Fun DMC
| Fun DMC | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by People Under the Stairs | ||||
| Released | September 30, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2007, Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 75:39 (CD), 57:13 (LP) | |||
| Label | Gold Dust Media | |||
| Producer | Thes One, Double K | |||
| People Under the Stairs chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Singles from Fun DMC | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | (favorable) |
| Pitchfork Media | (7.6/10) |
| PopMatters |
  |
| HipHopDX |
  |
| The Find Magazine | (7.5/10) |
| Okayplayer | (favorable) |
Fun DMC is the sixth album by People Under the Stairs. The album was a concept album and, at the time of its release, the most widely reviewed and lauded of the group's catalog. In support of the album, PUTS released two singles, as well as the group's first music video for "The Wiz". For the release of the album, the group again chose an independent label, Gold Dust Media.
The name of the album is partly a homage to the group Run–D.M.C., but also an expression of what the group felt that they provided to their listeners: a relaxing party album, with bits of introspection mixed in. For the first time, the group decided to create a concept album involving the daily life of a typical Central or South Central Los Angeles resident. They even brought recording equipment to a summer house party and barbecue, and used the ambient noise from the party to supplement the opening, "daytime" songs on the new album.
The first half of the album includes songs about record collecting ("The Ultimate 144"), video gaming ("Gamin On Ya") and partying ("Anotha' BBQ", "Enjoy"). As the day moves on into evening and nighttime, the subject matter of the album gets more reflective and serious, even touching upon Thes One's fears of becoming a parent ("A Baby") and the loss of loved ones ("D").
Much like "43 Labels I Like" covered vinyl record labels on Question in the Form of an Answer, "The Ultimate 144" is a clear reference to the Ultimate Breaks and Beats series of compilation albums geared toward DJs looking for drum breaks, and the lyrics are mostly song titles from the series.
For a period of time leading up to the release of Fun DMC, Thes One became an avid collector of standalone arcade games. While toying with the arcade cabinets, he found a way to plug the audio lines for the games' soundtracks into recording equipment. This discovery allowed Thes One to use several old video game soundtracks and effects to create the backing track for "Gamin' On Ya".
...
Wikipedia