-crafted bar, it becomes inarguable that this is one of the best-written and performed rap records ever made.
Consider tracks like “Live and Let Live” and “Never No More,” two standouts from the LP’s first side. The fuzzed-out boom-bap beats and warm samples drive head-nod-worthy grooves while leaving each emcee more than enough space in between to weave lyrical magic. On the latter song, Tajai opens the first verse with this beauty: “Message recorded, lessons be stored in/This mental core, it's like lentil porridge;” moments later, Phesto manages to rhyme “centrifuge” with “bruise.” To sustain that level of artistry for nearly an hour, and at such a blistering verbal pace, is nothing short of astonishing. If there’s any fear this record or the group’s approach to conscious hip-hop is too literary to be genuinely accessible, I’d direct you to the eponymous single, an iconic hit sculpted around a dollar-bin sample hook.
If you’ve never listened to 93 til Infinity, I urge you to do so as quickly as possible. It’s easily the most slept-on album of rap’s golden era.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