It’s not Breakin’ Atoms nor is it Blowout Comb; the two records some cats seem to confuse it with whenever I bring up the debut of the Cali emcee Dred Scott. His first and only record, 1994’s Breakin’ Combs, is a terrific effort; a record with a great blend of styles, stories, and personality, which is spectacularly unknown by many. So for this edition of KN’s Forgotten Classics, I had to shed some light on this one.
It was a bit of a challenge digging up information on Dred as there’s not much about him to be found. Born Johnathan Scott, he grew up in a musical family with his mother being the first black woman to appear as a dancer on the Ed Sullivan show. He was taught Jazz as a child, a genre that would be a large influence in his music later on. But growing up, he got caught up in Hip Hop and delved into the Los Angeles underground scene in the late ‘80s, even making it to the stage of the L.A. Hip Hop Mecca known as the Good Life Café. He dubbed himself Dred Scott, after the famous slave who sued his master unsuccessfully in 1857 for his freedom. Along the way, Dred also learned how to make beats and caught the attention of the emcee Tragedy Khadafi, who helped him secure a record deal on Tuff Break Records. In the spring of 94’, he dropped Breakin’ Combs.
Breakin’ Combs is definitely a mid-90’s rap record at its core with endless horns, a heavy Jazz influence, introspection, and plenty of boom-bap. However, Dred puts a unique spin on things, infusing the record with a great sense of humor and a keen awareness of identity and history. He’s adept at flipping topics and musical influences and the album’s beats, courtesy of Dred himself, which will keep your head nodding.
The record begins with “Back in the Day,” where he reminisces about the old days before his deal, listening to KDAY, writing rhymes about “a rookie named Michael Jordan,” and scoping the scene with his crew, even though he isn’t afraid to admit that they were pretty wack back then. The album really opens with the next track, “Duck Ya Head,” a solid listen which showcases his skills when it comes to storytelling, kicking off with him shoplifting a microphone because, “Me without a mic is like a brother with no function / That’s like America without the greed and the corruption…” but his getaway is cut short when his car won’t start. It leads to a series of mishaps which culminate with a dangerous run-in with stick-up kids. The beat is appropriately funky, with a smart flute adding to the sound.
When it comes to introspection and personality, Breakin’ Combs shines brightly with the one-two of “Check The Vibe” and “My Mind is Driftin’,” two tracks which have been on my playlist for a long while. “Check The Vibe” is relaxed and contemplative, somewhat downtrodden on the beat with Dred providing a deep look into his mind, full of questions and conflicts about life, his environment, and his direction, accompanied with some smooth guest vocals from singer (and his future wife) Adriana Evans. “My Mind Is Driftin’” pushes the reflection even further, as over a bass loop with stabs from lonesome organ and horn, Dred ruminates about the state of Hip Hop rhyming, “Selecting old records that were lost in time / Busting a nut in the deejay’s mind / But when we get pregnant with the Hip Hop the industry puts the child up for adopts / And the hair’s too nappy, need a half-breed / Mixed with the pop and the R&B…” He wonders about his spot in the music and if he’ll be able to fix the problem. This track is definitely one of the records highlights.
As for bangers, Dred brings those too like “Funky Rhythms,” which has a phat beat, a nice organ added to the mix, and guest Tragedy Khadafi joining Dred for some great back-and-forth bragging and boasting rhymes. “Nuthin Ta Lose” is another highlight; one of the records singles, which has Dred rhyming, “Empty out the register I took your cash and jewels / Put my own record out, be the boss ya know / Start my own empire like Ross Perot…” The beat goes hard and is a definite head nodder with Dred putting in everything he’s got.
And I can’t talk about Breakin’ Combs without mentioning the fantastic oddball track, “Swinging from the Tree,” a testament to Dred’s sense of humor and social commentary. It’s a tongue-in-cheek look at race and those who forsake their culture mentioning that no matter how you act, some people will only view you one way. The beat is aloof and agitated and Dred drops gem after gem lyrically. Driving the track home is another guest spot from Adriana Evans, putting on her best Hillary Banks impression and coming off as a stuck-up chick who is everything but black, delivering both chuckles and eye rolls. It’s demented and very well done.
Breakin’ Combs was a moderate success even generating two singles with “Nuthin’ Ta Lose” and “Check The Vibe.” But in a busy year of stellar rap releases, the album fell by the wayside. It also didn’t help that Tuff Break Records was shuttered by its owner, A&M Records the next year, putting the record out of print and ending Dred’s deal. In 1995, he would contribute the track, “I Gotta Get Mine” for the compilation Pump Ya Fist: Hip Hop Inspired by the Black Panthers and assisted Adriana Evans in the production of her 1997 self-titled debut, along with her later records. In 2005, he returned to rhyming for a remix of Evans’ 2004 track, “Remember The Love,” along with a re-release of Breakin’ Combs…both only for Japan. Since then, he’s kept a low profile and Combs has only grown in cult status.
On “My Mind is Driftin’” Dred tells us, “Do you know if I’m ahead of my time? People won’t understand my flow on the track, all that could mean is my shyt is just wack, so if it really is, or if it really isn’t it doesn’t really matter cuz I got my own vision…” It’s a poignant lyric because on Breakin’ Combs,he delivers a striking manifesto.
Do whatever you need to do to track this classic down.
That jazz influence 
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But it ended up on all their end year lists. I kinda stopped messing with them after that. Dope thread though 