Ear to the Street is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo the Conscious Daughters.[1] It was released in 1993 via Scarface Records and Priority Records.[2] The album peaked at No. 126 on the Billboard 200, at No. 25 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and at No. 7 on the Heatseekers Albums. It spawned two singles, "Somethin' to Ride To (Fonky Expedition)" and "We Roll Deep", both of which made it to the Billboard charts.

Ear to the Street
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 30, 1993 (1993-11-30)
Recorded1992–1993
GenreGangsta rap, West Coast hip hop
Label
ProducerParis
The Conscious Daughters chronology
Ear to the Street
(1993)
Gamers
(1996)
Singles from Ear to the Street
  1. "Somethin' to Ride To (Fonky Expedition)"
    Released: 1993
  2. "We Roll Deep"
    Released: 1993

Production

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The album was produced by Paris, who also wrote the tracks and contributed instrumentation. It was engineered by Eric Valentine.[3] The album came out two years after the duo had given Paris their demo tape.[4]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [5]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [4]

Trouser Press deemed the album a "busy-beat debut," calling the group "a young Oakland tag team possessing average skills, big attitudes and no pretense of political awareness."[6] The East Bay Express wrote that the album's two singles "are recognized as classics in the hip-hop canon."[7] Complex listed "Fonky Expedition" at No. 46 on its list of "The 50 Greatest Bay Area Rap Songs."[8]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Princess of Poetry" 
2."Shitty Situation" 
3."TCD in da Front" 
4."Somethin' to Ride To (Fonky Expedition)" 
5."We Roll Deep" 
6."Showdown (feat. Paris)" 
7."Wife of a Gangsta" 
8."Dex Dog" 
9."Crazybitchmadness" 
10."Da Mac Flow" 
11."What's a Girl to Do?" 

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (1994) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[9] 126
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] 25
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[11] 7

References

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  1. ^ "R.I.P. Rapper Special One, of Oakland Duo Conscious Daughters". SF Weekly. December 12, 2011.
  2. ^ Hunt, Dennis (May 28, 1994). "Making It in the Macho Rap World". Los Angeles Times. p. F1.
  3. ^ "The Conscious Daughters Biography & History". AllMusic.
  4. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 521.
  5. ^ Henderson, Alex. "Ear to the Street The Conscious Daughters". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  6. ^ "Paris". Trouser Press. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  7. ^ Swan, Rachel. "Rest in Peace, Special One". East Bay Express.
  8. ^ "The 50 Greatest Bay Area Rap Songs". Complex.
  9. ^ "The Conscious Daughters Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  10. ^ "The Conscious Daughters Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "The Conscious Daughters Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard.
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