Review: Mr Bongo continue to shine a light on classic hip-hop with their excellent curated reissue series. They have two Main Source 45s in their sights and this is the second. When it first came out on Actual Records, it soon sold out and became a much sought after piece with copies going for high prices on the second hand market. And for good reason - the band really hinted at the greatness they would go on to achieve with an impeccable three minute rap single making a massive mark. 'Think' is a superb example of how to take well known samples and flip them into something fresh.
Review: Mr Bongo has been shining a light on the work of Main Source (aka Queens native Large Professor and Toronto's Sir Scratch and K-Cut) for a while now. Their latest reissue - after plenty of other 7"s last year- is Just Hangin' Out, which is an ode to the simple pleasures of relaxing with friends. The a-side is made from two huge samples (Vanessa Kendrick's '90% of Me is You' and Sister Nancy's 'Bam Bam' ) to make for a stone cold and swooning groove. On the flip, 'Live at the Barbecue' is often said to be one of the finest posse cuts of all time.
Review: First released three decades ago, Main Source's debut album Breaking Atoms remains a peerless, golden-era masterpiece: a classic-sounding hip-hop full-length in which Large Professor's brilliant beats (think deep bass, crunchy breaks and a battery of killer samples) provide the perfect platform for two of the era's most versatile and on-point MCs. As this remastered anniversary edition proves, the album really is "all killer, no filler", with stonking singles such as 'Looking at the Front Door' and the scorching 'Peace is Not a Word to Play' being joined by lesser-celebrated - but no less impressive - album-only classics such as 'Snake Eyes', 'Just a Friendly Game of Bassball' (a jazzy masterpiece) and 'Vamos a Rapair'. If you don't already own a copy already, you need this reissue in your life.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.