Company Flow C or D?

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Sure they only put out one full length, and a handful of appearances one various comps, but do you think that Funcrusher Plus was one of the most important releases in underground hip-hop? It did spawn a ton of diffrent labels and solo projects. Tell me what you think about Co-Flow. If you care that is.

― Brock K, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

El-P's flow gets really grating really quickly, but some of the beats on there are jaw-dropping (as you'd expect). I rarely listen to it, and I don't think I've ever made it all the way through in one listen, but I like a few of the tracks (the first one, the one about tagging, a few more whose titles I don't know) a lot more than the others. Still, I like El-P when he's behind the boards instead of the mic. Too many (often incomprehensible) words in too little space, I think. As far as importance, I can't really say--it seems like it should have been, but most undie stuff I've encountered since then (admittedly little) has been somehow less ugly and menacing, a bit more polite and "soulful."

― Clarke B., Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i love co flow... influential? probably not, or at least not yet - i fifgger 'em to be the velvets of hip-hop... but their 'patriotism', on the second 'soundbombing' comp, is sublime, angry, painful and beautiful...

― stevie, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The first time I heard the new Brandy single I thought, "right, Company Flow". They were influential on me cos it was the moment the penny dropped that The Wire's take on hip-hop wasn't neccessarily on the money. "The Fire In Which You Burn" sounded vicious, the album interesting - but after a few plays I simply couldn't see myself having the energy to ever put it on again.

― Tom, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Classic, I think. I suppose it's arguable how important Funcrusher Plus was/is (their attitude is a great deal more pervasive than their sound--although there are quite a few guys out there trying to string EL-P styled rhymes together) but it certainly a gritty mean sounding thing with mind-twisting (or numbing) raps that hold my attention even if I'm not always sure what's going on in them. I still listen to it a fair amount.

― Alex in SF, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

All my friends recommended "Funcrusher Plus", so I got it, and just can't stand it. The background's a lil' interesting, but the rapping style just doesn't stick to me at all.

"Johnny From The Hospitul Vol 1 Instrumentals" is a nice release, though.

― Brian MacDonald, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

let me set this straight, EL-P DID NOT HAVE AN ORIGINAL PRODUCTION STYLE AT ALL EVER. it's just half 36 chambers, half bdp, loop it annoyingly every two seconds, don't change it up for the chorus, AND THATS IT. being influenced by co flow is like being influenced by dave matthews or something, it happens but it shouldn't.

― ethan, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

also it does not help to have these boring goth-dirge beats fronted by two of the worst mcs of all time.

― ethan, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dud. Ugh. Ultra-faux-cerebral proghop mush of the worst kind. El-P is just bad. Cannibal Ox are a fluke (in a good way).

― adam, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

if it doesn't bling, P. don't feel it.

― Brock K, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i don't think you guys have a very good handle on ethans taste. (he's probably the most aesthetically confounding personality on ilx.)

funcrusher plus is the most overrated hiphop album of the 90s. no small feat.

― jess, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

aesthetically confounding!!! now please tell that to ian so as to destroy his weak 'rap- twee-or-'97-electronica' theory once and for all.

― ethan, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

just looking at the best of hip hop from 91 - 01 list, it seems a good majority of the albums are real glammed out. minus de la and tribe of course. not that i'm complaining about it.

― Brock K, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

rap..twee..97 electronica..wait...wait..it's all starting to come into focus now...

― mitch, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Half 36 chambers, half bdp, loop it annoyingly every two seconds, don't change it up for the chorus = the cherished relentless&raw credibility checkpoint of underground hip hop. Find a couple of mics, a thesaurus and..... bingo.

'Funcrusher Plus' was one of the earlier and more overt exercises in the, now excessive, spittin-science aesthetic, so the lineage of underground hip hop today directs us to feel the album is terribly overrated. Putting the record on, the lo-fi rambling of it sounds a bit tired but, for better or worse, it did help pave a road well traveled.

― Honda, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

that said, ethan knows my feelings on criminal minded, which i still think is a great record. (and he's also on record as saying that "36 chambers" is almost "beyond music.")

it's an interesting trend: bdp were obstensibly reacting against the "sweetening" of rap in the (second) flush of mainstream acceptance (the run-dmc that went from "rock box" to "walk this way"); wu reacting against cali g-funk; co flow to the bling. all nyc, all responding with a very lo-fi, hairy, resin on the akai's bedroom sound.

― jess, Tuesday, 19 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The hate must stop!

― joel, Wednesday, 20 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ahhh, fuck y'all. it's a classic, classic, classic, if just for "collude/intrude" - minimal funk hasn't been hit quite so hard since the early 80s, for god's sake. as for el-p's rhyme style... valid criticisms abound, but if you don't actually pay attention to the words he tends to sound better. compare and contrast sole's "dear elpee" diss and co flow's "linda trip"; sole wins on points, but co flow gave him a drubbing.

company flow really did the world a disservice by doing "patriotism," one of those "HOLY FUCKING SHIT THIS IS WHY I BUY HIP-HOP RECORDS" moments and then turning around and doing the comparatively boring material on the split with cann ox. but nuts, i love them anyway.

― your null fame, Wednesday, 20 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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