Black Moon - Enta Da Stage LP Box Set

Fat Beats / Duck Down / Wreck Records (2017)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for 25+ years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Enta Da Stage by Black Moon was one of the last handful of hip hop records that really resonated with me back in the 90s.  The album is another one that I don't really remember how I discovered, but I imagine Yo MTV Raps or The Source were probably behind it.  What I do remember is that the gnarly rumbling bassline of "Powaful Impak!" was just about one of my favorite beats in the world in that era.  Not to mention the lyric "Get on my skateboard and do a motherfucking drive by" is also one of the best lines of the 90s.  That said, I didn't really know anyone else who listened to these guys and I always sort of felt that they were a forgotten band that didn't get their due.

I certainly didn't think they were the sort of band that would end up getting a six LP box set dedicated to their debut record.  As it turns out, Black Moon are beloved and fondly remembered and that makes me really happy.  I don't know that I personally needed a six LP box set for the record, but it appears to be the only way to get every song from the original CD I had on vinyl.  If you buy just the LP separately, a few tracks are cut out of the vinyl version.  This box seems to be the only way to get everything on vinyl.  So be it.

I still love the main LP.  The beats are jazzy and soulful, but are really hard edged and have more in common with DJ Premier type production, even though the source elements are the sort of thing you'd expect to hear on a Tribe Called Quest track.  Lyrically, Buckshot Shorty is on fire for the entire album.  He's telling tales and battle rapping and generally coming off as the sort of MC that you want to follow down whatever path he feels like leading you on.  It's a true classic release.

Instrumentals haven't really ever been a big thing for me, but I am starting to gain more of an appreciation for them lately.  So, it's cool to have those are part of this set.  The remixes are something that I've never heard before.  I assume most are from 12" singles and B sides, but the liner notes don't really source them, so I'm not sure.  I did think it was weird that there was no remix for my favorite song on the album, the aforementioned "Powaful Impak," but there are some interesting variations on most of the album's songs.  I'll probably always be partial to the album versions that I've been listening to for twenty five plus years, but it's still cool to hear something new.

Black Moon - Enta Da Stage (Full Album YouTube Stream):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae3WZAH_2uM&list=PLrbFUdbfepXVlVL8nJLOBxI5BVebYc7BQ