Happy 30th Anniversary to Originoo Gunn Clappaz’ debut album Da Storm, originally released October 29, 1996.
Originoo Gunn Clappaz aka O.G.C. were Boot Camp Clik’s secret weapon. The Brooklyn-based crew cut a swath through mid-1990s New York City hip-hop with a roster stacked with talent. Black Moon were anchored by Buckshot’s charismatic presence and the musical genius of DJ Evil Dee, releasing Enta Da Stage (1993), the group’s opening salvo. Smif-N-Wessun were gritty street soldiers who blew things even more wide open with Dah Shinin’ (1995). Heltah Skeltah had the most imposing lyrical presence of any group during the 1990s, with Ruck (a.k.a. Sean Price) and Rock executing with the ferocity of unhinged cage fighters on Nocturnal (1996).
In contrast, the three-man O.G.C. crew weren’t flashy, but were effective. Composed of Dashawn “Top Dog” Yates, Barret “Louisville Sluggah” Powell, and Jack “Starang Wonduh” McNair, they were the respective “point guard,” “shooting guard,” and “small forward” of the BCC’s Fab Five, along with Heltah Skeltah. Their debut Da Storm, released 30 years ago, is an efficient hip-hop engine. Apropos of the album’s title, the three emcees provide unrelenting torrents of lyrics and verses, backed by overall jazzy, mid-tempo tracks. Da Storm might not have garnered the attention of other releases in 1996, but it’s one of the most complete albums of the year.
Da Storm is definitely an album suited for late fall, made to be listened to while in the midst of October/November downpours. Much of the album’s tone is set by its production. Similar to Nocturnal, many, but not all, of the beats are handled by members of Da Beatminerz camp, who’d mostly steered the BCC’s sound since its launch. Other tracks are provided by well-respected beatmakers like DJ Ogee, Lord Jamar, and fellow BCC members/affiliates like Shaleek and Buckshot.
“No Fear,” the album’s first single, is an early highlight. It’s one of the more traditionally structured songs on the album, with each member dropping a solid 16-bar verse. Mr. Walt’s production is impressive, as he chops and manipulates a jazzy bassline. The song is known for its video, where the group openly ridicules cartoonish stand-ins for Biggie Smalls and Faith Evans, giving the middle finger to what they saw as over-commercialized hip-hop.
Evil Dee contributes one of his most spartan productions on the album’s title track, looping up a tiny section from an obscure jazz song. The trio give harsh warnings to those who underestimate their skills, providing their most energetic performances on the album. “Fools get caught up with words, boy don't even make me,” Louisville Sluggah raps. “Put pine to your spine, now ya n****s hate me.”
Listen to the Album:
Songs on Da Storm are deceptively laid-back, as the album is pretty confrontational overall, with the trio sharing ample disdain for posers. They target studio gangsters on the Mr. Walt-produced “Gun Clapp.” They smack down “fake-ass slackers who try to bury we” on the Evil Dee-produced “X-Unknown” to the tune of muted horns and thumping drums. Lord Jamar and Buckshot transform some cheesy smooth jazz into the smirking “God Don’t Like Ugly,” as the three emcees mock two-faced individuals wishing for their downfall, with Starang pronouncing, “We stomp you out with Timberlands and blow you to oblivion.”
Though most of Da Storm features the three emcees working in tandem, they do get to show their induvial skills, to one degree or another. Starang gets a (mostly) full-fledged solo track simply titled “Hurricane Starang,” where he weaves a complex flow and executes clever wordplay with his distinctive croak of a voice. “I be rubbishing any crew that claims that they be bubbling,” he raps. “Get that ass capped like them n****s when they’re handling my publishing.”
Top Dawg and Louisville Sluggah hold down the subsequent track “Danjer.” The song is in the tradition of great mid-1990s NYC-based two emcee narrative tracks, like Raekwon and Ghostface Killah’s “Heaven Or Hell” or, more fittingly, BCC cohorts Smif-N-Wessun’s “Hellucination.” The track details the pair’s plan to escape an NYC engulfed in a full-fledged uprising, dodging police and taking out enemy combatants when necessary.
Da Storm does feature a rarity for those initial set of BCC releases: guest verses from rappers outside the collective. Sadat X and his rhyme partner Sean Blak appear on “Wild Cowboys and Bucktown,” produced by DJ Ogee. Sadat X had released his incredibly dope Wild Cowboys (1996) project just a few months before, and he continues his hot streak here. The five emcees deliver an unrelenting whirlwind of brief verses, “running rampant through crews” while flexing their own distinctive styles.
“Elite Fleet” is a dope posse cut, where O.G.C. are joined by BCC-affiliate Da Representativez (Lidu Rock and Supreme), M.S., and Bad Vybes. Though the members of O.G.C. give the best performances, the “next generation” of the BCC crew are impressive, particularly M.S. and Lidu Rock. Baby Paul does an impressive job behind the boards, also chopping a piano sample and pairing it with knocking drums.
Da Storm also continues the practice, started on Nocturnal, of having E-Swift produce the album’s final track. “Flappin’” features the crew “pulling the evidence from y’all faking-ass residents,” belittling fake tough guys who attempt to create a phony street image. The song is notable also because Oxnard’s Madlib receives a co-production credit. The future super-producer had not received many outside production placements at that point of his career, mostly working with Swift’s Alkaholiks and other Likwit Crew members. You can hear the seed of Madlib’s sound that he’d continue to develop as a member of Lootpack and his stranger “solo” projects like Quasimoto.
Three decades later, Da Storm exemplifies the hard-hitting, gimmick-free ethos of the best of East Coast hip-hop during the 1990s. It’s an extremely potent entry that went a long way in further establishing Boot Camp Clik’s legend. So, when those rainy days inevitably hit, definitely give this album the plays it deserves.
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