"93 'Til Infinity" is released

Why it matters

"93 'Til Infinity" came out as a single in September 1993, on Jive, the title track from Souls of Mischief's debut LP of the same name. Souls of Mischief were four teenagers from East Oakland (A-Plus, Tajai, Phesto, Opio), part of the Hieroglyphics crew that also included Del the Funky Homosapien and Casual. They were eighteen and nineteen years old. The song is a casual perfection. The beat samples Billy Cobham's "Heather" and runs at a relaxed mid-tempo. The four MCs trade verses with the kind of effortless flow that takes years of competitive writing to develop. The title is the song's promise: it is 1993 going forward, forever, no expiration. "93 'Til Infinity" is one of the songs that defined the West Coast underground sound of the early 90s, a counter-program to the G-funk that was running the West Coast above ground that same year. You can put it on and watch a summer day go by underneath it. Pitchfork eventually ranked the album in their top fifty hip-hop albums of all time. They were right to.