- In 2013, a documentary about the band was released entitled Til Infinity: The Souls of Mischief.
- A documentary on the legacy and impact of The Bay Area hip-hop pioneers has resurfaced. Back in 2013, Souls of Mischief toasted to 20 years of their debut album, 93 Til Infinity, with a career.
93 'til Infinity | |||
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Studio album by | |||
Released | September 28, 1993 | ||
Recorded | 1992–1993 | ||
Studio | Hyde Street Studios, San Francisco, California | ||
Genre | Alternative hip hop | ||
Length | 54:38 | ||
Label | Jive | ||
Producer | Domino Del the Funky Homosapien A Plus Casual Jay Biz | ||
Souls of Mischief chronology | |||
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Singles from 93 'til Infinity | |||
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Souls Of Mischief - 93 Til Infinity (1993). Souls of mischief - freshdope dope.mp3. Testament-1990-Souls of Black.rar. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the CD release of 93 'Til Infinity on Discogs. Label: Jive - 4-2. Format: CD Album, Repress. Country: US. Genre: Hip Hop. Souls Of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity (CD) Discogs.
93 'til Infinity is the debut album by Souls of Mischief. It was released on September 28, 1993 by Jive.
Composition[edit]
The sound of 93 'til Infinity is characteristic of the distinct style explored by the collective, including a rhyme scheme based on internal rhyme and beats centered around a live bass and obscure jazz and funk samples. 93 'til Infinity was released during a period in which the collective released several critically acclaimed albums (including Del tha Funkee Homosapien's No Need for Alarm and Casual's Fear Itself) and rose to national prominence.
93 'til Infinity met commercial success with its title track and lead single, which reached #72 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also featured singles 'That's When Ya Lost' and 'Never No More' which reached the Hot Rap Singles but never charted on The Billboard Hot 100. According to Allmusic author Steve Huey, 'Although the title cut is an underappreciated classic, 93 'til Infinity makes its greatest impression through its stunning consistency, not individual highlights.'[1] Huey also goes on to remark that 93 'til Infinity is 'one of the most slept-on records of the '90s'.
Reception[edit]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | A−[2] |
RapReviews | 9.5/10[3] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
The Source | 3.5/5[5] |
93 'til Infinity was critically acclaimed for its subject matter, production, and rapping. Although it was not as popular as other West Coast hip hop albums at the time of its release, it received positive acclaim. Suzann Vogel of Philadelphia Weekly praised it:
At the pinnacle of the G-funked gangsta era, Souls of Mischief took the low road of emotional complexity. Hailing from Oakland, Calif., the foursome's distinctive lyrical mapping, infectious beats and subtle melodies on their debut rerouted gun-toting wannabes back to the underground and vaulted record-label Hieroglyphics to indie legend. MCs Tajai, Opio, Phesto and A-Plus exhibited a surprising charisma between them while undoing ghetto esteem. Their world of boredom, girls, weed, books, lounging and, of course, violence was a more easily understood reality for those caught between Pete Rock's tragedy, De La Soul's hippie aesthetics and Tupac's marginalizing glamour. Follow-up releases by Souls fell pathetically flat of achieving 'Til Infinity's harmony, and MCs have since broached personal topics of greater depth. Still, the genre-altering release possesses one undeniable truth: Reality's never sounded so good.
Steve Huey of AllMusic also gives 93 'til Infinity much praise, calling it 'the best single album to come out of Oakland's Hieroglyphics camp' as well as saying how Souls of Mischief 'completely redefined the art of lyrical technique for the West Coast.'[1]
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. The title track was also included on the compilation remix album Another Late Night: Zero 7, released in 2002.
