Midnight Drama is one of the rarer compilation albums that Sean Tompkins released on his label Commerce Street Records in March 1999 on CD format with no barcode. Commerce Street Records was responsible for releasing for various compilation albums and Midnight Drama was one of them. Sean Tompkins served as the executive producer for the whole album and pulled songs that others performed and featured on from other albums. Ricé and 17 Freeze did a bulk of the production as always. They were the in-house producers for many San Antonio based record labels at the time.
The recording process for Midnight Drama lasted from 1997 to 1999. Most of the songs were recorded in 1997. There were a few that were recorded in 1999 but not that many.
Now the title of this compilation was inspired by a King 13 song of the same name called Midnight Drama which was recorded for the 1997 compilation Runnin Blind. That King 13 song would be included on this compilation. That is where the title for this album came from. Midnight Drama was first advertised on the January 1999 album Mr. Joshay - 21 Crunk St. on a theatre billboard.
Less than 10,000 copies of this album were pressed. That is why this album is considered long gone. Midnight Drama is even rarer than the Runnin' Blind compilation.
Part of Midnight Drama was recorded when Commerce Street Records was located on Commerce Street. Not too many people know this but Commerce Street Records was originally located on Commerce Street at the address of 2539 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, Texas, US 78203 The post address was 2539 E Commerce St, San Antonio, TX 78203. That is the location of where Sean Tompkins originally opened Commerce Street Records.
The song and title track Midnight Drama is about all the drama that goes on during midnight. A lot of crime happens at midnight. King 13 tells us listeners, “When darkness falls, you better be prepared to fall. You better not get caught up in midnight drama.” Those are his cautionary words which tell us to stay away from the drama that happens during midnight.
Midnight Drama is a song King 13 recorded and freestyle on which uses a combination of freestyle rap and gangsta rap. That makes sense because King 13 was known for his freestyle raps. Midnight Drama is an intense piano laced rap song performed by King 13 himself. He wrote the lyrics to this song himself. Not many know this but King 13 was the freestyle of San Antonio pre-2002.
Now Midnight Drama is what led the Midnight Drama compilation to be recorded by a King 13 song of the same name called Midnight Drama which was used on the 1997 compilation Runnin Blind. That King 13 song would also be included on this compilation. That is where the title for this song and album came from. Midnight Drama is what inspired many San Antonio rappers to freestyle.
Ricé produced the song and played the piano. Notice during the beginning that a nice mellow piano solo is playing. The piano solo lasts for 12 seconds until 0:12. Quadruple layers of instrumentation start to kick in at the 0:13 mark.
When drama starts at midnight, you better be prepared for things to unfold and expect the unexpected. Be prepared to ride. The drama starts at midnight.
Several niggaz are the cold shooting dice. 2 of these niggaz took the life of one of their homeboys by killing him. They blamed that wickedness on liquor. Gun shots rang out from the parking lot. 4 niggaz got ganked. There were 49 bullet holes. There were 6 bullet holes found on the spine of a man. His relatives got the call that he would no longer be coming home.
Drug slanging and pimping is what goes at midnight. One man thought he could find narcotics but he ended up dead in a closed casket. One of these niggaz was fucking his wife. His friends go out to settle the score and end up getting killed. Fuck them all.
When darkness falls, you better be prepared to fall. Better be prepared to crawl. You better not get caught up in midnight drama. When darkness falls, you better be prepared to roll.
King 13’s Naked Soul takes us through the views of a gangsta. King 13 laces the mic with such fiery and aggression in his lyrics. This is not surprising since this is gangsta rap. Every song King 13 raps on is fire! That is a fact. His presence is huge for this song.
Naked Soul is a fierce piano laced rap song. The piano is what keeps the mood mellow sort of in a strange way. The feeling is both mellow and intense. Notice the piano solo played by 17 Freeze at the beginning of Naked Soul. 17 Freeze gives the song a sense of mellowness and tranquility with him playing the piano.
Mr. Joshay shows love and pays homage to the ghetto on “Ghetto Tears”. It’s another one of SA’s best songs that got overlooked in the rise of Southern rap. The song is filled with such smoothness over mean bass performed by Ricé.
It ain’t nothing like the ghetto. You know these Texas g’s be getting dollars. The ghetto is part of Mr. Joshay and he cannot let go of the ghetto. The ghetto is in him spiritually. So raise your hands if you can feel this southern sound. If you know you can feel him.
Only the strong survive. Ghetto tears run out of his eyes. In the line of hard times a ghetto child commits crimes. Mr. Joshay’s game has been laid. His aim is to get paid. That is his goal. He stays all about his scrilla (cash).
He claims LPT (Lockwood Park Terrace). The war is on. From the Uptown District to Sutton Homes it’s on. You don’t want to plex (beef) to with these Texas boys. Niggaz want to ride. Front and back & side to side with Mr. Joshay in a Cadillac. All draped out like Lil Keke. It ain’t nothing like the ghetto.
Mr. Joshay is sad because his daddy is doing time for being caught up in the grind. He did his dirt. He was trying to make ends meet by stacking paper and get up on his feet so his family can eat. Now we pay for what he did in the streets. The streets are what pay. It ain’t nothing like the ghetto. You know these Texas g’s be getting dollars. The ghetto is part of Mr. Joshay.
Funk meets rap on the funky rap song Diggy Down. Ricé and Mr. Joshay make it funky with the sound that is provided. The sound is similar to Mtume. Diggy Down is a song about Mr. Joshay’s neighborhood.
Mr. Joshay is from this hood which people call Diggy Down. Mr. Joshay was coming up funky from the start. He came up funky from the start as his neighborhood was funky. Now he’s got the fever for the flava. His rhymes are deep like a creek.
Mr. Joshay is staying down but keeping his composure. Mr. Joshay is staying down for his neighborhood. He gets around from the underground. He’s got the juice if you’re thirsty. So don’t be dissuaded by anything else that gets negative in life. This is the flava of drink that you are surely gonna enjoy. Now he’s got the fever for the flava. Nothing can save ya.
SCG - 3 Shotz is suspense filled gangsta rap track that is filled with street drama. The sound effects are perfect as they fit in appropriately with the mood and vibe. SCG is part of Lil Sin’s SoufField click and Santee’s PRC label.
SCG is trapped in the game. He is pulling that strap and is not holding back, loc. He don’t give a fuck about the laws. Fuck them haters. Haters tried to kill him. SCG represents the SCG Click from the South Side of San Antonio. He has ties with the East Side though.
Fuck them haters. Haters tried to kill him. He caught someone slipping. Another murder and another homicide is in progress. He don’t a fuck about another person’s death. That .9 millimeter shows no love as he pulls the hammer back. The sets doesn’t have any love for fakers. Better watch out.
Now 3 Shotz was recorded a studio on Nolan Street which was a bail bonds office and not at Ricé’s Music Box Studios. Jason Collins was supposed to be on SCG, Sir Knox, and Lady Pimp. However Jason Collins locked up. So the engineer and producer had to scrap the verse he laid. Lady Pimp got Jason’s verse and spot instead. SCG and Sir Knox did most of the rapping anyway.
I rate this album 5/5*****!
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