Camp Lo playing 'Uptown Saturday Night' 20th anniversary show, released outtakes
Bronx rap duo Camp Lo‘s debut album Uptown Saturday Night, turned 20 last month and they celebrated by releasing On The Way Uptown, a collection of rare and unreleased recordings from the Uptown Saturday Night sessions, including an early demo of the classic single “Luchini AKA This Is It.” Ski, who produced most of Uptown Saturday Night (around the same time he produced much of Reasonable Doubt), talked to SPIN about working with Camp Lo back in the day:
I know nobody was going to understand it. But the way they were putting words together just sounds like some crazy dope fantasy rap. It put different things in your head when you heard them rap.
He later added:
Nobody’s like Camp Lo to this day. That’s why their music still sounds pretty good, because the shit that they say is so fucking wild. You’d never understand what they were really talking about, but it sounds so good in how he’s saying that. Nobody even wants to try and do that.
On The Way Uptown isn’t just a collection of subpar material that didn’t make the album. Most of it sounds as classic as the songs that did end up on their debut. It’s worth a listen for completists and casual listeners alike. Stream the album below, along with a video for the songs “Piece of the Action” and “World Heist.”
Camp Lo will also play an Uptown Saturday Night 20th anniversary show in NYC at the Blue Note on Saturday, March 25. It’s a 12:30 AM show (so technically 3/26). Tickets are on sale now.
Last year, Camp Lo opened the Digable Planets reunion tour (pics) and contributed to the first Avalanches album in 16 years. Earlier this month, they opened Mobb Deep’s Hell on Earth 20th anniversary show (pics).
