Conspiracy [PA] (CD - 1995)

Junior M.A.F.I.A.: Little Kim a/k/a Big Momma, Kleptomaniac a/k/a Klepto, Nino Brown, Little Caesar, Cheek Del Vec, Bugsy, Trife, Larceny (vocals); Capone.

Additional personnel: Jimmy Cozier (vocals); The Notorious B.I.G., Special Ed, Jamal Phillips (rap vocals); Justice, Lance "Un" Rivera, Jacob, Troy, Money L (background vocals); Mooch Dog, Jacob "Slim Poppa" York.

Producers include: Lance "Un" Rivera, Daddy-O, Understanding, The Notorious B.I.G., DJ Clark Kent.

Engineers: Rich "Dominica" Herrera, Kenny Ortiz.

Junior M.A.F.I.A.: Little Kim (aka Big Momma), Kleptomaniac (aka Klepto), Nino Brown, Little Caesar, Cheek Del Vec, Bugsy, Trife, Larceny (vocals); Capone.

Additional personnel: Jimmy Cozier (vocals); The Notorious B.I.G., Special Ed, Jamal Phillips (rap vocals); Justice, Lance "Un" Rivera, Jacob, Troy, Money L (background vocals); Mooch Dog, Jacob "Slim Poppa" York.

Producers include: Lance "Un" Rivera, Daddy-O, Understanding, The Notorious B.I.G., DJ Clark Kent.

Engineers: Rich "Dominica" Herrera, Kenny Ortiz.

Personnel: Jimmy Cozier, Lance "Un" Rivera (vocals).

Audio Mixers: Clark Kent; Kenny Ortíz; Tony Smalios.

Recording information: Quad Studios, Nashville, TN; Sound on Sound; Unique Studios.

Photographer: Chicu Modu.

Two separate groups (Trife & Larceny and The 6's) and two solo acts (Little Kim and Kleptomaniac) unite to form Brooklyn, New York's Junior M.A.F.I.A. And after numerous mentions by their godfather, The Notorious B.I.G., the group come forth to live up to their name with CONSPIRACY.

A female version of the Big Poppa himself, Little Kim (aka Big Momma) has the kind of off-beat microphone flow that makes her every appearence essential to CONSPIRACY. When she teams up with The B.I.G. and Little Caesar (a member of The 6's) for "Player's Anthem," her female gangsta-ish rhymes prove that she can hang with the big boys. Featuring one of the catchiest choruses of the year, it is among the album's star tracks. "Get Money" gives Little Kim another chance to show off her un-ladylike skills. Other individual highlights include the haunting beat of "White Chalk," which allows Trife and Larceny to get a piece of the action, and "Lyrical Wizardry," which belongs entirely to Klepto.

With a wide range of producers and contrasting lyrical attacks, Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s sound can't be pinpointed, and CONSPIRACY's variety of musical styles reflects the growing diversity of hip-hop. minimize