Funky Aztecs -1992- Chicano Blues (Par / TNT)

• 2Pac & Digital Underground's TNT Records labelmates ; 
• Partially produced by Pee Wee of the Underground Railroad...
• 2Pac's latin friends from Bay Area !!
  
• with 2Pac, Money B, Pee Wee, Wicked Julian Brooks of Mod Squad, Jeremy Jackson 
  

Discogs page 

Listen to the album in YT or grab it there

 

Tracklist 

 

1. Straight Up Loco feat. DJ Q-Bert (scratches)

2. Chicano Blues

3. Barrioism

4. Much Love feat. ALT

5. Ribbitt

6. Amerikkkan (interlude)

7. Shoot The Mutha Fuka !! feat. Pee Wee & Jeremy "JZ" Jackson (scratches)

8. New Blues (interlude)

9. Mi Burro

10. Salsa Con Soulfood feat. 2Pac, Money B & TMD

11. Nothing Else Matters
12. XIV, XIII, K.J. feat. Jeremy "JZ" Jackson (scratches)

13. Organize

14. Brown Sugar feat. Sean Rodgers (chorus) & Jeremy "JZ" Jackson (scratches)

15. Don Quixote feat. Julian Brooks of Mod Squad

16. Lloyd Did It

17. Smokin K.J. feat. J-Loc

Produced by Accrraaa J. Pavel,  Kirk Cumpler & Lloyd Gregory (2,8,10,11,16), Merciless of Funky Aztecs (14), (2,8,11,16), Pee Wee (5,7,9,12,13,14,17), Sam Burton of Mod Squad (1,3,5,4,13,15)

Co-produced by Funky Aztecs

Executive producer - Atron Gregory

Engineer - Darrin Harris, Marc Senasac, Steve Counter

 

 

Funky Aztecs & T.N.T Records

Tupac and Digital Underground's manager Atron Gregory also helped this latin group from Bay Area to record their first album. Logically, there are the same sound engineers than in Pac's album, with notably Darrin Harris. same team also worked in all TNT records and in 451 and Richie Rich albums. 

 

Pee Wee of Gold Money, who was one of the 2Pacalypse main musical architect as Underground Railroad, produced a big part of that album and is sometimes considered as a member of the group. So everything will easily remind of Pac's first album. 

 

In three tracks, we even have Jeremy "JZ" Jackson (also member of the Underground Railroad) at the turntables, the one responsible for producing "Troublesome", eponymous song of his album of that time. the album being shelved, it will finally be released only in Def Jam's How To Be A Player OST in 1997... It could have helped Jeremy to a greater career. then he will produce for Saafir and Hobo Junction.

 

Sam Burton of the Mod Squad also gave some of the strange sound he will give for Mod Squad. With the latin good vibes of the group, that will result in a kind of Digital Underground sound a like.

 

 

"Salsa Con Soulfood" == > "Slippin' Into Darkness"

 

2Pac is featured in "Salsa con Soulfood" with Money B of the Digital Underground, and with TMD, Oakland rapper from Capital Tax, who released a EP album in 1986 with Mr Magic with a first successful single "Backstabbers" (same title than a 2Pac's unleaked song, maybe not recorded or with an alternate title).

The song contains a sample of Weak at the Knees" from Steve Arrington. Pac's verse is the same as for "Slippin' into Darkness" (over the famous W.A.R. song) in Funky Aztecs' second album in 1995. Tupac was probably in jail when Funky Aztecs wanted him to record again with them. And it ends up to be the first patched Pac's verse before the Amaru posthumous recordings.

So in 1995, they will release their second album, Day of the Dead, also heavily produced by Pee Wee, with a sticker announcing a 2Pac feature, but the album was more confidential.