''Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury'' is the debut album by alternative hip hop crew

The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy were an American hip-hop musical ensemble, active during the early 1990s. The band was formed in 1990 by Michael Franti (vocals, production, misc. instruments) and Rono Tse (drums, percussion, programming), w ...

, released in 1992. ''Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury'' was met with critical acclaim. "Television, the Drug of the Nation" was released as a single. It was recorded previously by

Michael Franti Michael Franti (born April 21, 1966) is an American rapper, musician, poet, activist, documentarian, and singer-songwriter, known for his participation in many musical projects, most with a political and social emphasis, including the Beatnigs ...

's first band,

the Beatnigs The Beatnigs were an American, San Francisco-based band, which combined hardcore punk, industrial and hip hop influences, described as "a kind of avant-garde industrial jazz poets collective". The band was the initial collaboration of Michael F ...

Critical reception

In a contemporary review for ''

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 ...

'', music critic Robert Christgau said that, although some of the ideas and metaphors are unconvincing,

's "intellectual grasp thrusts him immediately into pop's front rank". He also praised DJ Rono Tse as "a one-man hip hop band" who, with the help of percussionist

Mark Pistel Mark Pistel is a producer, engineer, programmer, remixer and songwriter who has been working in the electronic music scene since 1988. Pistel works out of a San Francisco recording studio called Room 5. Pistel was a founding member of the band ...

, "creates more music than he samples, stretching

Bomb Squad Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milit ...

parameters to carry the tracks whenever Franti falters." ''Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury'' finished number 19 in ''The Village Voice''s

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abs ...

critics' poll. Christgau, the poll's creator, ranked it number 14 in his own list. In a retrospective review,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

's Ned Raggett said that the group "tackled every last big issue possible with one of 1992's most underrated efforts." He felt that, while its mix of "Bomb Squad and industrial music approaches" make it an appealing album, Franti's thematic breadth and "rich voice" are highlights.

Track listing

Charts

Samples

* "Satanic Reverses" **

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

- "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" * "Famous and Dandy" ** Herbie Hancock - " Watermelon Man" * "Television, the Drug of the Nation" ** The Meters - "Look-Ka-Py-Py" * "Language of Violence" **

This Mortal Coil This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotati ...

- "Barramundi" * "The Winter of the Long Hot Summer" **

- "Waves Become Wings" ** Wally Badarou - "Ayers Rock Bubble Eyes" * "Everyday Life Has Become a Health Risk' **

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

- "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic" * "

California über alles California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...

" ** "

" by

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing p ...

* "Water Pistol Man" ** Wally Badarou - "Leaving this Place" Rap Sample FAQ
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Personnel

*John Baker - Engineer *Kim Buie - Art Direction *The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy - Editing, Art Direction, Mixing *

- Arranger, Programming, Vocals, Backing Vocals *Vivian Hall *Mark Heimback-Nielsen - Art Direction, Design *

Charlie Hunter Charlie Hunter (born May 23, 1967) is an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. First coming to prominence in the early 1990s, Hunter plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars on which he simultaneously plays bass lines, chords, a ...

- Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Voices *Jeff Mann - Post Production Engineer *

- Arranger, Programming, Engineer, Mixing *Pete Scaturro - Engineer *Rono Tse - Percussion, Drums, Drums (Steel), Noise, Sheet Metal *Barbara Walker - Assistant Photographer *

Howie Weinberg Howie Weinberg is an American audio mastering engineer with over 2,257 mastering credits, three TEC Awards, 21 Grammy Awards, two Juno Awards, and one Mercury Prize. Career Weinberg mastered Herbie Hancock's 1983 album '' Future Shock''. Other ...

- Mastering * Simone White - Drums *

Mat Callahan Mat Callahan (born Mathew Kerner, July 14, 1951, San Francisco, California) is an American musician, author, songwriter, activist, music producer and engineer. Biography Early life Callahan's father, William Kerner, was a leader of the internati ...

- Engineer *

Jack Dangers Jack Dangers (born John Stephen Corrigan, 11 January 1965) is an English electronic musician, DJ, producer, and remixer best known for his work as the primary member of Meat Beat Manifesto. He lives in San Francisco. Career Prior to founding ...

- Mixing *Victor Hall - Art Direction, Photography *Jay Blakesberg - Photography *Sean Mathis - Assistant Photographer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy albums 1992 debut albums 4th & B'way Records albums