There’s a lot of history wrapped up in this MF Grimm-Large Professor collaboration, even if it isn’t sitting there on the surface awaiting razor-blade dissection. For those who don’t know, MF Grimm was originally slated to appear on Large Pro and Main Source’s now-era-defining “Live at the BBQ” posse cut, which helped launch the careers of Nas and Akinyele, but a car accident and assault charge on the way to the studio prevented the Grimm Reaper from making the recording session.
Like Grimm’s musical career, which neither jail nor paralysis could permanently sideline, the song “United” has continued to bounce back over the years. Originally issued on American Hunger, the first triple album in hip-hop history, “United” was later remixed by its producer DJ Crucial and included on his Retro/Active compilation released on LP in 2012. Three years later, that EP is being combined with the tracks from 2014’s Retro/Active Vol. 2, as well as “new and unreleased material from 1997-2014,” for the Retro/Active Double Cassette, a limited edition of 200 shipping February 24. Repress naysayers be damned, all tracks on this release come “straight from the original 4 track tapes, floppy discs and sessions.” As a result, you can hear all that history hissing just below.
• MF Grimm: http://daybydayent.biz/
• Large Professor: https://twitter.com/plargepro
• F5 Records: http://f5records.com/
• Thrash Flow: http://www.thrashflow.com/
