''Enta da Stage'' is the debut album by American

East Coast hip hop East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the Bronx, New York City. In contrast to other styles, East Coast hip ...

group

Black Moon Black Moon may refer to: * Black moon, one of four astronomical events involving new or dark moons * Black Moon (person) (c. 1821–1893), Lakota (American Indian) headman * Black Moon or Lilith (hypothetical moon), a hypothetical natural satelli ...

, released on October 19, 1993, through Nervous Records. The album was produced by Black Moon member DJ Evil Dee along with Mr. Walt of

Da Beatminerz Da Beatminerz are a hip-hop production crew from Bushwick, Brooklyn, and are known for their dark, gritty sound that is very popular with the underground hip-hop scene. History The crew, originally composed of brothers Mr. Walt (born June 2, 196 ...

. ''Enta da Stage'' features the debut of underground hip hop duo Smif-N-Wessun, as well as appearances from

Havoc High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC) is a set of crewed NASA mission concepts to the planet Venus. All human portions of the missions would be conducted from lighter-than-air craft or from orbit. Background Venus is a planet with a r ...

Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, '' How to Rap: The Art & Sc ...

and Dru Ha, the co-founder of

Duck Down Records Duck Down Music Inc is a New York City based record label, talent management, music-marketing, and consulting company founded by Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake in 1995. In Duck Down's 20-year existence, the Company has rele ...

. Despite being critically acclaimed and having two singles that charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ("Who Got da Props?" and "I Got Cha Opin"), the album sold poorly. ''Enta da Stage'' served as a precursor to the resurgence of the New York hip hop scene in the mid-1990s. The album was executive produced by Dru Ha and Mike Weiss.

Background

Black Moon originated in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

in the late 1980s as a group called Unique Image, which consisted of high school students Ewart "Evil Dee" Dewgrade, Karim "5ft" Reid, Walter "Finsta" Giddens, and Kenyatte "Buckshot" Blake. After briefly changing their name from Unique Image to High Tech, the group settled on Black Moon, which was the name Evil Dee's older brother–Walter "Mr. Walt" Dewgrade–used for his record production company. Initially all four members rapped, but by 1991 Evil Dee and Finsta stopped rapping and instead focused on production. According to Evil Dee: "Once we did that and got focused, that's when we started getting really serious about it ... 5ft and Buckshot just stepped up their game and got nice on the rhymes." Black Moon began shopping a five track

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

to various record labels, although they were consistently rejected for a perceived lack of commercial viability. During this period, Finsta left the group. In the spring of 1992, Black Moon performed at a party, and audience member

DJ Chuck Chillout Charles Turner (born October 21, 1962) better known as DJ Chuck Chillout, is an American hip hop DJ and producer. Biography He began his career on New York City's WRKS 98.7 Kiss FM radio station in 1982. He was one of the first hip-hop artis ...

arranged for the group to meet with Nervous Records owner Mike Weiss. At the insistence of A&R representative Gladys Pizarro, Weiss signed Black Moon, and gave them enough money to record their first single, " Who Got da Props". "Who Got da Props" was released in October 1992, and reached number 86 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The group members were surprised by the success of the single, and in February 1993, Weiss convinced them to record an album. Buckshot soon formed a close relationship with Nervous employee Drew Friedman, later known as Dru Ha. The two formed a management company named "Duck Down Management", and oversaw the release of ''Enta da Stage'' as co-executive producers. The group finished recording ''Enta da Stage'' at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

D&D Studios D&D Studios was a recording studio located in New York City on the west side of 37th street. Artists that recorded there include Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, The Notorious B.I.G., Fat Joe, Nas, Gang Starr, Jeru the Damaja, Afu-Ra, KRS-One, Frankie Cutlass, ...

between late 1992 and early 1993, and prepared it for a late 1993 release date.

Music

Much of the acclaim the album received was due to the performance of lead MC Buckshot, who originally went by the name Buckshot Shorty. Ten of the fourteen tracks on the album are Buckshot solo tracks, and he appears on every song but "Son Get Wrec". Buck, who was eighteen at the time of the recording, was a young man trying to establish himself and his crew in the hip hop world. In a 2005 interview with ''MVRemix'', Buckshot described a day in his life while recording his debut:

Lyrics

The album's lyrics are filled with violent narratives and braggadocio.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

's Chris Witt stated that "Emcees Buckshot and 5ft Accelerator attack their verses with an aggressive

nihilism Nihilism (; ) is a philosophy, or family of views within philosophy, that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence, such as objective truth, knowledge, morality, values, or meaning. The term was popularized by I ...

not heard since

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and a ...

