Today in Hip-Hop: Smif-N-Wessun Drop ‘Dah Shinin” Album

On this day, Jan. 10, in hip-hop history…

1995: Brooklyn rap duo Smif-N-Wessun made their full-fledged introduction to the rap world when they dropped their debut album Dah Shinin’ on Jan. 10, 1995. Although fans of the hardcore pair were familiar with Tek and Steele thanks to their guest appearance on Black Moon’s 1993 album Enta da Stage, this was the first time listeners heard the duo on a full-length project of their own. Dark, menacing beats on the 16-track LP were provided by Bushwick crew Da Beatminerz members DJ Evil Dee, Mr. Walt, Rich Blak and Baby Paul, the same producers who helped craft Black Moon’s sound two years earlier.

The album was fueled by Smif-N-Wessun’s 1994 single “Bucktown,” which became an underground hit, but the crowning achievement of the project was the fact that it introduced the supergroup Bootcamp Clik, made up of Smif-N-Wessun, Black Moon’s Buckshot, Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C., for the first time on wax.

Dah Shinin’ sold over 300,000 copies in the U.S., peaking at No. 5 on Billboard‘s Top R&B Albums and No. 59 on the Billboard 200 chart. In the 22 years since its release, Dah Shinin’ is often referred to as a monumental album for identifying the Brooklyn sound and a rap classic.

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