Masters of Ceremony were comprised of MC Dr. Who, DJ Shabazz and none other than Grand Puba - although at this point he still used his surname, Maxwell. Yep, prior to working out some righteous and overly politicized jams, Grand Puba did time in this pretty early rap crew. The group’s first single, “Crime,” was released in ’85, with its follow up "Sexy" b/w "Cracked Out," coming two years later. And although, it took a total of three years for the ensemble to release a full length, the resulting 1988 Dynamite, as dated as it is now, compares with any of that early wave of hip hop.

If nothing else, the fact that Masters of Ceremony were releasing music in ’85 is good enough reason for the group to be recalled in a positive light. I’ve not heard that first single, but the follow up comprises almost a quarter of Dynamite. “Sexy” is a six minute comment on what Grand Puba and Dr. Who want in a woman. And yes, that might be a bit too long for concluding any of this, but there’s a quick narrative in there as well. Considering that this track is so lengthily, it serves to illustrate the difference in hip hop than and now. Of course, different production techniques were administered, but it seems just from this one track, that Puba’s able to speak more definitively about a relatively benign topic than most current rappers on any subject.

The other half of that single, “Cracked Out,” begins with a George Clinton check as “Atomic Dog” is approximated by the emcees, here in a comedic singing voice. The topic broached here is an obvious one. But again, its inclusion points to the fact that in ‘87/’88 emcees, of all varieties, were concerned with social issues. And while this disc didn’t sell too well, despite being on DJ Jazzy Jay Jay’s Strong City label, Dynamite, partially due to these two aforementioned tracks, is currently considered a cornerstone of ‘80s rap.

Despite that gushing praise above, Masters of Ceremony didn’t create a masterpiece from beginning to end. “Redder Posse” is a pretty enormous misstep with the majority of the track being given over to the emcees singing with a female accompanist backing them up. In contrast to other more conscious lyrics on the disc, “Redder Posse” is given over to the most slight examination of women, dancing and the like.

Apart from that miscalculation, though, the disc is pretty solid, despite sounding its age at this point. Apparently, though, Masters of Ceremony were able to influence future deejays and breakers by its use of a few specific samples. A cursory listen to “Rock Steady” will probably prompt some sort of response like, ‘I know that from somewhere.’ And even if there’s a Mario Andretti reference in there, the track is still more than passable twenty years after its release.

Dynamite might not be a necessary classic to have in your stacks, but any hip hop fan(atic) should at least be aware of its existence.