The Awakening (Lord Finesse album)

The Awakening
Studio album by Lord Finesse
Released	February 20, 1996
Recorded	1995
Genre	East Coast hip hop, hardcore rap
Length	51:43
Label	Penalty Records
Producer	Lord Finesse, Myke Loe, Jesse West
Lord Finesse chronology
Return of the Funky Man (1992) The Awakening (1996)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The Source	[2]

The Awakening is the third and final album from Hip Hop artist Lord Finesse, released four years after his second album Return of the Funky Man. Unlike his first two albums, The Awakening features a large number of album guests, including Doo-Wop, O.C., KRS-One, MC Lyte, Marquee, Akinyele, Showbiz, Diamond D, A.G., Kid Capri, Large Professor and Brand Nubian's Grand Puba and Sadat X. The album features the single "Hip 2 Da Game" and the hidden track "Actual Facts".

Track listing

• All tracks produced by Lord Finesse, except track 11 produced by Myke Loe and * produced by Jesse West

#	Title	Featured Performer(s)
1	"Da Sermon (Intro)"	-
2	"Time Ta Bounce"	Doo-Wop
3	"True and Livin'"	-
4	"O Lord"	O.C.
5	"Brainstorm/P.S.K. (No Gimmicks Remix)"	O.C., KRS-One
6	"Taking It Lyte"	MC Lyte
7	"Gameplan"	Marquee
8	"Words from Da Ak"	Akinyele
9	"Flip Da Style"	-
10	"Showtime"	Showbiz
11	"Speak Ya Peace"	Marquee, Diamond D, A.G.
12	"Food for Thought"	-
13	"Da Kid Himself"	Kid Capri
14	"Hip 2 Da Game"	-
15	"No Gimmicks"	KRS-One
*	"Actual Facts" (Hidden track)	Sadat X, Large Professor, Grand Puba

Samples

True and Livin'

• "Fool Yourself" by Little Feat
• "Nobody Beats the Biz" by Biz Markie
• "Funky President" by James Brown

O Lord

• "Liftime Monologue" by Lou Rawls

Brainstorm / P.S.K. (No Gimmicks Remix)

• "Cannon Raps" by Cannonball Adderley
• "Ironside" by Quincy Jones
• "Come On" by The Notorious B.I.G. and Sadat X
• "A Divine Image" by David Axelrod
• "The Basement" by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth and Heavy D

Taking It Lyte

• "Stefanie" by James Moody

Gameplan

• "E.V.A." by Jean-Jacques Perrey
• "Outside Love" by Brethren
• "San Juan Sunset" by Eumir Deodato

Words From Da Ak

• "Safari" by Frank Walton

Showtime

• "Diggin' in the Crates" by Showbiz & A.G.

Speak Ya Peace

• "Naima" by Tom Scott & the California Dreamers
• "The Harlem Buck Dance Strut" by Les McCann
• "The Basement" by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth and Heavy D
• "On and On" by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth

Food for Thought

• "Cannon Raps" by Cannonball Adderley
• "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" by Big Daddy Kane
• "Go Stetsa I" by Stetsasonic
• "Remind Me" by Patrice Rushen

Da Kid Himself

• "Who's Making Love" by Lou Donaldson

Hip 2 Da Game

• "Dream of You" by Oscar Peterson
• "Tramp" by Otis Redding & Carla Thomas
• "You're Getting a Little Too Smart" by Detroit Emeralds

No Gimmicks

• "School Boy Crush" by Average White Band

Actual Facts

• "The Smile" by David Axelrod
• "Move the Crowd" by Eric B. & Rakim
• "I Wanna Be Down (The Human Rhythm Hip Hop Mix)" by Brandy Norwood, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah and Yo-Yo

Album Singles

Single information
"Hip 2 Da Game" Released: October 28, 1995 B-side: "No Gimmicks"
"Gameplan" Released: January 9, 1996 B-side: "Actual Facts"

Music Videos

There have been music videos for the tracks "Hip 2 Da Game", "Actual Facts" & "Gameplan". Gameplan features a cameo from Big L.

Album chart positions

Chart (1996)	Peak position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[3]	36

Singles Chart Positions

Year	Song	Chart positions
		Billboard Hot 100	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	Hot Rap Singles	Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1995	"Hip 2 Da Game"	-	-	36	42
1996	"Actual Facts"	-	-	37	32

References

1. Mills, Brad. The Awakening (Lord Finesse album) at AllMusic
2. http://hiphop-thegoldenera.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/album-review-lord-finesse-awakening-1996.html. Inserted picture of Source review.
3. "Lord Finesse – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Lord Finesse. Retrieved April 28, 2016.