Welcome to our new series, Run That Back. This month, we’re publishing one throwback album review per day for releases ranging from one month to a decade old. Each author is writing from their experience based off a fresh listen — whether they missed the record in the first place or haven’t touched the record in a while. Whatever the reason, quality music is still quality music and it’s always worth checking out — even if it means veering from your usual tastes. Read more about the series right here.
Run That Back: Main Source Shakes Up The Norm With ‘Breaking Atoms’
In a watered down genre, this underground classic from the Toronto meets Queens trio is still breaking new ground
Earlier this year, Main Source celebrated the 25 year anniversary of their revered debut album Breaking Atoms. Yet, while veteran hip-hop heads have waxed poetic for Sir Scratch, K-Cu and Large Pro’s crate-oriented classic forever, younger listeners might feel left in the dark — as the 1991 release is still somewhat unknown to mainstream audiences.
Since the LP didn’t have a smash radio single and because the Toronto meets Queens trio weren’t household names, Main Source’s entry to the game is somewhat of a slept-on highlight when looking back at the history of the game. But, that doesn’t mean this project didn’t make waves.
At a glance, the production is sample-based hip-hop at its rawest, most pure form. Really, the rich, cut-up production is the key to the whole project. But, with three beatsmiths in the crew who can all DJ and Pete Rock serving as associate producer, of course the beats drive the vibe. There‘s actually a straight instrumental track — the impeccably fly “Scratch & Kut.” Vibrant as the sample-based boom-bap might sound, the key to Breaking Atoms is how the crew used the neck-breaking vibes to convey actual messages with their words.
On “Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball,” Largo Pro uses a looped ride cymbal to deliver hard-hitting, first-hand story raps about retaliating after local police brutality, a needed concept that obviously resonates loud as ever a quarter century later. “Watch Roger Do His Thing” might come across like one of the album’s more easygoing cuts, but the head-nodding single is actually a story track about a kid from the streets who gets made fun of for taking his grades seriously. Then, when he ends up becoming a well-off suburbanite who lives well and comfortably, the people who made fun of him wish they could achieve his clout. The grooves go deep, but the lyrics ring even louder.
Despite conveying various moods via high end lyrics throughout the whole 11-track tape, Breaking Atoms’ most memorable cut is “Live From The Barbeque.” Aside being a raucous posse cut that puts listeners directly in the center of a cypher, the hype track is most notable for being Nasty Nas’ rookie card. Sounding fresh as ever, the street disciple comes out swinging, kicking off the song with one of the most potent sixteens ever delivered and jumpstarted the career of a future Hip-Hop Hall of Famer with quite a bang.
Essentially, even though twenty five-plus years have passed since Sir Scratch, K-Cu, and Large Pro dropped Breaking Atoms, the legacy surrounding their breakthrough album is actually much more prominent than casual fans might realize. Between their stacked production, honest rap and overall choice ear, Main Source paved the way for layered raps with a purpose. Considering the way the genre sounds in 2017, the recent re-release seems quite appropriate.
Follow Royal Oak’s finest on Twitter at @BEWARE4.
Please recommend the article if you enjoyed it. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, @WeAreStillCrew.
