Dynamite Cuts Schallplatten & CDs

Review: While Last Poets are rightly regarded as the 'godfathers of rap', others would insist that Hustlers Convention - a 1973 solo album from member Jalal Nuriddin under the Lightnin' Rod alias - had more influence on the birth of hip-hop. In part, that's down to the funk backing he received on the album from his chosen backing bands, which included the mighty Kool & The Gang. Here, Dynamite Cuts prove the point by offering two killer cuts from the set on 7" for the very first time. A-side 'Sport' is a Blaxploitation style delight - all ear-catching horn motifs, shuffling funk breaks, weighty bass, wah-wah guitar and languid spoken word vocals - while 'Four Bitches Is What I Got' sees our hero make merry over a more stripped-back take on the same backing track.

Review: Dynamite Cuts continue doing good justice to the label's obsession with Jon Lucien, the soul and funk crooner who eluded overt popularity but refused to let that crimp his style. Four of his most timeless classics here get the reissue treatment, and are compiled into one EP, traversing the lengthy ranges of b-boy breaks ('A Sunny Day'), percussive soca ('Ghetto Song'), post-highlife prayers ('Listen Love'), and everything in between.