Built upon foundations of the genre's masters - Public Enemy, Gang Starr, Big Daddy Kane, Eric B & Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest - this debut album took on top traits from every turntable, but added an energetic live band element into the equation.
Justice System, in turn, burst in with a Zulu Nation throwdown much funkier than most of its contemporaries. While Hip-Hop's native tongues gave way to the G-Funk arms race post-navigating past New Jack Swing, this tight unit of Westchester, NY high school friends found the proper pocket and dug deep into the groove. After a few years playing out around the area, the Justice System youngsters caught the ear of MCA Records in 1993 and quickly succeeded to make an essential summertime soundscape for and from the generation fully raised on Hip-Hop - without forsaking its Soul roots.
Charismatic and smooth stories from emcees Jahbaz and Folex were propped up by lush, syrupy arrangements from Coz Boogie [bass], Wizard C-Roc [guitar], Eric G. [drums / percussion] and Mo' Betta Al [sax / piano]. The thump, the dynamics, the knowledge, the crispness, the lyrical swing… it was all there.
Whether it was ahead of its time, out of time or precisely in the fleeting moment of Jazz Rap popularity, ‘Rooftop Soundcheck’ is one musically colorful time capsule that unsurprisingly holds up as a viable and vibrant guided tour over 25 years since dropping. Justice System tapped into that magical sensation of carefree 1994 and made you feel that way…
The feeling of being swept away on a wave of nostalgia is never at low tide, and especially prevalent between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Justice System can bump perfectly in time now with birds chirping in the morning, cars driving by with the boomin' systems, splashes and shouts at the pool, the sizzle of meat on the grill and the hum from a lawnmower down the block. It was pure fun and adventure then, and the ripples deserve a [re]discovery today.
Standout tracks: “Due Our Time”, “Just Because”, “Soulstyle”, “Summer in the City”
(Check out a wonderful 2019 interview with John ‘Jahbaz’ Dawson of the group from Passion of the Weiss I used as research.)
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