M.O.P. stands for Mash Out Posse, and its members are rappers Lil Fame and Bill Danziene. So far, the act is known for "How About Some Hardcore," the hard-edged single that also appears on the "House Party 3" soundtrack. Before that jam, Lil Fame dropped three cuts on 4th & Bway's 1992 compilation set "The Hill That's Real," including "Bring The Ruckus." Those efforts helped reinforce his name among those in the street game. According to Lil Fame, who, along with Danziene, grew up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, N.Y., the set contains "some around-the-way shit. We write about things we've been through, what we had to do to survive, and stuff that goes on around us." The duo was signed to Select Records by Silver D, director of A&R. In the past, he had supervised cuts on "The Hill That's Real." The process of developing M.O.P. began last October, when "How About Some Hardcore" appeared. "We felt the record was a New York thing, so we went right to local mix-show jocks like Ron G, the Awesome Two, Funkmaster Flex and Red Alert." The resulting buzz spread to New England, thanks to support from college radio. Select then focused its promotional energies on the South, where the record was gaining acceptance. "M.O.P. turned into a real word-of-mouth thing, and we've been going where we see outbreaks," says Select president Fred Munao. When the new Darryl D-produced album arrives, the label will continue its street-oriented campaign. "We'll be perfectly content with a slow build, gaining solid street credibility and street props," says Wyatt Cheek, VP of marketing at Select. Explaining his moniker, Lil Fame says, "I know mad people, and I get crazy props for what I do. Everybody be like, 'Yo, that lil' n#gga could rap!'" Going with the flow, Danziene offers an explanation of his own handle, "I earned that from the way I take care of my business," he says. "It makes it seem like I'm on top of things, like I'm controllin' shit." Among the tracks on the album are "Heistmaster," which swims in C.R.E.A.M. themes. On "F.A.G.," the duo takes it to the face of "fake ass gangstas." "Blue Steel" sports high-caliber rhymes like, "It's time to let 'em know the deal / Nowadays shit is for real - so I'm packin' blue steel." - H. Nelson. To The Death...
The full review from March 1994 and more is below...
