stress: the extinction agenda

Organized Konfusion kept it coming with the hardcore jazz flow of these teach seeds in the hood of truth.   Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch had made waves in the hip hop world with their self-produced self-titled debut, but the duo decided to get serious for the follow-up.  

Monch muses:    "Coming off of the first album, I was kind of feeling like the labels could’ve done a better job. So I was already starting with an attitude on some label shit. The first record actually did well, I just thought it should’ve done better. So moving on to the second [album], I just knew we had to go harder than we did the first time. So it was us really digging in, in terms of the topics and the content and the arrangement, and even reaching out [to] our extended fam, out to Buckwild and Rockwilder. Going outside of the camp, and getting some different production.   I think we’ve been blessed in that we’ve always had creative freedom. We had a lot on the first album, and it was so revered, so [with the second album] it was like, “Go do your thing. We’ll check in.” I think there was a little more A&R [involvement] on the second album, but it was still like, “Do what y’all do.”

Po ponders:    "We learned a lot from what mistakes the label made on the first album, too. So, it definitely pushed us to go hard on the second record. When you got love for stuff as much as we love hip-hop, you’re gonna apply yourself and try to learn the rights and wrongs. For the second album, we definitely were more geared up and experienced and educated to give more input, and also get more involved in the theatrics of the music on the other side, like promoting and marketing, and how the image is gonna look. We were definitely involved a lot more, immensely, between the first and second album."

'Stress: The Extinction Agenda' features samples of:  "Give It Up" by Kool & The Gang;  "California Dreaming" by George Benson;  "Last Hope's Gone" by Butterfield Blues Band;  "Mingus Fingus No. 2" by Charles Mingus;  "Rain Dance" by Herbie Hancock;  "Moon Germs" by Joe Farrell;  "UFO" by ESG;  "Jagger The Dagger" by Eugene McDaniels;  "Light My Fire" by Brian Auger's Oblivion Express;  "Kickin' Back" by Patrice Rushen;  "Melody 4 Thelma" by Blue Mitchell;  "Sack o' Woe" by Cannonball Adderley;  "Nautilus" by Bob James;  "Who Sey Me Dun" by Cutty Ranks;  "Wind Parade" by Donald Byrd;  "Death Wish" by Kool G Rap & DJ Polo;  "Don't Change Your Love" by Five Stairsteps;  and "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved" by James Brown.  

'Stress: The Extinction Agenda' charted at number one hundred and eighty-seven on the Billboard album chart, twenty-eight on the Top R&B/Hip Hop album chart, and ten on the Heatseekers chart.  











"Let's Organize" (featuring O.C. and Q-Tip)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uWgnRTWH9U




"Stress"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoJ37xCi3KQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDWFq6BHsac




"Black Sunday"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyLqmHyQCE4







'Stress: The Extinction Agenda'
full album:



1. "Intro"   (L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson) 2:03
2. "Stress"   L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson, C. Mingus, A. Best 4:03
3. "The Extinction Agenda"  L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson, H. Hancock 3:59
4. "Thirteen"   T. Jamerson, A. Best 3:54
5. "Black Sunday"   L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson 3:13
6. "Drop Bombs"   L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson  1:35
7. "Bring It On"   L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson 3:16
8. "Why"   L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson, A. Best 4:10
9. "Let's Organize" (featuring O.C. and Q-Tip) L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson, P. Rushen, J. Davis, O. Credle 4:21
10. "3-2-1"   L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson  3:26
11. "Keep It Koming"   L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson, J. Adderly 3:58
12. "Stray Bullet"   L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson  3:44
13. "Maintain"   L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson, D. Stinson 4:19