Track listing[edit]
# | Title | Producer(s) | Performer(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 'Let 'Em Know' | Domino |
|
2 | 'Live and Let Live' | Domino |
|
3 | 'That's When Ya Lost' | Del the Funky Homosapien |
|
4 | 'A Name I Call Myself' | Del the Funky Homosapien |
|
5 | 'Disseshowedo' | Domino, Jay Biz |
|
6 | 'What a Way to Go Out' | A-Plus |
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7 | 'Never No More' | A-Plus |
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8 | '93 'til Infinity' | A-Plus |
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9 | 'Limitations' | Jay Biz |
|
10 | 'Anything Can Happen' | A-Plus |
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11 | 'Make Your Mind Up' | Del the Funky Homosapien |
|
12 | 'Batting Practice' | Casual |
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13 | 'Tell Me Who Profits' | Domino |
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14 | 'Outro' | Domino |
|
Charts[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
Year | Album | Peak position | |
---|---|---|---|
Billboard 200[6] | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums[7] | ||
1993 | 93 'til Infinity | 85 | 17 |
Singles[edit]
Year | Song | Peak position | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Billboard Hot 100[8] | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks[9] | Hot Rap Singles[10] | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[10] | ||
1993 | '93 'Til Infinity' | 72 | 65 | 11 | 20 |
'That's When Ya Lost' | - | - | 24 | - | |
1994 | 'Never No More' | - | - | 46 | 15 |
Credits[edit]
Souls Of Mischief:
- Opio - vocals
- Tajai - vocals
- Phesto - vocals
- A-Plus – DJ, producer
Additional personnel:
- Del the Funky Homosapien - producer
- Casual – rap, vocals
- Bill Ortiz – trumpet
- Domino - producer
- Jay Biz - producer
- Kwam
- Snupe – background vocals
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ abcHuey, Steve. '93 'Til Infinity – Souls of Mischief'. AllMusic. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- ^Christgau, Robert (2000). 'Souls of Mischief: '93 'til Infinity'. Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN0-312-24560-2. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
- ^Simelane, Vukile (January 4, 2005). 'Souls of Mischief :: '93 Til Infinity :: Jive/Zomba'. RapReviews. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- ^Sarig, Roni (2004). 'Souls of Mischief'. In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 760–61. ISBN0-7432-0169-8.
- ^Johnson, Brett (June 1993). 'Souls of Mischief: '93 'til Infinity'. The Source. No. 45.
- ^'Souls of Mischief - Chart history'. Billboard. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^'Souls of Mischief - Chart history'. Billboard. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^'Souls of Mischief - Chart history'. Billboard. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^'Souls of Mischief - Chart history'. Billboard. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ ab'Souls of Mischief – Awards'. AllMusic. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
External links[edit]
- '93 'til Infinity' at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
Origin | Oakland, California, U.S. |
---|---|
Genres | West Coast hip hop |
Years active | 1993-infinity |
Labels | Hieroglyphics Imperium, Jive/BMG |
Associated acts | Hieroglyphics, Extra Prolific, The Pharcyde |
Members | A-Plus Phesto Opio Tajai |
Souls Of Mischief 93 Til Infinity Rar Walkthrough
Souls of Mischief is a hip hop group from Oakland, California, that is also part of the hip hop collectiveHieroglyphics. The Souls of Mischief formed in 1991 and is composed of rappers A-Plus, Opio, Phesto, and Tajai.
History[edit]
East Oakland native Tajai began rhyming with future bandmate A-Plus at age 8, while both were in elementary school.[1] Tajai and Phesto met later in junior high school.[2] Tajai recruited his best friend Phesto in middle school and A-Plus brought Opio into the budding act in high school[3] before making its major-label debut on Jive Records with the group's well-received album 93 'til Infinity, in 1993.[2]
The group is part of the hip-hop collective Hieroglyphics, along with emceesDel tha Funkee Homosapien, Casual, Pep Love, Jaybiz, and producerDomino.[2] The group participated as full members in all three of Hieroglyphics' studio albums: 1998's 3rd Eye Vision, 2003'sFull Circle, and 2013's The Kitchen.
93 ’til Infinity is the group's highest charting album to date (#17 Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums; #85 Billboard 200) and, in January, 1998, was named one of the Top 100 Rap albums by The Source magazine.
