812 Faculty - Midwest MaddN*ggaz Compilation CD (Lay It Down, 1996)
2018 reissue w/ slightly different artwork.
This is ground zero for the Southern Indiana DIY gangsta rap explosion sparked by Lay It Down Records in my hometown/era of mid '90s Jeffersonville. The first in a trilogy of ice-cold classic releases from the label's nuclear act 812 FACULTY.
Admittedly, this was the last of their three albums that I heard, even though it was the first to be released, and it wasn't until years later that I was introduced to it. So my own personal fondness of this music has always lied with The Quarter (1996) and especially No Love (1998), but listening now in retrospect, MMC might just be my favorite.
Syrupy synths, wet basement beats, proto-mumble murder raps with a moderately varied stylistic approach due to its sizable personnel, yet unified in its overarching apathetic, rugged, raw meat lickin' econo-funk. This shit will slap the smile off your face.