1986

In 1986 rap music had one foot in the drum machine era, which kicked off three years previous, and the other in the upcoming sample era. Producer Kurtis Mantronik was adding snippets of samples over complex Roland 909 drum machine patterns, while DJ and producer Marley Marl was sampling kicks, snares and hi-hats from previous recordings, and creating his own drum patterns, forever changing Hip-Hop production.

In the same year that Eric B. & Rakim debuted with "Eric B. Is President"/"My Melody", and Boogie Down Productions dropped "South Bronx"/"The P is Free", Sir Vicious Just-Ice released his full length debut album Back To The Old School. A combination of innovative drum machine programming, dope scratches and cuts, and Just-Ice's energetic flow, Back To The Old School stands as a classic and one of the best efforts of all involved in its creation.

Latoya/Put That Record Back On

1986 saw the lingering effects of Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick's gargantuan 1985 hit, "La-Di-Da-Di", with many MC's telling X-rated stories over a human beatbox backdrop. Just-Ice and his human beat box, DMX dropped their debut single, "Latoya" on an unsuspecting Hip-Hop public early in 1986. "Latoya" joined songs like "Faye" by Stetsasonic, and "Oh Veronica" by MC Craig G in chronicling the escapades of promiscuous women and became an instant underground hit.

"Latoya's" b side, "Put That Record Back On" highlighted the synergy between DMX's human beatboxing, and Mantronik's superior beat programming. Just-Ice's aggressive vocal makes for a powerful debut single. "Sir Vicious Just-Ice gonna out ya in a trance/While the music winds up you know that you gotta just dance", he spits.

The fact that Just-Ice continuously shouts out Mantronik, who is still riding the success of his groundbreaking debut with MC Tee creates the demand for a full length Mantronik produced album that arrives in early May of '86.

Back To The Old School

Back To The Old School consists of eight songs that take production, drum programming and MCing to the next level. The title track is essentially an instrumental that Just-Ice delivers shout outs over. Mantronik cuts up Chic's "Good Times" and samples "Pussyfooter" by Jackie Robinson over an uptempo beat.

"Cold Gettin' Dumb", highly considered the album's highlight, features chopped sample stabs, a dope beat, and an infectious bell. The track was so dope that Redman and K Solo repurposed it for "Its Like That" from Red's 1996 album, Muddy Waters. Just would release "Cold Gettin Dumb II" as part of the "Cold Gettin' Dumb" maxi single. The sequel featured a nearly identical track with new lyrics, including a verse dissing Kurtis Blow in response to Kurtis indirectly mentioning Just on 1986's "Im Chillin'".

"Gangster of Hip-Hop" featured Just-Ice rhyming over classic beat boxing by DMX. Just would claim the title gangster years before "Gangsta Rap" was a reality, proclaiming, "I use my mouth as a gun, intellect as a bullet/And my nasty crafty ways execute it to the fullest." "Little Bad Johnny" served as a tribute to the Jamaican music that played in Just's home growing up, while "Love Story" is the tale of his longing for a love interest. "Turbo Charged" is another bell filled energetic banger that highlights Mantronik's genius as a drum machine programmer.

Back To The Old School remains one of the genre's most celebrated releases. From its classic GNOME CWK created album cover, to eight of the most well produced songs in Hip-Hop, the album influenced and entertained a generation, and still sounds fresh.