Forgotten Treasure: Chuck Small “U Got Nothin’ Coming” (1989)

West Coast Hip-Hop, Compton; 1989. Perhaps the first names that came to your mind are: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, Ice Cube, Eazy E, Compton’s Most wanted and stuff. But if you go further in your searching, then you’ll find treasures like this: “Compton Compilation – The Sound Control Mob”

We are talking about a compilation of emergent gangsta-rappers from Compton, L.A. The first time I found it, what attracted me more about this discovery was the album’s cover: a photograph of a crew of irreverent Warriors, not from Coney Island, but from Compton, one of the most deprived areas of Los Angeles, if not of the entire California. Then, I started listening. Just awesome; some classy West Coast rap with the freshness of a bunch of guys living near the coast doing what they wanted.

The album was released in 1989 by Kruk-Cat records- formed by Lonzo Williams, a member of the group Workin Class Wreckin Cru- and its partner label, City Fresh records. ‘Compton Compilation-The sound Control Mob” launched the career of some hottest acts from Compton such as MC. Stripe, PG 13 and CMW.
U got Nothing coming by Chuck Small was the track I picked to show you.

Chuck says to us: ‘Hey, I’m Chuck so what up?’ With that sassy tone accompanied, of course, by scratching, the classic hip hop base and a sample of the great Theme from the Black Hole of Parliaments-Funkadelic the funk, soul and rock music collective headed by George Clinton. That and a whole bunch of glorious sounds (whistles! bombs!) from early drum machines.

Hope you enjoy it!

Flovin

Flovin is a girl from Uruguay, a little, little country in South America. A literature student, she is also pretty interested in art in general, specially in music, cinema and literature.