The group stayed with Jive for one more album, 1995's No Man's Land, before being released from the label during the same year.
The group released two albums on Hiero's self-owned independent label, Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings: 1999's Focus, and 2000'sTrilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution.
On October 30, 2006, Hierocast (Hieroglyphics' official podcast), Del tha Funkee Homosapien reported that the Souls of Mischief was currently working on its next studio album with Prince Paul (De La Soul, Gravediggaz, Handsome Boy Modeling School).[citation needed]
On January 6, 2009, Souls of Mischief released the Tour Stories EP produced by Domino and co-produced by Prince Paul. The song is taken from the group's fifth studio album, Montezuma's Revenge, released on Hieroglyphics Imperium.
Souls Of Mischief 93 Til Infinity Rare
During the 2017 NBA Playoffs, Gatorade released a television commercial promoting Gatorade Flow, which featured Indiana Pacers star forward Paul George and the instrumental music of Souls of Mischief' 93 'Til Infinity.[4]
Souls Of Mischief 93 Til Infinity Album
Discography[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [5] | US Ind. [6] | US R&B [7] | US Rap [8] | ||||||||||
93 'til Infinity |
| 85 | — | 17 | — | ||||||||
No Man's Land |
| 111 | — | 27 | — | ||||||||
Focus |
| — | — | — | — | ||||||||
Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution |
| — | 37 | — | — | ||||||||
Montezuma's Revenge |
| — | — | 93 | — | ||||||||
There Is Only Now |
| — | — | 35 | 20 | ||||||||
'—' denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Singles[edit]
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [9] | US Dance Sales [10] | US R&B [11] | US Rap [12] | ||||||||||
'93 'til Infinity' | 1993 | 72 | 20 | 65 | 11 | 93 'til Infinity | |||||||
'That's When Ya Lost' | — | — | —[A] | 24 | |||||||||
'Get the Girl, Grab the Money and Run' | 1994 | — | 23 | — | 50 | A Low Down Dirty Shame soundtrack | |||||||
'Never No More' | — | 15 | —[B] | 46 | 93 'til Infinity | ||||||||
'Rock It Like That' | 1995 | — | 22 | —[C] | 44 | No Man's Land | |||||||
'Fa Sho Fa Real' | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
'Shooting Stars' | 1999 | — | — | — | — | Focus | |||||||
'Step Off' | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
'Medication' | 2000 | — | — | — | — | Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution | |||||||
'Bad Business' | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
'Acupuncture' | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
'Soundscience' | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
'Tour Stories' | 2009 | — | — | — | — | Montezuma's Revenge | |||||||
'Proper Aim' | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
'—' denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Notes[edit]
- ^'That's When Ya Lost' did not enter the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number twenty-two on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.[13]
- ^'Never No More' did not enter the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number twenty on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.[13]
- ^'Rock It Like That' did not enter the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but peaked at number seventeen on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.[13]
References[edit]
93 Til Infinity Video
- ^'Tajai Interview'. Gorilla Movement.com. 2005. Retrieved 2007-02-03.
- ^ abc'Phesto Interview'. StinkE Productions. 1996-07-18. Archived from the original on 2006-07-19. Retrieved 2007-02-03.
- ^'Souls Of Mischief - Humanity Magazine'. Mag.citizensofhumanity.com. 2020-03-02. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
- ^'Ball is Life Article'. ballislife.com. 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
- ^'Souls of Mischief – Chart History: Billboard 200'. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^'Souls of Mischief – Chart History: Independent Albums'. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^'Souls of Mischief – Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums'. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^'Souls of Mischief – Chart History: Top Rap Albums'. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^'Souls of Mischief – Chart History: Hot 100'. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^'Souls of Mischief – Awards'. AllMusic. TiVo Corporation. Archived from the original on September 9, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
- ^'Souls of Mischief – Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs'. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^'Souls of Mischief – Chart History: Hot Rap Songs'. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ abc'Chart search – 'Souls of Mischief', Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs'. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 26, 2018.