's peak." 5 ft, originally known as 5FT Accelerator, appears on three tracks here, and his lyrical content does not differ from that of Buckshot's. Unlike later work by New York City peers like

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...

, the lyrical content found here does not peer deeply into social issues or provide much substance. AllMusic's album review stated that "Theirs is a grim reality, filled with guns,

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

and violence. Buckshot displays none of the usual

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

remorse, he is a willful public menace." Buckshot was praised not only for his lyricism, but also for his lyrical delivery and breath control, with his flow and dramatic, conversational vocal tones being seen as original and entertaining. In a 2005 interview with

AllHipHop AllHipHop is a hip hop news website founded by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur in 1998. History The website was founded in 1998 by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur. In 1997, Watkins registered the allhiphop.com domain to promote the artists on ...

hip hop producer Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music in a recording studio. While the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music creation, including recording the rapping of an MC, a turntablist or DJ providing a beat, playing samples and " ...

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a The album's refrain, choruses involve multiple voices yelling the lyrics. These vocals were provided by Smif-n-Wessun, Mr. Walt,

and the trio themselves. "Niguz Talk Shit", "Who Got da Props?", "Ack Like U Want It", "Buck Em Down", "Black Smif-n-Wessun", "Son Get Wrec", "Make Munne" and "U da Man" all feature "Black Moon hooks".

Production

DJ Evil Dee and Mr. Walt of

, who produced the album, put their samplers to use here, lacing the album with their signature basement sound, filled with hard drums, grimy horn arrangements and deep basslines. In the album's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are des ...

, DJ Evil Dee stated: "This album was done on blunted terms. Anyone who is offended by the contents of the album, FUCK YOU. Nuff said." AllMusic describes the dark production: "The Beatminerz production crew craft subterranean beats to match Buckshot's mayhem. The tracks are dark, layered with muted jazz samples, and seemingly bottomless." A few of the samples used here were later recreated by a number of hip hop artists in the 1990s. The single "Buck Em Down" features a sample from

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop ...

's "Wind Parade", a sample which was later re-used for

Organized Konfusion Organizing or organized may refer to: * Organizing (management), a process of coordinating task goals and activities to resources * Community organizing, in which communities come together to act in their shared self-interest * Professional organi ...

's 1994 concept track "Stray Bullet". "How Many MC's..." features a sample from

Grover Washington, Jr. Grover Washington Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999) was an American jazz-funk and soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with Wes Montgomery and George Benson, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre. He wr ...

's "Hydra", which was used for earlier hip hop tracks like

EPMD EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...

's "Underground". The iconic "Who Got Da Props" heavily utilizes a looped sample from Ronnie Laws's jazz classic "Tidal Wave", which was featured in several hip-hop and R&B tracks, including Usher's "Think Of You" from his self-titled 1994 album. Evil Dee and Walt take a portion of the sample and craft it into a different loop. An ''Enta da Stage'' review on OhWord.com praises the production work, stating "Though the album's success is largely attributable to Buckshot's performance, one cannot ignore the phenomenal production from the Beatminerz. They took the already dark sound of '' The Low End Theory'' and one-upped it, filtering out almost all treble and using spare, hardcore drum samples. The compositions of Mr. Walt and Evil Dee are also cleverly structured, propelling Buckshot's raps directly into the listener's psyche."..."The crackle of scratched vinyl pervades the album, contributing to the feel of warmth and timelessness. Thanks to the Beatminerz, there is something inviting about ''Enta da Stage'', despite its confrontational lyrics."

Singles

''Enta da Stage'' featured four singles and

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

s, including their debut "Who Got da Props?". In mid-1993, the "How Many MC's..." single was released; it became popular in the underground rap circuit, but was not able to find success with mainstream audiences, barely breaking into the Top 50 on the

Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stati ...

chart. The third single from the album was a remix of "I Got Cha Opin", which utilized a

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

sample, courtesy of

Barry White Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...

