West Manhattan’s night club, The Tunnel, is notorious for many things–from the outrageous cover (up to $75 on any given night) and A-list celebrities mingling with blue-collar folk; to the heavy-use of drugs and highly sexual environment.
However, one aspect that tends to be overlooked is the crucial role The Tunnel played in the rise of hip-hop music. Since it launched the first of its many Sunday nights devoted to hip-hop in 1993, its own Funkmaster Flex has spun the best in hip-hop; from "bounce" to "thug" hip-hop, if heads were feelin’ it, Flex fed it to them.
After putting out a handful of mixtapes (Funkmaster Flex Vol. I , II , III ), Flex returns alongside DJ Big Kap, supplying more bass-thumpin’ beats for hip-hop’s elite, including such artists as Tupac, Biggie, Dre, Eminem, The Cash Money Millionaires, Raekwon, Method Man and the list goes on.
Like his previous mixtapes, The Tunnel is best when listened to as a whole entity. There are only two singles that can hold their own on this disc (Cash Money Millionaires’ "Respect," Mary J. Blige’s "Confrontation").
For those of you seeking non-stop, ridiculously-ill beats and the above-par, but-far from-great offerings of hip-hop’s finest, The Tunnel is your ticket.