It can easily be said that (because of the Notorious B.I.G.), nearly every Hip-Hop head is aware of the Junior M.A.F.I.A., but ironically, most of these same people have never heard or seen them. For those not in the know, these two constantly repeated words on various record shout-outs and at Rap shows evoke thoughts of something large, powerful, and even dangerous. Junior M.A.F.I.A. actually stands for Junior Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes and is a tight-knit click based out of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, NY. All members are apprentices in microphone destruction under the careful guidance of Rap's newest dons, and their childhood homie, The Notorious B.I.G. While in pursuit of stardom, B.I.G. always maintained that his close extended family of peoples would one day share the spotlight with him. A short time later, he has kept his word by introducing Junior M.A.F.I.A. to the world. JM can also be viewed as a specific lifestyle in which young people have control of their destiny. Although they are all around the same age category, B.I.G. is their undisputed leader, and likewise, he urges them to become leaders in the future. "We admire B.I.G. for taking us up from the street with him. He didn't have to do it. You gotta give him props for that" states Klepto. (Cont'd...)
The two most appealing aspects of JM (other than their slammin' sounds) is that the crew is not older than the age of twenty and is divided into four separate acts. Each of the four different personalities result in the hardcore 11 track bomb self-titled debut album on Undeas Entertainment/Big Beat/Atlantic Records. 666 (a.k.a. The Sixes) is comprised of Little Ceasar, Chico, and Nino Brown. They could be best described as the mischievous side of B.I.G., but in the end they know right from wrong and practice it. The Snakes are the no-joke duo of Trife and Larceny. They offer a flipside of the coin and represent the enraged, deadly attitude of an alarming number of Amerikkka's youth. Solo MC Klepto lives up to his name and delivers no holds barred lyrical matter that deals primarily in his constant escapades of boostin' and hustling. 4'7" female MC Little Kim (a.k.a. Big Momma) functions as the lieutenant for JM. She provides the all-too-rare view of ghetto life from a young female teenager's perspective caught amid the insanity around her. In describing the make up on Junior M.A.F.I.A., The Snakes' Trife has this to offer, "JM is simply everyone in the crew hitting you from a different angle trying to get their point across whether in shootin' or mackin'." ... Although The Notorious B.I.G. makes his presence felt on "Player's Anthem," as well as three more songs on the album, don't make the mistake of sleeping on the rest of the troop's skill. Album highlights include Little Kim's "Backstabbers" and "F#ck B!tches, Get Money", Klepto's "Oh My Lord" and The Snakes' "White Chalk." In addition to Clark Kent, producers Daddy-O, and DJ Akshun also contribute more flava to the project making this self-titled debut one of the most exciting and intriguing debut Hip-Hop albums of the year. - Press Kit, 1995. Conspiracy was released on 8/29/95.
