Company Flow actually does not only consist of El-P. Nope, it would be a horrible move on my part if I didn't note that there was another rapper, Big Jus, and the local DJ, Mr. Len. El and Len initially brought up the idea and Jus ended up tagging along because lets face it, what the hell else would he be doing. Together they would form the group Company Flow, self described as being "Independent as fuck". That alone should give you an idea as to how the albums going to sound. Unfortunately, this was the only full length album the crew ever blessed us with. No, that instrumental tape doesn't count, but should not be completely dismissed. Funcrusher plus is anything but accessible and has been labeled as one of hip hops most polarizing albums. Id honestly have to agree with "them" on that one, as I've never heard of someone say that it was just alright. you either love or hate this thing. For people on the positive side of the spectrum, it's easy to tell why they like it. Simply, it's just pretty awesome. The beats were grimy, but innovation at the same time. Lyrically, most of these bars can't be touched. El and Jus torch the mainstream but multiple listens may be required if you even want to know what the hell they just said. Then of course, there's the people that hate good music. Funcrusher plus has long been named the king of backpacker music and nerd rap. While I do disagree, I know exactly where all that's coming from.
But all that's bullshit, right? Might as well see how it sounds today...
Well, Company Flow certainly waste no time on the introduction. Oh wait, you thought that molestation skit was unnecessary? Yeah, we're pretending it didn't happen. Well, fuck me, it looks like I'm the one bringing it up and have consequently shot myself in the foot. But seriously, ignore it. El's production work is a little unsettling at first, as it is the framework to the dark subject of child abuse and is backed by some murky horns and heavy bass. Right off the bat, it's also clear that neither rapper is a slouch. El-P wasn't the walking dictionary that he is today but you could see that train coming. You might not know what anyone is actually saying but this track is still enjoyable.
No, your copy doesn't just sound like shit, the audio quality of Funcrusher Plus is rather terrible but you can pick up the re-release if you care that much. I personally like the feel but I know that's probably just me. In regards to the song, this might have been one of the singles. Either that or it just became oddly popular, as I tend to see a lot of people saying that it was their favorite song. You know what you're listening to so don't be surprised when none of these songs have a hook. But C'mon guy, who needs hooks when you've got some good old fashion rapping. Definitely a highlight of the album and one of their more important songs.
This song features one of the rare guest appearances, J Treds. I have not even the slightest iota as to what his story is so I wont pretend to be some kind of fan. For all I know he's one of those weird ant thing on the cover that Mr. Len managed to bring to life. Both artists seem to rhyme for an absurd amount of time and end up stumbling over their own words. This onslaught of words definitely become tiring at a point but the production keeps things interesting. Ehh, take or leave this song.
This song features another rare occurrence, but this time is comes in the form of a hook. If you've been listening you know that this the first one, and it's a pretty good one at that. Big Jus doesn't do much for himself and El-P shows why he's the far better rapper in this little crew, showcasing his dark sense of humor. The beat is also a little lack luster as a whole and this song ultimately slows down some of the albums momentum. Still cool, though. It's not like this song is even close to worse than anything on the new Rich Gang album. Sorry for low blow but I had to find some way to tell everyone my opinion on the record. God knows that shit won't be appearing on the site.
You know how I just finished up saying how Bug Jus was the worse rapper? Well Company Flow thought now would be the best time to give him a solo efforts. Thankfully, he doesn't blow it and recaptures my interest. In his rapping at least, it's not like I've been bored. El-Producto's work on the boards is admirable as well. The song as a whole is really nice and gets the album back on the right track.
And we've reached one of the better songs of 1997. Most people would probably just see this as just another song in the midst of a really long ass album, but for some reason I gravitated towards this after my first listen. El-P's lyrics just blew me away and this became my go-to-song whenever I wanted to throw on some Funcrusher pPlus. Lines like "Fucking with your theology like Darwinism in the bible belt" were just dope as hell to me. I will say that this song and the album as a whole opened the lane for underground artist to just complain about how bad the mainstream is, which made it ok for them to feel sorry for themselves. The difference was, Company Flow actually sounded good when they were doing it and not like some weird emo band.
Well hot damn, haven't all been waiting for an interlude. I'm not even being sarcastic there. The amount of words I've just processed is insane and my brain needs a few minutes to recuperate. I have no doubt in my mind that this means something but I just didn't get it. Skipable on most days.
The level of goodness on this album just skyrocketed, as we reach an absolutely undisputed underground classic. El-P's production is simple (compared to his other work) but stays menacing at the same time. Big Jus actually steals the show as he closes his verse by saying that he "secretly teaches background vocals at R&B clinics" I was very amused by that. Also, if you listen close enough, you can hear a young R.A. The Rugged man yelling during the hook, but his feature goes uncredited, which I have never understood. An amazing song in all areas.
