And Now the Legacy Begins
And Now the Legacy Begins is the debut album of Canadian hip hop duo Dream Warriors, released April 23, 1991. It was released worldwide on Island Records and in the United States on sub-label 4th & B'way Records (although it was not a hit in the U.S.). The album is regarded as one of the finest alternative hip hop records of the golden era.[1]
| And Now the Legacy Begins | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 23, 1991 (U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | 1990–1991 | |||
| Genre | Canadian hip hop, jazz rap | |||
| Length | 54:15 | |||
| Label | 4th & B'way/Island/PolyGram 444 037 | |||
| Producer | Dream Warriors, Richard Rodwell (aka Maximum 60), Split Personality, Ron Nelson, Krush and Skad | |||
| Dream Warriors chronology | ||||
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| Singles from And Now the Legacy Begins | ||||
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Singles
"My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style", the album's most successful single, sampled Quincy Jones' "Soul Bossa Nova" — which was also known to Canadian audiences as the longtime theme music of the television game show Definition and later was known as theme for the Austin Powers movie series. The song was a hit in both Canada and Europe, winning a Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year in 1992,.[1] "Wash Your Face in My Sink" and "Ludi" were also notable singles.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide |  [3] |
| NME | 10/10[4] |
| RapReviews | 7.5/10[5] |
The album received high critical acclaim. Spin highly recommended the album, praising its "stunning, almost seamless sample-driven tracks."[6] Ned Raggett of AllMusic gave it 4½ out of 5 stars, noting that "the duo plays around with any number of inspired samples and grooves, from jazz to harder-edged beats, with style and skill."[7] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a three-star honorable mention,[3] and quipped that it was "West Indian daisy age from boogie-down Toronto", choosing the tracks "Ludi" and "My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style" as highlights.[8]
It peaked at #18 on the UK Albums Chart and #34 in Canada, where it received gold certification. Over 800,000 copies were sold worldwide.[1][9][10]
In 2013, the album made Ballast's list of the top 50 Canadian albums of all time.[11] In 2018, the album won the Polaris Heritage Prize Jury Award in the 1986-1995 category.[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mr. Bubbunut Spills His Guts" | Dream Warriors | 0:16 |
| 2. | "My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style" | Dream Warriors | 4:17 |
| 3. | "Follow Me Not" | Split Personality | 3:02 |
| 4. | "Ludi" | Dream Warriors | 3:03 |
| 5. | "U Never Know a Good Thing Till You Lose It" | Dream Warriors | 4:04 |
| 6. | "And Now the Legacy Begins" | Krush and Skad | 3:08 |
| 7. | "Tune from the Missing Channel" | Dream Warriors | 4:30 |
| 8. | "Wash Your Face in My Sink" | Dream Warriors | 3:37 |
| 9. | "Voyage Through the Multiverse" | Ron Nelson | 6:14 |
| 10. | "U Could Get Arrested" (feat. Split Personality) | Split Personality | 3:19 |
| 11. | "Journey On" | Ron Nelson | 4:38 |
| 12. | "Face in the Basin" | Dream Warriors | 3:44 |
| 13. | "Do Not Feed the Alligators" | Split Personality | 3:35 |
| 14. | "Twelve Sided Dice" | Dream Warriors | 4:25 |
| 15. | "Maximum 60 Lost in a Dream" | Maximum 60 | 0:03 |
| 16. | "Answer for the Owl" | Dream Warriors | 3:20 |
| Total length: | 54:15 | ||
Samples
- "My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style" – Contains a sample of "Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones
- "Follow Me Not" - Contains a sample of "Pressure Gauge" by Brother Jack McDuff.
- "Ludi" – Contains a sample of "My Conversation" by Slim Smith & The Uniques
- "U Never Know a Good Thing Till You Lose It" – Contains samples of "Sing a Happy Song" by War and "Wild and Loose" and "The Walk" by The Time
- "And Now the Legacy Begins" – Contains samples of "Shine Your Light" by The Graingers and "Genius of Love" by Tom Tom Club
- "Tune from the Mission Channel" – Contains samples of "Oh Honey" by Delegation, "Kissing My Love" by Bill Withers and "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" by James Brown.
- "Wash Your Face in My Sink" – Contains a sample of "Hang on Sloopy" by Count Basie
- "Face in the Basin" – Contains samples of "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins and "Funky Stuff" by Kool & the Gang
- "Twelve Sided Dice" – Contains samples of "Riding High" by Faze-O and "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake.
- "Answer for the Owl" – Contains a sample of "Just Kissed My Baby" by The Meters
Chart positions
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Albums Chart[13] | 34 |
| Australian ARIA Charts[14] | 53 |
| UK Albums Chart[9] | 18 |
Accolades
| Publication | Country | Accolade[15] | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eye Weekly | Canada | Canadian Critics Poll - Albums of the Year | 1991 | 25 |
| The Face | United Kingdom | Albums of the Year | 1991 | 13 |
| Melody Maker | United Kingdom | Albums of the Year | 1991 | 26 |
| Musik Express/Sounds | Germany | Albums of the Year | 1991 | 20 |
| NME | United Kingdom | Albums of the Year | 1991 | 18 |
| Q | United Kingdom | Albums of the Year | 1991 | * |
| Rock de Lux | Spain | Albums of the Year | 1991 | 3 |
| RoRoRo Rock-Lexicon | Germany | Most Recommended Albums | 2003 | * |
| Vox | United Kingdom | Albums of the Year | 1991 | * |
| Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize | Canada | Winner - Critic's Selection (1986-1995 era) | 2018 | * |
(*) signifies unordered lists
Personnel
Adapted credits from the liner notes of And Now the Legacy Begins.[16]
- Pete Ashworth – Photography
- Dream Warriors – Producer, Mixing
- Krush – Producer
- Maximum 60 – Producer, Engineer, Mixing
- Ron Nelson – Producer, Engineer
- Split Personality – Producer, Mixing
- Swifty – Artwork
- Wrighty – Artwork
References
- Dream Warriors > Overview AllMusic. Accessed on January 20, 2010.
- Allmusic review
- Christgau, Robert (2000). "Dream Warriors". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- "21 1990s Albums NME Has Given 10/10 - NME". NME. 10 March 2014.
- "Dream Warriors :: And Now the Legacy Begins :: 4th and Broadway/Island". www.rapreviews.com.
- And Now the Legacy Begins CD CD Universe. Accessed on October 8, 2010.
- And Now, the Legacy Begins > Overview Allmusic. Accessed on January 20, 2010.
- Christgau, Robert (July 30, 1991). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 168. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- Canadian Music Week 2004 Archived 2009-11-10 at the Wayback Machine Canadian Music Week. Accessed on December 26, 2008.
- Unger, Andrew "The 50 Greatest Canadian Albums of All Time" Archived 2013-02-18 at the Wayback Machine, "Ballast", Feb 13, 2013 accessed Feb 14, 2013.
- "Rush, Alanis Morissette, Kid Koala Among Polaris Heritage Prize Winners". Exclaim!, October 23, 2018.
- Top Albums/CDs - Volume 53, No. 19, April 13 1991 RPM. Accessed on June 29, 2010.
- Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- Dream Warriors - And Now the Legacy Begins Archived 2010-06-12 at the Wayback Machine AcclaimedMusic.net. Accessed on January 20, 2010.
- And Now the Legacy Begins (liner notes). Dream Warriors. Island. 1991. 3913102.
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