What's the greatest rap crew of all time? There are a bunch of valid answers to that question. One of the leading candidates would have to be the Wu-Tang Clan, who just finished a triumphant farewell tour. Now, Wu-Tang mastermind RZA has turned his attention to one of the other greatest rap crews in history, the Juice Crew.
The Juice Crew was never an official group, the way Wu-Tang was. Instead, the Juice Crew was a loose confederation of New York rap giants, mostly but not entirely from Queens, grouped together under the banner of the late radio DJ Mr. Magic and the all-time great producer Marley Marl. Over the years, Juice Crew membership came to include Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Roxanne Shanté, MC Shan, Masta Ace, Craig G, Tragedy Khadafi, and a number of artists who are no longer with us, including Biz Markie, Grandaddy I.U., DJ Polo, TJ Swan, and Mr. Magic himself. If you've never experienced peak Juice Crew, then please enjoy "The Symphony," the beyond classic Kane/G Rap/Masta Ace/Craig G posse cut that Marley Marl released in 1987.
Now, RZA has reunited many of the surviving Juice Crew members for a new album called Bobby Digital Presents: Juice Crew All Stars. The new record has production from RZA and his Wu-Tang comrade Mathematics, and it's got appearances from Juice Crew veterans Kool G Rap, Masta Ace, Roxanne Shanté, Craig G, and the late Grandaddy I.U. The lead single is a RZA-produced Big Daddy Kane solo song called "Open Ya Eyes." Kane still raps with nimble grace, and that delivery pairs nicely with the weary authority of his voice. Listen below.
Bobby Digital Presents: Juice Crew All Stars is out 11/14 on 36 Chambers/DNA Music/Hitmaker Distro.
