Diggin' In Dah Vaults

Straight out of Bucktown, Black Moon stormed onto the scene in 1992, with the release of their much-loved debut single "Who Got The Props." Supported by dusty, jazz-funk production from Da Beatminerz, they followed it with Enta Da Stage, an album that helped bring the spotlight back to New York after the reign of Cali G-Funk. Unfortunately for the group, label turmoil and legal problems would delay their proper sophomore LP for many years; in the meantime Nervous Records put out Diggin In Dah Vaults, a two-record set of remixes, B-sides, and unreleased tracks from early sessions. Though some considered it a glorified bootleg, the music speaks for itself, as Buckshot, Five Ft Accelerator, and DJ Evil Dee take you on a guided tour through the mean streets of Brooklyn, with an emphasis on gun clapping, blunt smoking, and ducking the police. Every song on here is awesome, but the remixes for "I Got U Opin" and "Buck Em Down" are absolutely essential. Though it may not be a proper album, it serves as a perfect time capsule of pre-gentrification BK, when remorseless thugs outnumbered stroller-pushing web designers, and there was not a Whole Foods in sight.