Soundbombing II

By the late 1990s, Rawkus Records established itself in the underground hip-hop community, with 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. 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. The album was recorded throughout 1998 to 1999. ==Promotion and release==

Funded by James Murdoch, Rawkus was able to afford more promotion for the album than other underground hip-hop labels. The label installed full-page ads in music publications and released the single "1-9-9-9" featuring Common, Sadat X, and Talib Kweli. Its music video was in rotation on BET and MTV, highlighted by the popularity of "1-9-9-9", "Any Man" by Eminem, "B-Boy Document 99" by The High & Mighty, and "Patroitism" by Company Flow. Around its release, BET's Rap City aired a special episode dedicated on the album. With all the promotion, Soundbombing II sold far greater than the label expected. On June 5, the album debuted 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 album's commercial success boosted Rawkus Records' popularity, releasing Company Flow's Little Johnny from the Hospitul, The High & Mighty's Home Field Advantage, Mos Def's Black on Both Sides, and Pharoahe Monch's Internal Affairs that year, helping raise the label's budget to create The Lyricist Lounge Show, a sketch comedy show debuted by MTV in early 2000. ==Critical reception==

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. Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Will Hermes praised DJ Babu and J Rocc, calling them "[t]urntable surgeons", and described Soundbombing II as forward-looking. 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". ==Legacy==

Since its release, Soundbombing II has continued to rise in popularity. Matt Welty of Complex magazine called it an "early 2000s essential", while Pitchforks Jeff Weiss said that the album "banged incessantly in dorm rooms across America and England". Over the years the album attained a classic status. Tom Breihan of Stereogum said that Soundbombing II "codified the underground rap universe". HipHopDX named it "possibly the best full-bodied encapsulation of the era". 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". 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". 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". Among others who have praised the album are actor Jonah Hill and comedian Eric André. ==Track listing==

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. ==Personnel==

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. • 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 ==Charts==