I wrote the liner notes for Hiero’s recent 20th anniversary deluxe reissue of 3rd Eye Vision. The best part was just talking to Souls, Del, and Domino about them learning as young artists the realities of starting their own business– this record emerged from that era, a time in their lives starting an indie label and transitioning from majors. The reissue sold out but has been recently been restocked. It also has a pretty dope “lost cut” that I cannot link to because it’s exclusive to the wax, and so far I don’t see uploaded anywhere (but Del and Pep GO OFF). (COP THE RECORD HERE)
A new side column for POW, this “Making of…” series consists of little oral histories behind some of the greatest cuts ever. First up is the the single “You Never Knew,” from Hiero off their first group joint, 3rd Eye Vision. Other standouts on here are of course “At The Helm,” or “Oakland Blackouts.” (I’ve always really liked this A-Plus remix of “The Who.” ) “You Never Knew” proved to be a big single off this release, complete with an awesome DIY Hawaiian music video that’s great to look back on. With Del, A-Plus and Tajai– peep HERE. And more to come.
I was listening to old Hiero tapes and realized I was hearing dudes half my age rap. It was “Step To My Girl” by Souls of Mischief whom, says Tajai, were only “15-years-old when we first recorded those songs.” He continues, explaining “Cabfare”: “I didn’t even have a driver’s license let alone a cabbie license! I just laugh at those songs when I hear them but they have a special place because they’ve touched so many people and have the ability to bring me back to that era.”
“Cab Fare”
“Step To My Girl”
I just spoke with Tajai for an upcoming short piece on their new album, Montezuma’s Revenge, produced by Prince Paul. Here are some quick outtakes from that interview—for Hiero fans, and cats that remember seeing “93 Til” on CMC.
When was the first time you heard Prince Paul? How did he get on board with the new album?
Opio and Domino were on a Handsome Boy Modeling school tour with him and he mentioned doing some music with us. What started out as a dream became reality when he came out to record with us in 2006, damn near 20 years after we first were exposed to his wizardry. His projects have been some of the most influential in my progress as an artist and a person so it was a no-brainer to work with him. Continue reading “’93 Til Now: Tajai Outtakes”→
