Smif N Wesson Return On 10-23-07 With The Album

Duck Down Records announces the return of Smif N Wesson! Tek N Steele will return on 10-23-07 with the release of their 4th LP The Album.

Ever wonder who originally coined the phrase “Bucktown,” the slang which has since become synonymous in the Urban landscape to describe the concrete borough? That’s right, Smif N Wesson’s Tek & Steele.

Appearing under the name, Smif-N-Wessun, Tek and Steele's first-ever recorded experience dates back to fellow 'Bucktown' representatives and Boot Camp members, Black Moon's stellar LP, 1993's Enta Da Stage. Textured with the murky, dungeon-core production of Da Beatminerz, and crackling with the flavor of a reggae vocal long-forgotten, the collaboration would set the stage for the unique blend of sound clash street-speak which was to follow. And follow it they did-- nearly 2 years later, when the fast-rising pair dropped their groundbreaking Dah Shinin' debut on Nervous Records. Acclaimed by both hip-hop and pop press alike, the record would feature an abundance of single-worthy cuts, including the now-classics, "Sound Bwoy Buriel", "Stand Strong", and "Bucktown." And the fans liked it too, copping enough copies during its opening week to ensure both a #1 slot on Billboard's Rap Album chart and #3 debut on its R&B measure-- impressive stats for a new artist release in any genre.

By the time Tek & Steele began recording their sophomore LP, Rude Awakening, Duck Down had a new recording home and distribution deal with Priority Records and was the talk of the underground scene. But just as things looked ready to take off, Tek & Steele were served a cease and desist order from gun manufacturer Smith And Wesson, which banned them from being able to record under their original recording moniker Smif N Wesson; hence, when Rude Awakening was finally released in 1998, Tek & Steele were forced to release the LP as Cocoa Brovaz---a road block which would have crippled most artists with lesser talent. Though Tek & Steele signed a deal with former Indy Powerhouse Rawkus Records in 2000, it was short lived, as Rawkus folded its door’s shortly after Tek & Steele had finished recording their Rawkus debut. Yet, the duo remained busy, as they stayed active by contributing to Rawkus’ Soundbombing II (“Get Up”) and SB III (“Spit Again”) and appearing (“Gun Talk”) on Talib Kweli’s 2002 release Quality.

In 2005, Smif N Wesson released their third LP, Reloaded, the integral and final piece to Duck Down’s “Triple Threat” campaign (which also included releases from Buckshot & 9th Wonder (Chemistry) and Sean Price’s solo-debut (Monkey Barz) and more recently Tek & Steele added their unique flows and deliveries to collective BCC efforts The Last Stand (2006) and Casualties Of War (2007).

After working with some of Hiphop’s great artists, Tupac, M.O.P., Mobb Deep, Talib Kweli and Aaliyah, on their latest opus, The Album, Smif N Wesson left their comfortable surroundings in Bucktown to seemingly reinvent their sound, as in a quaint studio in Sweden, Tek N Steele worked diligently for three weeks recording tracks with producers such as Ken Ring (who previously produced “Trading Places” off BCC’s Last Stand album, and “Reloaded” off Smif N Wessun’s Reloaded album), Tommy Tee (who produced “Church” on Sean Price’s Jesus Price Supastar album), Rune Rotter, and Soul Theory. The Album’s lead-single, “Stomp Thru” f/Rock (from Heltah Skeltah) and Joell Ortiz is already gaining considerable momentum!

After 14 storied years in the rap game, Smif N Wessun are back with their signature name and have created a personal reflection of their experiences in the music industry with The Album.

Tracklisting and credits for Smif N Wesson’s The Album:
1.) See The Light (produced by Ken Ring and Collen & Webb )
2.) Gotta Say it f/Chuckii Star (produced by Ken Ring and Collen & Webb)
3.) Trouble (produced by Ken Ring and Collen & Webb)
4.) K.I.M. 200 f/Loudmouf Choir
5.) P.N.C. For Life (produced by Ken Ring & Rune Rotter)
6.) Gangsta Prayer f/Million Styles (produced by Ken Ring & Rune Rotter)
7.) Stomp Thru f/Rock and Joell Ortiz (produced by Ken Ring and Collen & Webb)
8.) Who Gonna Save Us (produced by Ken Ring & Tommy Tee)
9.) Still Fighting (produced by Ken Ring and Collen & Webb)
10.) Yeah (produced by Ken Ring & Tommy Tee)
11.) Movie (produced by Ken Ring & Tommy Tee)
12.) Can’t Stop (produced by Ken Ring & Soul Theory)
13.) Can’t Feel My Face f/Loudmouf Choir (produced by Ken Ring & Tommy Tee)
14.) Still Here (produced by Ken Ring and Collen & Webb)