Straight from the beginning, you're going to realize that the instrumental sounds much more conventional, or accessible to other hip hop fans. Well, that's because Big Jus contributed his lone production here and im actually quite impressed. If anything it was a nice little way to change up the tempo. Lyrically, Jus throws around names of all the famous graffiti artists from New York, none of which you will know of. That obviously makes the song a bit tough to get into, but Jus makes sure to let you know that he doesn't care, ending the song with, "For niggas that don't understand, this obviously wasnt made for you, so fuck you" Well thanks a lot Jus, it's not like I just went out and bought your damn album or anything. I think this may have been my core reasoning for my particular distaste towards Big Jus, but this song is still really good.
I'm not sure if El-P's label Definitive Jux had been created at the time or this was just a precursor. Either way I think the title has something to do with the label. That's not the point, though. The point is that this is another fantastic song that is highlighted by the brilliant production. The hook left a lot to be desired, as it states, "it's just the chorus, it's just the chorus", but I stopped really caring about that a long time ago. Mr. Len contributes some really nice scratches, as it's always nice to hear KRS-ONE pop up evey once in a while.
The cleverly play on the word "Cencorism" would indicate that this is the mandatory DJ cut. That does happen to be the case but Mr. Len goes ape shit so im not complaing.
We get another fairly short song after that last DJ cut, which makes it feel like this album is going by faster. El-P turns in a cool little radio freestyle, but this song isn't all that notable. What is noable is that there has been only one occurrence where every member has been featured in the song. I don't know how I feel about that but it does give each member a chance to shine without being upstaged.
Well, good job guys you've found someone even more obscure than the last feature, which is no small feat. The man with a moniker of Blue Mountain State actually delivers a quality verse and isnt a stand out bad decision. Anyways, this song is just the tits. El's production on here may be my favorite on the whole damn album. Also, this may be the most structured rap song, as El spits an actual 16 bar verse. Hell, there's even a bridge! He does lay another 400 bar verse at the end, but who cares? This song is awesome.
Finally, the rock has come back! Sorry, I typed out "finally" and couldn't contain myself. On the real, El-Producto and Big Jus finally reunite and show us all why they work so well together. To make things even better, Mr. Len even tags along, making it one of the few cases where every member appears on the song. That just a recipe for success, as everyone does their thing, making this another highlight. Lets face it, the whole album is a highligh, aside from a few songs.
Heres the only case where any of you could have possibly heard of the song. Its unlikely, but this is one of the most famous underground hip hop songs ever. Yes, it completely deserves all of its praise. Everyone in the song actually sounds really good together and it was kinda funny hearing Breezly Brewin' over this type of song. Anyone else a fan of A Prince Among Thieves? Anyone? I'm demanding today that these four along with Killer Mike make a collaborative album entitles Sprint The Diamonds. If any of that comes to fruition, you heard it here first.
"Krazy Kings" ends up being the latter of the best one-two punch on the albums. While not as known as the last song, this is still an underground classic that deserves to be recognized by a larger audience. The beat is darker and murkier but it still carries enough character to help out the Big Jus on his rhyming adventures. Possibly his finest hours as he builds upon his earloer graffiti rap.
For the first time on the entire album, we learn that El-P is human and not just an anti mainstream word generater that can throw together punchlines. Instead, we hear a very emotional story about how his dad used to abuse his mother. Ive always found it a little odd that then decided now was the best time to thrown in this personal song but that doesn't take away any of the greatness from this song. El can do it all
El-P and Big Jus' last attempt at rhyming is a great one, showing why they are able to attack the mainstream. They can certainly back it up. The beat is murky and atmospheric, which is obviously thier kind of thing. El-P ends the show with one final yell, as he lays down a forty bar monster that would even impress Cappadonna during his "Winter Wars" days. If you've made it up to this point, I can't imagine you not liking this song.
Just another DJ cut that reminds me how much we need this shit on new records. Pretty good way to close the show
Well there you have it. There's not much that hasn't already been said so I'll tell you right now that you need to go out and buy a copy of this one. It's an underground classic and your collection will automatically look better with this included. Its truly one hell of a listening experience, but I know it wont be for everyone. You're going to need to really sit with it and look at the lyrics if you want to get the most out of the album. If you're not into that, well that's cool too because the instrumentals are more than enough to keep you entertained. My only real problems is that's it's pretty inaccessible and there's some parts on the album that really seem to drag on. You have to admire the fact that these guys even had the balls to put this out, as it completely goes against the grain. So buy several copies and hope they decide to make another album.