Keepers of the Funk is the second studio album by American hip hop group Lords of the Underground. It was released on November 1, 1994 via Pendulum Records. Recording sessions took place at House of Hitz in Chestnut Ridge, New York. Production was handled by Marley Marl, K-Def, Lords of the Underground and Andre Booth. It features guest appearances from Sah-B, Deniece Williams, George Clinton, Brian "Bre" Williamson and Supreme C. The album did gain some success, making it to No. 57 on the Billboard 200 and No. 16 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Keepers of the Funk
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1, 1994
Recorded1993–1994
StudioHouse Of Hits (Chesnut Ridge, NY)
GenreEast Coast hip hop
Length44:49
Label
Producer
Lords of the Underground chronology
Here Come the Lords
(1993)
Keepers of the Funk
(1994)
Resurrection
(1999)
Singles from Keepers of the Funk
  1. "Tic Toc"
    Released: October 11, 1994
  2. "What I'm After"
    Released: February 21, 1995
  3. "Faith"
    Released: June 27, 1995
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Rap Pages6/10[2]
The Source[3]

Three singles made it to the Billboard charts: "Tic Toc", "What I'm After" and "Faith".

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"  1:00
2."Ready or Not"
4:03
3."Tic Toc"
  • Marley Marl
  • Lords of the Underground (co.)
3:51
4."Keepers of the Funk"
  • Marley Marl
  • Lords of the Underground (co.)
  • Andre Booth (co.)
4:18
5."Steam from da Knot"
  • K-Def
  • Lords of the Underground (co.)
3:07
6."What I'm After"
  • K-Def
  • Lords of the Underground (co.)
4:19
7."Faith" (featuring Deniece Williams)
Lords of the Underground4:02
8."Neva Faded" (featuring Supreme C)
  • Kelly
  • Wardrick
  • Carle Harte
  • Brian Williamson
  • Williams
  • Marley Marl
  • Lords of the Underground (co.)
5:16
9."No Pain"
  • K-Def
  • Lords of the Underground (co.)
3:53
10."Frustrated"
  • Kelly
  • Wardrick
  • Hansford
  • K-Def
  • Lords of the Underground (co.)
4:18
11."Yes Y'All"
  • Kelly
  • Wardrick
  • Williams
  • Marley Marl
  • Lords of the Underground (co.)
4:17
12."What U See"
  • Kelly
  • Wardrick
  • Williams
  • Marley Marl
  • Lords of the Underground (co.)
3:57
13."Outro"  1:28
Total length:44:49
Sample credits

Personnel

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  • Al'Terik "Mr. Funke" Wardrick – vocals (tracks: 2-4, 6-12), keyboards (track 11), producer (track 7), co-producer (tracks: 2-6, 8-12)
  • Dupré "DoItAll" Kelly – vocals (tracks: 2-8, 10-12), producer (track 7), co-producer (tracks: 2-6, 8-12)
  • Bruce "DJ Lord Jazz" Colston – scratches (tracks: 2-4, 7-10), producer (track 7), co-producer (tracks: 2-6, 8-12)
  • George Clinton & P-Funk Singers – backing vocals (track 4)
  • Andre Booth – bass & co-producer (track 4)
  • Deniece Williams – vocals (track 7)
  • Carle "Supreme C" Harte – vocals (track 8)
  • Brian "Bre" Williamson – backing vocals (track 8)
  • Frank Heller – bass (track 8), mixing (tracks: 2-5, 7-12)
  • Sakinah "Sah-B" Britton – backing vocals (tracks: 9, 10)
  • Marlon "Marley Marl" Williams – producer (tracks: 2-4, 8, 11, 12), executive producer
  • Kevin "K-Def" Hansford – producer (tracks: 5, 6, 9, 10)
  • Herb Powers Jr. – mastering
  • Ruben Rodriguez – executive producer
  • Nicole Dorward – project coordinator
  • Lu Ann Graffeo – art direction
  • Diane Cuddy – design
  • Christian Cortez – logo design
  • Daniel Hastings – photography
  • Hafiz Farid – management

Charts

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Chart (1994) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[4] 57
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[5] 16

References

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  1. ^ Swihart, Stanton. "Lords of the Underground - Keepers of the Funk Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  2. ^ Jasper, Kenji (December 1994). "Flippin' Da Traxx: Lords of the Underground – Keepers of the Funk". Rap Pages. Vol. 3, no. 9. Los Angeles. p. 32.
  3. ^ Allan, Edgar (December 1994). "Record Report: Lords of the Underground – Keepers of the Funk". The Source. No. 63. New York. pp. 84–85.
  4. ^ "Lords of the Underground Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  5. ^ "Lords of the Underground Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
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