The Vault: Classic Music Reviews Podcast

B. Cox & J. Owe look back on Pete Rock & CL Smooth 's debut album Mecca and The Soul Brother as it turns 30. After jumping on the scene the previous year with their EP All Souled Out , the producer-emcee duo made their splash into the mainstream with an unforgettable debut. Powered by Rock's production which was a combination of smooth jazz, soul and funk records over snapping drum...

B. Cox and J. Owe look back at rap super group's Wu-Tang Clan 's second album Wu-Tang Forever as it turns 25. In the almost four years since they burst on the scene with their classic debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the collective of emcees continued to have an impact on the industry with a number of acclaimed to classic solo LPs by group members, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard,...

B Cox reviews Eminem 's fourth album The Eminem Show as it turns 20. On the heels of two massively successfully albums in The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP , Eminem sought to take a different approach on his latest effort. Taking over the production reins in this album, Eminem brings us a closer look into his personal life and the turmoil that surrounded it. While he gave us full g...

B. Cox is joined by Kahlil Wonda of the Reggae Lover Podcast (and Highlanda Sound System ) to review dancehall deejay Super Cat' s major label debut album Don Dada as it turns 30. After mixing it up in Jamaica in the sound system scene and growing "dancehall" scene in the mid-to-late 80s, Super Cat traveled to New York to sign a deal with Columbia Records, becoming one of the first reg...

B. Cox and Domo look back on Musiq 's (previously known as Musiq Soulchild ) second studio album Juslisen as it turns 20. Not even two years after his wildly successful debut album Aijuswanaseing was released, the Philadelphia soul singer was back at it to eclipse his previous effort. Teaming back up with the likes of producers Carvin & Ivan , Dre & Vidal , James Poyser , Vikter Duplai...

B. Cox reviews hip-hop duo Gang Starr' s third album Daily Operation. After their critical and commercial breakthrough with their sophomore album Step In The Arena the year before, Guru and DJ Premier sought out to capitalize on their notoriety and recognition within hip-hop circles while staying true to the underground. Featuring appearances by the likes of Jeru the Damaja and Lil' Dap (s...

B. Cox and Domo review Mary J. Blige 's pivotal third album Share My World as it turns 25. After a three-year hiatus from her sophomore album My Life and a split from producer, manager and mentor Sean "Diddy" Combs, the annointed "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" reemerged on a new label and with a change in sound. After suffering from clinical depression and bouts with drugs alcohol, Bl...

B. Cox reviews R&B singer Adriana Evans self-titled debut album Adriana Evans as it turns 25. The daughter of jazz singer Mary Stallings, Evans emerged in the mid-90s featuring on her future collaborator and producer (and also future husband) Jonathan 'Dred' Scott's 1994 album Breakin' Combs . After starting with Capitol Records when she started recording her debut, she landed...

B. Cox and J. Owe review Das Efx 's innovative debut album Dead Serious as it turns 30. After meeting as students as Virginia State University in the late 80s and being discovered by EPMD during a talent show, the duo of Dray and Skoob set out to make a splash in the industry with their unique stream of consciousness flow and their style of "sewage language" aka "the iggity flow&#3...

B. Cox briefly looks back at En Vogue 's second album 1992's Funky Diva s. On the heels of their successful debut 1990s' Born To Sing , the Oakland based R&B quartet ( Dawn Robinson, Maxine Jones, Terry Ellis and Cindy Herron ) came out blazing with their 2nd album which eclipsed their debut. Teaming up once again with producers and songwriters Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster, the...

B. Cox looks back and briefly reminisces about hip-hop group Arrested Development debut album 3 years, 5 Months and 2 Days In The Life Of.. . as it turns 30. In the midst of a shift in tone in hip-hop where gangster hip-hop and conscious hip-hop were delintating their lines in the sand, the Atlanta-based group emerged as an alternative to the gangster trend that was on the rise. Combining hip-hop,...

The crew looks back on the Notorious B.I.G 's final album Life After Death . Released as a double disc two weeks after his murder in Los Angeles, Biggie's final studio is a sobering triumph of one hip-hop's greatest emcees. Contining on the excellence from his iconic debut Ready to Die, the Brookylyn emcee put forth on the strongest efforts of the 90s with guest appearances by the like...