's "Playing Your Game Baby". The remix featured a new chorus and all-new verses to go along with the new production. The single became the group's second ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit in 1994, peaking at number 93. The last single, "Buck Em Down", was released in mid-1994, with the music video featuring the remixed version. Both original and remixed versions featured sampled portions from

's "Wind Parade" and similar lyrics, with the remix featuring a different vocal delivery and edited lyrics. The album spawned additional remixes. Along with "Buck Em Down" and "I Got Cha Opin", the tracks "Ack like U Want It", "Son Get Wrec", "Shit Iz Real", "How Many MC's..." and "U da Man" all featured remixes, which were later included on Black Moon's '' Diggin' in dah Vaults'' compilation.

Reception

''Enta da Stage'' has received generally favorable reviews from most music critics and publications. Chris H. Smith of ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

'' highlighted Black Moon's lyrics for their blunt "sincerity", noting that they avoided tropes such as "self-conscious intermissions between songs" and "cartoonish renderings of ghetto life". Reviewing the album in the November 1993 issue of ''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

'', journalist Cheo H. Coker stated: Though praised for its originality and production, ''Enta da Stage'' has also seen criticism for its monotony and lack of lyrical substance. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' writer

Touré Touré is the French transcription of a West African surname (English transcriptions are '' Turay'' and '' Touray''). The name is probably derived from ''tùùré'', the word for 'elephant' in Soninké, the language of the Ghana Empire. The clan ...

criticized the release for "ignorance" and felt that it failed to capitalize on its promise, stating that Black Moon "leave blank the ultimate canvas – the self." Joe Levy of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' accused the group of posturing in their lyrics, remarking that "they sound less like gang-bangers than neighbourhood kids who ''wish'' they were in a gang—kids so desperate for cred they're worse than the real thing." In 1998, ''Enta da Stage'' was selected as one of ''The Sources 100 Best Rap Albums. In naming it the fourth greatest album on

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...

's list of the Best Rap Albums of 1993, columnist Henry Adaso noted that "Unlike most hip-hop albums of its era, ''Enta Da Stage'' eschewed confrontational raps and opted for brooding, electrifying brand of hip-hop."

Influence

Though not as widely heralded as similar groundbreaking East Coast albums such as

' ''

Illmatic ''Illmatic'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on April 19, 1994, by Columbia Records. After signing with the label with the help of MC Serch, Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Re ...

'',

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

's ''

Ready to Die ''Ready to Die'' is the debut studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album features productions by Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chuc ...

'',

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...

's ''

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on November 9, 1993, by Loud Records. Recording sessions took place during late 1992 to early 1993 at Firehouse Studio in New York Ci ...

'',

Onyx Onyx primarily refers to the parallel banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral. Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The ...

's ''

Bacdafucup ''Bacdafucup'' is the debut album by American hip hop group Onyx, released on March 30, 1993 by JMJ Records, Rush Associated Labels and Chaos Recordings. The album was produced by Chyskillz, Jam Master Jay and Kool Tee. ''Bacdafucup'' peaked at ...

'' and

's ''

The Infamous ''The Infamous'' (stylized as ''The Infamous...'') is the second studio album by the American hip hop duo Mobb Deep. It was released on April 25, 1995, by RCA Records and Loud Records. The album features guest appearances by Nas, Raekwon, Gho ...

'', ''Enta da Stage'' was critically acclaimed on a similar level. Though all of the albums mentioned above were able to reach at least Gold status, ''Enta da Stage'', released before most of these albums, has not sold nearly as well, selling just over 350,000 copies in the U.S. as of June 2006. AllMusic described the importance of the album: "It set the tone for much of the hip hop to follow.

Biggie Smalls Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

' suicidal thoughts and

Noreaga Victor James Santiago Jr. (born September 6, 1977), better known by his stage names Noreaga and later N.O.R.E., is an American rapper. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Santiago first rose to prominence as one half of the East Coast hip hop ...

's boisterous thuggery both have their roots here. The album marked a turning point in hip hop." ''Enta da Stage'' has also been described as "Era defining", and was one of the pioneering releases during the return of New York City's street hip hop resurgence of the mid 1990s, after the West Coast's reign of the early 1990s. ''Enta da Stage'' is still prominent among hip hop artists today, such as lyrics from "How Many MC's..." being used as a hook for Jedi Mind Trick's song "Speech Cobras". The album also served as the introduction of the supergroup

Boot Camp Clik Boot Camp Clik is an American hip hop supergroup from Brooklyn, New York City, which is composed of Buckshot (of Black Moon), Smif-N-Wessun ( Tek and Steele), Heltah Skeltah (Rock and Sean Price) and O.G.C. (Starang Wondah, Top Dog, and Louiev ...

