Breaking Atoms

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Breaking Atoms
Breaking Atoms cover
Studio album by Main Source
Released July 23, 1991
Recorded Homeboy Studio, Power Play and Libra Digital; 1990–1991
Genre Hip hop
Length 46:14
Label Wild Pitch/EMI
Producer Main Source, Pete Rock
Professional reviews
Main Source chronology
Breaking Atoms
(1991)		 Fuck What You Think
(1994)
Singles from Breaking Atoms
  1. "Looking at the Front Door"
    Released: October 25, 1990
  2. "Watch Roger Do His Thing"
    Released: 1990
  3. "Just Hangin' Out"
    Released: May 14, 1991
  4. "Peace Is Not the Word to Play"
    Released: October 22, 1991

Breaking Atoms is the debut album of hip hop group Main Source, released on July 23, 1991 through Wild Pitch Records. It is widely thought of as a very influential album and is notable for the debut of rapper Nas.[3] It is highly regarded thanks to the virtuoso production of frontman Large Professor, whose heavy and original use of sampling influenced hip hop producers for a good portion of the 1990s. Nas makes his debut appearance on "Live at the Barbeque", which is also played in the background of "Genesis", the intro to his debut album, Illmatic (1994). It is one of the most important records in hip hop history and also hard to find; it has been out of print in the United States since Wild Pitch Records' demise in 1997. It was reissued on April 22, 2008 and is now available to the public.

Contents

[edit] Music

Breaking Atoms was produced using the E-mu SP-1200. Allmusic's Steve Huey writes that the album's acclaim lies mostly in its production, which popularized a number of now widely imitated techniques. Huey describes that the "intricately constructed tracks are filled with jazz and soul samples, layered percussion, off-kilter sampling effects, and an overall sonic richness."[1] RapReviews' Dan Mennella also notes that the beats are the "cornerstone" of the record.[4] Dan Nishimoto of PopMatters considers the album's sampling to be "neatly layered, its subject matter is modest, and its overall tone is simply well executed fun."[5] In his book Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide, Oliver Wang writes that Large Professor as a producer "thinks in complete song structure, never focusing on one single element—a loop, a break—but always juggling them inunison."[6]

[edit] Reception

Breaking Atoms received acclaim from music critics. Allmusic's Steve Huey declared it "one of the quintessential cult classics in hip-hop history".[1] Entertainment Weekly's James Bernard writes that "Main Source may not break much new ground, but they offer a clever, quietly seductive collection in which the bass and drum tracks casually strut instead of stomp, and the sparse samples of guitar and horns allow the Large Professor's voice to take center stage."[2] RapReviews' Dan Mennella notes that many acknowledge Breaking Atoms to be on a similar level to Nas' Illmatic (1994) and A Tribe Called Quest's first three albums.

SoundProof magazine lists the album at number sixteen in "The Top 20 Toronto Albums Ever"[7] and About.com's Henry Adaso lists it at number twenty in the "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums".[8] In 2004's Rolling Stone Album Guide, Peter Relic writes that "From the candy-colored cover depicting the three members crowded around a fantasy science project to the uptempo beats and matching fast raps, it's a period piece whose meticulous presentation...make it an enduring pleasure from a bygone era."[3]

[edit] Track listing

All tracks produced by Main Source.

