Breaking Atoms

Infobox Album
Name = Breaking Atoms
Type = studio
Artist = Main Source


Released = July 23 1991
Recorded = Homeboy Studio, Power Play and Libra Digital; 1990–1991
Genre = Hip hop
Length = 46:14
Label = Wild Pitch/EMI
Producer = Main Source
Reviews = *Allmusic rating|5|5Huey, Steve. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:79eyxd0bjold allmusic ((( Breaking Atoms > Overview )))] . Allmusic. Accessed May 20 2008.]
*"Entertainment Weekly" (B+)Bernard, James (April 19 1991). [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,314052,00.html Breaking Atoms (1991)] . "Entertainment Weekly". Accessed May 20 2008.]
*RapReviews (10/10)Mennella, Dan (June 22 2004). [http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_breakingatoms.html Main Source :: Breaking Atoms :: Wild Pitch Records] . RapReviews. Accessed May 20 2008.]
*"The Source" rating|5|5Fact|date=May 2008
Last album =
This album = "Breaking Atoms"
(1991)
Next album = "Fuck What You Think
(1994)Singles
Name = Breaking Atoms
Type = studio
single 1 = Looking at the Front Door
single 1 date = October 25 1990
single 2 = Watch Roger Do His Thing
single 2 date = 1990
single 3 = Just Hangin' Out
single 3 date = May 14 1991
single 4 = Peace Is Not the Word to Play
single 4 date = October 22 1991

"Breaking Atoms" is the debut album of hip hop group Main Source, released on July 23 1991 through Wild Pitch Records. It is widely thought of as a very influential album and is notable for the debut of rapper Nas.Relic, Peter (2004). [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/mainsource/biography Main Source: Biography : Rolling Stone] . "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide". Accessed May 20 2008.] It is highly regarded thanks to the virtuoso production of frontman Large Professor, whose heavy and original use of sampling influenced hip hop producers for a good portion of the 1990s. Nas makes his debut appearance on "Live at the Barbeque", which is also played in the background of "Genesis", the intro to his debut album, "Illmatic" (1994). It is one of the most important records in hip hop history and also hard to find; it has been out of print in the United States since Wild Pitch Records' demise in 1997. It was reissued on April 22, 2008 and is now available to the public.

Music

"Breaking Atoms" was produced using the E-mu SP-1200. Allmusic's Steve Huey writes that the album's acclaim lies mostly in its production, which popularized a number of now widely imitated techniques. Huey describes that the "intricately constructed tracks are filled with jazz and soul samples, layered percussion, off-kilter sampling effects, and an overall sonic richness." RapReviews' Dan Mennella also notes that the beats are the "cornerstone" of the record. Dan Nishimoto of PopMatters considers the album's sampling to be "neatly layered, its subject matter is modest, and its overall tone is simply well executed fun." [Nishimoto, Dan (December 2 2005. [http://www.popmatters.com/columns/nishimoto/051202.shtml CALL AND RESPONSE: Pickin' Up the Pieces: Sampling from the Great Producers] . PopMatters. Accessed May 20 2008.] In his book "Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide", Oliver Wang writes that Large Professor as a producer "thinks in complete song structure, never focusing on one single element—a loop, a break—but always juggling them in unison."Wang, Oliver, [http://books.google.com.au/books?id=ighxbRRgk6sC Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide] (published 2003), p. 34, ISBN 1550225618]

Reception

"Breaking Atoms" received acclaim from music critics. Allmusic's Steve Huey declared it "one of the quintessential cult classics in hip-hop history". "Entertainment Weekly"'s James Bernard writes that "Main Source may not break much new ground, but they offer a clever, quietly seductive collection in which the bass and drum tracks casually strut instead of stomp, and the sparse samples of guitar and horns allow the Large Professor's voice to take center stage." RapReviews' Dan Mennella notes that many acknowledge "Breaking Atoms" to be on a similar level to Nas' "Illmatic" (1994) and A Tribe Called Quest's first three albums.

"SoundProof" magazine lists the album at number sixteen in "The Top 20 Toronto Albums Ever" [Petaccia, Leo. [http://www.soundproofmagazine.com/toronto/features/2007-06/27-Top20TorontoAlbums-16-20.htm The Top 20 Toronto Albums Ever] . "Soundproof" magazine. Accessed May 20 2008.] and About.com's Henry Adaso lists it at number twenty in the "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums". [Adaso, Henry. [http://rap.about.com/b/2006/09/30/100-greatest-hip-hop-albums.htm 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums] . About.com. Accessed May 20 2008.] In 2004's "Rolling Stone Album Guide", Peter Relic writes that "From the candy-colored cover depicting the three members crowded around a fantasy science project to the uptempo beats and matching fast raps, it's a period piece whose meticulous presentation...make it an enduring pleasure from a bygone era."

Track listing

All tracks produced by Main Source.

ingles

Personnel

Information taken from Allmusic. [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gpfyxqu5ld6e~T2 allmusic ((( Breaking Atoms > Credits )))] . Allmusic. Accessed May 20 2008.]
*Akinyele – Rap
*Peter Bodtke – Photography
*Terry Clarke – Design, Cover Art Concept
*Amy Fine – Art Direction
*Chris Gehringer – Mastering
*K-Cut – Turntables
*Large Professor – Vocals
*Main Source – Producer, Mixing
*Tony Papa Michael – Engineer
*Nas – Rap
*Anton Pukshansky – Bass, Engineer, Mixing
*Pete Rock – Associate Producer
*Sir Scratch – Turntables

References