Crate Diggas Palace
2004
The Lost Tapes
About This Album
Although the release date was in 2004, the tracks on The Lost Tapes were actually recorded between 1994 and 1996, when Lootpack was still three friends in Oxnard, CA, trying to make it big. Fortunately for them -- and their fans -- the father of Lootpack member Madlib, Otis Jackson, Sr., had his own studio, Crate Diggas Palace, where these songs were recorded and where they stayed until the album was compiled and released. What is heard on The Lost Tapes sounds remarkably similar to Lootpack's 1999 release Soundpieces: Da Antidote!, and it's easy to see why the group attracted attention from Stones Throw. Madlib's beats are pretty straightforward (jazzy undertones, emphasis on bass, minimal production), but they're good, and they fit Wildchild's clean delivery. The album also boasts, in true hip-hop fashion, a wide selection of guest artists, including Medaphoar, Kan Kick, Oh No (Madlib's little brother), and God's Gift. For the most part, the songs' lyrics focus on the quality and authenticity of Lootpack and their rhymes, a usually overused and ineffectual technique, especially when the MC's skills don't live up to the all the hype they're getting.
Track List (try tracks 1,4,8 and 22)

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