Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm's 'Gettin Nasty' almost makes 'Pink Cadillac' a fair trade-off...it's in my Top 5 old-school jams at the very least. LP starts "Breaking Atoms' off with strength. It's a Johnnie Taylor sample that drives Snake Eyes forward, and it makes a song about dice AMAZING. 'Just Hangin Out' is defined by the Sister Nancy 'Bam Bam' vocals, Jamaica's first female dancehall star... Interesting story really, Sister Nancy's Story. 'Looking Out the Front Door' was the first single for some reason, it's the next cut that slays...'Large Professor'!! He let's you know what it is, his skills are infinite. 'The Champ' provides most of the backbone for this classic banger, courtesy of The Mohawks. 'Just a Friendly Game of Baseball' is one of the most respected, and referenced songs in hip hop. The serious topic of police brutality is given a serious arena, with much of the flourishes and energetic hooks subdued for impact. "Just a Friendly Game of Baseball" was a voice for many at the time who felt powerless, and still resonates today. Check out this Ambrosia For Heads article for perspective.
Scratch & Kut is a just what you'd expect, a musical interlude that features that old wheels of steel style. 'Peace is Not the Word to Play' is another influential song. 'Peace' has a political element to it that might have felt out of place earlier in the record but carries some significance on the B-side as the last single released from 'Breaking Atoms' in October of '91.
'Vamos a Rapiar' picks up the tempo with a piano track found on a 1969 jazz/soul fusion release from The Three Sounds. Back to the lighter subject matter lyrically as well, this is just a nice track to just let play out. 'He Got So Much Soul' brings some cross-fire lyrics, and call and shout over a Lou Courtney sample that is straight Motown. I'm not 100 on that scratch at the end of the chorus tho, breaks the flow up to me.
'Live at the BBQ' is one of the few points on the album where the lyricism takes center stage, with 4 emcees taking a verse each. Straight out the gate is Nasty Nas in your area delivering his freshman performance in the booth. Long before Mr. Nasir Jones was leading orchestras he was scribbling in a notepad on a park bench, hungry for a break like this, and he delivers. When the cadence and inflection of a true emcee becomes another layer of the music, and that flow punctuates the off-timing signatures of the rhythm both are elevated. Nas doesn't rap over the beat, his carefully crafted lyrics fill in and embellish, creating a full soundscape. I feel for Joe Fatal, having the next verse was fatal to that man's career. Akinyele kicks some shit, then LP closes shop with some of his little wordplay. The beat is forgettable compared to some of the other tracks but that was a good move; the lyricism was able to shine. Complex ranked Nas' verse #2 on their list of 50 Best Guest Verses of All Time.
'Watch Roger do His Thing' closes 'Breaking Atoms' off with some positivity. It's the story of a young man that focused up and made it. With some standard musical cues from Funkadelic and James Brown it's an easy listen and a nice finisher.
The wildest aspect of the 'Breaking Atoms' story to me is it was out of print for a decade. Wild Pitch Records closed shop in 1997 and their catalog was effectively sealed shut. In '08 a reissue was released officially, with some remastering and some other shit, but that's bananas. Wild Pitch took some jewels with them that can be found if you look hard enough, but the artist loses any chance at seeing a check off their craft if you bypass them entirely.
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