Breaking Atoms - Main Source

...to me that Main Source's Breaking Atoms, released in 1991, is an unarguable classic album and should be ranked in the top 20 or perhaps even top 10 to some, which is heavy praise. For a long time I was unable to listen to the album because for a decade and a half, it was not only out of print, but impossible to find even in mp3 form.

On April 22nd, 2008, the album was finally re-issued and thousands of hardcores could finally get their ...
...tons of extraordinary material on Breaking Atoms, but I just don't feel it's that good.

What I find most interesting is that a lot of the praise that Breaking Atoms leans more towards the production of the album as opposed to the rhyming, a statement that I quite frankly disagree with. Most of the beats are of the late 80s boom-bap variety, but you can see the bridge being built between the boom-bap and the string melody-heavy mid-90s ... more

Main Source was a hip hop super-group from the Great White North (Toronto, Canada) composed of Sir Scratch, K-Cut, and Large Professor. The majority of folks reading that will probably think "who?" to the first two, but instantly recognize Large Professor as one of the top producers in hip hop, crafting classic material with the likes of Nas, Mobb Deep, Common, and Cormega. Sir Scratch faded into obscurity but K-Cut actually went on to work with Big Punisher, Queen Latifah, and the greatest rapper of all time: Shaq. Still, there's no denying LP was the star.

Ever since I got into this once-beautiful blend of music and poetry known as hip-hop, long time heads have always pushed to me that Main Source's Breaking Atoms, released in 1991, is an unarguable classic album and should be ranked in the top 20 or perhaps even top 10 to some, which is heavy praise. For a long time I was unable to listen to the album because for a decade and a half, it was not only out of print, but impossible to find even in mp3 form.

On April 22nd, 2008, the album was finally re-issued and thousands of hardcores could finally get their paws on it. After listening to Breaking Atoms, I truthfully don't believe it is a top 10 rap album, or even top 20, or even top 30. However, to not place it in at least a top 100 would be pretty ridiculous. Some folks are probably reading that thinking that I'm a lunatic, and there is still no denying that there really is tons of extraordinary material on Breaking Atoms, but I just don't feel it's that good.

What I find most interesting is that a lot of the praise that Breaking Atoms leans more towards the production of the album as opposed to the rhyming, a statement that I quite frankly disagree with. Most of the beats are of the late 80s boom-bap variety, but you can see the bridge being built between the boom-bap and the string melody-heavy mid-90s hip hop sound, which makes the album a true pioneer in sound. The methods used to construct the songs on here (layered percussion, jazz sampling, dirty drums, etc) were widely mimicked for years to come, but the fact is that most of the clones (Rza, Havoc, etc) managed to really master these techniques and surpass this album, in my humble opinion. You can expect lots of bass-heavy composition, hi-hats, snares, and scratch-samples on here, entirely crafted by Large Professor. But again, although he's more known for being a beatmaker, I feel his rapping is even more impressive.

When fans talk about why Breaking Atoms is such a beloved hip hop album, they always point to "Looking at the Front Door", "Just a Friendly Game of Baseball", and "Watch Roger Do His Thing" as the paramount moments of the LP. I agree for the most part! "Looking at the Front Door" is one of the earliest rap tracks that I can remember that touched on the subject of a decaying relationship and the inevitable breakup. "Just A Friendly Game of Baseball" is the infamous political extended metaphor track where they mix baseball with racial profiling. The wordplay is top-notch, but the rapping and instrumental itself puts me to sleep, which is why I prefer the "Just A Friendly Game of Baseball Remix" a lot more. "Watch Roger Do His Thing" is an inspirational storytelling track about a troubled youth who climbs from the slums to the penthouse due to his hard work and never say die attitude. These are the main highlights from Breaking Atoms and Main Source gets tons of brownie points for creativity.

A huge majority of this album, much like a lot of the releases of the time, follow the "he is the DJ, I am the rapper" type feel; lots of brag-rap and the like. "Snake Eyes", "Just Hangin Out" and "Large Professor" are purely there to showcase the emceeing skills of Large Pro. Make no mistake, LP IS great, but most of the time lacks the charisma needed to carry these kinds of tracks. Rakim did the same things a couple of years earlier and still had me hanging on every word in 2009, but Rakim IS a very special kind of rapper and Large Pro isn't quite that special. This was 1991, and we'd be blessed with lyrical brilliance just a few years later by the likes of Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Gza, and Nas (more on him later).

Okay so, by now you'd know I'm not feeling Breaking Atoms as much as I perhaps should. But it's not only that. There are some songs on here that border mediocrity. Despite me being a bilingual Cuban, "Vamos A Rapiar" is not a pleasant listen. Now the song is obviously not rapped in Spanish, but contains a horde of pretty cool Spanish samples, but the song is just average. "He Got So Much Soul (He Don't Need No Music)", which is again, just average. Large Pro brag-raps on here, as expected, but fails to keep me interested. I can appreciate the song, but it just garners zero repeat listens while the others get one or two.

Then there's "Live at the Barbecue", the song that features the first on wax recording by Nas, who would go on to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Having Nas on the record is both a gift and a curse because while Nas steals the entire album without question with his career-making verse, it also shows just how much better Nas is than Large Professor in every way and how far ahead of his time he was. This jam session is certified dopeless and of all the material on Breaking Atoms, this song is the most timeless.

Breaking Atoms is a good album that I really don't MIND listening to, but is it a classic? Eh, as far as being incredibly innovative and imaginative for it's time, sure. But as far as a record that you can listen to top to bottom nonstop, you're better off looking elsewhere. I might catch a lot of flack from folks who think this album is the holy grail of hip hop, but to me it's more like the Book of Numbers; it's fine once in a while, but you don't really want to go back to it that often.
 

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