Hip Hop Locos

Hip Hop Locos is the second studio album by A Lighter Shade of Brown.^[1][2] It was released in 1992 through Pump Records with distribution via Quality Records.^[3]

Hip Hop Locos
Studio album by A Lighter Shade of Brown
Released	1992
Recorded	1992
Studio	Paramount Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA) Image Recorders (Hollywood, CA) 38 Fresh (Hollywood, CA) Ameraycan Studios (North Hollywood, CA)
Genre	Hip hop
Length	42:09
Label	Pump Records
Producer	Cliff Richey Jr (exec.) Angelo "Stone Tha Lunatic" Trotter IV DJ Romeo DTTX Eddie "Coze Tha Grinch" Goodman Jason Roberts Jesse "Tootie" Lars K.T. Stan "The Guitar Man" Jones
A Lighter Shade of Brown chronology
Brown & Proud (1990) Hip Hop Locos (1992) Layin' in the Cut (1994)
Singles from Hip Hop Locos
"Spill the Rhyme" Released: 1992 "Homies" Released: September 29, 1992 "Check it Out" Released: 1993

Hip Hop Locos was not a success, peaking at No. 87 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. "Homies" made it to No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 13 on the Hot Rap Singles. ""Interrogated Cause I'm Brown" was also released as a single.^[4] The duo supported the album with a North American tour.^[5]

Production

The recording sessions took place at Paramount Recording Studios, at Image Recorders, at 38 Fresh, and at Ameraycan Studios in Hollywood. The production was handled by Angelo "Stone Tha Lunatic" Trotter IV, DJ Romeo, Eddie "Coze Tha Grinch" Goodman, Jason Roberts, Jesse "Tootie" Lars, K.T., Stan "The Guitar Man" Jones and DTTX. Fabian Alfaro, who appeared on the debut, left A Lighter Shade of Brown before the recording sessions.^[6] The duo somewhat moved away from the Latin music sounds of Brown & Proud.^[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Los Angeles Times	[3]

The Washington Post deemed the album "considerably stronger in both beats and lyrics" than the debut.^[9] The San Antonio Express-News considered it "a satisfying mix of Latino pride, social consciousness and plain fun."^[10] The Los Angeles Times noted that "the production values ... are much improved, with crisper beats and more riveting raps."^[3]

Track listing

1. "Intro" - 0:23
2. "Hip Hop Locos" - 3:30
3. "A Young Vato" - 3:47
4. "Spill the Rhyme" - 3:57
5. "Viva Zapata" - 2:05
6. "Check It Out" - 3:45
7. "Raize Up" - 4:05
8. "Alla en el Rancho Grande" - 0:22
9. "The Huggy Boy Show" - 0:40
10. "Homies" - 3:31
11. "Low Rider Madness" - 3:27
12. "Brownies" - 3:37
13. "Interrogated Cause I'm Brown, Pt. 1 & 2" (featuring A.L.T., Aztlan Nation, KAOS, Pee Bee, Street Mentality) - 5:16
14. "Spill the Wine" (DJ Muggs Remix) - 3:46

Sample credits

• "Check It Out"
  • "Plantation Inn" by The Mar-Keys
  • "Terminator X Speaks With His Hands" by Public Enemy
  • "Caught, Can We Get a Witness?" by Public Enemy
• "Homies"
  • "The Tracks of My Tears" by The Miracles
• "Brownies"
  • "UFO" by ESG

Charts

Chart (1992)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11]	200
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12]	87

References

1. "Lighter Shade of Brown Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
2. "Bobby Ramirez, DTTX from A Lighter Shade of Brown, Passes Away at 46 – OC Weekly". www.ocweekly.com.
3. Hunt, Dennis (Feb 28, 1993). "A Lighter Shade of Brown Lightens Up". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 59.
4. Lashua, B.; Spracklen, K.; Wagg, S. (May 27, 2014). Sounds and the City: Popular Music, Place and Globalization. Springer. ISBN 9781137283115 – via Google Books.
5. Harris, Rosemary (30 Oct 1992). "Young Latinos respond to rap duo's mix of upbeat and soulful music". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. E3.
6. Hunt, Dennis (24 Jan 1993). "Latino Rap Is No Longer a Disease". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 66.
7. Darling, Cary (August 21, 1992). "Rappers coming home for OC festival". Orange County Register. p. P54.
8. "Hip Hop Locos - Lighter Shade of Brown | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
9. Griffin, Gil (27 Nov 1992). "War-Torn Music Transformed by Rap". The Washington Post. p. N22.
10. Johnson, Robert (April 16, 1993). "A Lighter Shade of Brown, 'Hip Hop Locos'". San Antonio Express-News. p. 19F.
11. "A Lighter Shade of Brown ARIA chart history, received from ARIA in May 2024". ARIA. Retrieved July 12, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
12. "Lighter Shade Of Brown Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 29, 2020.

External links

• Hip Hop Locos at Discogs (list of releases)