Slum Village
Fantastic Vol. 1
1997
I remember being 17 years old and going through that stage when I felt the need to shed the baby skin that had protected me for so long and interpret the world through my own perceptions. And most importantly, I remember Slum Village's Fantastic Vol. 1 being a part of the repertoire of my self-discovery.
The smoothly sampled beats produced by the late great hip-hop producer J Dilla (which incorporated 1970s rock and cool jazz) and the free flowing way that the rappers rode, talking about everything from sex to determination, gave me a sense of freedom that put my frenzied, overly self-conscious mind at ease.
Although the album is highly regarded in underground circles, it is still relatively unknown outside of that realm. But the lack of recognition by the general public does not take away the extent to which my body still grooves to it today.
-Rhaisa Kai
