Skitzofreniks

The Boston hip-hop scene experienced a virile little hip-hop renaissance just before the turn of the century, and among its early leading lights was the Skitzofreniks, consisting of DJ and producer Eddie Bones and emcee CheckMark, a.k.a. Charlie Bawles. The underground duo released the hot independent 12" "On My Own Sh!t" to considerable praise in early 1999, and quickly backed it up with the equally buzz-worthy singles "Sicilians" and "Skitzofreniks' State," the latter a tight posse cut also featuring Beantown mainstays 7L & Esoteric, REKS, and Virtuoso. Those three tracks on their own would have easily generated enough heat to power the Skitzofreniks' first full-length effort On My Own Sh!t, a bare-bones, no-cover job released conjointly by Brick and Landspeed Records, but luckily it has several other strong songs to add to its enticements, including the daffy "Superhoe" and the vibe-smooth "Fresh Rhymes." Bones produced all the album?s mostly skeletal, unadorned tracks except for a great Pac Man-biting remix of ?Sicilians? done by unofficial, ancillary Skitzofrenik Mister Jason, who also happens to serve time as one-half of fellow Cambridge crew Porn Theatre Ushers. ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide