'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. You can hear that as introduction to the 'Broken Language' video embedded below, and The Source's 'Microphone Check' interview up above. Hit the tags for lots more content.