B. Cox and Domo review Brandy 's 2002 classic third album album Full Moon . After two wildly successful albums and taking a break after her second album which was followed by a nervous breakdown, a relationship breakup and before what was soon to be the birth of her daughter, the vocal prodigy was ready to get back in the saddle. Teaming back up with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins yet agai...

The crew recalls a truly unforgettable and tragic event: the murder of Christopher Wallace bka The Notorious B.I.G. aka Biggie aka Biggie Smalls 25 years ago. His murder sent shockwaves throughout the hip-hop and music industry, only six months after the death of his former friend and rival Tupac Shakur . The crew examines the many theories surrounding Biggie's murder, the events of the night...

B. Cox is joined by Charlee D . of the Word To The Mutha Podcast as they review TLC 's debut album, 1992's Ooooooohhh...On The TLC Tip . After forming as a group in Atlanta in the early 90s under the tutelage of writer and producer Dallas Austin , TLC burst on to the scene as a combination of R&B and rap, similar to their contemporaries of Bell Biv Devoe. With three big singles, the gr...

In another bonus segment of Relics Of The Past , B. Cox examines briefly yet another staple of the golden era-the freestyle cypher in high school. He recalls how the cypher played a important part in developing different tastes in hip-hop and also how it moved forward the acceptance of the culture in a school where the demographics changed in the mid-to-late 90s. Visit The Vault Classic Music Revi...

The crew looks back at Erykah Badu 's debut album Baduizm . In a what was becoming a burgeoning sub genre of neo soul, the Brooklyn-born, Dallas-raised songtress burse onto the scene with a style not typically seen by R&B ladies during that time. WIth her trademark headwraps and dialed down attire that harkened towards the heyday of Afrocentrism, she blew critics and fans away with music t...

In a bonus episode of Relics of The Past, B. Cox takes us on a journey back to a staple of those of who came up in the golden era of hip-hop: the blank cassette tape. He talks the role that the blank tape played in fandom, how it served as currency in a segment of society and how it advanced the culture in a time when hip-hop was still in its infancy. Visit The Vault Classic Music Reviews Online w...

B. Cox and J. Owe review the Bronx rap duo Camp Lo 's cult classic debut Uptown Saturday Night. After spending the initial parts of their careers together apart, Sonny Cheeba and Geechie Suede rose through the independent rap scene and collaborated with up and coming producer Ski for their debut album. Bolstered by the megahot single "Luchini (This is It)", the group compiled their alb...

In a new bonus episode segement Relics of the Past , B. Cox reminsces about what was the excitement of Record Release Tuesdays. From the late 1980s until 2015, the music industry designated Tuesdays as its Global Release Day; the day that new albums were released. He talks about the hype, anticipation and journey about going to the record/music store on release day and how the day fit into the cul...

In a bonus episode of Pop Culture Corner , the crew looks back on the motion picutre Juice as it turns 30, featuring the film debuts of Omar Epps and the late Tupac Shakur. The film, which also starred Khalil Kain and Jermaine Hopkins , tells a coming of age, yet ill-fated story of four friends in Harlem on a journey for respect on the streets. Featuring a heavy hip-hop influence and score with DJ...

As we continue our special preview of what is to come in 2022, B. Cox looks back on the year of 1997. It was a year of a transition of some sorts and and one of tragedy. Three major deaths marked the year. including the murder of the Notorious B.I.G. in March in Los Angeles that shocked the hip-hop world. It also produced some unheralded, yet important classic albums that would help shape where th...

In a special preview of some what is to come in 2022, B. Cox looks back on the year of 1992 , an explosive year of change in American society and hip-hop. It was makred by the chaos of the devestating riots of Los Angeles in the wake of the Rodney King verdict, the introduction of the world to the Dream Team at th 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona an entertaining year in film and a hip-hop scene t...

In the last episode of the year, the crew takes time to rank the albums reviewed from 1991, 1996 and 2001 to put a bow on what has been a busy and memorable year for the podcast. Visit The Vault Classic Music Reviews Online www.vaultclassicpod.com Join our Private Facebook Listener Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/600256077743122 Support The Vault Classic Music Review on Buy Me A Coffee http...

B. Cox and J. Owe look back at Nas ' fifth album Stillmatic . After a couple of critical disappointments in I Am and Nastradamus in 1999 and the ascent of rival Jay-Z both critically and commercial in the hip-hop game in the new millennium, the Queensbridge emcee launched his "comeback" with this latest effort. Being embroiled in a now legendary beef with Jay-Z for the better part of t...