Soundbombing II

By the late 1990s, Rawkus Records established itself in the underground hip hop community, with the releases such as Company Flow's Funcrusher Plus,

Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, and the first Soundbombing compilation album. Following the success of the label's albums, Rawkus signed a few more artists and planned to release several albums in 1999. Soundbombing II was meant to be the foundation for the future releases.{{Cite web|url=https://www.okayplayer.com/music/soundbombing-11-impact-mos-def-talib-kweli-black-star-1999.html|title=How Rawkus' 'Soundbombing II' Launched a New Era of Independent Rap|first=Dart|last=Adams|date=May 17, 2019|website=Okayplayer|access-date=June 20, 2023}}

In 1998, DJ Babu and J Rocc of Beat Junkies worked in a record store in Los Angeles. Rawkus artists Mos Def and Talib Kweli frequently visited the store. Eventually, Rawkus' founders Brian Brater and Jarret Myer approached Babu and J Rocc, asking them to help with mixing of Soundbombing II.{{cite web|last1=Kane|first1=Siobhán|title=J. Rocc - Making Something Out Of Nothing|url=https://thumped.com/features/interviews/j-rocc-making-something-out-of-nothing/3/|website=Thumped|access-date=June 19, 2023|date=November 24, 2010}}

Soundbombing II was released on May 18, 1999, by Rawkus Records.{{cite web|last1=Coe|first1=Kairi|title=65 Hip-Hop Albums Turning 20 in 2019|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/hip-hop-albums-turning-20-2019/|website=XXL|access-date=June 19, 2023|date=January 10, 2019}} Funded by James Murdoch, the son of billionaire Rupert Murdoch and a university friend of the label's founders,{{cite web|title=James Murdoch: A chip off the old block?|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3132678.stm|website=BBC News|access-date=June 19, 2023|date=November 4, 2003}} Rawkus was able to afford more promotion for the album than other underground hip hop labels. Apart from the full-page ads in music magazines, Rawkus also shot a music video for the track "1-9-9-9", DJ Babu and J Rocc made a special promo snippet mixtape, and BET's Rap City aired a special episode dedicated to Soundbombing II.

With all the promotion, Soundbombing II sold far greater than the label expected. The album charted on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at number 30, and on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, where it peaked at number 6. The single "One-Nine-Nine-Nine" reached number 10 on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, a 25-position extension to the Billboard Hot 100, number 41 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and number 4 on Hot Rap Songs.

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last1=Conaway|first1=Matt|title=Various Artists - Soundbombing, Vol. 2 Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/soundbombing-vol-2-mw0000237700|website=AllMusic|access-date=June 20, 2023}}

| rev2 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev2score = A−{{cite magazine|last1=Hermes|first1=Will|author-link1=Will Hermes|title=Rawkus Presents Soundbombing II|url=https://ew.com/article/1999/06/04/rawkus-presents-soundbombing-ii/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618015017/https://ew.com/article/1999/06/04/rawkus-presents-soundbombing-ii/|archive-date=June 18, 2023|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=June 18, 2023}}

| rev3 = The Independent

| rev3score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last1=Perry|first1=Tim|title=Album Reviews|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/album-reviews-1098321.html|website=The Independent|access-date=June 18, 2023|date=June 4, 1999}}

| rev4 = Pitchfork

| rev4score = 8.6/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/various-artists-soundbombing-ii/|title=Various Artists: Soundbombing II Album Review|website=Pitchfork|last=Thompson|first=Paul A.|date=August 25, 2024|access-date=August 26, 2024}}

| rev5 = RapReviews

| rev5score = 9/10{{cite web|author=DJ Fatboy|title=Various Artists :: Soundbombing 2 :: Rawkus|url=https://rapreviews.com/archive/1999_06_soundbombing2.html|website=RapReviews|access-date=June 20, 2023}}

| rev6 = Rolling Stone

| rev6score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Diehl|first=Matt|date=August 5, 1999|title=Recordings. Rawkus Presents Soundbombing II|url=|magazine=Rolling Stone|issue=818|page=64|location=|publisher=|access-date=}}

| rev7 = Spin

| rev7score = 7/10{{cite magazine|last=Drumming|first=Neil|author-link1=Neil Drumming|date=July 1999|title=Reviews: Soundbombing II|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I5x8l8IaNUMC&q=soundbombing+ii+spin&pg=PA127|magazine=Spin|page=127|location=|publisher=|access-date=June 20, 2023}}

| rev8 = The Village Voice

| rev8score = {{Rating-Christgau|A-}}{{cite magazine|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=June 22, 1999|volume=44|issue=24|title=Consumer Guide: Rawkus Presents Soundbombing II|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=848|via=Robert Christgau|magazine=The Village Voice|page=144|location=New York|access-date=March 29, 2024}}

