Among the random stuff I got to review when I was in high school was a cassette single by a crew named Forbidden Fruit. They were on the no-name “Big Boss Records” (located at 202 St. Nicholas Ave in New York, now the home of 21st Century Urology, which is probably not a hip-hop label) and the cassette single was so cheap that the O-card was literally scotch-taped together. Forbidden Fruit was a two-man crew that bore a striking resemblance, in terms of sound, to Naughty By Nature. It was 1993, so it’s got the piano-heavy production and Treach Lite-like flows. Obvious NBN derivation aside, I really like these tracks. The horns that drop in on “Keep It In Mind” sound awkward and out of place, but how can you not love that Tony D-style piano loop. Production is credited to Vada Nobles (who co-produced Lauryn Hill’s solo album) and Forbidden Fruit.

I haven’t seen this one floating around anywhere else, so I’m guessing this particular single is pretty rare. Both vocals and instrumentals are included from the original cassette single.

Enjoy.

“Keep It In Mind”:

Download full single (.zip, 26 megs)

While this record is more interesting from a historical perspective than anything else, there are still some standout tracks worth checking. And there’s something about the dark, low-budget nature of this tape that gives it a feeling of gritty realness that you’re not going to find in any so-called gangster rap of today.

A few tracks worth mentioning:

• “What’s Going On Black?” has vocal samples from Chuck D and… is that Phil Collins?
• “Last Days” is a bizarre, yet engrossing, 7-minute posse-cut epic about the coming apocalypse with one emcee that sounds a lot like Ced-Gee. This track has perhaps the most confusing anti-gay message ever recorded:
  

  Man on top of man, I can’t understand,
  Me, myself, I’m not a fan.
  Throw ‘em all in the garbage can, ’cause they trash,
  Who like it in the ass.
  To each his own, you choose who you wanna bone,
  God bless the child that have his own.

• “Gangster Shit” was a minor hit, and with good reason. Featuring a guest shot by Pretty Tone Capone rhyming over the same loop that the Kings of Swing used on “Nod Ya Head To This.”

“Street Wise” was released on Espionage Records, which was located at 470 Lenox Ave, now home to the Lenox Terrace Podiatry Group.

AZ: “Street Wise”
Espionage Records, 1991 (est.)

Track listing:

1. Street Wise
2. What’s Going On Black?
3. Last Days
4. I Rock
5. What Does It All Mean
6. Another Contract
7. Gangster Shit (Re-Mix)
8. Don’t Dis Nobody
9. (The D.L.)
10. To Be Continued…
11. I Rock Again

Download (92 meg)