Symphony in Effect
Encyclopedia
Symphony in Effect is the debut album of Canadian rapper
Maestro Fresh-Wes
, released in 1989 on Attic
/LMR Records
. In Canada, the album nearly went double platinum
and remains one of the best-selling Canadian hip hop
albums of all time. The first single "Let Your Backbone Slide
" became the first hit single
in Canadian hip hop history, appearing on Billboard
's Hot Rap Singles
chart. A second single, "Drop the Needle", was released in 1990.
's CKLN in 1983, Maestro formed the Vision Crew with Ebony MC. The duo opened for hip-hop
acts such as Public Enemy
, Ice-T
, and the Beastie Boys
before breaking up in 1987. Originally known as Melody MC, he changed his alias to Maestro Fresh-Wes in 1988 and released the independent demos You Can't Stop Us Now and "I'm Showin' You", which featured his new DJ
, LTD. The next year, he performed at the New Music Seminar
in New York City
, where he walked away with a record deal
with independent label LeFrak-Moelis Records
(LMR). Later that year, he released Symphony in Effect which included "I'm Showin' You" and "Just Swingin'", featuring his friend Ebony MC. Maestro's manager Farley Flex
also made an appearance on the track "LTD's on the Wheel(s) of Fortune".
Albums Chart. RapReviews.com gave it a 7/10 rating, stating "Maestro Fresh-Wes was exactly the right rapper to put Canadian hip-hop on the map." The album won the first Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year
in 1991.
† Maximum 60 is incorrectly credited as the producer of "Let Your Backbone Slide".
Singles
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Maestro Fresh-Wes
Maestro (rapper)
Wesley Williams , better known as Maestro and formerly Maestro Fresh-Wes, is a Canadian rapper, record producer, and actor. His pioneering status and outstanding achievements have led to him being referred to as the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop".In 1989 he became the first Canadian rapper to have...
, released in 1989 on Attic
Attic Records (Canada)
Attic Records was a Canadian independent record label, founded in 1974 by Alexander Mair and Tom Williams. The label was known for developing Canadian talent, including Anvil, Lee Aaron, Maestro Fresh Wes, The Nylons, Teenage Head, and Triumph...
/LMR Records
LeFrak-Moelis Records
LeFrak-Moelis Records was a New York City-based record label founded by The LeFrak Organization and music industry veteran Herb Moelis...
. In Canada, the album nearly went double platinum
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
and remains one of the best-selling Canadian hip hop
Canadian hip hop
The Canadian hip hop scene was first established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much more slowly than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the...
albums of all time. The first single "Let Your Backbone Slide
Let Your Backbone Slide
"Let Your Backbone Slide" is the debut single of Maestro Fresh-Wes, released in 1989, from his debut album Symphony in Effect. In Canada, over 50,000 copies of the single were sold, making Maestro the first Canadian rapper to have a gold single. It also reached #1 on The Record Singles Chart, in...
" became the first hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
in Canadian hip hop history, appearing on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Hot Rap Singles
Hot Rap Songs
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
chart. A second single, "Drop the Needle", was released in 1990.
Background
After making his radio debut on TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's CKLN in 1983, Maestro formed the Vision Crew with Ebony MC. The duo opened for hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
acts such as Public Enemy
Public Enemy
Public Enemy is an American hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and his S1W group, DJ Lord , and Music Director Khari Wynn...
, Ice-T
ICE-T
* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
, and the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
before breaking up in 1987. Originally known as Melody MC, he changed his alias to Maestro Fresh-Wes in 1988 and released the independent demos You Can't Stop Us Now and "I'm Showin' You", which featured his new DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, LTD. The next year, he performed at the New Music Seminar
New Music Seminar
The New Music Seminar was a series of multi-venue music showcases held annually in New York City, in the month of June, from 1980 to 1995, then relaunched in 2009....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he walked away with a record deal
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with independent label LeFrak-Moelis Records
LeFrak-Moelis Records
LeFrak-Moelis Records was a New York City-based record label founded by The LeFrak Organization and music industry veteran Herb Moelis...
(LMR). Later that year, he released Symphony in Effect which included "I'm Showin' You" and "Just Swingin'", featuring his friend Ebony MC. Maestro's manager Farley Flex
Farley Flex
Farley Flex is a Canadian music promoter, artist manager, and motivational speaker. He is best known for being a judge on the reality television series Canadian Idol....
also made an appearance on the track "LTD's on the Wheel(s) of Fortune".
Reception
The album was successful in Canada, with 190,000 copies sold, nearly going double platinum. It peaked at #4 on Canada's RPMRPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
Albums Chart. RapReviews.com gave it a 7/10 rating, stating "Maestro Fresh-Wes was exactly the right rapper to put Canadian hip-hop on the map." The album won the first Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year
Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year
The Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year has been awarded since 1991, and is awarded for the best rap album in Canada. It was awarded under the title Best Rap Recording from 1993 to 2002....
in 1991.
Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Featured guest(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Drop the Needle" | Peter & Anthony Davis | 5:44 | |
| 2. | "Untouchable" | Peter & Anthony Davis | 3:44 | |
| 3. | "The Mic's My Piece" | Peter & Anthony Davis | 5:58 | |
| 4. | "LTD's on the Wheel(s) of Fortune" | Peter & Anthony Davis | Farley Flex Farley Flex Farley Flex is a Canadian music promoter, artist manager, and motivational speaker. He is best known for being a judge on the reality television series Canadian Idol.... |
4:33 |
| 5. | "I'm Showin' You" | Peter & Anthony Davis | 4:49 | |
| 6. | "Let Your Backbone Slide Let Your Backbone Slide "Let Your Backbone Slide" is the debut single of Maestro Fresh-Wes, released in 1989, from his debut album Symphony in Effect. In Canada, over 50,000 copies of the single were sold, making Maestro the first Canadian rapper to have a gold single. It also reached #1 on The Record Singles Chart, in... " (Power Mix) |
Peter & Anthony Davis† | 4:58 | |
| 7. | "Private Symphony" | Maximum 60 | Corey "Koko" Whittington | 5:40 |
| 8. | "Just Swingin'" | Peter & Anthony Davis | Ebony MC | 5:28 |
| 9. | "The Maestro" | Peter & Anthony Davis | 3:47 | |
| 10. | "Tear It Up" | Stanley McCook | 2:22 | |
| 11. | "Fortissimo" | Peter & Anthony Davis | 2:31 |
† Maximum 60 is incorrectly credited as the producer of "Let Your Backbone Slide".
Samples
- "Drop the Needle" – Contains a sample of "Dance Desire" by Haywire
- "The Mic's My Piece – Contains a sample of "The MexicanThe Mexican (song)"The Mexican" is a piece of music on the album First Base by the 1970s British band Babe Ruth.The song is based on the whistling from the music soundtrack by Ennio Morricone for the film For a Few Dollars More...
" by Babe RuthBabe Ruth (band)Babe Ruth are a rock music group, primarily active through the 1970s, from Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. Their characteristically 'heavy' sound is marked by powerful vocals from Janita Haan and full arrangements by Alan Shacklock... - "I'm Showin' You" – Contains samples of "Love RollercoasterLove Rollercoaster"Love Rollercoaster" is a song by American funk/R&B band The Ohio Players, originally featured on their 1975 album Honey. The song was a hit upon its initial release, reaching the top of both the R&B and pop charts. It still sees wide airplay on classic funk and R&B stations...
" by Ohio PlayersOhio PlayersThe Ohio Players were an American funk and R&B band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their double #1 hit songs "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster".- Biography :...
and "So Ruff, So Tuff" by Roger TroutmanRoger TroutmanRoger Troutman was the lead singer of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the Funk movement and heavily influenced West Coast hip hop due to the scene's heavy sampling of his music over the years... - "Let Your Backbone Slide" – Contains samples of "The Champ" by The Mohawks, "Funky DrummerFunky drummer"Funky Drummer" is a funk song recorded by James Brown and his band. The recording's drum break, performed by drummer Clyde Stubblefield, is one of the most frequently sampled rhythmic breaks in hip hop and popular music; indeed, it lays a strong claim to being the most sampled recording ever,...
" by James BrownJames BrownJames Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, "Set It Off" by Strafe, "La Di Da DiLa Di Da Di"La Di Da Di" is a rap song performed by Doug E. Fresh the beatboxer, and MC Ricky D as the rapper. It was originally released in 1985 as the B-side to "The Show". The song has since gained a reputation as an early hip hop classic, having been referenced in other hip hop songs.There are two...
" by Doug E. FreshDoug E. FreshDouglas E. Davis , better known by the stage name Doug E. Fresh, is an American rapper, record producer, and beat boxer, also known as the Human Beat Box...
and Slick RickSlick RickRichard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
, "One, Two, Three" by The B-Boys, and "Rebel Without a PauseRebel Without a PauseRebel Without a Pause is a single by hip hop group Public Enemy from their groundbreaking 1988 album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. The title is a spoof of Rebel Without a Cause, a 1955 drama movie.-History:...
" by Public EnemyPublic EnemyPublic Enemy is an American hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and his S1W group, DJ Lord , and Music Director Khari Wynn...
Chart positions
Album| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Albums Chart |
4 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Songs Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single... |
RPM Singles Chart RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
||
| 1990 | "Let Your Backbone Slide" | 14 | 10 |
| "Drop the Needle" | — | 46 |