Heltah Skeltah's Nocturnal is an album that isn't heralded enough

[old boy]

some say sean price is nicest on mic devices
pack power which make me more mightier than isis
try this, thats when the ruck shakes the richter
inflicter of pain my aim is to rip ya


that was my JOINT off this album. when louisville said snatch arms like jax and flow like trains through broadway junction i lost it


word is bon jovi

 

[L@CaT]

This album has aged the best to me in terms of BCC Classics.

 

[Morose Polymath]

Fav song off the album

That production is so melodic

 

[Rev Leon Lonnie Love]

top 3 favourite album intro.


Remember the first time I heard this intro, had to let that whole album play after that


another fav joint is this. that back-n-forth story telling

 

[mobbinfms]

I remember seeing Operation Lockdown music video late night, immediately got the album. 96 was such a crazy loaded year

I copped:
Nocturnal
Stakes Is High
Reasonable Doubt
It Was Written
AIDS compilation

All on the same day
All on cassette

 

[New Jeruzalem Journalist]

Favorite summer album of all-time for me. Top 10 favorite album period, could maybe make a case for it being top 5.

"Da Wiggy", "Undastand", and "Grate Unknown" are prolly my 3 favorite cuts on here, but the whole album is a 5 mic no filler classic to me. NOBODY wanted it with Ruck and Rock on the mic back then. And Rock was definitely the highlight of the group. Sean P was nice, but Rock's voice and lyrics made him the clear standout, which makes P's reemergence in the 2000s all the more impressive.

People love to talk about It Was Written, Reasonable Doubt, Hell On Earth, and 7 Day Theory for 1996 classics, but that year for me was all about Heltah Skeltah, Poor Righteous Teachers, Ras Kass, OGC, Cella Dwellas, Xzibit, Jeru, Keith Murray, Shyheim, The Roots, MOP, and De La.

And waiting forever for the damn Juggaknots and The Artifacts albums to drop and The Wall and Sam Goodie to keep giving me false release dates and saying their albums got pushed back

 

[old boy]

People love to talk about It Was Written, Reasonable Doubt, Hell On Earth, and 7 Day Theory for 1996 classics, but that year for me was all about Heltah Skeltah, Poor Righteous Teachers, Ras Kass, OGC, Cella Dwellas, Xzibit, Jeru, Keith Murray, Shyheim, The Roots, MOP, and De La.

ug and phantasm, haven't seen them mentioned on the net at all

2 dope emcees right there, realms and reality was my shyt... especially their realms style

 

[New Jeruzalem Journalist]

ug and phantasm, haven't seen them mentioned on the net at all

2 dope emcees right there, realms and reality was my shyt... especially their realms style

I'm a HUGE Cella Dwella fan. Top 5 favorite duo for me. I remember I used to listen to and rewind that skit on Masta Ace's Sittin On Chrome album just to hear them being played in the background. Ug dropped a solo album late 2016 called Portals. They still do occassional shows together and were working on some new material, but they both mainly focus on solo shyt now. Last new cut I heard from them as a group was like 2010-2011.

 

[surv2syn]

I'm a HUGE Cella Dwella fan. Top 5 favorite duo for me. I remember I used to listen to and rewind that skit on Masta Ace's Sittin On Chrome album just to hear them being played in the background. Ug dropped a solo album late 2016 called Portals. They still do occassional shows together and were working on some new material, but they both mainly focus on solo shyt now. Last new cut I heard from them as a group was like 2010-2011.

I agree with OP about Nocturnal.....but D.I.R.T. was my fukkin shyt too! HEAVILY SLEPT ON!

Shame Cella Dwellas didnt blow. they were dope as fukk.

 

[FunkDoc1112]

Clans Posses Crews and Clicks is my joint

 

[Urbanmiracle]

I didn’t get into heltah Skeltah till Sean Price solo career popped off but as a kid my brother had their cassette tape and I would play out LeFlur. I brought Knoncturnal the day Sean Price died. It was a somber listen, checking out fresh out the gate prime Sean P and Rockness when he returned to the essence. The whole album is fukking dope!

 

[DarkmanX]

I agree. Love Heltah Skeltah and this album in particular.

To answer OP;

I think becuz they were on Priority. I think BCC period would've blown up if they woulda had a machine. But
they also might've been percieved as a Wu-Tang Clan copy to the general public.

I think Rock especially would've/could've been a star back then. He had the "it" factor.
The voice, his presence, his look..

With the right push he could've done bigger damage in the game i feel.

 

[feelosofer]

I agree, it's difficult because Heltah Skeltah never really got a commercial push and people were arguing that that gritty grimey brand of boom bap rap was going out of style remember this came. Summer of 96 was right around the point where you had the mafioso rap era brought on by Cuban Linx then you had more R&B flavored rap sort of beginning to take off. I still think Nocturnal was maybe the last great album of the Silver Era. (92-96).

 

[MurphMcFly]

One of the my favorite albums of all time...

 

[$cam-U-Well_Jack$on]

Classic shyt.