The Artifacts: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

What album to write about for your very first post on your brand spankin' new blog is definitely a dilemma. It sets the tone for the posts to come and everyone will get that first impression to either agree with your choice and hopefully come back for more, or say it's wack and never come again. So to hopefully reel ya'll in for my first post, I'm going to write about an album that you may or may not know (chances are you do though). I figured it was better to not get too obscure...yet. If you don't know it, consider this an introduction to the more goodness to come.

So here we go...


The Artifacts, consisting of MCs El Da Sensai and Tame One, may never appear on a list of hip-hop’s best MCs. That does not mean they should be ignored. El Da Sensai and Tame One feed off each other well on their 1994 debut, “Between A Rock And A Hard Place.” The duo from New Jersey have a knack for catchy, intoxicating flows and even more intoxicating beats that will have your head nodding from start to finish. A heavy bass beat features prominently on every track, as do guitar riffs and horn samples. The album has a classic East Coast sound, and is certainly one of the oft-overlooked classics of the Golden Age of hip-hop.

There is a gritty, dark sound that is prevalent throughout “Rock” that fits well with the duo’s hometown of Newark, New Jersey. They rep their home state heavily, especially on tracks like “Attack of New Jeruzalum,” which has a raucous chorus that will have you shouting along after only a few listens. They rep the art of graffiti (“Wrong Side of Da Tracks”), weed (“Lower Da Boom”), and have a unique take on the ubiquitous topic of bitches on “What Goes On?” While you won’t find any earth-shattering content on “Rock,” the lyrics are memorable and the MCs attack each track with such aplomb that you may not even realize their subject matter can be a little less than intriguing. They do get props for repping graffiti though; rapping about graffiti has never been a big motif among rappers. Busta Rhymes even guests on the remix to “C’Mon Wit Da Git Down,” but is verse is forgettable. Both El Da Sensai and Tame One are highly capable on the mic, but it is the former who frequently carries each track more than the latter. El has a flow that really gets you into a groove, while Tame One’s comical delivery and lyrics provide a nice counterpoint.

The production on “Rock” is simply top-notch. Beats from T-Ray and revered producer Buckwild give El Da Sensai and Tame One gritty beats that blend well with the lyrical content. The choruses on most tracks give hip-hop heads a good test of their ability to identify samples, with artists like Eric Sermon, Pete Rock, Redman, KRS-One, Jeru the Damaja, Biz Markie among others getting recognition. The heavy use of horn samples on most tracks put it squarely in that early- to mid-90s era of rap where most albums featured them. They are used to great effect here and mesh well with the booming beats.

While the similar feel of some of the tracks wear on the listener a bit towards the end, “Rock” is nothing but a consistent album. The duo comes correct on each track, and the serious flow of El Da Sensai goes well with the comedic delivery of Tame One, as do the quintessential East Coast beats. A highly underappreciated album.

The Artifacts - Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Between a Rock and a Hard Place Instrumentals (in m4a format for iTunes; only thing I could find)

Also, here's a track from Hard 2 Obtain's Ism and Blues album (another great one I might write about in the future) featuring The Artifacts.
"A Lil' Sumthin'"