Schoolly-D* – Schoolly-D

One of the greatest old school lps in existence. Raw boom box old school. Right up there with ultramagnetic mc's LP for me. Every single track.

I first heard of Schoolly on the BBC John Peel show when there was no national Rap / Hip Hop content on the radio in the UK. John often played from left-field. He also played in the same time frame, Cutmaster D.C - Brooklyn Rocks the best, early 1986. Quality memories of those.

What an album, I got this in Jan 86 on uk cassette and was immediately blown away, the Holy grail of gangster rap. It was never available on us cassette in 85 on the Schoolly d label that was disappointing but anyway this album in my view is hip hop at its finest, Saturday night the album a very close 2nd and again no u.s. release on cassette in 86 only the uk version on rhythm king.

...back in the day a young gun going by the epithet Schoolly-D along with DJ Code Money threw down some cheba enhanced jams of street strutting, party tugging urban regeneration grooves with Schoolly kicking in with rudimentary but oh so effective beat box and keyboard washes with scratch ups from the dark side, scraping the edges of dust encrusted reality (the echoed doomy thuds of the first LP are something to behold, this couldn't be made in a 'professional' environment, this is cats with a vision and an urgency to lay down the beat)...there's a feeling of panic fueled claustrophobia permeating some of the cuts on the first two discs (not so much on the third, this could be down to any number of factors, most likely just moving on unconsciously to the next step which is just the next step, there is no grand plan in Schoollys early three ts) but really, when settling in with the sounds we see the panic is just induced by heavy weed abuse and will subside as soon as the piggy patrol car has gone by on its way to the donut shop...the claustrophobia induced is real when these discs are blasting the air, a heavy, heavy basement vibe is in full effect shaking the very soul of the housing projects of Philly in the Reaganomic 80s, a bad time for cash strapped inner cities with welfare hardly covering the cost of frosted cookies and a 40 ounce...Schoolly raps about what he knows, the street life, leaning on the corner playing the games of the projects, the game of existence for all who care to indulge in the wilder side of the suckers world, because suckers surely do populate the avenues and streets of AmeriKKKa...due to Schoollys subject matter he's picked up the reputation as 'inventor of gangsta rap' which may or may not be true, it all depends on the perspective of the onlooker and their knowledge / experience of project life, it's no good checking this from a 'middle class' position, this isn't for nerds to thrill and tremble to, it's just a cat laying down some words about what's going on, real or imaginary in his neck of the woods, no 'O-T-T' boasting, just chatting about the way it is (was) over the primitive mixology of himself and Code Moneys backdrops...Schoollys first three albums were not for suckers who think they're major players in the underworld, it's more for homeys in the hood, cats who surf the project elevators, smoke weed on the rooftops and whistle to the fly girls going through the buildings, the honeys in turn just laugh at such foolishness and keep on moving...there is plenty of humour in these grooves, not forced, just the light amusement of everyday existence, the funny/weird situations that crop up on the streets, in the burger bars and pizza ts...dig a real cat who played the game on his own and created some HOT blasts for all to grab and savor forever more, a cool buzz for when it's needed...

Back in '86 Schoolly D played in Brighton and a friend of mine went down to the venue and interviewed him... and got a bunch of albums autographed. Both Schoolly and DJ Code Money signed with full graffiti style signatures. We were supposed to give the albums away as competition prizes but I took one for myself which I still possess.
Great record. I hate what hip hop turned into - but this was a good one (along with his second; 'Saturday Night').

This is a flawless classic, I got this album in 87 when 14 and it blew my balls off. I had the shittest stereo back in the day and this still sounded amazing, the beats are as ruff as a piece of toast and the scratching sounds like it's being done with a chisel. Was this the first gangsta rap album ever? Course it was, no one in these days were rapping about snorting coke, sniffing glue, phuqin bitches & shooting people.

Grew up and went to school in Philly and was lucky enough to meet Schoolly D twice, one of those times getting him to autograph the cover of this LP. Still have it :) Talk about music bringing you back to a time and place... PSK is a masterpiece.

Released in the summer of 1986 on Schoolly D records. This much anticipated LP is one of the earliest Gangsta Rap releases, although Schoolly D really didn't set out to start any trends. He just had that style about him. I was kind of disappointed back then with this LP since it only had 6 tracks, and the best 2 were jams I already had on wax. It was still worth getting, just for the track "I Don't Like Rock And Roll". This song really pissed off the white people at the block parties that summer when I played it!...The UK LP which was pressed better, and has better sound quality than the Schoolly D Records US copy. -Review by Mentally Mad