Was Cash Money & Marvelous's LP the O.G Livin' Proof?

Cash Money & Marvelous - The Mighty Hard Rocker



Yes, it was the first rap album where its rapper was overshadowed by its maestro d.j/producer; yes, all the best tracks from it came out as singles as they did with Livin' Proof; no, unlike Livin' Proof it doesn't have any killer album tracks like Inna Citi Life and Serious Rap Shit which made owning the tape essential; and, no, don't even hazard to suggest that MC Tee's rapping was a poor counterpart to Mantronix's production on the Mantronix debut LP you feculent little infidel.

And this is precisely why Jazzy Jeff will always get my nod over Cash Money as Philly's preeminent dj because Jeff and Will complimented each other as a dj & rapper duo, they were deft songwriters who accidently pioneered horrorcore with Nightmare On My Street and emo-rap with Parents Just Don't Understand, Summertime is still unequaled as far as homages to Rakim go, and Jeff was the unmitigated victor of the who-made-the-best-cut-up-track-with-Trouble-Funk's-Pump-Me-Up-as-its-basis? competition the 2 Philadelphia scratch-masters held because Cash Money's Scratchin' To The Funk is too drawn out for an instrumental scratch track at nearly 10 minutes in length, while Jeff's Pump Me Up from Will's Willenium album is far more sensibly timed at 4 minutes and features Will on hypeman duty before he reverts back to the Fresh Prince for a verse at the end.



Will Smith ft. D.J Jazzy Jeff - Pump Me Up



Cash Money never appearing as a reoccuring character in one of the best sitcoms of my youth alongside a cast which included a dime like Karyn Parsons is also worthy of consideration in this discussion, but perhaps the most important factor in Jeff surpassing Cash Money as the dj caliph of Philly is that their Biz + Rick subsuming posse cut So Fresh helped make the conservative throwback-rap aesthetic pushed by Jurrasic 5 and Ugly Duckling at the arse-end of the 90s obsolete, and for that reason we should all be beholden to Jeffrey :

Will Smith ft. Jazzy Jeff, Biz Markie & Slick Rick - So Fresh