}}

Soundbombing II was praised by music critics. Matt Conaway of AllMusic called the album a "quintessential Rawkus project", commending the album's accessibility for both underground and mainstream listeners, while simultaneously criticizing Beat Junkies' mixing. The A.V. Club{{'}}s Nathan Rabin applauded the album for being an "exceptional project", recognizing the mid-album intros as a minor flaw.{{cite web|last1=Rabin|first1=Nathan|author-link1=Nathan Rabin|title=Various Artists: Rawkus Presents: Soundbombing II|url=https://www.avclub.com/various-artists-rawkus-presents-soundbombing-ii-1798192056|website=The A.V. Club|access-date=June 20, 2023|date=April 27, 1999}} Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Will Hermes praised DJ Babu and J Rocc, calling them "[t]urntable surgeons", and described Soundbombing II as forward-looking. Tim Perry of The Independent called the album an improvement over the original Soundbombing and proclaimed it the soundtrack of 1999's summer. RapReviews also described it as an improvement over the original, claiming that the album's lyrics are some of the best lyrics of the year, and that "every other compilation out there pales in comparison". Matt Diehl of the Rolling Stone magazine named Soundbombing II the year's most vital hip-hop compilation and compared it to a rocket that will take underground hip hop to "overground". In a review for Spin magazine, Neil Drumming complimented the album for its "high concepts", while criticizing the "go-nowhere battle hymns". The Wire magazine praised Soundbombing II, calling it an "invaluable [snapshot] of an area of music currently overflowing with ideas", highlighting the album's transformation into "one long funk-flow".{{cite magazine|last1=Cummings|first1=Alan|last2=ffytche|first2=Matt|last3=Hamilton|first3=Andy|last4=Herrington|first4=Tony|date=July 1999|title=Soundcheck: the compiler|magazine=The Wire|page=70}} Vibe magazine's author Noah Callahan-Bever applauded the album, noting the evolution of the label's artists, who went "from raw and unpolished to solid, skilled artists poised to give chart-topping rappers a serious run for their money".{{cite magazine|last=Callahan-Bever|first=Noah|date=August 1999|title=Revolutions: Various Artists – Soundbombing II|url=|magazine=Vibe|page=183|location=|publisher=}}

Since its release, Soundbombing II has continued to rise in popularity.{{cite web|last1=Baker|first1=Soren|title=The Rhythms and Rhymes of a Very Productive 1999|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-19-ca-45322-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 20, 2023|date=December 19, 1999}} Matt Welty of Complex magazine called it an "early 2000s essential",{{cite web|last1=Welty|first1=Matt|title=How East Coast Skateboarding of the '90s Influenced Streetwear|url=https://www.complex.com/style/a/matt-welty/how-east-coast-skateboarding-influenced-streetwear|website=Complex|access-date=June 20, 2023}} while Pitchfork{{'}}s Jeff Weiss said that the album "banged incessantly in dorm rooms across America and England".{{cite web|last1=Weiss|first1=Jeff|title=El-P: Cancer for Cure|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16641-cancer-for-cure/|website=Pitchfork|access-date=June 20, 2023}} Over the years the album attained a classic status.{{cite web|last1=Blair|first1=Robert|title=What Happened To Backpack Rap?|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/423889-what-happened-to-backpack-rap-news|website=HotNewHipHop|date=June 22, 2022 |access-date=June 20, 2023}}{{cite web|title=Backstreet Boys' Millennium vs. Rawkus' Soundbombing 2 –15 Years Later – OC Weekly|url=https://www.ocweekly.com/backstreet-boys-millennium-vs-rawkus-soundbombing-2-15-years-later-6603940/|website=OC Weekly|date=May 19, 2014 |access-date=June 20, 2023}} Tom Breihan of Stereogum said that Soundbombing II "codified the underground rap universe".{{cite web|last1=Breihan|first1=Tom|title='Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star' Is 20 Years Old|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2015400/mos-def-talib-kweli-black-star-at-20/reviews/the-anniversary/|website=Stereogum|access-date=June 20, 2023|date=September 28, 2018}} HipHopDX named it "possibly the best full-bodied encapsulation of the era".{{cite web|title=30 Hip Hop & R&B Albums That Still Aren't On Streaming Services|url=https://hiphopdx.com/editorials/id.4378/title.30-hip-hop-rb-albums-that-still-arent-on-streaming-services|website=HipHopDX|access-date=June 20, 2023|date=November 29, 2019}}

