''Straight Up Sewaside'' is the second studio album by American hip hop duo

Das EFX Das EFX is an American hip hop duo. It consists of emcees Dray (also known as Krazy Drayz, born Andre Weston, September 9, 1970) and Skoob (also known as Books and Boogie Bang, born William "Willie" Hines, November 27, 1970). They named them ...

. It was released on November 16, 1993 via

East West Records East West Records (stylized as east''west'') is a record label formed in 1955, distributed and owned by Warner Music Group, headquartered in New York City. History After its creation in 1955 by Atlantic Records, the label had its first hit wit ...

. Recording sessions took place at Northshore Soundworks in

Commack, New York Commack ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the towns of Huntington and Smithtown in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. The CDP's population was 36,124 at the 2010 census. History The name "Commack" comes from t ...

Production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

was handled by Solid Scheme and Charlie Marotta, with

PMD PMD may refer to: Government and diplomacy * Pakistan Meteorological Department * Performance Management Division, of the Cabinet Office, Government of India * Possible Military Dimensions of a nuclear program (specifically that of Iran) Heal ...

serving as executive producer. The album debuted at number 20 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number 6 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

in the United States. It was supported with two singles, "

Freakit "Freakit" is a song co-written and performed by Das EFX, issued as the lead single (music), single from their second studio album ''Straight Up Sewaside''. In 1993, the song reached #1 on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Dance/Electronic S ...

" and "

Baknaffek "Baknaffek" is a song co-written and performed by American hip hop group Das EFX, issued as the second single from their second studio album ''Straight Up Sewaside''. The song samples "People" by Graham Central Station; "Buffalo Gals" by Malcolm M ...

". Its

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

, "Freakit", was released on October 21, 1993 and made it to number 43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Critical reception

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' wrote that "on ''Straight Up Sewaside'', the fidgeting raps keep coming, with pumping, vinyl-hissing production, and that was enough. In this case, more of the same was impressive and even admirable". Ira Robbins of ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' wrote: "the sophomore album is a let-down, with dull production, streamlined vocals and too many go-nowhere stragglers".

Track listing

;Sample credits *Track 2 contains a sample from "

Soul Power "Soul Power" is a song by James Brown. Brown recorded it with the original J.B.'s (plus Fred Wesley) and it was released as a three-part single in 1971. Like "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and other hits from this period it features ...

" by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

. *Track 3 contains a sample of "Funky Granny" by

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (musician), Ronald Bell (also known as " ...

. *Track 9 contains samples from the

Graham Central Station Graham Central Station was an American funk music, funk band named after founder Larry Graham (formerly of Sly and the Family Stone). The name is a pun on New York City's Grand Central Terminal, often colloquially called Grand Central Station. H ...

recording "People". *Track 10 contains excerpts from the composition "

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, ...

" by the

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

. *Track 12 contains a sample of "

Walk On By "Walk On By" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for singer Dionne Warwick in 1963. Warwick's recording of the song peaked at number 6 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 1 on the Cash Box Rhythm and Blues Chart In June 19 ...

" by

Gloria Gaynor Gloria Fowles (born September 7, 1943), known professionally as Gloria Gaynor, is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "I Have a Right, Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), "I Am What I Am (Broadway mus ...

. ;Notes *The booklet lists a songwriting credit for 'J. Brown' on the 7th track, but this may be a misprint.

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

and BMI lists only the two performers and two producers and there is no James Brown sample on this track.

Personnel

*Andre "Krazy Drayz" Weston – vocals, re-mixing (track 14) *Willie "Skoob" Hines – vocals, re-mixing (track 14) *Chris Charity – scratches, producer & arranger (tracks: 2, 4-7, 9-13), recording, engineering, mixing *Derek Lynch – scratches, producer & arranger (tracks: 2, 4-7, 9-13), recording, engineering, mixing *Rodney "DJ Dice" Battle – scratches *Charlie Marotta – producer & arranger (track 3), recording, engineering, mixing *

Tony Dawsey Tony Dawsey is an American mastering engineer at Masterdisk in New York City. He has been active since 1980.PMD PMD may refer to: Government and diplomacy * Pakistan Meteorological Department * Performance Management Division, of the Cabinet Office, Government of India * Possible Military Dimensions of a nuclear program (specifically that of Iran) Heal ...

Critical reception

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links