The West Coast Wu-Tang Clan
Alan Pounds | Minneapolis, MN | 12/28/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Living Legends in my opinion, are the best hip-hop collective I've heard in several years, and are one of my personal favorites. Coming out of the Bay area, the crew was formed in 1994 by Sunspot Jonz (aka BFAP) & Luckyiam.PSC (aka PSC), otherwise known as the Mystik Journeymen. In 1995 they met The Grouch, which is when the rest of the collective took shape. The other members include Murs, Eligh, Aesop (aka Asop), Bicasso (aka Bizarro), Scarub & the Japanese Living Legend (who raps in his native tongue) Arata, who only appears once. So that's 9 members, and 8 full-time members (are you seeing my Wu-Tang comparison?).
These guys are independent/underground. The difference is that the Living Legends have become successful through self-distribution (famous for slanging handmade tapes back in the 90s) and self-promotion. They have truly made a name for themselves based on skills, and the quality of their music.
"Almost Famous" is the cornerstone of any Living Legends collection. It really is the very best introduction to this collective as a whole. I like so many tracks on this album, I can't begin to pick favorites. I suggest adding this to your collection. You won't be sorry.
Below is a list of each track, the producer that goes with each, and the rappers that appear on each track in order of the timeline. Sometimes listening to a huge collective like this can get confusing if you're trying to figure out who's rapping. Hopefully this will help.
CREDITS (emcees are listed in order of appearance):
1. Gotta Question For Ya (produced by: Eligh)
Luckyiam.PSC (Chorus), Murs, (Chorus), Aesop, Scarub, (Chorus), Luckyiam.PSC, (Chorus), The Grouch, Eligh, (Chorus)
2. Night Prowler (feat. Slug) (produced by: The Grouch, cuts by: Bicasso)
Slug (Chorus), The Grouch, Sunspot Jonz, (Chorus), Slug, Luckyiam.PSC, (Chorus)
3. That Looks Good (produced by: Eligh)
The Grouch (Chorus), Bicasso, (Chorus), Aesop, (Chorus), Luckyiam.PSC, Murs, (Chorus) X2
4. Black Glass (produced by: The Grouch, cuts by: DJ Drez)
Eligh, Scarub, Sunspot Jonz (Chorus), Eligh, Scarub, Sunspot Jonz (Chorus) X2
5. Rabbit Hole (produced by: Eligh)
Luckyiam.PSC, Eligh, Bicasso, Scarub, The Grouch
6. Common Ground (feat. JC) (produced by: The Grouch)
Bicasso (Chorus), The Grouch, (Chorus), JC, (Chorus) X2, Luckyiam.PSC, (Chorus)
7. Flawless (produced by: Eligh)
Sunspot Jonz (Chorus), Eligh, The Grouch, (Chorus), Luckyiam.PSC, (Chorus), Scarub, (Chorus)
8. What Would I Be (feat. N8 the GR8 / Krush) (produced by: Eligh)
Eligh, N8 the GR8 & Eligh (Chorus), N8 the GR8, (Chorus), The Grouch, Krush, (Chorus)
9. Anything You Want (produced by: Sunspot Jonz)
Luckyiam.PSC, Sunspot Jonz (Chorus), Sunspot Jonz, Luckyiam.PSC, (Chorus)
10. Gift Wrap (produced by: The Grouch)
The Grouch (Chorus), The Grouch, (Chorus), Luckiam.PSC, (Chorus), Aesop, (Chorus), Murs
11. War Games (produced by: Eligh, cuts by: DJ Drez)
Luckyiam.PSC, The Grouch, Eligh, Aesop
12. Forces of Nature (produced by: Eligh)
The Grouch, Sunspot Jonz, Eligh, Murs, Bicasso, Aesop, Sunspot Jonz, Luckyiam.PSC, Eligh, Scarub, Luckiam.PSC, The Grouch, Murs, Aesop, Scarub, Bicasso (Chorus) X3, Luckyiam.PSC, The Grouch, Aesop, Scarub, Eligh, Luckyiam.PSC, (Chorus) X3
13. Osaka Tales (produced by: The Grouch, cuts by: Bicasso)
Arata, The Grouch, Arata, The Grouch, Arata, The Grouch, Arata,
14. Soap Boxn (produced by: The Grouch, cuts by: DJ Drez)
Bicasso, Eligh
15. Not Here (feat. Pep Love / Jo Wilkinson) (produced by: The Grouch)
(Jo Wilkinson - background vocals) The Grouch (Chorus) X2, The Grouch, (Chorus) X2, Bicasso, (Chorus) X2, Pep Love, (Chorus) X2,
16. Nothing Less (feat. Slug) (produced by: The Grouch)
(Chorus), The Grouch, Murs, (Chorus) X3, Slug, (Chorus), Sunspot Jonz, (Chorus), Scarub"
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1