Down by Law (MC Shan album)
1987 studio album by MC Shan
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Down by Law is the debut album by East Coast hip hop artist MC Shan. Released at the height of the Bridge Wars, a feud that erupted between Boogie Down Productions and the Juice Crew, responding to the Queensbridge anthem "The Bridge", this album created a blueprint within hip-hop music that was never seen (or heard) before.[citation needed] The album contains the diss track "Kill That Noise" in response to South Bronx (as well as an edit of "The Bridge").
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| Down By Law | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 8, 1987 | |||
| Recorded | 1986–1987 | |||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop | |||
| Length | 45:03 | |||
| Labels | ||||
| Producer | Marley Marl | |||
| MC Shan chronology | ||||
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Production and releases
The album was produced by Marley Marl and was distributed by Cold Chillin' Records independently (the label's very first LP release, catalog #CCLP-500), until a distribution deal was struck with Warner Bros. Records (1988), then the album was reissued with slight sample edits. It was the only Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. album that was never initially released on CD by its distributor. The album was not released on that format until 1995, long after the 5-year distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records ended. By this time, Cold Chillin' distributed its material independently, mostly from its back catalog. This CD pressing would only be available for a limited time and went out of print for a few years. It was then re-released in 2001 as MC Shan: the Best of Cold Chillin', which featured all the tracks from Down by Law (except "Another One to Get Jealous Of") with a few additional non-album tracks. This version is now out of print as well. In 2007, it was re-released again by its new owner, Traffic Entertainment, in expanded form as a double-disc set with extended tracks, as well as bonus tracks.
Reception
In a contemporary review, The Washington Post stated that the album's "sound is not particularly innovative, Shan creates a wiry visceral groove on such tracks as "Kill That Noise" and "Living in the World of Hip Hop""[2] In 1998, it was listed in The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums.[3]
Track listing
- All tracks produced by Marley Marl
| # | Title | Performer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing!" | MC Shan |
| 2 | "Project Ho" | MC Shan |
| 3 | "The Bridge" | MC Shan |
| 4 | "Kill That Noise" | MC Shan |
| 5 | "Down by Law" | MC Shan |
| 6 | "Left Me Lonely" |
|
| 7 | "Another One to Get Jealous Of" | MC Shan |
| 8 | "MC Space" | MC Shan |
| 9 | "Living in the World of Hip-Hop" | MC Shan |
Chart positions
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Top R&B Albums | 40 |