Several publications placed Soundbombing II on their lists of the best albums. Rolling Stone placed it at number 181 on their list of the 200 greatest hip hop albums of all time, naming it "the greatest hip-hop compilation ever".{{cite magazine|last1=Shachtman|first1=Noah|title=The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-hip-hop-albums-1323916/various-artists-soundbombing-2-1999-1354815/|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=June 20, 2023|date=June 7, 2022}} Fact magazine placed Soundbombing II at number 8 on their list of the 100 best indie hip hop records of all time, stating that it was a "lesson in the art and science of putting together mixtapes" and "the best and most definitive compilation of the era".{{cite web|title=The 100 best indie hip-hop records ever made|url=https://www.factmag.com/2015/02/25/the-100-best-indie-hip-hop-records-of-all-time/94/|website=Fact|access-date=June 20, 2023|date=February 25, 2015}}

Rapper Danny Brown named Soundbombing II as one of his favorite albums, saying it had a major influence on him, as he wanted to rap just as skillfully as the rappers on the album and that it was the first time he saw that "the better rappers could be guys [he] didn't see on MTV all the time".{{cite web|last1=Nostro|first1=Lauren|title=Danny Brown's 25 Favorite Albums|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2013/10/danny-brown-favorite-albums|website=Complex|access-date=June 20, 2023}} Among others who have praised the album are actor Jonah Hill and comedian Eric André.{{cite web|last1=Murphy|first1=Keith|title=A Short Convo With… Jonah Hill: 'I Was A Hardcore Hip-Hop Head'|url=https://www.vibe.com/news/entertainment/short-convo-jonah-hill-i-was-hardcore-hip-hop-head-52648/|website=Vibe|access-date=June 20, 2023|date=May 24, 2010}}{{cite web|last1=Gonik|first1=Michael|title=Eric Andre Reveals The Sage Advice He Got from Dave Chappelle|url=https://www.okayplayer.com/culture/eric-andre-talib-kweli-dave-chappelle-advide-interview-video.html|website=Okayplayer|access-date=June 20, 2023}}

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.

{{tracklist

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Intro

| note1 =

| writer1 =

| extra1 =

| length1 = 1:58

| title2 = Any Man

| note2 = Intro

| writer2 =

| extra2 = Beat Junkies

| length2 = 1:03

| title3 = Any Man

| note3 = Eminem

| writer3 = Marshall Mathers, Walter Dewgarde

| extra3 = Da Beatminerz

| length3 = 2:53

| title4 = B-Boy Document '99

| note4 = The High & Mighty, Mos Def and Skillz

| writer4 = Dante Smith, Donnie Lewis, Eric Meltzer, Milo Berger

| extra4 = DJ Mighty Mi

| length4 = 4:07

| title5 = WWIII

| note5 = Intro

| writer5 =

| extra5 = Beat Junkies

| length5 = 1:01

| title6 = WWIII

| note6 = Shabaam Sahdeeq and Pharoahe Monch

| writer6 = Lee Stone, Marcus Vialva, Troy Jamerson

| extra6 = Lee Stone

| length6 = 3:29

| title7 = Stanley Kubrick

| note7 = R.A. the Rugged Man

| writer7 = Ryan Thorburn

| extra7 = Capital the Crime Lord

| length7 = 3:32

| title8 = A Message from J-Live & Prince Paul

| note8 = Interlude

| writer8 =

| extra8 =

| length8 = 0:49

| title9 = Crosstown Beef

| note9 = Intro

| writer9 =

| extra9 = Beat Junkies, Kid Capri

| length9 = 0:48

| title10 = Crosstown Beef

| note10 = Medina Green, Mos Def and DCQ

| writer10 = Denard Smith, K. M. Allah, W. Johnson, Andre Williams, Dante Smith, Kelvin Mercer

