Cut of the Week 8/11/10

Poor Righteous Teachers was a hip hop trio from Trenton, NJ who came on the scene around 1990. They belonged to the burgeoning conscious contingent of rap acts such as X Clan and Public Enemy. This was long before conscious hip hop stalwarts Talib Kweli and Common were even out of high school. While their Afrocentric and at times heavy-handed messages may be tiresome with prolonged listening, PRT was nevertheless an important player in the Golden Era hip hop of the early 1990s.

While their more recognizable hits are "Rock This Funky Joint" and "Nobody Move," I chose a deeper cut off of their 1991 album, Pure Poverty. This track was instantly my favorite off the album when I borrowed the cassette from my neighbor nearly 20 years ago (Garrett Loring, if you see this, I still owe you the tape back!). The rapid-fire dancehall toasting of PRT member Wise Intelligent is simply fun and infectious and the funky reggae/hip hop vibe created here still stands up after all these years.

Enjoy.


Poor Righteous Teachers - "Easy Star" link