The Desolate One

A former bouncer at punk clubs, Joseph Williams, Jr. was the first of the New York rappers to embrace gangsta rap, and when he burst out of Ft. Greene, Brooklyn as Just-Ice, he gained instant notoriety. Muscle-bound, tattooed, aggressive - he resembled Mike Tyson in more than just looks, and with a mouthful of gold teeth, he certainly stood out. He came out on the independent New York label Sleeping Bag, and certainly sounded like no other Hip Hop artist, thanks to his fast, forceful rhymes, DMX's human beatbox as well as the distinctive production of Mantronix's Kurtis Mantronik. Little could halt Just-Ice's ascension to hip-hop stardom, though the departure of Mantronik from Sleeping Bag was the start of a new era. KRS-One stepped in to produce 1987's Kool & Deadly and 1989's the Desolate One, swapping out Mantronik's hi-tech skills for raw, elemental beats and rhymes, reminiscent of the original Boogie Down Productions set and sound. A must have CD for Hip Hop heads and Old School aficionados alike... Includes the incredible 'Na Touch Da Just' and reggae influenced 'Ram Dance Hall Session' featuring an up and coming Heavy D.