Happy 20th Anniversary to People Under The Stairs’ fourth studio album …Or Stay Tuned, originally released August 19, 2003.
Over the history of the music industry, many artists have released albums where the purpose is to get said artists out of their contract with their record labels. Amng these albums, there are very few that I’ve enjoyed as much as …Or Stay Tuned by People Under The Stairs.
…Or Stay Tuned, which hit the shelves 20 years ago, was the fourth album by PUTS, a quintessentially Los Angeles hip-hop group made up of Michael “Double K” Turner and Chris “Thes One” Portugal. The release was the group’s third and, for a time, final project with Om Records. The two had sought to move on from the label and put out this self-described “mini-album” to achieve that end.
As the title suggests, People Under The Stairs built …Or Stay Tuned as an extension of O.S.T. (2002), their third and arguably best project. …Or Stay Tuned is essentially a 50/50 split between outtakes from O.S.T. and newly recorded material. To the group’s credit, it does not sound like it’s a stitched-together collection of songs that were scooped up from the cutting room floor. It has a distinct sound and direction, serving as a natural continuation of the group’s past while bringing something new to the table.
Musically, …Or Stay Tuned is a decidedly subdued album. PUTS was never known for bombast, but they did make music that was ideal to play in the ride on a warm summer’s day, or through the speakers at a barbecue or house party. …Or Stay Tuned is crafted for the quieter moments of Los Angeles life, and the lyrics are often more contemplative than their previous material.
…Or Stay Tuned starts off with “Yield,” the album’s first single and a slice of vintage hip-hop. The pair lyrically ride the mellow guitar and keyboard grooves, chopping and re-freaking 9th Creation’s “Bubble Gum.” The duo attest to their flyness and commitment to their craft, with Thes One proclaiming that he’s “got a 401K for my MPC.” Double K contributes his best verse of the album, rapping, “The unaccounted-for duo bringing down your charts and billboard / That process—boy, you got me real bored / And Imma ignore: settle the score silently, provoke my thoughts violently / Knock you out your Wallabees.”
The liner notes for the album state that “Plunken ’Em” was the first song that the duo recorded for O.S.T., and its sound echoes the overall feel of that album. But the track also fits in well on …Or Stay Tuned, with both emcees using esoteric slanguage and off-kilter deliveries to describe the dopeness of their music over a plucky guitar sample and muted organs. “We too cool for our britches, putting stitches on your zip disc,” Double K raps. “Get this, hip hop is the drug and we in rehab.”
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“Yo” features the group taking on a journalistic approach to rapping. Each member engages in an “Out of B-Boy experience,” to quote the album’s liner notes, providing background info on their own origins as they meet and sit down with “themselves” for a meal. First, Thes explains how “he sits at home, making beats drinking a Heine / Putting new breaks [brakes] on drum pads like Meineke.” Later, Double K describes himself as a musical revolutionary, rapping, “Look, he’s feeling ill; what a combination! / Seen him signing up soldiers to start his new rap nation / He said, ‘Time is wasted!’ and I could see it in his eyes / He was fed up with the politics, wack beats and lies.”
Thes One and Double K reflect on the totality of the touring experience on “Roadbeaters.” Rather than a parade of glamor, champagne, and limo service, they portray it as the blue-collar hustle that it was for many “underground” or independent touring acts during the ’90s and ’00s. While the pair enjoy the perks that can come from living on the road, like connecting with fans and getting paid, they also remain uncomfortable with the grind of constant travel and the other ancillary responsibilities. “From a fan to make it worthwhile with the plan,” Thes explains. “To cover more miles than any man should have / In limited time, with unlimited rhymes to give for b-boys / Unified in towns where they live, worldwide / And at the same time, it’s still cold / Thousand miles away with your life on hold.”
“Fly Love Song” features different perspectives on the pursuit of love and affection. Thes One details the struggles of being in a committed relationship while maintaining his independence and pursuing his passions, looking to maintain a healthy balance between “long walks by the sea and time with my MPC.” Double K takes a more light-hearted approach, describing his care-free attitude when it comes to finding a connection with the opposite sex. As a whole, the song creates a well-rounded picture of young men in their mid-20s trying to figure out the world.
“Drumbox” is an extension of PUTS’ deep and abiding love for old school hip-hop. It serves as a companion piece of sorts to “The Hang Loose” from O.S.T. Whereas the former is the crew’s tribute to rap and soul music from the mid to late 1970s, “Drumbox” is their ode to mid-1980s hip-hop, in all of its drum machine and break beat-driven glory. The pair channel emcees of the era, rapping over hard-hitting drums and hand claps, along with stabs/scratches of The Soul Searchers’ “Ashley’s Roachclip.” The song serves as a warm-up for Double K’s protracted fascination with hip-hop’s old school, which would span many of their subsequent projects.
Other tracks on …Or Stay Tuned explicitly evoke their earlier material. A remix of O.S.T.’s title track appears here, with all new lyrics and a deliciously smooth piano sample. PUTS also reimagines “LA Song,” one of their more upbeat entries on O.S.T., with the “Sensitive Mix.” The remix portrays Los Angeles in all of its complex glory, looking into the lives of long-time residents and transplants as they struggle to achieve their dreams. Honestly, I prefer both of these revised versions of both of the songs.
“Take The Fruit” is PUTS’ first attempt at a tongue-in-cheek “Stay In School” anthem, with the pair addressing a rowdy classroom at the fictious George W. Bush Elementary. They dispense goofy wisdom throughout the song, instructing the children to “only sample records if you’re making a beat” and “Rhymes: never bite them, don’t recite them too loud / You’ll get a call home and watch your moms yell out.” In a career characterized by the duo’s skills as crate-diggers, the calypso-styled track that they sample is one of PUTS’ all-time great pulls.
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“Outrun” fits well into PUTS’ pantheon of great album-ending songs. Thes One and Double K trade off kicking four-bar verses over a sped-up jazzy loop, each enjoying a summer’s day in Los Angeles. The guitar samples sound ethereal, and the pitched-up drums actually sound like they could have been lifted from an EDM track of the time. The song also features a furious scratch solo by Double K on the outro, with him demonstrating his underappreciated expertise behind the turntables.
…Or Stay Tuned could be considered the end of one phase of PUTS’ career, as they took some time off from releasing music before coming back with Stepfather (2006). The duo label-hopped a bit (even briefly returning to Om) before creating their own imprint, Piecelock 70. As a transitional album, …Or Stay Tuned served its purpose, giving their fans more of the type of hip-hop they loved, and charted the path for the group’s future endeavors.
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