Of all hip hop releases in 96, The Awakening EP by Lord Finesse was by far one of my favorites, he took his time with this one and I think it shows in the final outcome of the music, collaborations & ideas. The b-sides, unreleased songs, remixes and instrumental vinyl that accompanied this project was a nice treat as I searched for this album back in the mid 90's, making it feel more like an album instead of an EP to me. From the artwork, 12" releases to the videos, its a great example of how to produce an EP on an independent label.

The Awakening is a great work of lyrical skill, mastery of sample-based hip hop production and inspirational songs that remains a fresh listening experience to this day. I appreciate the path Finesse and other members of D.I.T.C. took in creating albums such as these on an indie label in a time where a rise of commercial gimmicks and ideas threatened the voice of true artists. It seems like there was a good mix of everything I felt about life at the time, and still feel: from rebel songs which represent the foundations of hip hop like Brainstorm and No Gimmicks, to more inspirational ones like True & Livin', and Hip 2 Da Game.

I consider this period a height of D.I.T.C. production skill and creative output. I couldn't go to Fat Beats in NY and find something I didn't like of them up on the wall. There is some pretty amazing things done with samples on this album that I think still hold weight today, it sounds like the progression was created within the songs all by smart and meticulous sample usage, digging and layering without ever having to reach for a keyboard, except for The Kid Himself interlude and the intro Time Ta Bounce featuring Doo Wop which had live keys.

In this documentary you'll get insight into the making of the album by Finesse himself, and a brief history of his career from the very beginning told by members of D.I.T.C. and a few other great people you might know in hip hop history.

I've been having trouble with some of my video uploads, so I'm giving this one away as a download mp4 file. Enjoy:



"Brainstorm" Live Performance @ SOB's featuring O.C. at YouTube