. The collective was a prominent underground rap group in the 1990s – also producing the acclaimed Smif-n-Wessun's ''

Dah Shinin' ''Dah Shinin is the debut studio album by American East Coast hip hop duo Smif-N-Wessun. It was released on January 10, 1995 via Wreck/Nervous Records. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios in New York City. Production was handled by Da Be ...

'',

Heltah Skeltah Heltah Skeltah was an American hip hop duo which consisted of rappers Jahmal "Rock" Bush and Sean "Ruck" Price. The two were also members of New York supergroup Boot Camp Clik, along with Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun and O.G.C. Biography He ...

's '' Nocturnal'', and O.G.C.'s '' Da Storm''. ''Enta da Stage'' heralded the debut of

. After producing here, and on other Boot Camp albums ''Dah Shinin, ''Nocturnal'' and ''Da Storm'', Mr. Walt and Evil Dee went on to expand their sounds, and produce for popular artists like

Afu-Ra Aaron Phillip (born January 31, 1974), better known by his stage name Afu-Ra, is an American Underground hip hop, underground rapper. A member of the Gang Starr Foundation, he has worked closely with its members, including Gang Starr, Jeru the ...

, Big Daddy Kane,

Craig G Craig Curry (born March 24, 1973),Hess, Mickey (2009) ''Hip Hop in America: a Regional Guide: Volume 1 - East Coast and West Coast'', Greenwood Publishing Group, , p. 55Bry, David (2001) "Something in the Water", ''Vibe'', March 2001, p. 80 bette ...

, De La Soul,

Dilated Peoples Dilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. They have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song " This Way", a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West. Better known in the UK, they reached t ...

, Eminem,

Flipmode Squad Flipmode Squad is a hip hop collective founded and fronted by rapper Busta Rhymes. The first Flipmode album debuted in 1998 with ''The Imperial'', Rampage and Rah Digga went on to record solo efforts. In the move to J Records in 2000, Lord Hav ...

Jean Grae Tsidi Ibrahim (born November 26, 1976), known professionally as Jean Grae (formerly What? What?), is an American rapper from Manhattan, New York City. Jean rose in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and has built an international f ...

, KRS-One, M.O.P., Naughty by Nature, O.C. and Black Star. The album is extensively broken down track-by-track by

Buckshot A shotgun shell, shotshell or simply shell is a type of rimmed, cylindrical (straight-walled) cartridges used specifically in shotguns, and is typically loaded with numerous small, pellet-like spherical sub-projectiles called shot, fired thro ...

, DJ Evil Dee, and Mr. Walt of

in Brian Coleman's book '' Check the Technique'' (2007).

Track listing

Track listing and producer information is taken from the CD. Notes *"Ack Like U Want It" and "Slave" were not on the vinyl release. "Shit Iz Real" is also not on digital streaming music platforms.

Personnel

Credits for ''Enta da Stage'' adapted from liner notes. *

– vocals, background vocals, producer, executive producer * 5ft – vocals, producer, background vocals * DJ Evil Dee – producer, background vocals * Mr. Walt – producer, background vocals * Tek – vocals, background vocals *

Steele Steele may refer to: Places America * Steele, Alabama, a town * Steele, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Steele, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Steele, Missouri, a city * Lonetree, Montana, a ghost town originally called Steele ...

– vocals, background vocals *

– vocals, background vocals * Dru Ha – vocals, background vocals, executive producer *Everette Lawson – background vocals *Lynn Blackwell – background vocals *Leo "Swift" Morris – main engineer *Eddie Sancho – assistant engineer *Luke Allen – assistant engineer *Luis Tineo – assistant engineer *Dave Carpenter – assistant engineer *Joe Quinde – assistant engineer *Merge One – art direction *C² – art direction, photography *Chi Modu – photography

Chart history

Album Singles

Notes

References

Books

* * *

External links

*
Enta da Stage
' at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

Album Accolades
at acclaimedmusic.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Enta Da Stage 1993 debut albums Black Moon (group) albums Albums produced by Da Beatminerz