108: mission infinite
Francisco Espregueira
108 was a short-lived project from the Bay Area composed by rappers Encore and Grand The Visitor and producer Sedric Edwards. Originally released in 1996, in a very limited quantity of one hundred CD's, the album Mission Infinite was kept secret in the abyssal depths of the underground until now - becoming NBN’s first release of a forthcoming series of hip hop and r&b reissues.
Gravitating around the San Jose hip hop scene in the mid ‘90’s, Encore and Grand connected with Sedric Edwards and his simple studio set-up via hip hop icon Peanut Butter Wolf - with whom they collaborated around the same time. Adding local musicians to Sedric’s bass playing the group captured a very clear and crispy live feel in Mission Infinite. At a time when rapping over live instrumentation was not very common - a style popularized by bands like The Roots - the 108 project truly stands out amongst other hip hop releases of that era.
Released upon completion via Wake Up Records, the LP was promoted with a couple of shows in small clubs around the San Jose area - where most of the CD's were sold. However without distribution or promotion the record fizzled out. It remains a mystery up until today how this album remained so slept-on for over two decades. So, for the first time, this unbelievable record gets a proper release, via NBN Archives, delivering truly invaluable work. Remastered from the original tapes, this underground masterpiece is available on all formats, soon to be considered as an essential piece to any ‘90s hip hop collector.
For the jazzy hip hop aficionados. 108. Mission Infinite. Nothing But Net. Peace.