Souls of Mischief just dropped a new album this week and it reminded me of when I last heard these cats on ‘93 Till Infinity. The Bay area group with their upbeat delivery made room for other acts to follow like The Pharcyde. Back in the days, every so often a savvy DJ at his radio station could spot talented lyricists with something to say and give the song the radio play it deserved.  And just as we use music as a way to remember milestones in our lives, ’93 Till Infinity was one of the more notable jams the one semester I spent at the University of Maryland in College Park. The beat was hypnotic. The rhymes were quick, carefree, and a break from the harsher West Coast gangster vibe that was murdering the scene (literally).

Back in those days, the guys were on Jive Records but have since made off on their own label these days. When I think vintage material I think Souls. You can talk all you want about instant classics (Kanye does it all the time), but if people are talking about your music 16 years down the road, wishing you back in the game but knowing the genre is too far gone to feel it, a genre that subsists only off what my man Kaboose calls “Bubble Gum Rap,” then there’s something to be said for longevity.

As the line from the song goes, “It’s the pits not being dipped.” True dat.