# Title Sample(s) Time
1 "Snake Eyes" 3:30
2 "Just Hangin' Out" 4:10
3 "Looking at the Front Door" 4:10
4 "Large Professor" 3:08
5 "Just a Friendly Game of Baseball"
  • "Rule of Mind" by 9th Creation
  • "Didn't I Fool You?" by Ruby Andrews
  • "You Mother You" by James Brown
  • "Love that's America" by Melvin Van Peebles
  • "Pot Belly" by Lou Donaldson
  • "Mongoose" by Elephant's Memory
 3:22
6 "Scratch & Kut" 2:57
7 "Peace Is Not the Word to Play"
  • "TLC Tender Loving Care" by MFSB
  • "Britches" by The Metres
  • "Piece of Mind" by S.O.U.L.
  • "Right Off" by Miles Davis
 3:07
8 "Vamos a Rapiar"1 3:59
9 "He Got So Much Soul (He Don't Need No Music)"
  • "Hey Joyce" by Lou Courtney
 3:34
10 "Live at the Barbeque" (featuring Nas, Joe Fatal, and Akinyele)
  • "I Want to Be in the Land of Milk & Honey" by Vicki Anderson
  • "Won't Bleed Me" by Melvin Van Peebles
  • "Nautilus" by Bob James
 4:35
11 "Watch Roger Do His Thing" 4:22
12 "Just a Friendly Game of Baseball (remix)" 5:20

[edit] Re-issue bonus tracks

  1. "Fakin the Funk" (samples "N.T." by Kool & The Gang, "Magic Shoes" by Main Ingredient, "Soul" by S.O.U.L., "Be Black Baby" by Grady Tate, and "Dawn of a New day" by O'Donel Levy)
  2. "Peace Is Not the Word to Play (remix)"
  3. "Just Hangin' Out (remix)"
  4. "Bonafied Funk"
  5. "Atom"
  6. "Think" (samples "The Chicken" by James Brown)
  7. "How My Man Went Down in the Game" (samples "Get out of My Life" by Joe Williams)
  8. "Peace Is Not the Word to Play (12" remix)"

[edit] Singles

Single information
"Looking at the Front Door"
"Watch Roger Do His Thing"
  • Released: 1990
  • B-side: "Large Professor"
"Just Hangin' Out"
  • Released: May 14, 1991
  • B-side: "Live at the Barbeque"
"Peace Is Not the Word to Play"

[edit] Charts

[edit] Album

Chart (1991)[9] Peak
position
U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 40

[edit] Singles

Year Single Peak position[10]
Hot Rap Singles
1990 "Just Hangin' Out" 11
"Looking at the Front Door" 1

[edit] Personnel

Information taken from Allmusic.[11]

  • Akinyele – Rap
  • Peter Bodtke – Photography
  • Terry Clarke – Design, Cover Art Concept
  • Amy Fine – Art Direction
  • Chris Gehringer – Mastering
  • K-Cut – Turntables
  • Large Professor – Vocals
  • Main Source – Producer, Mixing
  • Tony Papa Michael – Engineer
  • Nas – Rap
  • Anton Pukshansky – Bass, Engineer, Mixing
  • Pete Rock – Associate Producer
  • Sir Scratch – Turntables

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Huey, Steve. allmusic ((( Breaking Atoms > Overview ))). Allmusic. Accessed May 20, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Bernard, James (April 19, 1991). Breaking Atoms (1991). Entertainment Weekly. Accessed May 20, 2008.
  3. ^ a b Relic, Peter (2004). Main Source: Biography : Rolling Stone. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Accessed May 20, 2008.
  4. ^ Mennella, Dan (June 22, 2004). Main Source :: Breaking Atoms :: Wild Pitch Records. RapReviews. Accessed May 20, 2008.
  5. ^ Nishimoto, Dan (December 2, 2005. CALL AND RESPONSE: Pickin' Up the Pieces: Sampling from the Great Producers. PopMatters. Accessed May 20, 2008.
  6. ^ Wang, Oliver, Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide (published 2003), p. 34, ISBN 1550225618
  7. ^ Petaccia, Leo. The Top 20 Toronto Albums Ever. Soundproof magazine. Accessed May 20, 2008.
  8. ^ Adaso, Henry. 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums. About.com. Accessed May 20, 2008.
  9. ^ allmusic ((( Breaking Atoms > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums ))). Allmusic. Accessed May 19, 2008.
  10. ^ allmusic ((( Breaking Atoms > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles ))). Allmusic. Accessed May 20, 2008.
  11. ^ allmusic ((( Breaking Atoms > Credits ))). Allmusic. Accessed May 20, 2008.