So why is Das EFX’s Dead Serious on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
I’m pretty sure I heard Das EFX for the first time while in college at Binghamton University in upstate New York, and it was certainly the Dead Serious album. Das EFX immediately struck me as different from any other hip hop music I had heard to date, with its striking underground New York City vibe and its made up words and often playful-sounding lyrics. And then of course Das EFX stands out from the crowd because it’s really good.
“They Want EFX” is a straight banger, with Das EFX’s signature “iggity-iggity-ziggity-ziggity” flow (see: made up + playful-sounding lyrics). It’s a lyrical showcase that will leave you hyped and bopping your head from start to finish.
“Mic Checka” is an anthem for MCs. It’s got a hard-hitting beat and razor-sharp rhymes that put the hip hop duo’s (that would be Drayz and Skoob) skills on full display. This is a premium party track that’ll get any crowd jumping (in unison perhaps).
“Straight Out the Sewer” is a gritty showcase of raw East Coast rap. Das EFX bring their raw energy and vivid storytelling to the forefront on this one, painting a vivid picture of the struggles they faced growing up. It’s a standout track that proves their skills as lyricists and storytellers.
Dead Serious is the Das EFX duo’s debut album, released in 1992, and helped pioneer the development of the East Coast hardcore rap style. It was executive produced by EPMD, a Long Island hip hop duo who are from a town or two over from where I grew up, who themselves produced groundbreaking rap albums such as Strictly Business in 1988.
Some stats & info about Das EFX – Dead Serious
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rap, Hip Hop, East Coast Rap, Hip Hop Golden Age
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 5 out of 5 stars
- When was Dead Serious released? 1992
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #553 out of 1,000
Das EFX’s Dead Serious on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Das EFX’s Dead Serious that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Well, I’ll be darned, shiver me timbers yo, head for the hills! I picked a weeping willow, and a daffodil.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.