Dru Down's Greatest Hits

Dru Down released his underground debut in 1993 under the title Fools from the Streets. The album was expanded the following year and rereleased by the major label Relativity; it turned Dru into an instant star with “Pimp of the Year.” At a time when California rap was dominating the charts, the rapper arrived as the perfect hybrid of Northern California’s Too Short and Southern California’s Snoop Dogg. At the seasoned age of 26, Dru was old for a rookie rapper. His career as an East Oakland gangster had delayed his rap dreams, but it also made him credible at a time when all rappers were being judged on street cred. Songs like “Ice Cream Man,” “Rescue 911,” and “Ain’t No Stoppin’” sound nothing like the products of a mainstream music corporation. They're churning and intoxicating and effortlessly cool. Ensconced in the echoes of '70s funk and backed by the young duo of Knumskull and Yukmouth—who'd soon form The Luniz—Dru Down immediately came off like a guru of the ghetto. Even now it’s hard to believe this was just his first release.