Perfection 3D

SHOW & A.G. (Showbiz & Andre the Giant)
Soul Clap (March 17, 1992)/Runaway Slave (September 22, 1992)
1. Intro
2. •Soul Clap
3. Catchin' Wreck
4. Party Groove
5. Diggin' In the Crates (Featuring Diamond D and Lord Finesse)
6. †A Giant In the Mental
7. It's Up to You (Featuring Lord Finesse)
8. Soul Clap (Original Version)
9. Still Diggin' (Featuring Diamond D)
10. Fat Pockets
11. Bounce ta This (Featuring Dres of Black Sheep)
12. More Than One Way Out of the Ghetto
13. Silence of the Lambs (Remix)
14. 40 Acres and My Props
15. Runaway Slave
16. •Hard to Kill
17. Hold Ya Head
18. He Say, She Say
19. Represent (Featuring Big L, D'Shawn, and Lord Finesse)
20. Silence of the Lambs
Produced by Showbiz except:
•Produced by Showbiz and Diamond D
†Produced by Showbiz and DJ Premier

1992. What a great year for hip-hop. With the releases of such classic albums as Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's Mecca and the Soul Brother, Gang Starr's Daily Operation, Redman's Whut¿ Thee Album, and, of course, Dr. Dre's The Chronic, some albums were inevitably going to get lost in the fold. It's too bad Runaway Slave had to be one of them. In terms of instrumental samples, I would be hard pressed to name five albums better than this one.

The D.I.T.C. (Diggin' In The Crates) crew was still in its infancy at this point. Lord Finesse, the group's founder, had released two albums, and Diamond D had released the classic Stunts, Blunts, and Hip-Hop earlier that year, but Runaway Slave was the first album to refer to the crew by name. It also marked the first album appearance of Big L, the finest battle rapper who ever lived.

Because the two logically fit together, I am including the Soul Clap EP with the song list, although I have linked it separately. This is the only place you will be able to find the classic tracks Catchin' Wreck and Diggin' In the Crates, and (the not quite classic) A Giant In the Mental and It's Up to You.

Runaway Slave is a remarkably consistent album. A.G. is not the most talented MC—like the majority of the D.I.T.C. emcees, he is mostly about punchlines—but the beats, courtesy of Showbiz, fit his style well enough that the listener doesn't notice The Giant's defincies on the mic. I'm not sure if anybody reads this blog (I mainly post here to vent my opinions; I don't care if anybody else sees them), but if anybody reads this, and can name any albums with better instrumentals than Runaway Slave, I wouldn't mind hearing them.

Anyway, I'm not going to bother writing a detailed review of Runaway Slave. It would suffice to say it is a classic album, and it's a shame it has been out of print for so long. Thank God for the Internet! Until next time (Tribe's Midnight Marauders), peace, I'm outta here.