Profiling the Funky Man - Lord Finesse

[CelticBalla32]

Just posted my second article over at Rhyme Junkie, this time I profile one of my all-time favorites, Lord Finesse. Here's the intro:

Rappers from The Empire State have always taken great pride in their craft, to the point where it's tough to argue about where hip hop's poetic standards were set. They didn't revolutionize the game and raise the stakes by trying to create the catchiest hook, it's about who can hit the hardest with the mic in hand. When you think about New York rap, you think of a gritty underground flavor glorified by raw cuts and elite lyricism that attacks the microphone's proverbial jugular.

One of the unquestioned leaders of elevating that bravado is The Bronx's own Lord Finesse, whose talents were introduced to hip hop in the late 80s on the strength of his vigorous microphone presence. When Lord Finesse grabbed the mic, he did it with a level of confidence so supreme that it transferred from his vocal cords to the soul of his listeners. The lyrical assassin captured his aura and constantly turned heads with strong wordplay, metaphors, similes, seductive multi-syllable rhyme schemes and a prodigious ability to concoct punchlines with the best of them.

He had all the tools an emcee could ask for, and then some, including the support of some of hip hop's most creative minds. By the time Finesse landed his first deal with Wild Pitch Records at the ripe age of 19, he had already built connections with a group of captivating revolutionary hip hoppers that united to form the Diggin' in the Crates Crew, commonly referred to as "D.I.T.C." Finesse acted as the head of the snake to the group that showcased Diamond D, Showbiz, A.G., Buckwild, O.C. Fat Joe and the late great Big L. These guys were no joke.

Finesse isn't anything to play with on the breaks, either. As raw as he was on the mic, he was equally impressive of a producer. Aside from producing a large portion of his own music, he worked with some of the top names in the game along the way. You can thank him for putting Big L on and also producing five tracks on L's debut album Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, including "'98 Freestyle," "Street Struck" and hit single "M.V.P." The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Suicidal Thoughts" was also done by Lord Finesse and you can find him on cuts from O.C.'s first two albums as well as "Add On" from Showbiz & A.G.'s Goodfellas. For a more recent example, Finesse created "Funky Ho'$" from Joey Bada$$' highly publicized mixtape 1999.

Check out the full article here

If you're interested in taking a look at my first post about Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, check it out here

Comments/feedback appreciated!

[CelticBalla32]

@LordFinesseDITC @DustinChapman34 Salute & God Bless. I thanks you for taking time to write such an article..

.

I don't know how to embed tweets but Lord Finesse caught eye of my article and retweeted/responded to it! So sick! He's also following me now.

[CelticBalla32]

Why did I post this in the multimedia forum? lol

If someone could move this to the Entertainment forum I just found, that would be great. This article is about music and, well, nobody looks at the multimedia forum.

[moiso]

I used to love Lord Finesse!  Still do, but haven't listened to him in a while.  He was smooth and hilarious.

[CelticBalla32]

I used to love Lord Finesse!  Still do, but haven't listened to him in a while.  He was smooth and hilarious.

Tommy Point for the response and your username. Jerome Moiso. Christ.