''The Underground Tapes'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

by Canadian

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

Saukrates, which was released June 22, 1999 in the United States through independent labels Serious Entertainment and Capitol Hill Music. In late summer 1999, the album was re-released in Canada with six additional tracks. Production was handled by Saukrates,

Mr. Attic Roger Perryman, better known as Mr. Attic, is a Canadian hip-hop producer from Toronto, Ontario. He is a member of Juno Award-winning production team, Da Grassroots. Career Mr. Attic began his career in 1989, as a member of Da Grassroots. Throu ...

, Mike Caren, and Day. Three songs from the album—"Innovations", "Play Dis (99 Remix)", and "Rollin"—are remixes. The only single from the album was "Money or Love", which was nominated for a

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...

in 2000.

Mike Shinoda Michael Kenji Shinoda (; ja, 篠田賢治, Shinoda Kenji; born February 11, 1977) is an American musician, singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. He co-founded the rock band Linkin Park in 1996 and was the band's collaborative vocal ...

, the co-vocalist of

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drumm ...

, designed the album cover, as it was shown in the band's first documentary DVD called ''

Frat Party at the Pankake Festival ''Frat Party at the Pankake Festival'' is the first documentary DVD by Linkin Park, released on November 20, 2001 through Warner Bros. Records and Warner Reprise Video. The DVD was produced by Bill Berg-Hillinger, Joe Hahn, David May and Angela ...

'', which was released on November 20, 2001, from a short video clip entitled "Mike & Joe's Art" that can be seen from the "Special Features" menu.

Reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

stated "Influenced by the quintessential N.Y. sound of old, Saukrates' self-produced jazzy synthesizers and organic string sections permeate with a native-tongues vibe. But it's lyrically where Saukrates distinguishes himself, as his flow and domineering habitation on the mike is utterly hypnotic." The Underground Tapes > OverviewAllmusic. Accessed on November 3, 2009.

Track listing

The Canadian re-release features six additional tracks.

Samples

*"Da Professional" contains a sample of "On the Hill" by Oliver Sain *"Check for Me" contains a sample of "

(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" is a song written by Stax Records songwriters Homer Banks, Carl Hampton, and Raymond Jackson. Originally written for The Emotions, it has been performed by many singers, most notably by Lut ...

" by

Ramsey Lewis Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five gold records and three Grammy Awards in his career. His album '' The ...

Personnel

Greg Barrett Greg Barrett is an American author, freelance writer, public speaker, and former newspaper and wire journalist. He currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. Education and early career He was born Gregory Lane Barrett in Bristol, Tennessee, on Novem ...

– mixer * Mike Caren – producer, executive producer, mixer * Choclair – performer * Heltah Skeltah – performer * Saukrates – producer, executive producer *

Xzibit Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality. Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...

– performer *

Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally ...

– performer *

– artwork *Chase Parsons – executive producer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Underground Tapes, The 1999 debut albums Albums produced by Saukrates Saukrates albums