KMD - Bl_ck B_st_rds

2001 – US pressing on 2 x Vinyl

Year Recorded: 1993

Official Release Date: May 15, 2000

Genre: Underground Hip Hop, Boom Bap 

Description:

Bl_ck B_st_rds is the second and final studio album by the American hip-hop group KMD, which consisted of brothers Zev Love X (who would later become the legendary MF DOOM) and DJ Subroc. While the album was recorded in 1993 and originally slated for a 1994 release, it was controversially shelved by their label, Elektra Records. The album was not officially released until 2000, and its story is one of the most compelling and influential in underground hip-hop history.

The album's sound is a raw, gritty, and sample-heavy blend of hardcore and boom-bap hip hop. It marked a significant departure from the more playful and jazzy sound of their debut, Mr. Hood. The production, handled almost entirely by Subroc and Zev Love X, is built on a foundation of dusty, obscure samples, hard-hitting drums, and complex arrangements. Lyrically, the album is a much more political and confrontational work, exploring themes of race, identity, and Black consciousness with a sharp, no-holds-barred approach.

The album's shelving was due to its provocative and unapologetic nature, particularly its title and the controversial cover art, which depicted a lynched Sambo figure. This incident, combined with the tragic and untimely death of Subroc in a car accident just before the album's planned release, led to Zev Love X's disillusionment with the music industry. He retreated from the public eye for several years before re-emerging as the masked super-villain MF DOOM, with his signature persona and lyrical style largely shaped by his experiences with the shelving of Bl_ck B_st_rds.

Despite its delayed and initially unauthorized release, the album gained legendary "lost" status among hip-hop fans. It became one of the most bootlegged and sought-after albums of the 1990s, with its raw sound and powerful themes solidifying its status as an underground classic. The eventual official release in 2000 was a major event in the hip-hop community, finally giving a proper platform to a pivotal record that serves as the a crucial bridge between Zev Love X and the birth of MF DOOM