Life is strange, full of random and happens sometimes that the world itself is inspired and conjures so so talented minds, those that are normally solitary geniuses, come together and change the course of the same planet in some way.
A pair of Jamaicans is first going to the Bronx, where a guy named Peter Phillips, better known as Pete Rock is born. I stop here to make a parenthesis and say to those who know and those who don't, know that saying this name automatically a list of notes could be made senoron producer and any prominence in Hip Hop (Gang Starr, The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, say some), I think it only say that after releasing "The Main Ingredient" together with his brother CL Smooth (also legend) began its single project.
Meanwhile, the cousin of Pete Rock, Grap Luva began rhymes with Rob-O and I Love H.I.M. more intermittent Marco Polo, where more than New York… Westchester County to be exact. A lyric based on the status of the African-American New Yorker from the 90's (not easy) combined with an ideology rastafari voices serious and well toned, with the background of parts of Pete Rock which mixed from soul to jazz with fine and relaxed sounds and a beat with much punch. A journey of groove… Dope as fuck.
The guys join Pete Rock Soul Brother Records and signed with Elektra for distribution… Hit or error? We will not never know but all a soap opera was with material for interpreted by the Fakin' Hollywood Jamie Foxx as Pete Rock and some mine style Cruella de Vil as Sylvia Rhone, Elektra A & R. I'll tell you the story…
The disc opens with "Midnight Ravers" of Mr Marley and the Wailers, an intro that prepares us for the other about 25 music legends that were used for the mixing of the masterpiece. Personally my favorite is the third, "Step Up" produced by Grap Luva, wave stripe in the soft and fine with the violins of "It's too late to turn back" Jackie Mittoo and the constant Stepstepstepstepupfront taken from "Bumpin Bus Stop" by Thunder and Lighting to be seeding forever in your mind. "Think twice", powerful lyric, "The Life I Live" expresses the anguish of the African-American ghetto and the classic "Fakin' 'Jax', here is where to enter Sylvia to history.
Turns out that after recording the album a man called Dante Ross was replaced from his post of Artist & Repertoire (A & R) of Elektra by Sylvia Rhone, who did not share the vision of Pete in Soul Brother and simply decides that disc is not a priority, is beginning to bring people of Elektra as solo cards and simply check the disc drawer (Shelf it) being "Fakin" Jax "the single crumb that was official.
Much had to see this song so anyway "Center of Attention" to become one of the most famous bootlegs in HipHop history, influencing thousands rappers, soul and I dare say that to jazz musicians.
After "Center of Attention" was put on stand-by, so forgotten by Elektra, the band disintegrated and Grap Luva Rob-O the only ones who continued with individual projects. The first producing singles and albums (DJ Spinna, Lone Catalyst, Marley Marl) and the second by making several singles until in 2006 he released "Rhyme Pro", a disc with these old themes.
The denouement of the novel was finally that, in 2000, BBE Records releases "Lost & Found: Hip Hop Underground Soul Classics" Pete Rock where include InI "Center of Attention", that although living words of ronco chest of Pete Rock album will never see the light as he wanted, at least we can make Play vinyl , CD, mp3 or whatever with an official quality to listen to it over and over again, inspire us with letters and float with the pace, so make yourself comfortable and Enjoy it!