The Artifacts rode the wave early 90s NYC boom bap representing just across the river in New Jersey.  With family ties to Redman and a stable of beat conductors like DITC's Buckwild and underrated newcomer T-Ray, emcees Tame One and El Da Sensei were well equipped for a breakthrough debut. With a batch of violent battle rhymes and funky deliveries about about weed, the Artifacts fit right in with the Nas's and Mobb Deeps.  With exception to their ode to graffiti artsits "Wrong Side Of Da Tracks", the album made little noise compared to their contemporaries.  Bad for them, good for us, as 1994's Between A Rock And A Hard Place is a lost gem that real hip hop fans can revisit and enjoy today.  They did manage to record a followup ,1997s That's Them, but by that time their content was stale and was not matched well with Shawn J-Period's lackadaisical production style.

Related Threads