Today in Hip-Hop History: Souls Of Mischief Dropped Their Debut Album ’93 ‘Til Infinity’ 31 Years Ago

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On this day in Hip Hop history in 1993, Oakland trio Souls of Mischief released their underrated debut album 93 Til Infinity. Hailing from Oakland’s Hieroglyphics camp, which Del Tha Funky Homosapien leads, these conscious adolescents put together an LP that, despite their “inexperience”, held its own against the work of East Coast artists thriving in New York’s backpacker, boom-bap scene. After a quarter of a century, this album is regarded by real Hip Hop purists as a classic.

Quietly peaking at #84 on the Billboard 200 chart, this album is the crown jewel of the Hieroglyphics collective and ranks among some of the most timeless albums of the time. Critically, this album was highly regarded by journalists and other artists as well. It’s genre-defying subject matter, jazz and funk-infused production, and unique style, apart from anything else in California, made this album stand out (even if it didn’t have the sales to show it). Most of the album’s success resulted from its lead single, “’93 til Infinity,” which peaked at #72 on the Billboard Hot 100.