| extra10 = Posdnous

| length10 = 4:30

| title11 = 7XL

| note11 = Intro

| writer11 =

| extra11 = Beat Junkies, Pete Rock, Marley Marl

| length11 = 0:57

| title12 = 7XL

| note12 = Sir Menelik, Sadat X and Grand Puba

| writer12 = Derek Murphy, Maxwell Dixon, Phillip Collington, Vince Williams

| extra12 = DJ Spinna

| length12 = 3:50

| title13 = Chaos

| note13 = Reflection Eternal and Bahamadia

| writer13 = Antonia Reed, Talib Greene, Tony Cottrell

| extra13 = Hi-Tek

| length13 = 4:12

| title14 = Soundbombing

| note14 = Tash and Dilated Peoples

| writer14 =

| extra14 = Evidence

| length14 = 3:04

| title15 = Brooklyn Hard Rock

| note15 = Thirstin Howl III

| writer15 = L. Smith, Victor DeJesus

| extra15 = Thirstin Howl III, Smitty Steve Bosston

| length15 = 1:25

| title16 = Mayor

| note16 = Pharoahe Monch

| writer16 = Stone, Jamerson

| extra16 = Lee Stone

| length16 = 3:28

| title17 = Patriotism

| note17 = Intro

| writer17 =

| extra17 = Beat Junkies

| length17 = 0:38

| title18 = Patriotism

| note18 = Company Flow

| writer18 = Jaime Meline, Leonard Smythe

| extra18 = El-P

| length18 = 5:08

| title19 = 1-9-9-9

| note19 = Intro

| writer19 =

| extra19 = Beat Junkies, Q-Tip

| length19 = 1:22

| title20 = 1-9-9-9

| note20 = Common and Sadat X

| writer20 = Murphy, Lonnie Lynn, Cottrell

| extra20 = Hi-Tek

| length20 = 4:10

| title21 = When It Pours It Rains

| note21 = Diamond D

| writer21 = Joseph Kirkland, John Dough

| extra21 = Diamond D

| length21 = 2:03

| title22 = A Message from the Beat Junkies

| note22 = Interlude

| writer22 =

| extra22 = Beat Junkies

| length22 = 1:07

| title23 = Next Universe

| note23 = Mos Def

| writer23 = Dante Smith, Cottrell

| extra23 = Hi-Tek

| length23 = 3:06

| title24 = Every Rhyme I Write

| note24 = Intro

| writer24 =

| extra24 = Beat Junkies

| length24 = 0:43

| title25 = Every Rhyme I Write

| note25 = Shabaam Sahdeeq and Cocoa Brovaz

| writer25 = Darrell Yates, Vialva, Nick Loizides, Tekomin Williams

| extra25 = Nick Wiz

| length25 = 3:56

| title26 = On Mission

| note26 = Reflection Eternal

| writer26 = Greene, Cottrell

| extra26 = Hi-Tek

| length26 = 4:16

| title27 = Outro

| note27 =

| writer27 =

| extra27 =

| length27 = 3:58

| total_length = 71:33

}}

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.{{Cite AV media notes|title=Soundbombing II|author=Various artists|year=1999|type=liner notes|publisher=Rawkus Records|id=P250069}}

{{div col}}

• DJ Babu – DJ mixing
• J Rocc – DJ mixing
• Ken Duro Ifill – mixing
• Tony Sinolis – mixing
• David Greenberg – mixing
• Sir Menelik – mixing
• Thirstin Howl III – mixing, scratching
• El-P – mixing
• Vassos – mixing
• Nick Loizides – mixing, recording
• Carlisle Young – mixing, recording
• DJ Sebb – scratching
• DJ Mr. Len – scratching
• Hi-Tek – scratching
• DJ Etch A Sketch – scratching
• DJ Massey – scratching
• Kieran Walsh – engineering
• Loopcipher – engineering
• Troy Hightower – engineering, mixing
• Jeff Davidson – engineering
• Franck Khalfoun – photography
• Nobody Creative – art direction, design
• VanShun Brown – illustration
• John Semprit – artwork
• Case2 – artwork
• Dome – artwork
• East3 – artwork
• One9 – artwork
• Phase2 – artwork
• Sento – artwork
• Vulcan – artwork

{{div col end}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Discogs master|70148|Soundbombing II|type=album}}

{{Rawkus Records}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Hip-hop compilation albums

Category:Albums produced by Da Beatminerz

Category:Albums produced by Hi-Tek

Category:Albums produced by Diamond D

Category:1999 compilation albums

Category:Rawkus Records compilation albums

Category:Sequel albums

Category:Albums produced by DJ Mighty Mi

Category:Albums produced by Evidence (musician)

Category:Albums produced by El-P

Category:Albums produced by DJ Spinna