12" - 1997 - Wild Beast Records
One word... Enigma ! 26 years after the release of Allah Be Universal's first and only 12" on Wild Beast Records, this Queens-based MC is still like a ghost in the 90s indie hip-hop history. Even DJ Static from the South Bronx who produced the main single of the wax "Indecent Exposure", don't know much about him... All he can remember is that they just met at the studio through a mutual friend and played him a few beats. "A.B. Universal picked that beat and started to write to it"... that's how the single was born ! The flip side of the record contains the track "Omerta" produced by Cross-One from East Elmhurst Queens, NY with scratches handled by DJ Goodfella.
Fred Ones who recorded and mixed the tracks during the studio sessions declared in a recent interview I had with him :
Fred Ones : " I remember A.B.U.'s seriousness of the craft. This was over 20 years ago so exact details are hard but he had a real gift for rhyming… voice, rhyme flow and vocabulary. We all smoked and drank at the studio but when he got into the booth, it was time to work. Serious but chill dude !! "
About Wild Beast Records, It was managed by DJ Goodfella and a kat named Lex P. Lex P also released a 12" Test Pressing (Gladiator / Kinetic) in 1999, produced by DJ Static. About Allah Be Universal, if you want to grab more of his stuff you need to know that he also features on another 12" entitled Cliffhangaz (Ready 4 War / Curry Chicken Head) released in 1999 on Fat Beats Records, with productions managed by Shakim and the legendary Mista Sinista.
