'Once Upon A Time In America' was released on this day in 1996 via Profile Records. The production by D.R. Period and the undeniable chemistry that blood brothers Smoothe Da Hustler & Trigger Tha Gambler had on record made this a gem of an album out of Brooklyn. Whether it was Smoothe & Trigg going back to back with innovative rhyme patterns on 'Broken Language,' rhyming backwards on 'My Brother My Ace' or on the would-be single, 'Only Human,' they delivered great tracks along with D.V. Alias Khryst. Maybe some of you remember it from my old website, but Smoothe and I did an interview over 10 years ago, where he spoke about his time away from music raising his son after his baby mother died from a brain aneurysm, some of the artists who ran with his style in his absence, his album with Ice-T and lots more to do with his SMG label. The one thing I know for sure, go to any party & throw on 'Broken Language,' Brooklyn will take over that whole party, lol. After that interview, I remember catching a show he was on at the old Knitting Factory and then side-stage at Rock The Bells the year Nas & DJ Premier headlined. His energy was good, we chopped it up briefly & crossed paths one more time at Fat Beats, where he did a quick drop for a mix I was working on at the time. 'Broken Language' video below, and The Source interview is up above.