Classic 220
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Album Summary
2nd II None, the Compton-bred R&B and hip-hop duo of KK and Gangsta D, laid down 'Classic 220' in 1999 through Intersound Entertainment — a release that found these West Coast veterans pressing forward with the smooth, soulful sound they had been perfecting since the early part of the decade. Coming through on the independent side of things, the album carried the unmistakable fingerprints of late-1990s West Coast production, wrapping hip-hop cadences inside silky R&B grooves the way only a duo forged in Compton could do it. It was a statement of survival and artistry, delivered by two cats who had already proven themselves in the Qwest/Warner Bros. era and weren't about to let the shifting tides of the music industry silence their voices.
Reception
- The album moved through West Coast R&B and hip-hop circles with a quiet respect, though it did not recapture the mainstream momentum the duo had built during their earlier major-label years in the first half of the decade.
- Fans and those paying close attention recognized 'Classic 220' as a genuine independent-era effort, one that kept the duo's signature vocal chemistry and rhythmic interplay fully intact despite the leaner resources of the indie landscape.
- Commercially, the album faced the weight of a market that had turned its ears toward the rising Southern hip-hop sound and East Coast dominance, leaving little room for West Coast R&B-rap crossover acts to break through on a national level.
Significance
- 'Classic 220' stands as a real and honest document of the West Coast R&B-rap fusion tradition during the late 1990s independent era, a time when artists with deep regional roots had to fight harder than ever just to keep their music in circulation.
- 2nd II None's commitment to their craft on this album helped carry the smooth West Coast vocal rap lineage forward, honoring the same spirit that had connected New Jack Swing and groups like Hi-Five to the harder-edged rhythms of Compton throughout the decade.
- The album reflects the resilience of Compton-rooted artistry outside the gangsta rap mainstream, with KK and Gangsta D choosing authenticity over trend-chasing at a moment when that kind of integrity was both rare and necessary.
Tracklist
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A1 Stragglaz 102
5:00
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A2 Up 'N Da Club 94
4:54
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A3 Don't U Hide It 96
5:18
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B1 Whateva U Want 100
4:05
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B2 Make 'Em Understand 87
4:31
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B3 Pawdy 101
4:34
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B4 Back Up Off The Wall 99
6:07
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C1 Y? 91
4:20
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C2 If U Ain't F#!@in' 64
4:44
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C3 Don't Do Dat 103
4:38
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D1 Princess 173
4:19
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D2 Love U 98
3:30
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D3 Got A Nu Woman 95
8:49
Artist Details
2nd II None were a smooth yet hard-hitting West Coast rap duo out of Compton, California, made up of KK and Dejuan, who came up in the early 1990s under the wing of DJ Quik and his Banque Music imprint, dropping their self-titled debut in 1992 with that unmistakable G-funk groove that made the whole West Coast feel like one big lowrider cruising down the boulevard. Their sound sat right at that sweet intersection of gangsta rap and R&B-laced West Coast hip-hop, giving folks something you could bump on the block or slow dance to at the house party, and their hit Deja Vu showed the world they had real range. They may not have grabbed the mainstream spotlight the way some of their Compton contemporaries did, but heads in the know recognized them as authentic architects of that early-90s West Coast sound that still echoes through hip-hop to this day.
