Federal (Original Master Peace)

When Jive reissued E-40’s 1992 debut in 1994, the label omitted three of its best tracks, remixed two others, and altered the cover art. Jive’s doctored version of *Federal* was nonetheless a classic, but the world became a better place when the original version was finally made available in 2009. Now fans can see for themselves the difference a few songs can make. Two of the deleted tracks—“Tanji 2” and “Get Em Up”—are uptempo, and feature a rapid rhyme delivery not unlike not unlike Kool G. Rap’s New York street style. However, the best deleted song is the one with the most dubious title. “Rasta Funky Style” is a woozy, staggering beat that features 40’s most hallucinatory rhymes. The song would help set the blueprint for future Bay Area rap iconoclasts like Mac Dre and Andre Nickatina. To round it out, “Hide-N-Seek” and “Extra Mannish” (the two remixed tracks) appear here in their original, superior incarnations. Jive helped to polish E-40 for the hip-hop masses, but the wild, homespun grit is precisely what makes *Federal (Original Master Peace)* essential.