“Fear Itself” is the debut album by Casual, a member of the influential West Coast hip-hop collective Hieroglyphics. Following two excellent LPs by Del The Funky Homosapien (No Need For Alarm) and Souls Of Mischief (93 ‘Til Infinity), this opus cemented the place of the Hiero crew in the Hip Hop landscape of the 90’s. Casual might be the best emcee in this talented squad, with a flow similar to Del but with a harder edge and a knack for crazy punchlines. The production is kept in house like on the previous Hiero releases, so we got a similar vibe sonic wise, just a little bit more aggressive to match Casual’s energy. This is a forgotten gem that deserves a place on the list of West Coast classics released in 1994.
It might be good to add that the Notorious B.I.G. did an incredible freestyle on the “I Didn’t Mean To” beat for Mister Cee, and it ended up on a Funk Flex mixtape later on. You can listen to this freestyle right here.
Revisit this LP below by listening to the album, remixes & b-sides from the 12″ singles and watch three videos. You can also dig in the samples on www.whosampled.com.
Album on YouTube:
Stream on Spotify & Apple Music.
Videos, Remixes & B-Sides:
- That’s How It Is
- I Didn’t Mean To
- Me O Mi O
- That’s How It Is (Disseshowedo Mix)
- That’s How It Is – Part II
- I Didn’t Mean To (Remix)
- Me-O-Mi-O (It’s A Me Thang)
- Rock On
