Justice System - “Due Our Time”

“Time! Time! Time!”

Yeah, it’s time for another obscure rap record!

Well, not just rap, but a heaping bit of jazz and funk thrown in too.

Now, when it comes to groups who mix rapping with instruments, people tend to jump to The Roots and be done with it. Well, sure, they’re one of the most successful outfits to do it, but they aren’t alone in the category. And around the time they were just finding their legs, a Bronx outfit called Justice System was walking tall. The group, composed of members Folex, Coz Boogie, Mo Betta Al, Jahbaz, Eric G., and Wizard C-Roc (If I missed anyone you can tar and feather me), arrived with plenty of flair with their wonderful 1994 debut, Rooftop Soundcheck. This record is a true synthesis of jazz, funk, and hip-hop, as emcees Folex and Jahbaz are surrounded by Rhodes pianos, basses, saxophones, guitars, and drums, taking cues from artists such as Miles Davis and Afrika Bambaataa. Rooftop Soundcheck is truly enjoyable record, funky and light, and very, very live, another one of those summer soundtrack-type joints. Though in the early ’90s hip-hop went through a jazz-adoring phase and damn near everyone was throwing a horn in their instrumentals, the System was one of the few groups who really nailed the mix and did it all.

It’s just a damn shame that they kinda fell off the face of the planet not long after the record.

Anyhow, one of my favorite spins from the album is the upbeat opener, “Due Our Time,” coming with plenty of attitude and head-bobbing beats. Folex and Jahbaz put in a hell of a showing, explaining who they are: Some funky-ass rockers; who they aren’t: Whack gangster emcees; and what they intend to do: Make fantastic music, and make everyone realize that their time is now. I love this one.