Happy 30th Anniversary to Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth’s debut studio album Funky Technician, originally released February 6, 1990.
Robert “Lord Finesse” Hall had one of the most interesting development periods as an emcee of his era. On one hand, the Bronx, New York native came up in the old school tradition of rocking house parties and battling all opponents in all settings. On the other hand, he represented one of the next steps in the evolution of hip-hop artists.
Finesse was influenced by the greats of the mid to late ’80s, including Kool G Rap, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and KRS-One. However, he was able to build off of those influences and develop his own voice as an emcee. Thirty years ago, he teamed up with DJ Mike Smooth to create Funky Technician, a rock-solid collection of beats and rhymes that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the classic albums crafted by his influences.
By Finesse’s own admission in Brian Coleman’s Check the Technique, Vol. 2, making the transition from battle rapper to studio artist was a tough one. As a young man, Finesse had thrived on competition. He took on Percee P in the fall of 1989, in a battle that has since achieved legendary status. Earlier that year, he entered the New Music Seminar emcee competition, beating the reigning champion Mikey D early on before falling himself in the subsequent round.
Finesse worked hard to translate his battle skills so that his rhymes would be suitable for traditionally structured hip-hop tracks. In some sense, Funky Technician is similar to Eric B. & Rakim’s debut LP Paid In Full (1987), in that much like Rakim, Finesse was known to incorporate some of the rhymes he used during battles and live performances. For example, he told Coleman that “Track the Movement” features lyrics that he’d used at the New Music Seminar.
He wasn’t the first rapper to incorporate punchlines in his rhymes, but he was one of the first to be considered a “punchline” rapper, filling his verses with clever declarations of his own ability. He has explained that his experience in playing to an audience helped his ability to weave crowd-stopping one-liners into his verses. Furthermore, Finesse was a big Eddie Murphy fan, so he knew the importance of using humor in his raps. Overall, he comes across as “a slick brother with a fade and half-moon,” ready to prove he’s the best and talk some serious shit along the way.
Finesse also credits DJ Premier with pushing him to be a better artist as a large component of Funky Technician’s success. Both Finesse and Premier were signed to Wild Pitch Records around the same time, with Premier going on to join Guru (who was already signed to the label and helped label-head Stu Fine scout talent) in forming Gang Starr. Finesse adds that Premier should have been credited as executive producer for the album, given the importance of his input in the recording process.
Premier produces nearly half the tracks on Funky Technician. In terms of working behind the boards, he heads a slate of producers that includes DJ Mike Smooth, Diamond D, and Showbiz. Just a few years later, an album sporting that murderer’s row of beat-makers would receive mountains of pre-release hype. But 30 years ago, Premier had not worked with anyone outside of Gang Starr, and Diamond D and Showbiz were two up-and-comers from the Bronx at the beginning of their production careers.
Diamond D and Showbiz were also friends of Finesse’s and original members of the Diggin’ In the Crates crew, a collective of rappers/producers who prided themselves on getting their fingers dusty when looking for old records to transform into classic hip-hop. Funky Technician was released a couple of years before guys like Showbiz and Diamond got DEEP into crate-diving, so while the beats are unquestionably dope, the samples aren’t too obscure.
Funky Technician comes incredibly strong out the gate, hitting the listeners with a fearsome two-punch combo. First is the “New” version of “Baby, You Nasty.” Wild Pitch had released the original version the previous year, so Premier gave the song an update, trading in a horn-heavy track for one that used an off-kilter loop from James Brown’s “Coldblooded.” Finesse drops four hefty verses, containing a total of 82 bars. It’s an extremely impressive lyrical exhibition, as he boasts with raps like, “Think I'm weak? Take your next look / And get schooled and read like a textbook,” and “Remarkable, I came to rock the show / Wax emcees like a bottle of Mop & Glo.”
Lord Finesse then hits with the potent blow of the album’s Diamond D-produced title track. Over a dark and deeply funky guitar and organ groove from the JBs’ “A Blind Man Can See It,” Finesse declares himself a “man with intellect, no one to disrespect,” while running another verbal clinic. His smooth and lackadaisical flow only seems to boost the effectiveness of his rhymes, as he proclaims, “Me sound wack? N***a please, come off of that / I’m mystical, musical, I might confuse a few / Lord Finesse getting funky as usual.”
These two tracks are a preview of Finesse’s sweet spot throughout Funky Technician: dispersing ingenious rhymes over solid, mid-tempo grooves. Songs like “Here I Come,” “I Keep the Crowd Listening,” and the aforementioned “Track the Movement” occupy this space. The Diamond D-produced “Bad Mutha” fits right in as well, as Finesse regales the audience with tales of his exploits during his younger years and kicks obscene amounts of a braggadocio. “I hold the title 'cause I'm a cool champ,” he raps. “If rap was money, you’d be rated as a food stamp.”
Funky Technician also features some of the earliest recorded appearances of Andre “A.G.” Barnes, of the Showbiz and A.G. duo. Finesse and A.G. had considerable history together before this album dropped but had fallen out of touch. The two reconnected soon after Finesse began recording Funky Technician, and he invited A.G. to come to the studio to put in work. The two combine on “Back to Back Rhyming” and “Keep It Flowing,” with A.G.’s hyped delivery working as an effective counterpoint to Finesse’s laid-back rhyme patterns.
Though most of Funky Technician’s subject matter centers on the displays of pure skill, Finesse occasionally gets topical. “Strictly For the Ladies,” the album’s Premier-produced second single, is a boisterous show of Finesse’s player tendencies. He has said that the song started as a routine that he’d perform at live shows, but he eventually honed it into a full song. Finesse’s lyrics just drip arrogance, as he informs ladies that he can steal them from their boyfriends with ease.
Finesse strikes a serious note on the heartfelt “Lesson To Be Taught.” Influenced by artists like Big Daddy Kane, Finesse “preach[es] a lesson to reach ya,” speaking directly to those living through illegal means. He pleads with these aspiring criminals to “live correct and show respect,” while encouraging them to “get yours by achieving and planning, so when they fall you'll still be standing.” He shifts gears on the second verse, depicting how drug abuse can turn the slickest fly guy into a burned-out addict quicker than one would expect.
Funky Technician endures as a great debut album and announced Finesse as a force to be reckoned with. Much like Kane, Rakim and Kool G Rap helped birth Finesse, he would go on to influence other future lyrical greats. You can see the DNA of Funky Technician in Nas’ Illmatic (1994), and the late Mac Miller considered himself a super-fan of Finesse as an emcee.
Finesse’s importance to the art form has gone overlooked, but from Funky Technician onward, he’s proven to be a vital source of creative energy. The album should be celebrated amongst the greats of any era.
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