No need to check their résumé to know that Queens-based group The Beatnuts put in serious work during the early '90s. Before stepping into the spotlight themselves, Psycho Les and JuJu had already built a reputation behind the boards, crafting beats for names like Pete Nice and Daddy Rich (formerly of 3rd Bass), Chi-Ali, Kurious, Common Sense and more...
In 1993, they dropped their debut single "Reign of the Tec" on Relativity Records, a 12-inch that stands as one of their rawest and most memorable releases. Unfortunately Fashion (a.k.a Al' Tariq), the group's third member, wasn't able to appear on the single due to legal troubles at the time. Still, that didn't stop the record from making serious noise. The moment it hit the streets, it felt like a punch to the face, in the best possible way.
Upon release, "Reign of the Tec" quickly earned attention from the hip-hop press. It was featured in The Source's Fat Tape section (June 1993), reviewed in Billboard (May 1993) and Spin (August 1993). According to Billboard, the track debuted in the Top 15 on pay-to-see video channel The Box, and received steady radio rotation from coast to coast, on WRKS (Kiss 98.7), WKCR and WBLS in New York, WPGC in Washington D.C., WIOQ (Q102) in Philadelphia, KPWR (Power 106) in Los Angeles, and KMEL in San Francisco.
"When I pop the trunk, hit the deck
John Wayne couldn't even stand the reign of the Tec
Head for the hills before you get wrecked
John Wayne couldn't even stand the reign of the Tec"
The chorus features guest appearances from Sadat X of Brand Nubian and Kurious Jorge who has been down with the Beatnuts since the beginning and who can be considered as affiliated with the group.
On the production side, Psycho Les and JuJu flexed their crate-digging genius. The track revolves around a menacing guitar loop sampled from "Wicked World" by Black Sabbath (1971), giving it that dark, heavy energy that matched the era's raw East Coast sound. Layered over that are multiple samples from Gene Chandler's "In My Body's House"(1969), woven together into a head nodding masterpiece.
"Reign of the Tec" might not be the rarest 12" around, but it's a must-have for any hip-hop record collector. It captures the essence of early '90s New York... dusty loops, hard drums, and pure attitude. Well according to their promo sheet, their objective was to get paid ... no doubt this single was definitely the beginning of a stunning music career, mission accomplished !!!
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